The Indianapolis journal. [volume] (Indianapolis [Ind.]) 1867-1904, 1899-02-12
THE HERO OF MANILA.
Admiral George Dewey Seen by
General Merritt.


New York Independent.
My first glimpse of Admiral Dewey was
caught when, toward the close of last July,
reached Manila. He came to meet me in
his launch as soon as we entered the bay.
and took me aboard the Olympia, where we
had very pleasant lunch while making ac-
quaintance. 1 found him q very genial, like
able man, quiet, modest, shrewd, observant,
alert and tactful. He had completely won
the hearts of the foreigners Of Manila, espe-
cially the English.
Captain Chichester was never tired of
sounding the praises of Dewey; in fact, all
the English naval officers in East Asia swear
by him. They are genuinely proud of him
and have not the faintest sign of jealousy.
1 never saw anything like it. He is very
popular. as he has always been among those
in this country who had the pleasure of his
personal acquaintance.
When l told him about the reputation he
had acquired among his countrymen and
about the strong feeling for him here he was
greatly pleased. He laughed every time he
thought Of it.
entered Manila bay at the same time in
the morning as Dewey entered it, and as /
saw the channel lying in the first CLEANS of
the morning sun l could we'll appreciate the
superlattve holiness Of the dash which he
made over a channel which was supposed to
have been mined, and ought to have been
mined, to attack a fleet which, on paper at
least, was as strong as his own and which
lay under the guns of strong forts. The
thing was unprecedented. and felt that the
admiral deserves all the honor that the peo-
pie are disposed to give him:
Admiral Dewey's physical appearance is
quite we'll known to Americans by means OF
his pictures. They convey a very good idea
of the man as he appears to the eye He is
below the medium height and lightly built.
His face and figure combine to express &C
tiYity and resourcefulness, and a bulldog
courage and tenacity.
I've been walking the deck worrying night
after night. Y GU can do that now"
He told me that the Germans had behaved
very hastily and that Aguinaldo was begin
ming to show the cloven hoof The coming
of the troops was a great relief to his mind.
He had no doubt that with their aid we
could easily go on and secure the islands he
had won. l had six transports with me, and
the men in them, with others landed pTeVi-
ousy, made up seven thousand troops. Gen.
Macarthur afterward joined me with more,
and at the time of the attack We had about
ten thousand men in the trenches
Admiral Dewey was very agreeable and
helpful His guns enhladed the Spanish po
sition and sheled their trenches, assisting
most materially in the taking of the city,
which he could have bombarded at any time,
a fact that, of course, had its effect on the
amount of resistance which we encountered.
The army and navy worked admirably to-
gether. The men kept their health, and l
heard no complaints about the supplies.
=. saw Admiral Dewey nearly every day
fast friends and 1 always found him doing
his duty admirably twas the ranking off,
Ger, but never thought of giving an order to
the fleet.
When left the islands on the 29th of
August Admiral Dewey was in good health,
as he was all the time | was there He was
quite hearty, and there was no sign of the
breaking down which was rumOred in this
country He was called to Washington, but
preferred TO remain at his post. lie thought
he could be useful and wanted to stay. He
told me that he wanted to stay. l wouldn't
like to say that he was afraid of being lion
lied but he is a modest man. He is the man
for the place, and his staying is certainly
good thing for the Nation; What his ideas
are in regard to the Phil Ipines s pl ct y we'll
shown by his dispatches to the ar Depa4.-
ment. which have been very widely pub
lished There cannot be any doubt as tie
the importance of the islands to the mainte
nance of a commanding position in the Pa
cfic and eastern Asia They would be very
important to any power that held them as a
Whether or not they will be important to us
will depend upon our policy, but of that 1
must not speak.
So far as the country and climate are con-
cerned, ] found them very good. UndOubt-
edIy Americans can live there in comfort.
Of course l questioned the admiral about
his wonderful battle with the Spanish fleet.
He expressed establishment that nobody was
killed on the American side ALI the Spanish
shooting was not bad, he said and he
showed me where a shell had entered the
side of one of his vessels pierced the deck
and then turned back like a boomerang. A
most curious freak Of the shot it was It
looked like a miracle. for 1t certainly would
have killed group of men, who We're only
saved by the erratic action of the she'll
saw a good deal OF the Spanish soldiers
and sailors. They are a good-looking lot of
men, understood, as compared with ours but
all right in other respects, although they
did not seem in any Of their engagements
to show the grit and courage that charac-
terized our men. They fought vigorously at
first, but seemed to take il for granted that
they were going to be beaten heard, too,
that their officers seldom went out into the
trenches with their men, So it was not sur
prising that they lost their grip when per
sistently attacked.
Everything was peaceful at Manila when
/ left there, and the army and navy were
working together cordially as ever. Adj
miral Dewey, who became the ranking off,
Ger when / left, was well and happy, and my
mind was easy with the thought that the
situation was left in the hands of a typical
product of New England a brave man,
gallant gentleman, q capable soldier and
one who is bound to be respected by both
friends and foes.