hind sand-banks which partly protected and concealed it. It required a little time, in view of our unfamiliarity with the landmarks, to get a clear mental grip of the situation; but we soon saw that the Spaniards had disposed their force so as to cover the entrance to Cavite, the western flank of the fleet resting on Sanglei Point, and the eastern flank resting on the shoal water near the land on the other side of the bay, both flanks being apparently so close to shoal water as to prevent us from passing at either place and "doubling" on them. This disposition at once suggested that of the French fleet at the battle of the Nile, and Dewey's attack in column suggested Nelson's-a pleasant augury. And while the long reach of our guns and the extreme mobility of our ships, compared with the crude artillery and the sailing-ships of Nelson, made Nelson's tactics unnecessary, the result furnished another parallel; for the ardently attacking AngloSaxon overcame the passively resisting Latin, and received so small a degree of punishment that it was altogether out of proportion to the comparative strength of the two forces. Soon we were all within effective range, with our port broadsides bearing, and the range gradually decreasing. The first shot was fired by the Reina Christina, and was answered by the Olympia. The distance was five thousand yards, and the time half-past five. The decisive moment was approaching, and it was approaching in a very ticklish manner; for it must not be forgotten that the American fleet was in a harbor in which not a single officer had ever been before, and with which their acquaintance had been acquired wholly from charts. Now, navigating an unknown harbor by chart is ticklish work, even on a bright afternoon, when no one is firing heavy guns, and when there is no necessity for going near shoals. But how is it when the light is so poor that it is almost impossible to distinguish those landmarks on shore which one must distinguish in order to tell where he is? How is it when the ship whereon you are is firing heavy guns, that rattle your instruments and fill the air with smoke? How is it when it is absolutely essential to get as near to certain shoals as possible, in order to bring your guns close to the enemy? How is it when, in addition to all these things, shells weigh ing from one pound to one hundred pounds are singing in the air about you? Most of us can keep our heads fairly clear if we have a sheet of paper and a lead-pencil, and are VOL. LVII.-17. sitting safe in a quiet room. But how was it with Commodore Dewey and Lieutenant Calkins when they stood high up by the standard compass on the morning of the 1st of May? Calkins took compass bearings of certain landmarks on shore, and then his assistant drew lines on the chart, indicating these directions, from the spots representing those landmarks. The intersection of the lines showed the position of the ship; and from each successive position the commodore directed the further movements of the fleet. When one thinks of how much disaster might have followed a mistake of Calkins, or a mistaken order of the commodore relative to the course alone (and he had, at the same time, to give orders to the ships about many other matters), one can appreciate what the responsibilities of their positions were, and what was the necessity for coolness and clearness of head. It may be interpolated here that, in circumstances like this, the most valuable quality in officers or seamen is coolness, meaning not so much an external quietness of demeanor as the ability to use the brain effectively, and, allied to this, the faculty of keeping other men cool. In most navies the men can be depended on to fight bravely and long; but the ability to use the ships and guns in such a skilful way as to get the utmost out of them is a thing that can be acquired only by long and judicious training. This does not mean merely drill, though that does much; but it means, in addition, a self-training whereby, by force of will, a man can keep his brain clear and active. A valuable assistant to this is what Captain Mahan calls "preparedness of mind" -a phrase too good to need explanation. The interchange of shots between the flagships seemed to let go from every gun the shell that was waiting in it, and the action became general at once. The Petrel immediately received her baptism of fire-in a way much more like an ordinary baptism than is usual; for a heavy shell struck and exploded in the water close to her bow, and threw on board an enormous mass of water, that drenched the writer in the foretop, and (which was very irritating) covered with salt water the stadiometer with which he was measuring the distance of the Castilla. Shot and shell after that fell all about us, striking the water ahead and astern and on each side, and singing in the air like big mosquitos, but never biting. Our shots, on the contrary, though many,went over or fell short, seemed in the main to be well directed; and many a one could be seen, like a tiny