The Meridian times. (Meridian, Idaho) 1909-1938, 1917-01-26
DEWEY, HERO OF
MANILA BAY, DEAD
FOREMOST NAVAL OFFICER OF
NATION, IDoLlZED BY PEo-
PIE, ANSWERS SUMMONS.
Life Was Full of Honorable Achieves
ments From the Days of the Civil
War Down TO the Time of His
Last Earthly Efforts.

Washington George Dew
ey, hero of the battle of Manila bay
and veteran of the civil war. the fore
most naval officer of the United
States, died at his home here Tues
day. The naval hero went to his
death quietly, his hand clasped In
that of his devoted wife, who has
been at his bedside throughout his
fatal illness, which began week pre-
vious.
Despite the seventy-nine years which
marked his birthday the day after
Christmas, the admiral had been hale
and hearty.
Admiral Dewey fought and won the
first great American naval battle
against foreign foe since the war of
1912.
His whole life was full Of honorable
achievement from the days of the civil
war down to thu 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
a career based upon the exact and In
telligent performance of every routine
duty which molds man on infiexible
lines of duty and honor
One of the curious freaks of fortune
in Dewey's case was that, for perhaps
the first and only time in his naval
career, he was disposed to protest
against the edict of the navy depart
ment which carried him into the far
east, where he was destined to per-
form the greatest feat of his life and
to win imperishable renown.
That was back in 1898, when the
war clouds were gathering, and
Dewey felt that he was being Shelly
ed; that the war with Spain was to
be fought out in the Gulf of Mexico
and in the Caribbean 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 Philippines. But he took his or
ders and, like a true sailor, 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 he annihilated Adj
miral Montejo's squadron, destroying
eleven warships and capturing all
other vessels and all the land batter
les without the loss 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 a beautiful home in the nations
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.
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 IL
ne entered Annapolis.
At the outbreak of the civil war
Dewey was 23 years of age. He was
commissioned lieutenant and guided
the Mississippi as it's executive Of
ficer in Farragut's historic dash past
New Orleans and it's forts.
From the close of the civil war I'M
til the opening of the Spanish-Amer-
lean, the life of the American naval
officer was made up of routine duty
at sea and ashore.
Admiral Dewey was the Third Amer
lean 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 of war.