May 1st, 1898 - The Battle of Manilla Bay

Conflict: Spanish-American War (1898)

Combatants: Americans vs. Spanish

Location: Philippines

Outcome: American victory

On this day, Commodore George Dewey with five cruisers and two gunboats attacked a Spanish squadron with four cruisers, three gunboats, and three smaller vessels commanded by Admiral Patricio Montojo. Over the span of seven hours, Dewey's ships fired on the Spanish fleet until all of the enemy vessels were sunk, damaged, or out of action. American casualties were only eight sailors wounded. The Spanish took 381 casualties killed and wounded.

Battle of Manilla Bay by Alfonso Sanz

Points of Interest:

• The war ended on August 12th of 1898. Spain would cede Puerto Rico, Guam, and the Philippines to the United States.

• Fearing its conquest by foreign powers already in waiting after the fall of the Spanish Empire, the United States denied the Philippines independence. A three-year insurrection against American occupation would ensue.

George Dewey as an Admiral in the United States Navy,1899 by an unknown photographer

Patricio Montojo by an unknown photographer

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Sources:

Dupuy, R. Ernest & Dupuy, Trevor N. (1993). The Harper's Encyclopedia of Military History. New York: HarperCollins.

Eggenberger, David (1985). An Encyclopedia of Battles: Accounts of Over 1,560 Battles from 1479 B.C. to the Present. New York: Dover Publications, Inc.