dot in the air, till it disappeared near some part of a Spanish ship, where a puff of black smoke immediately afterward testified that it had struck and exploded. The American fleet steamed slowly down the line to the westward, until it had passed the Spanish fleet, then countermarched and passed it, going to the eastward, then countermarched to the westward, then to the eastward, and then to the westward, and then drew out of action at half-past seven, and went to breakfast; so it passed the Spaniards five times, three times going to the westward and twice to the eastward. The Spaniards remained virtually in the same place, the Castilla being, in fact, moored and immovable. During our first trip the Spanish ships fired with great rapidity; but their fire slackened gradually, yet perceptibly, after that, especially on board the Castilla and Reina Christina, the flagship, which, being the most "shining marks," received the greatest attention from our ships. The major part of the battle was simply an artillery duel between the opposing fleets, one moving and the other virtually stationary; for though certain Spanish ships started out several times, with the apparent intention of attacking our rear, they were quickly driven back by our guns. At the end of the last trip, the Castilla's guns were silenced, the Reina Christina was ablaze in two places, and the weak and irregular fire of the others betrayed the fact that their personnel and material had received such injuries that they were already hors de combat. After breakfast, the fleet started in toward Cavite again, and soon reduced the shore batteries on Sanglei Point. The Petrel passed inside, directing most of her fire against the Don Antonio de Ulloa. Some of her shots, however, penetrated the naval and military arsenal near by, and its flag at once came down. This was at half-past twelve. At the conclusion, it was found that no one in our fleet had been killed, and only eight men had been injured, and these but slightly; they were all on board the Baltimore, and were struck by splinters made by the same shell. Not a single ship had received any injury that reduced her efficiency in the slightest, with the exception of one gun in the Baltimore, struck by the same shell that caused the wounding of the men. Such was the battle of Manila Bay, sketched briefly, and in outline only. Until this battle, the most complete naval victory in history was that gained by Nelson at the battle of the Nile, with which, as has been said, it had many points in common. Much fuller details might be narrated, but they would be interesting only to the specialist in ordnance, gunnery, or naval construction, and would elucidate professional points only, and would not lighten, but might rather darken, our appreciation of the whole. Not only this, but errors might easily creep in; because it is only after evidence has been carefully sifted, and opposing statements reconciled, that an accurate account of the precise sequence of events of any battle can be given. Though this battle is fresh in the minds of those who participated in it, it is a fact that the greatest divergence exists as to the relative sequence of many incidents. This does not relate to the main facts as narrated above, but to others of less importance; and, for this reason, the writer has refrained from stating what were merely his own recollections, where they are unsupported by the recollections of other people. It is easy to understand why this difficulty should exist, of recollecting precisely the exact order in which many events succeeded one another; for one has simply to call to mind the conflicting testimony of honest witnesses before a criminal court concerning a very simple event under investigation, where, maybe, only a few persons were present, and the entire incident covered only a short period. But consider a naval battle lasting two hours, like this one. If a man had no other duty than to jot down mention of events, as they occurred; if he were able to do so stenographically; if he had no other interest in the matter, and if he did not allow his thoughts to wander from this one duty, possibly he might achieve a fair success. But if, on the other hand, he is himself an actor in the drama, his mental efforts will be otherwise directed, and he must rely on the kindness of his memory to tell him what it pleases afterward. It might be supposed that the importance of the events, and the mental stimulus thereby imparted, would make ineffaceable impressions on the brain; but the fact seems to be that, strong as each impression may be at the instant, the next impression is strong too, and tends to efface the first, especially since the mental effort is always toward what is to come next, what is to be the next move by either party, and how it will be met. Added to all these causes is another, and the principal one, which is that, as soon as the battle is over, one does not retire to rest and think about it, but rather to take measures to meet the new conditions that