fielded two antiquated cruisers (one of which
was powerless and had to be towed into bat-
tle!), two small cruisers, and five small gun-
boats, representing 12,000 tons of displace-
ment and 37 heavy cannons. Worse of all, only
seven of his cannons were modern breech-
loading designs—the bulk were obsolete muz-
zle loaders. On the morning of May 1, 1898,
Dewey ran the fortifications and mine belts of
Manila Bay, looking for his quarry. He found
them drawn up in a line at Canacao Bay off
Cavite, awaiting the inevitable clash. As the
fleets closed, the Americans opened up at
long range and dominated the battle. Spanish
casualties mounted as ranges shortened; they
mustered a brave but ineffective fire in return.
Marksmanship on both sides was abysmal,
with the Americans firing 5,859 shells and
scoring only 142 hits. Still, within hours
Spain’s fleet, the pride of the Philippines, was
either burning or sunk. Montojo’s losses
amounted to 75 killed and 210 wounded.
Dewey suffered nine wounded and only one
dead—lost to heat stroke—an indication of
how badly the Spanish were outgunned. The
victory at Manila Bay cleared the Philippines
of Spanish naval power in a single decisive
stroke and made Dewey the first hero of the
Spanish-American War. For Montojo, who had
fought bravely throughout this hopeless en-
counter and was severely wounded, an alto-
gether different fate awaited him.
In consequence of losing his fleet, Montojo
was summoned to Madrid to face a general
court-martial, a standard procedure. He ar-
rived in November 1898 confident that he had
defended Spanish honor and would be acquit-
ted. Instead, the luckless admiral was impris-
oned until his trial in March 1899. The public
reacted furiously to the displays of military in-
competence during the recent war and the
loss of the Philippines, Cuba, and Puerto
Rico. The Spanish government needed a
scapegoat—and quickly. In his own defense,
Montojo contacted his erstwhile adversary,
Dewey, and requested a letter of support. The
American hero chivalrously offered to help,
declaring, “The fighting of your flagship,
which was singled out for attack, was espe-
cially worthy of a place in the traditions of
valor of your nation.... I very much regret
that calumnies have been cast against you,
and am confident that your honor cannot be
dimmed by them.” Regardless, Montojo was
found guilty by the court and cashiered, a
shameful sentence considering the govern-
ment’s culpability for the disaster. After a life
of selfless devotion to Spain, his military ca-
reer was effectively ended.
Montojo returned to private life where, as a
man of letters, he published novels, literary
essays, and nautical manuals. Fluent in En-
glish, he also translated James Fenimore
Cooper’s The Two Admirals into Spanish.
This gallant, forlorn naval figure died in
Madrid on September 30, 1917. He deserved a
better war—and a better fate.Bibliography
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Threshold of Empire and the Battle of Manila Bay,
1898–1899.Fuquay Varina, NC: Research Triangle,
1998; Nofi, Albert A. The Spanish-American War.
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bury, James L. “Manila Bay: Battle or Execution?”
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