Richmond dispatch. [volume] (Richmond, Va.) 1884-1903, 1899-01-01
WAR EVENTS OF 1898,
CONTINUED FROM FIRST PACED

IcHcf supplies 10 tuDd III olH'l N'STtiS
than armed warships. SPANS activity in
| buying warships i'm European ship-yards
was an important item Of news confirm
ed In the early part Of the month. On the
! 10th the house unanimously voted 10
! place 100000 at the unqualified disposal
/ OF President Mckinley as an emergency
fund for national defence. The very
! next day the Senate unanimously pass
! ed the measure. on the 18th OF the
/ month the mystery surrounding the
! sunerings OF the native inhabitants or
| cuba I'm consequence Of the reconcen-
tration orders was enectually cleared
up by the evidence Of Senator Proctor
! Of Vermont. before the Senate Committee
on Foreign Affairs. Senator Proctor had
| visited Cuba on his own responsibility.
! and the trend OF his testimony was 20
the effect that the worst had not been
! told, even in the highly embcllished ac-
| counts that had appeared from time 10
! time In various publications. His story
made a profound impression In Wash
ington and upon the country at large'
! ana seemed 10 give America full justin
/ cation for interference TO stop the war
! in cuba as a measure OF humanity. The
month closed with the feeling almost
universal throughout the country that
was was inevitable. and could not be
/ o..
! incident and the explosion Of the Maine,
whether accidental or otherwise On the
! 2Sth the verdict of the Maine court of in
uulry TO the effect that the Names de-
structiOn was due TO an outside eX-
plosion was communicated 20 the Span
ish Government by President Mckinley,
and three days liter made public.
APRIL.
Almost every day in April had It's
| DEVELOPMENTS in the matter Of the war
with Spain ON the % Of the month
President Mckinley held a council with
| the Secretary Of the Treasury and Ways
and Means Committee on war-reVenHe
measures. On the lth the Navy Depart
ment ordered the purchase Of ten aux
iliary cruisers. and next day Consult
General Lee was ordered TO return from
Habana. which he did four days later
in company with all the American con-
st,ls in Cuba. on the 7th Of April Senior
Gullon. Spanish Foreign Minister, noti-
fled the powers that Spain had reached
the limit of international policy In the
direction of conccding the demands and
allowing the pretensiOns of the tinted
States" The same day the representa-
| tives in Washington Of Great Britain,
| France. Germany Russia. and Italy
| presented a joint note TO the Presld11s
! expressing the hope that peace Wiz
Spain might be preserved. In reply ~
the note the President emphaucaHy
stated that the war in cuba must cease
orders were issued on the 18th 10
concentrate all the regular army Of the
tinted States at the gulf ports and in
Chickamauga Park. The same day the
Government chartered the American Line
steamers ST. Louis, st. Paul, and New
| York for auxiliary cruisers
Resolutions and discussions in Congress
| eliminated on the 18th in set OF resolu-
lions directing the President 70 interfere
| in cuba. These resolutions were signed by
the President on the 18th, and an ulti-
matum was sent 10 Spain demanding lhAt
her land and naval forces withdraw from
! Cuba. and requiring an answer before
noon on April 23d. AS soon as the Spanish
| Minister learned that the President had
signed the resolutions he requested and
received his passport. The same day the
Oueen Regent read a warlikc speech from
the throne. on the Dist Spain virtually
declared war by notifying United states
Minister Woodford that diplomatic rela-
tiOus with the United States were at an
end This was before General Woodiord
! could deliver the Presidents ultmatGm'
I which had been cablcd TO him in English
and communicated 10 the Spanish Cow
eminent i'm advance. president Mckinney
nromptlv declared a blockade at Habana
and ordered SIMPSONS fleet 10 sail from
Kew West to Cuban waters Subsequently
Congress declared that war had been be-
gun on the Dist by the overt act Of Spain,
and that view was sustained by England
| I'm her proclamation Of neutrality. On the
| oath of April the President called for 125
90 volunteer troops The first act of the
| war was the capture OF the Spanish
steamer Buena Ventura off Habana by
the United States gunboat Nashville.
| Several days later Admiral Sampson
vessels bombarded the Spanish fcrts M
Alatanzas. Meanwhile, Spain had been
active. having called out 5000 reserves
ON April Dist. and on the 2Sth Cervera's
squadron sailed from Cape Verde, pre-
sumably for American waters.
MAY.
on May 1st the interest in the war was
transferred from our very doors TO the
other side of the globe where Commo-
dore Dewey. with the Asiatc squadron,
GeetrCved tho Spanish naval force guard
ing the Philippines by a brilliant action
in the harbor of Manila. on the American
| side six men We're slightly wounded and
! mono killed The Spanish loss reported
| was two commanders and JJo 10 1D men
killed or wounded. The Spanish fought
with bravery, but lacked GOODNESS and
! skin. Immediately after the battle Com
| modore Dewey cut the cable, and II was
many days before official reports OF the
enhancement were received at Washing
ton
Nearly the whole Of May had passed be-
fore any definite steps were taken 10 re-
| enforce Dewey First 5000, then l0W0'
then 1900. and finally GoO1) men were as
| signed to an expedition under the com
mand of General Wesley Merritt on the
ODD several thousand of these troops en-
barlled for Manila. Spain also made an
ATTEMPT to recover ground in the Philip
mines. and there were strong limitations
mat European Powers might take an ac-
tive hand in the affair 1t was at this
time that the much-talked-about Anglo
American alliance sprung into being, II
being it actually had. 1t is now generally
! accepted that England threw her innu-
encc in the scale I'm favor Of America. and
the projected interference by European
Powers did not take place.
other naval events Of Nay were the
| bombardment of san Juan. Porto Rico,
! bv SIMPSONS warships. the affair At
| Carderas. CUBA, where the first United
| states officer Of the war fell-Ensign Bag
lev Of the torpedo-boat WlnsloW-and the
! arrival " Cervcras squadron at Mar
! tinouc. This last was considered by
| naval stratcgists a brilliant move in IT.
self. but one likely to end in disaster be
| causo of the lack OF coal and other naval
suuplies for Spanish vessels on this side
OF The voter the Spanish ports in the
caribbean sea being blockaded Oy Amerl-