Martinsburg herald. [volume] (Martinsburg, W. Va.) 1881-1920, 1917-01-20
ADMIRAL DEWEY
(Contiued from page H.


If 1912.
His whole life was full of honor
able achievements from the days of
the Civil War down to the time when.
as the head of the general board, he
began the last chapter of his work
by laying plans for the defense of
his country in time of war. His
life was striking exemplification of
the possibilities of career based
upon the exact and intelligent per-
Torrance of every routine duty which
molds man on inflexible lines OF
duty and honor.
One of the curious freaks of for
tune in eDwey's case was that for
perhaps the first and only time in his
naval career he was disposed to pro-
test against the edict of the Navy De-
partment which carried him into the
Far East, where he was destined to
perform the greatest feat of his life
and to win imperishable renown. That
was back in 1898 when the war clouds
weer gathering and Dewey felt that
he was being "shelved;" that the war
with Spain was to be fought out in
the Gulf of Mexico and in the Car.
lbbean Sea and that he, distant by
half the circumference of the globe.
would stand no chance of winning
glory, for at that moment no thought
whatever had been given to the Phil.
ippines. But he took his orders and
like true soldier obeyed them. The
result is page of history under date
of May /. 1898.
contrary to Spanish expectations,
Dewey sailed into Manila Bay on, the
night of April 80 and in the morning
OF the next day annihilated Admiral
Montojo's squadron destroying II war
ships and capturing all other vessels
an dali the land batteries without the
lass OF a man on the American side
Upon his triumphant return to the
United States he was feted by the ma
ton. His admirers presented him
with beautiful home in the national
capital. Congress gave him an en-
graVed sword and raised him from
the rank of commodore to rear.admiral
and then to the full rank of admiral
of the navy.
Admiral Dewey was the third Amer
lcan to reach that pinnacle of naval
rank. Farragut was the first and Por
ter the second 1t was under Farra
gut that Dewey received his first bap-
tism in war
Valuable as the training Of An.
napol1s was, it was pool schooling be-
side that of serving under Farragut
in time of war; Admiral Dewey once
said. Whenever | have been in
difficult situation or in the midst of
such a confusion of details that the
simple and right thing to do seemed
hazy, | have often asked myself.
What would Farragut.' In the course
OF preparations for Manila Bay, I
often asked myself this question and
confess | was thinking of him the
night we entered the bay and with
the conviction that | was doing pre-
cisely what he would have done"
Native of Vermont.
George Dewey was born in the
shadow of Vermont's state capitol at
Montpelier, on the day following
Christmas in 1887. At the age of II
he reached the crossroads of his ca.
reer; one road led to West Point. the
other to Annapolis. Young Dewey ia.
vored the former, but
There was no vacancy for West
Point from Vermont" explained the
Admiral in reviewing his life "Other-
wise,l might have gone into Manila
Bay on an army transport instead of
on the Olympia. But it happened that
there was a vacancy at Annapolis; so
| entered the navy"
At the outbreak of the Civil War
Dewey was % years old, He was COM
missioned lieutenant, and guided
the Mississippi as its executive officer
in Farragut's historic dash past New
Orleans and its forts. He was not so
successful at Port Hudson Farragut
won through, but Dewey and the Mis-
sissippi ran aground under the guns
OF the forts. The ship was set afire
and during the transfer of the crew
under fire the young officer lived
five years in an hour"
Taught at Annapolis.
From the close of the Civil War
until the opening of the Spanish
American the life of the American
naval officer was made up of routine
duty at sea and ashore. During this