have arisen. Fortunately, however, for this narrative, it is only matters that do not concern the main features which are in doubt; and one fact stands out with an unsurpassable clearness of outline, the fact that the disproportion of hits between the two fleets was far, far greater than the disproportion between their gunnery forces. That the American fleet was the stronger in battery power cannot be . denied, and this is no reproach to us, but the reverse; for it shows that the Americans acted in accordance with the first principle of warfare, and "got the mostest men there the firstest." Having got them there, they proceeded to use them effectively. As to the result of their target practice, seven warped iron hulls, just showing above the tops of the blue waves of Manila Bay, abundantly testify to-day, and will continue to testify for many years to come. Before estimating the degree of skill with which the guns were handled, the reader is respectfully invited to remember that they were not fired on shore, but at sea, and that there is about the same difference between shore gunnery and sea gunnery as there is between firing from a rest on the target range, and firing at a bird on the wing; and that shore gunnery may properly be termed a science, and sea gunnery an art. In shore gunnery the degree of precision attainable (and attained) is far beyond that which can be reached at sea, for the errors of firing are reduced to a degree that constitutes a triumph of science. None appreciate this more than our friends of the army, and they have developed the possibilities of the situation to the utmost. By means of the most scientific construction of guns and appurtenances, the most accurate proportioning of the powder ingredients, the most elaborate and ingenious mechanisms for handling guns and ammunition, and the use of position-finders, special telegraphs, and wind-gages; by the most minute corrections, taking into account the temperature, the barometric height, the variations of refraction, and the curvature of the earth, the battery of a sea-coast fort has been made to rival in the niceness and precision of its work the equatorial of an astronomical observatory, and has become a machine so perfect that the human element is almost eliminated. But what could Tom Bowling do with such things as these at sea? Look at him as he stands, lock-string in hand, behind his gun, his legs wide apart as he balances himself on the unsteady deck, his eyes fixed on the sights of his gun and on the enemy, whom he sees through the narrow aperture of the gun-port. He knows that his gun is all right, and the powder and the shell and the fuse, and that, years ago, the necessary steps were taken which placed this terrible weapon in his hand to-day, so fashioned that if he fires it right the shot will hit the mark. But the rolling of the ship from side to side throws the line of his gunsights high up against the sky, and then down into the sea; and, as no ship steers exactly straight, the line of sight moves irregularly to the right and left; so that his sights appear to be describing irregular curves, now against the background of the sky, and now against the background of the sea. An average roll may be said to be about seven degrees on each side, or fourteen degrees from one side to the other. The average time of making this roll is about seven seconds, making the time of rolling one degree about half a second. Suppose now that Tom Bowling is firing at an average ship, say twenty feet high, about twenty-five hundred yards away. If he fires at the middle of the target, as he should do, this gives him a margin on each side of ten feet, which subtends an angle at Tom Bowling's eye of about one twelfth of a degree; so that Bowling must appreciate the fact that his sights are "on," and do everything required to fire the gun in one twenty-fourth of a second, or else he will miss the target. Now, no man living can be depended on for such rapid thought and nerve-action, even under the best conditions of quiet and calmness; that is, he cannot be depended on to do it every time. Much can be done by a good gun-captain, however, by watching for a smooth time, and firing a little before the sights bear. No one knows this better than Tom Bowling. So he braces his feet on the unsteady deck, every nerve stretched to its utmost tension. He sees that the gun is pointing a little to the right of the enemy's ship. "Left!" he orders; and the gun-trainers work their traininglevers, or, if in a turret, start the turningengine so as to turn the gun to the left. Meanwhile, as the line of sight gradually is approaching the target from the right, it is also rising and falling with the rolling of the ship. Tom Bowling sees that, the next time the sights rise to the level of the target, the trainers will have got the gun trained in the proper direction. He braces himself for a quick pull of his lock-string; and then a wave strikes the ship on the starboard bow, or the helm is shifted a little, and away goes the