Home › D › Dewey (GEORGE an American naval)

Dewey (GEORGE an American naval)

GEORGE, an American naval officer; born in Montpelier, Vt., Dec. 26, 1837. He came of New England stock, his father being Dr. Julius Y.

Dewey, one of the first authorities on life insurance in his day. At the age of DEWEY 17, after a preparatory course in the Northfield Military School, young Dewey was appointed a cadet at Annapolis, in the class which graduated in 1858. A practice cruise on the "Wabash" followed, and he was resting at home when the Civil War broke out. At once he was commissioned a lieutenant and assigned to the "Mississippi," a 17-gun steamsloop of the old side-wheel type, under Commander Melanchthon Smith. His first serious taste of war was when the West Gulf squadron, early in 1862, forced a passage up the Mississippi river ahead of Farragut. A later enterprise resulted in the grounding of the "Mississippi," in the middle of the night, while attempting to run the batteries of Port Hudson. Here she was riddled with ADMIRAL DEWEY shot and set afire by the enemy's batteries, so that officers and crew had to abandon her.

Other notable engagements in which Dewey figured during the Civil War were at Donaldsonville in 1863, where he was on one of the gunboats, and at Fort Fisher in the winter of 1864-1865, as an officer of the "Agawam." Receiving his commission as lieutenant-commander in March, 1865, he served for two years on the "Kearsarge" and the "Colorado," and was then attached to the Naval DEWEY Academy for two years more. In 1870 he was given command of the "Narragansett," and during his five years' charge of her rose to be a commander. He was then attached to the Lighthouse Board, and in 1882 took his next sea duty in command of the "Juniata," of the Asiatic squadron. On reaching his captaincy, in 1884, he took charge of the "Dolphin," one of the first vessels of the "new navy."

From 1885 to 1888 he commanded the "Pensacola," then flagship of the European squadron. Ashore he served as chief of the Bureau of Equipment at the Navy Department, and afterward the Lighthouse Board for a second time.

In 1896 he was promoted to commodore, and made head of the inspection board; and at the beginning of 1898 was given command of the Asiatic squadron.

With his squadron he left Mirs Bay, China, April 27, 1898, with orders to "capture or destroy the Spanish squadron," which was then supposed to be in Manila Bay, under command of Admiral Montojo. The squadron entered the channel of Manila at 11:30 P. M., Saturday, April 30, and early on Sunday morning, May 1, sank, burned or captured all the ships of the Spanish squadron in the bay, silenced and destroyed three land batteries, obtained complete control of the bay, without losing a single man. In recognition of this achievement, Commodore Dewey received the thanks of Congress, which awarded to him a magnificent sword, and medals to his men. On May 7, 1898, he was promoted to be a rear-admiral, and subsequently (March 3, 1899) was made Admiral of the Navy under an act of Congress, approved March 2, 1899, restoring that rank. In 1901 he was president of the Court of Inquiry which was appointed at the request of Rear-Admiral Schley, and in the same year was appointed President of the Navy Board, which position he held until his death, Jan. 16, 1917.