750 



UNITED STATES OF AMERICA. 



iquitous attack and unjust aggression of the United 

 States, and calling upon all Cubans, for the sake of 

 nationality and justice, and in defense of the future 

 of their children, to answer Gen. Blanco's call to 

 arms. New recruits raised the force defending 

 Havana to 100,000 men, including 60,000 volun- 

 teers. 



The blockading line extended from Mariel, 60 

 miles west of Havana, to Cardenas, an equal dis- 

 tance east of the blockaded city. The " Puritan," 

 " Cincinnati," " Machias," " Nashville," " Castine," 

 " Newport," " Foote," " Winslow," and " Dupont " 

 were detached to blockade Matanzas, Mariel, and 

 Cardenas. While the boats were scouting off Ma- 

 tanzas the first night they were fired on by the shore 

 batteries without sustaining any damage. The 

 "Foote " was fired on a second time from a masked 

 battery when she was steaming by. The officers 

 and crews of the blockading squadron were very 

 eager to give the Spaniards a lesson, as well as to 

 test in actual warfare the efficiency of the guns and 

 ships and the value of their target practice in time 

 of peace, and the more thorough practice that they 

 had lately received at Dry Tortugas. This the 

 orders for a pacific blockade prevented them from 

 doing until permission came to Admiral Sampson 

 to retaliate on the forts at Matanzas or other points 

 except Havana, and one or two other places, if they 

 fired on his ships. The first shots from the fleet 

 were fired by the " New York " upon a battalion of 

 Spanish infantry which was trying to hit the sailors 

 from the shore," until a 4-inch shell smashed the 

 building in which they hid. On April 27 Admiral 

 Sampson ordered a reconnoissance in force at Ma- 

 tanzas for the purpose of locating the batteries and 

 discovering what guns they mounted and prevent- 

 ing the completion of a new earthwork. The " New 

 York," " Puritan," and " Cincinnati " ran into the 

 bay and opened fire upon this new battery. When 

 the third shot from the 8-inch guns struck the ram- 

 part a Spanish fort returned the fire, doing no dam- 

 age, nor did the American firing cause any casual- 

 ties, according to the Spanish report, except the 

 death of a mule, though a 12-inch shell from the 

 " Puritan " struck one of the batteries and other 

 shots were sent direct to the mark, whereas the 

 Spanish firing was wild. The three ships fired 86 

 shots at ranges of 4,000 to 11,000 yards. Although 

 it was nothing more than a reconnoissance and 

 practice drill, this first collision of the war was 

 vaunted as a victory by both sides. The Spaniards 

 fired only a dozen shots, and the American fire at 

 such long range could do no harm to earthworks. 

 During the bombardment the rebel force under 

 Betancourt approached with the object of attack- 

 ing the city, but was driven off by the Spaniards 

 with a loss "of 20 men. 



The torpedo boat " Foote " ran into the bay at 

 Cardenas, exchanged shots with Spanish gunboats 

 anchored there, and quickly ran out again without 

 hitting anything or being hit. She also ran into 

 Matanzas harbor and escaped unharmed after locat- 

 ing the batteries, which fired six shots. On May 2 

 the " Wilmington " sent two shells into the midst 

 of a troop of cavalry that fired on the torpedo boat 

 "Ericsson," which was patrolling a mile from the 

 shore at Cojimar, west of Havana. 



Prizes. The Spanish freight steamer " Buena- 

 ventura "was captured by the " Nashville " when 

 the blockading vessels first put out to sea on April 

 22. Afterward the steamer " Pedro " was taken by 

 the " Xew York," the schooner " Mathilde " by the 

 "Porter," the schooners "Saco" and "Tres ller- 

 manes" by the "Terror," the steamer "Miguel 

 Jover " by t he " Helena," the schooners " Canelita " 

 and " Sofia" by the " Wilmington " and " Porter," 