line of sight far off to the left, before the sights get up. "Right!" orders Bowling instantly; and the gun-trainers work the gun back to the right quickly, but cautiously, for much depends upon them now. "Well!" "Right!" "Left!" etc., come the orders in quick succession, as Tom Bowling and his trainers work the gun. Suddenly the line of sight strikes the target; there is a gleam in Bowling's eye, a quick pull of his arm, a tremendous noise, a stifling cloud of smoke, and in comes the gun as if it were a projectile itself, and were going clear across the ship, and out at the other side; but it quickly, yet gently, slows, then stops, controlled perfectly by the hydraulic cylinder; and immediately it runs out again, and is ready to be loaded and fired once more. In an instant the second captain has unlocked and thrown open the breech; quick hands wash off the powder residue from breech-block and bore, and then shove in the shell and powder. The second captain closes and locks the breech with a heavy clang, puts in a new primer, and reports the gun ready. "Left!" cries Tom Bowling; and the same succession of actions is reperformed. If anybody could have gone from ship to ship of the United States fleet during the eventful hours between five and half-past seven on that beautiful Sunday morning, he would have seen about fifty Tom Bowlings, all doing the same things and in the same way. He would have seen fifty guns' crews all eagerly, yet coolly, working their guns, and he would have seen each division of guns, and each turret, under the charge of an officer responsible for it. He would have seen, also, that besides these guns and their crews there was another very important department, that of bringing the ammunition from its safe magazines, far below the waterline, and delivering each kind to its appropriate gun. He would have noticed, too, that, although the guns were the most prominent objects in the picture, many things were being done, and many people employed, and much apparatus was being used in order that the guns should work in the most effective way; and, if he were a thoughtful person, he might ask himself a number of interesting questions, and seek the answers in the scenes before him. The spectacle of the orderly decks, the ardent but controlled enthusiasm, the well-drilled crews working their guns, or providing ammunition, or caring for the wounded, or extinguishing a fire, might lead him to ask himself, "Is not this excellent shooting that I see merely one sign of a discipline and instruction and drill without which it could not be?" And as he watched the guns skilfully handled by their crews and captains, there would be gradually borne in upon his mind an increasing appreciation of the long and patient drill and teaching necessary to bring their efficiency to its present point; for the skill of each division is an index of both the capacity of the men themselves, and the ability of their divisional officers. And when he had noted the uniformity of the drills throughout one ship, he would see that the efficiency of each division is an index not only of its own merits, but of the patience and firmness and intelligent effort of the executive officer, and, back of him, the captain. Continuing his inspecting tour from one American ship to the next, he would see the same spirit and the same quick and obedient intelligence; and he would then understand that the performance of each ship is an index not only of its own efficiency, but of the efficiency of the fleet as a wholean evidence of the skill and faithfulness of its commander-in-chief, and, back of that, of the whole navy itself. For every man, and every gun's crew, and every division, and every ship, and every fleet, is simply part of one uniformly instructed, drilled, and disciplined force-the navy of the United States. At the battle of Manila Bay our thoughtful person might have noted another thing: he might have noted that there was almost no time when a gun-captain was embarrassed in the firing of his gun by smoke, or by another ship being in the way, or by sudden and quick movements of the ship itself. He might ask himself if this happened by chance, or if it were due to thoughtfulness on the part of some one; and a little observation would show him that the ships were so lined up by the admiral's disposition that no ship ever got between any other and the enemy, and that their direction of movement and of speed were such that each ship kept moving out of the smoke of her guns, and yet moved so slowly, and with so few changes of direction, as to give the gun-captains the utmost opportunity. He might have noticed, also, that the captains of the ships, although the ships sometimes drew quite near one another, kept them at as uniform a speed and in as constant a direction as possible, instead of continually working the engines, and excitedly shifting the helm from port to starboard and from starboard to port. And, right here, he would have noticed another thing, and one that made the duty of the captains