Admiral Dewey 157 



ble need. Finally, and most important of all, it 

 should ever be kept in mind that the man who does 

 a great work must almost invariably owe the possi 

 bility of doing it to the faithful work of other men, 

 either at the time or long before. Without his bril 

 liancy their labor might be wasted, but without their 

 labor his brilliancy would be of no avail. 



It has been said that it was a mere accident that 

 Dewey happened to be in command of the Asiatic 

 Squadron when the war with Spain broke out. 

 This is not the fact. He was sent to command it 

 in the fall of 1897, because, to use the very lan 

 guage employed at the time, it was deemed wise to 

 have there a man "who could go into Manila if nec 

 essary." He owed the appointment to the high 

 professional reputation he enjoyed, and to the char 

 acter he had established for willingness to accept 

 responsibility, for sound judgment, and for entire 

 fearlessness. 



Probably the best way (although no way is infalli 

 ble) to tell the worth of a naval commander as yet 

 untried in war is to get at the estimate in which he 

 is held by the best fighting men who would have to 

 serve under him. In the summer of 1897 there were 

 in Washington captains and commanders who later 

 won honor for themselves and their country in the 

 war with Spain, and who were already known for 

 the dash and skill with which they handled their 