 and the steamers " Saturnina and " Catalina " by 



the " Winona " and " Detroit." On April 25 the 

 United States vessel " Mangrove," which had been 

 fitted up as a cable ship, seized off Havana the mail 

 steamer " Panama," a Spanish auxiliary cruiser, 

 and the gunboat " Newport " took two prizes, the 

 sloop ' Paquete" and the schooner " Pireneo." On 

 April 26 the " Terror " captured the " Ambrosio 

 Bolivar." The ' Terror " overhauled the Spanish 

 steamship " Guido " off Cardenas on April 27. The 

 sloop " Engracias " was taken by the " Newport " 

 and the schooner " Lola " by the " Dolphin " on 

 April 28 ; on April 29 the steamer " Argonauta " by 

 the " Nashville," and on May 1 the schooner " Mas- 

 cota " by the " Foote." Subsequent captures were 

 the schooner " Paco " on May 3, the steamer " La- 

 fayette " and schooners " Oriente " and " Antonio 

 Suarez " on May 5, the brigantine " Frasquito " and 

 bark " Lorenzo " on May 6, the schooners " Es- 

 pano " and " Poder de Dios " on May 7, the steamer 

 " Rita " on May 8, and the fishing smacks " Santiago 

 Apostel " and " Fernandito " and schooner " Seve- 

 rito " on May 9. After that prizes were rarely 

 taken, for all Spanish fishermen and masters of 

 coasting vessels were now aware of hostilities. Only 

 fast British or Norwegian steamers ventured to run 

 the blockade, and these were usually cautious 

 enough to escape capture. The barks " Carlos F. 

 Rosses" and "Maria Dolores" were taken on May 

 18 and 21. On May 22 the steamship " Ardan- 

 mohr " and on May 29 the " Restorinel " were 

 seized, both of which were afterward released, as 

 had been previously the steamships " Miguel Jover '' 

 and "Saturnina" and the French matt steamship 

 " Lafayette," which had obtained a promise from the 

 American consular authorities that it would be per- 

 mitted to land passengers in Havana, but no cargo. 

 The steamship " Twickenham " was captured when 

 attempting to run the blockade on June 10. De- 

 spite the close blockade of Havana and the north 

 coast ports, a brisk trade in cattle, provisions, and 

 other supplies for the city and garrison was carried 

 on with the coast of Yucatan, from which vessels 

 made a quick passage to the Isle of Pines, whence 

 the supplies could be landed in boats on the south 

 coast of Cuba and transported by rail to Havana. 

 All the Spanish vessels were condemned by the 

 prize court sitting at Key West, with the exception 

 of the steamers "Catalina" and " Miguel Jover." 

 which were exempt from capture imder the terms 

 of the President's proclamation. The blockade was 

 extended from the coast on either side of Havana 

 from Cardenas to Bahia Honda, first to Cienf uep >>. 

 and gradually to the whole coast of Cuba, covering 

 more than 1,200 miles. After the heavier vessels 

 were concentrated at Santiago blockade running 

 was resumed on the south coast west of Santa 

 Cruz, especially at Batabano, but an active patrol 

 by many of the smaller ships along the whole 

 length of about 500 miles soon rendered this ex- 

 tremely hazardous. After the transatlantic steamer 

 "Santo Domingo" was driven ashore and burned 

 by the " Eagle " few more attempts were made. 



War in the Philippines. Great Britain \\.i- 

 the first to issue a proclamation of neutrality, in 

 accordance with which Commodore George Dewey 

 was notified to leave the port of Hong-Kt>ni, r with 

 the Asiatic squadron, which he had concentrated 

 there in the latter part of February in anticipation 

 of hostilities. He protested against the decree, but 

 when immediately afterward the President pro- 

 claimed that a state of war existed he took his -It- 

 part ure, on April 25, for Mir's Bay, a neighboring 

 Chinese harbor, whence he was warned a day or 

 two later by the Chinese Government, after a formal 

 proclamation of neutrality. In the meantime t he 

 fleet had received orders to proceed against the 

 Spaniards at Manila, and had been busily getting 