easier: that in no case was there any trouble with the engines of any ship, or any delay in backing, going ahead, or stopping. He would rightly infer that this meant an excellent condition of the engines and an efficient condition of the engineer's force, who, far below the water-line, shut in their tight iron boxes, saw nothing of the battle, heard nothing but the booming of the guns, and felt nothing but the almost unendurable heat of their furnaces and boilers. And our thoughtful person might look a little further back, as thoughtful persons are apt to do, and inquire if the success of our naval gunnery at Manila were due to other causes still; and at this point his eye might fall on Tom Bowling's gun, and it might occur to him that some thanks were due to the gun itself, which had been modestly doing its duty-killing people, and setting fire to ships a mile and a half away-whenever Tom Bowling pulled a string. How did that gun get there? Who made it? Why does it shoot so straight? Why does it not burst when it makes that awful noise? What makes it stop so prettily and gently when it recoils? Why does it go off when Tom Bowling pulls the string, and why does the projectile set fire to a ship when it strikes it? These reflections put our friend on a new line of ideas, and he perceives that right under his observation is a beautiful example of engineering work; of the application of science to practical affairs; of the union of tremendous power with exquisite precision of movement and control; and of enormous strength of structure with nicety of workmanship. He sees that the forces of our highest civilization have applied the resources of wealth to those of mathematics, physics, and engineering, and produced an engine devoted to the work of destruction alone. Looking with careful eye at this new object of his admiration, he finds it to be a tube combining a maximum of strength, elasticity, and ductility with a minimum of weight; rifled along the inside of the barrel, and closed at the rear, or breech, by means of a "breech-block," so ingeniously contrived and accurately fitted that not an atom of the terrible powder-gas, which attains a pressure of thirty thousand pounds to the square inch, escapes past it, and yet which can be opened or closed by one man in an instant. Inquiry discloses to him the fact that this gun, and all the navy guns and their appurtenances, are designed by the Bureau of Ordnance and constructed at the Washington naval foundry, and that each of the numerous pieces of steel of which it is constructed was subjected to rigid chemical and physical tests before it was accepted. His attention passes easily from the gun to the gun-carriage which supports it; and he finds there the same exact adaptation of means to ends as in the gun, so that it is a pleasure to examine the ingenious and yet strong and simple mechanism by which the carriage and its gun are moved so quickly to the right and left on the unsteady platform of the deck. But what especially fixes his attention is the means by which the recoil of the gun is gently but firmly checked, and he sees that it is merely a cylinder partly filled with liquid, and carrying in it a piston which is shoved along by the recoil of the gun against the resistance of the liquid. Then he examines the powder and the primer which ignites it, and finds each subject a specialty in itself, with its own literature and history. The projectile next claims his attention, and he finds it a perfectly designed and constructed device, each kind of projectile made from some certain class of steel, according to the special work intended for it; and he sees that most of them are closed at one end by a fuse. This fuse leads him off to a new train of thought, and he recalls the thin black smoke which rose from the Spaniard's side when a Yankee shell struck it; and he can see in his mind's eye how the striking of the shell exploded the fuse, and how the fuse exploded the powder in the shell, tearing the shell into rough and jagged fragments, which were hurled in all directions, killing and wounding men; while the flame of the burning powder filled the air, and set fire to clothing and wood and human flesh. Of all the dangers in sea-fights, fire is the most dreadful. This was shown in 1896, at the battle of the Yalu, between the Japanese and Chinese, the first battle in which were employed the numerous quick-firing shell-guns of the present day. But if the personnel and material of the Yankee fleet worked together with such perfection on the 1st of May, how was it with the Spanish fleet? One answer is perfectly plain, and that is that, granting the superiority of the Yankee fleet both in force and skill, even then the disproportion of hits. could not have been so great, had the Spanish shooting been even fairly good. What was the matter? Was the trouble with the personnel, or the material, or both? This question cannot be confidently answered yet, but a certain line of thought will perhaps lead us to a conclusion not far |