746 



UNITED STATES OP AMERICA. 



Sampson was placed in command of the squadron 

 at Key West. Here great stocks of coal, provisions, 

 stores of all kinds, and munitions of war were accu- 

 mulated. The color of all the United States ships 

 was changed from shining white to dull slate color. 



At Hampton Roads was quickly collected the 

 flying squadron under Commodore Winfield S. 

 Schley, consisting of the steel-armored cruiser 

 "Brooklyn," flagship, the battle ships ' Massachu- 

 setts " and " Texas," the protected cruisers " Co- 

 lumbia " and " Minneapolis," and the ram " Katah- 

 din." 



A third squadron was assembled in the China 

 seas, comprising the protected cruisers " Olympia," 

 " Baltimore," " Raleigh," and ' Boston," and the 

 gunboats "Concord," "Petrel," and " Monocacy," 

 with three merchant steamers purchased to serve 

 as tenders. 



On the Pacific station, after the " Oregon " left, 

 were the monitors "Monterey " and "Monadnock," 

 the cruiser " Bennington," and the gunboats " Mari- 

 etta " and " Alert." The cruiser " San Francisco " 

 and the " New Orleans," recently built in England, 

 were at Halifax, and were ordered at first to join 

 the squadron at Key West. The training ship 

 " Bancroft " and the torpedo boats " Gwynn " and 

 " Talbot " were unassigned. The cruiser " Wheel- 

 ing," the monitor" Miantonomoh," and the steamer 

 " Pensacola " were assigned to special service. The 

 monitors "Catskill," "Montauk," " Passaic," "Ja- 

 son," " Lehigh," " Nahant," " Canonicus," " Maho- 

 pac," "Manhattan," and " Nantucket," with the train- 

 ing ships " Constellation," " Alliance," " Adams," and 

 " Mohican," the " Yankee," " Dixie," " Prairie," " Yo- 

 semite," " St. Paul," " St. Louis," " Panther," " Bad- 

 ger," and " Resolute," of the auxiliary fleet, were 

 held in reserve to defend the northern ports. 



The number of vessels added to the navy by 

 purchase was 103, besides which the 4 vessels of 

 the International Navigation Company were char- 

 tered, and another vessel was leased. In addition 

 to these, the revenue cutters and lighthouse tenders 

 were added to the auxiliary fleet. The total effec- 

 tive force of the navy was 4 first-class battle ships, 

 1 of the second class, 2 armored cruisers, 6 coast- 

 defense monitors, 1 armored ram, 12 protected 

 cruisers, 18 gunboats, 1 dynamite cruiser, and 11 

 torpedo boats. The auxiliary navy comprised 11 

 auxiliary cruisers, 28 converted yachts, 19 converted 

 colliers, 15 revenue cutters, 4 lighthouse tenders, 

 and 19 miscellaneous vessels. The enlisted force 

 of the navy was increased until it reached, on Aug. 

 15, the maximum number of 24,123 men and ap- 

 prentices. The auxiliary navy was manned by the 

 naval militia of the several States. 



The coast batteries, after receiving their arma- 

 ments, were garrisoned by about 12,000 infantry 

 and light artillerymen drawn from the volunteer 

 forces and by State militia. The coast signal serv- 

 ice was organized on land better than on the sea, 

 having the co-operation of the lighthouse and 

 life-saving services, enabling the Navy Depart- 

 ment to keep all parts of the Atlantic coast from 

 Maine to Texas under observation. Submarine 

 mines were laid under the direction of the chief 

 of engineers to the number of 1,535 in all the 

 principal harbors of both coasts. 



Spain had still in Cuban waters only the "Al- 

 fonso XII "and some minor second-class cruisers, 

 besides numerous gunboats. The whole force num- 

 bered fifty-three vessels, though few were capable 

 of fighting outside of the harbors. The ' Vizcaya" 

 and "Almirante Oquendo" had departed from 

 Puerto Rico on April 9 for the Cape Verd Islands, 

 where the torpedo flotilla and the first Spanish 

 squadron were ordered to rendezvous. The Span- 

 ish liners were requisitioned and fitted out as auxil- 



iary cruisers. The ships "Normannia" and "Co- 

 lumbia," purchased from the Hamburg-American 

 line and armed by Krupp, were a valuable addition 

 to the Spanish fighting force. They were renamed 

 the " Rapido " and " Patria." 



