WAR OF 1898. On Feb. 15, 1898, the U.S. battleship "Maine" was destroyed in Havana har bour by an explosion, with a loss of 266 lives. An American board of inquiry made an extensive examination of the wreck, and reported to the navy department on March 21 that the explosion was caused by an exterior mine, the principal reason for this decision being the upheaval of the ship's bottom. On April 20 President McKinley approved a resolution demanding the with drawal of Spain from Cuba and setting noon of April 23 as the latest date for a reply. Before this could be delivered by the American minister in Madrid, the Spanish Government sent him his passports. On the 22nd the president declared a blockade of Cuban ports; on the 24th the Spanish Government declared war; and on the 25th the United States Congress declared that war had existed since the 21st.
The joint resolution of Congress of April 20 had declared that relinquishment by Spain of authority in Cuba was the object of American action ; the struggle thus naturally centred about the island and all operations were thus at hand. The regular United States army, the only available force until war was declared and a volunteer force was authorized, had been assembled at Tampa, New Orleans and Chickamauga ; but until the control of the sea was decided, the army could not prudently be moved across the Strait of Florida. The Spanish fleet under Cervera, which had left the Cape Verde islands for the West Indies, was the real objective of the navy, and had to be settled with before any military action could be undertaken. Accordingly Rear-Admiral Sampson left Key West early on April 22, and began the blockade of Havana and the north coast of Cuba. His North Atlantic squadron of 28 vessels of all kinds, of which the armoured cruiser "New York" (flag), the battleships "Iowa" and "Indiana," and the monitors "Puritan," "Terror" and "Amphitrite" were the most important, and which included six torpedo-boats, was increased to 124 vessels by July I.
shan" and a purchased supply ship "Zafiro"—left Hongkong at the request of the governor and went to Mirs bay, some miles east on the Chinese coast. Ordered (April 25) to begin operations, particularly against the Spanish fleet, which he was directed to capture or destroy, Dewey left Mirs bay on the 27th, and arrived off Luzon, in the Philippines, on April 3o. The Spanish admiral Montojo anchored to the eastward of the spit on which are the village and arsenal of Cavite, in a general east and west line, keeping his broadside to the northward. His force consisted of the "Reina Cristina," the "Castilla" (an old wooden steamer which had to be towed), the "Isla de Cuba" and "Isla de Luzon" (pro tected cruisers of 1,050 tons), the "Don Juan de Austria" and the "Don Antonio de Ulloa" (gunboats of about 1,15o tons) and the "Marques del Duero" (of Soo tons).
Dewey passed into the Boca Grande, paying no attention to rumours of torpedoes, and at midnight passed El Fraile. When he sighted the Spanish squadron to the southward he stood down in column with the "Olympia," "Baltimore," "Raleigh," "Petrel," "Concord" and "Boston" at 400-yd. intervals. When within 5,000 yds. he ported his helm, and at 5.41 A.M. opened fire. He stood westwards along the Spanish line, using his port batteries, turned to starboard and stood back, gradually decreasing his distance to 2,000 yds. At 7.35 Dewey withdrew and gave his men breakfast. Before he re-engaged at 11.16 the "Cristina" and "Castilla" had broken into flames, so that the remainder of the action consisted in silencing the Cavite batteries and completing the destruction of the smaller Spanish ships. The victory was complete. All the Spanish ships were sunk or destroyed. The injury done the American ships was practically nil. The Spanish lost 167 killed and 214 wounded, out of a total of 1,875. The Americans had 7 slightly wounded out of 1,748 men in action. Dewey took posses sion of Cavite, and awaited the arrival of a land force to capture Manila.