lower part of California and a portion of the Mexican
coast. In 1875, tired of this duty, Dewey was relieved of
command and allowed to serve as a lighthouse inspector
in Boston. In 1878, he was named by Secretary of the
Navy Richard W. Thompson to the Lighthouse Board
in Washington, where he served until 1882. Two years
later, he was promoted to the full rank of captain, and,
in 1896, to commodore.
In 1897, Dewey was named commander of the
Asiatic squadron of the United States Navy, succeed-
ing Admiral Frederick G. McNair, and placed in com-
mand of the USS Olympia, the flagship of the Asiatic
fleet. On 15 February 1898, the USS Maine exploded
in Havana harbor in Cuba, then ruled by Spain. When
an investigative body of the Department of the Navy
held that an outside source—probably Spanish provoca-
tives—had blown the ship up, the United States declared
war on Spain. Dewey, who had sailed to Hong Kong
four days before the Maine was destroyed, was ordered
to sail to the Philippines, a Spanish possession in the
Pacific Ocean; the telegram, from Assistant Secretary of
the Navy Theodore Roosevelt, instructed him: “Proceed
at once to the Philippine Islands. Commence operations
... against Spanish fleet. You must capture Spanish ves-
sels or destroy.”
The Olympia and Dewey’s squadron of four cruis-
ers, two gunboats, and one revenue cutter reached Manila
Bay on 30 April 1898. They faced a fleet of seven Spanish
warships, part of a navy considered to be the best in the
world at the time. Dewey therefore planned a night attack
in the harbor rather than face the Spanish in the open sea.
At 5:40 a.m. on May 1, the Americans began to attack
the Spanish ships anchored at Cavite Point in Manila Bay.
Just before the attack, Dewey issued what is probably the
most famous order in American naval warfare, telling the
captain of his flagship: “You may fire when you are ready,
Gridley.” The Spanish squadron was commanded by Rear
Admiral Patricio Montojo y Pasarón, who led with the
cruiser Reina Cristina. Dewey’s early move sealed the fate
of the Spanish when they were hemmed into between
Cavite and Sangley Point, and the seven Spanish ships
were soon sunk or rendered useless. The Spanish lost 323
men killed and 151 wounded; the Americans lost just one
man due to heat prostration. Dewey’s victory rates as a
decisive American naval victory, even though it was later
learned that the Spanish ships were in fact in poor condi-
tion and the troops demoralized.
The United States Congress passed a resolution
thanking Dewey for his service, as well as the officers
and men in his command, and authorized the secre-
tary of the navy to “present a sword of honor to Com-
modore George Dewey, and cause to be struck bronze
medals commemorating the battle of Manila Bay.. .”
Nine days after the battle, Dewey was promoted to rear
admiral, and on 3 March 1899, he was promoted to
the rank of admiral—only the third American naval
officer to be so honored (the other two were David
Farragut and David Dixon Porter). Returning to the
United States, Dewey was given a hero’s parade in New
York City.
Despite his victory, Dewey never served again in a
military capacity. He attempted a run for the U.S. presi-
dency in 1900 but withdrew after a few days. That same
year, President William McKinley named him president
of the General Board of the Navy, assisting in transform-
ing the 19th-century American navy into a 20th-century
fighting force. He later served on two other commis-
sions; as chair of the court of inquiry that investigated
the conduct of Rear Admiral Winfield Scott Schley dur-
ing the American occupation of the Philippines, and as
chair of the joint army-navy board that examined bet-
ter cooperation between the services. He published his
memoirs in 1913.
George Dewey died in Washington, D.C., on 16
January 1917. As he lay dying, his last words were:
“Gentlemen, the battle is done... the victory... is
ours!” He was laid to rest initially in Arlington National
Cemetery, but in 1925 his remains were moved to the
National Cathedral in Washington, D.C.References: Spector, Ronald H., Admiral of the New Em-
pire: The Life and Career of George Dewey (Baton Rouge:
Louisiana State University Press, 1974); Ellis, Edward Syl-
vester, Dewey and Other Naval Commanders (New York:
Hovendon & Company, 1899); West, Richard S., Ad-
mirals of American Empire: The Combined Story of George
Dewey, Alfred Thayer Mahan, Winfield Scott Schley, and
William Thomas Sampson (Indianapolis: Bobbs-Merrill,
1948); Lanning, Michael Lee, “George Dewey,” in The
Military 100: A Ranking of the Most Influential Military
Leaders of All Time (New York: Barnes and Noble Books,
1996), 335–337; Conroy, Robert, The Battle of Manila
Bay: The Spanish-American War in the Philippines (New
York: The Macmillan Company, 1968).0 Dewey, geoRge