El Paso daily herald. (El Paso, Tex.) 1881-1901, 1898-05-09
REAR AOMI-
RAJ DEWEY
Saw Hot Work in War Before He
Went to Manila.

went CO MdlllJd.
From the New York Sun.
Rear Admiral George Dewey is an
old warrior of the navy. who got hi
christening of fire abosrd the old
steam sloop Mississippi, under Fa :
ragut, in the early days of the civil
war. Rear Admiral Dewey is now 81
years old. He belongs in Vermont:
vas appointed to the naval academy
from that state in 1854. F, ur
years later, when he ives graduated, he
Wabash for q cruise in the Mediterran-
ean Dewey got his commission a.
Lieutenant on April 10, eight days after
Fort Sumter was fired upon, AID b.
was Immediately assigned to join the
Mississippi and do duty with the West
Gulf squadron. He was on the MissisS-
ippi whe n she took part with Faragut' :
other vessels in forcing an entrance =
the Mississippi river, and again when
the forts below New Dreams in April,
1862, and forced the surrender of thai
city The ship he was in belonged to
Captains Bailey's division of the fl ct
which attacked Fort Philip.
The hottest fight that the Missis-
sippi ever engaged in was her last
one, and this was perhaps as cot as any
during the war. InMarch, 1863, the flee
tried to run by the Confederate bait er-
got as far as a narrow part of the chan
mel, where they met land batteries
almost muzzle to muzzle, and then
they were forced TO retreat. The Mis-
sissippi did not get as far as this. A
foggy day bad been chosen for
the attempt, and this was soon
made more obscure by the smoke
of battle, and amid this the Mis-
sissippi lost her bearings and ran
ashore.
Her officers found that she had
struck just under the guns Of battery
in the middle of the line of fortifica-
tions and one of the strongest of the
lot. In half an hour 25O shots struck
the vessel and she was riddled from
eud to end. There was no chance to
hold her and the crew took to their
boats and landed on the opposite side
of the river, after setting her on fire
Soon. lightened by he loss of the crew
and by the fire, she dr. fled off,
and blazing and sslubir G with burst
ing shells she drift ed down the river
until finally the fire reached her mag
sZines, ard her career was ended in
one great explosion.
Dewey was next attached to the
steam gundoat Agawan of the North
Atlantic cksding squadron, and he
took part in the ATTACKS made on Fcrt
Fisher in December, 1864, q Jauu y
1864. In March, 1865, he got his cou-
mission as lieutenant commander, ano
as such served on the famous ol6
Kearsarge and on the Colorado, ,he
flagship of the European squadron un-
til 1868, when be was sent for serv-
ice to the naval academy. His first
comm and was in 1870, when be bad
the Narragansett doing special service.
He became commander in Apri
1872, and, still on the Narragansett.
was engaged in making surveys Of the
Pacific until 1876, when he was made a
lighthouse iusp sctor. and later the ST.
..retary Of the lighthouse board. h.
commanded the JuGni,a in the Asiat c
| squadron in 1882 SO, and in Septembs".
1884. was made a CAPTAIN and put in
charge of the Dolphin, then bra nd
new and one of the fonr yes
sells which formed the o.
| igin "vait, squadron" The fol.
lowing year he was sent to comn,a"d d
the flagship Pensacola, of the Europe I
.qua dron, and he stayed ;h"re unti
1888, when be became the chief of the
| bureau of ,quipmeut and recruiting
| with the rack of commCd DIRE Tai,
place he held until 1893, when he wa
made member OF the lighthouse
board. He got his comm sion as CON
modore on February 2S, 1896, and a
| about the same tim was made presi
dent of the board of inspection anc
survey. This place he held until he
was put in command of the Asiatit
station in January Of this year.