When the effective vessels of the Spanish navy 

 that were ready for use were assembled in the Por- 

 tuguese port of St. Vincent, Cape Verd, the fleet, 

 which was commanded by Admiral Cervera, con- 

 sisted of the belted cruisers " Vizcaya," " Almirante 

 Oquendo," " Infanta Maria Teresa," and " Cristobal 

 Colon," the destroyers " Furor," " Terror," and 

 " Pluton," and three torpedo boats. 



A second squadron was being fitted out at Cadiz, 

 containing some of the strongest of the Spanish 

 vessels, on which, however, much required to be 

 done to make them ready for sea. It comprised 

 the "Pelayo," "Carlos V," "Alfonso XIII," and 

 another torpedo flotilla, including the destroyers 

 " Aridaz," " Prosperina," and " Destructor." The 

 " Reina Regente, which was being armed at Ferrol, 

 and the " Leon XIII " afterward joined the squad- 

 ron, which contained also the " Rapido " and 

 "Patria," the dispatch boat "Giralda," and the 

 auxiliary cruisers "Joaquin de Pielago." " Alfonso 

 XII," " Antonio Lopez, " Ciudad de Cadiz," and 

 "Buenos Ayres." Admiral Camera was placed in 

 command of this reserve squadron. The torpedo 

 gunboat " Temerario " was at Buenos Ayres, and it 

 was expected that she would endeavor to surprise 

 the battle ship " Oregon " somewhere off the eastern 

 coast of South America. 



On the principal vessels of Admiral Camera's 

 fleet some parts of the machinery or armament 

 were still lacking or out of repair. There were 

 other vessels of formidable character that were still 

 less advanced, but which were being pushed to com- 

 pletion as rapidly as possible for the purpose of 

 forming a third squadron, which should include the 

 reconstructed battle ship " Vitoria," the belted 

 cruiser " Cardenal Cisneros," the " Princesa de As- 

 turias," the " Lepanto," the " Numancia," and the 

 torpedo gunboats " Dona Maria de Molina," the 

 " Marques de la Victoria," and " Don Alvaro de 

 Bazan." The " Buenos Ayres," " Antonio Lopez," 

 "Joaquin de Pielago," and "Ciudad de Cadiz," auxil- 

 iary cruisers from the fleet of the Compafiia Trans- 

 atlantica, were armed with guns of 16, 12, and 9 

 centimetres' caliber, besides Maxims. 



The Autonomist Government. The elections 

 for the Autonomous Congress were held under the 

 auspices of the Spanish military officials. A few 

 Cubans who had been identified with the revolution- 

 ary cause joined the Autonomists when war became 

 inevitable. Parlementaires who were sent to try to 

 induce the insurgents to accept the armistice were 

 not received by the Cuban leaders. The armistice 

 had not been observed by the Spanish commanders 

 who carried on all their operations at least as vigor- 

 ously as before. On April 21 the Autonomist 

 Colonial Government issued a proclamation to the 

 inhabitants of Cuba, calling upon all to unite in 

 defense of the integrity of Spain and the autonomy 

 of Cuba against the ambition of the Americans, 

 who wished to possess themselves of the island, with 

 the result that it would be dominated by a strange 

 race, opposed in temperament, traditions, language, 

 religion, and customs, which would be silently elim- 

 inated by those who seek to gain by subjugation 

 and absorption. 



The Autonomist Council was opened by Capt.- 

 Gen. Blanco on May 4. Fernandez del Casco was 

 made president. A notification was made to all 

 foreign governments that Cuba was pacified and 

 accepted autonomy by a large majority of the 

 people. Capt.-Gen. Blanco, in his opening address 

 said that Spain had given all that she could l>e 



