Atlanta semi-weekly journal. (Atlanta, Ga.) 1898-1920, 1917-01-19


achievement 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 a striking exem-
plification OF the possibilities of a ca
reer based upon the exact and intelli
gent performance of every routine duty
which molds a man on inflexible 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 department 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 were 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 Caribbean sea and that he, distant
by half the circumstance 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 orders and like true sailor
obeyed them. The. result is a page of
history under date Of May /, 1898.
Contrary to Spanish expectations
Dewey sailed unto Manila bay on the
night of April 80 and in the morning
of the next day he annihilated Admiral
| AIontojo's squadron, destroying eleven
warships and capturing all other vessels
| and all the land batteries 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 national CAPT.
! tai. Congress gave him an engraved
sword, and raised him from the rank of
Commodore to rear admiral and then 10
the full rank of the admiral of the
navy.
| Admiral Dewey was the third Ameri-
| can to reach that pinnacle of naval rank.
| Farragut was the first and Porter the
second. 1t was under Farragut that
Dewey received his first baptism IN
| war.
Valuable as the training of Annapolis
was. 1t was poor schooling beside that
I of serving under Farragut in time of
| war" Admiral Dewey once said. when
ever l have been in a difficult situation
| or in the midst of such a confusion of
| details that the simple and right thing
to do seemed hay L have often asked
myself, What would Farragut do% In
the course of preparations for Manila
! Bay. ] often asked myself this ques-
tnon, and 1 confess 1 was thinking of
him the night we entered the bay and
with the conviction that 1 was doing
! precisely what he would have done"
BORN IN VERMONT.
George Dewey was born in the shadow
of Nermonts state capitol at Montpelier,
on the day following Christmas in 1887.
At the age of seventeen, he reached the
crossroads of his career; one road led to
West Point, the other to Annapolis
Young Dewey favored the former, but
There was no vacancy for West
Point from Vermont" explained the ad-
miral in reviewing his life. otherwise
I 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 twenty-three years old. He
was commissioned a lieutenant, and
guided the Mississippi as it's executive
officer in Farraguts historic dash past
New Orleans and it's forts. He was not
so successful at Port Hudson. Farragut
won through. but Dewey and the Mis-
sisSippi ran aground unuer the guns Of
| the forts. The ship was set afire and
during the transfer Of the crew under
Dire, the young officer "lived five years in
an hour"
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 period. the future
admiral cruised, taught a class at An
napolis, surveyed lower California and
part OF the west coast OF Mexico. car
RI
siege of Paris, performed duty at Bos-
ton navy yard ana the naval torpedo
station at Newport, inspected light
houses and served as naval secretary
on the lighthouse hoard spent two
years travelling on a SICK leave in search
of health, four Years AS chiei of the
bureau Of equipment. and at the Gse of
hfty-nine WAS serving ass piesindent of
the board of inspection and survey with
the Ipnk of commodore. II was in this
important naval office that he presided
at the trials of all the battleships ex- !
cept the Oregon, which were to demolish |
the Spanish squadron at Santiago
Shortly after his return from Manila |,
bay Admiral Dewey found himself IN
the fire of popular criticism over the |
gift house incident" American citizens
had raised $4,000 by public subscrip- !
ton as testimonial to the hero Of Ma !
Mia and they presented him with 4 !
house in Washington, Dewey, who had !
been a widower since 1872, had Just |
married Mrs. Mildred Mclean Hazen, of |
Washington, and he turned over the gift |
house to her. Shortly afterward the |
admiral and Mrs. Dewey left the gift |
house and lived in the wifes former ]
home.
SUGGESTED AS PRESIDENT
In 1900 Admiral Dewey was seriously
talked of as 4 candidate for the Rcpub- {
lican nomination president, but the .
admiral preferred to remain in the naval |
ranks rather than 10 seek such a ven |
ture i'm craftsmanship. His admirers |
have since often spoken of him as the |
man who could have been president If |
he had wished.
Early in 1914 Admiral Dewey again |
became conspicuous in me current news
by revival of the long standing contro- .
versy with Admiral Won Diederichs of .
the German navy regarding the conduct |
of the German squadron during the |
blockade Of Manila bay, sixteen years
before. In his autobiography, Adj |
miral Dewey criticised Won Diedrichs