the path of empire-第18节

按键盘上方向键 ← 或 → 可快速上下翻页，按键盘上的 Enter 键可回到本书目录页，按键盘上方向键 ↑ 可回到本页顶部！
————未阅读完？加入书签已便下次继续阅读！


　the　direction　the　relations　of　England　and　America　are　to　take　in　the　next　few　months。〃　Already　on　the　15th　of　May；　Joseph　Chamberlain；　the　Colonial　Secretary；　had　said　to　the　Birmingham　Liberal　Unionists：　〃What　is　our　next　duty？　It　is　to　establish　and　to　maintain　bonds　of　permanent　amity　with　our　kinsmen　across　the　Atlantic。　There　is　a　powerful　and　a　generous　nation。。。。　Their　laws；　their　literature；　their　standpoint　upon　every　question　are　the　same　as　ours。〃

In　Manila　Harbor；　where　Dewey　lay　with　his　squadron；　these　distant　forces　of　European　colonial　policy　were　at　work。　The　presence　of　representative　foreign　warships　to　observe　the　maintenance　of　the　blockade　was　a　natural　and　usual　naval　circumstance。　The　arrival　of　two　German　vessels　therefore　caused　no　remark；　although　they　failed　to　pay　the　usual　respects　to　the　blockading　squadron。　On　the　12th　of　May　a　third　arrived　and　created　some　technical　inconvenience　by　being　commanded　by　an　officer　who　outranked　Commodore　Dewey。　A　German　transport　which　was　in　the　harbor　made　the　total　number　of　German　personnel　superior　to　that　of　the　Americans；　and　the　arrival　of　the　Kaiser　on　the　12th　of　June　gave　the　Germans　distinct　naval　preponderance。

The　presence　of　so　powerful　a　squadron　in　itself　closely　approached　an　international　discourtesy。　Disregarding　the　laws　of　blockade；　as　Dewey；　trained　in　the　Civil　War　blockade　of　the　South；　interpreted　them；　the　German　officers　were　actively　familiar　both　with　the　Spanish　officials　of　Manila　and　with　the　insurgents。　Finally　they　ensconced　themselves　in　the　quarantine　station　at　the　entrance　of　the　Bay；　and　Admiral　Diedrichs　took　up　land　quarters。　Further；　they　interfered　between　the　insurgents　and　the　Spaniards　outside　of　Manila　Bay。　In　the　controversy　between　Diedrichs　and　Dewey　which　grew　out　of　these　difficulties；　Captain　Chichester；　commanding　the　British　squadron；　supported　Dewey's　course　unqualifiedly　and；　moreover；　let　it　be　clearly　known　that；　in　the　event　of　hostilities；　the　British　vessels　would　take　their　stand　with　the　Americans。



CHAPTER　IX。　The　Blockade　Of　Cuba

While　the　first　victory　of　the　war　was　in　the　Far　East　and　the　possibility　of　events　of　world…wide　significance　hung　upon　the　level…headedness　of　Commodore　Dewey　at　Manila；　it　was　realized　that　the　war　must　really　be　fought　in　the　West。　Both　President　McKinley　and　the　Queen　Regent　of　Spain　had　issued　proclamations　stating　that　they　would　adhere　to　the　rules　of　the　Declaration　of　Paris　and　not　resort　to　the　use　of　privateers。　The　naval　contest；　therefore；　was　confined　to　the　regular　navies。　Actually　the　American　fleet　was　superior　in　battleships；　monitors；　and　protected　cruisers；　the　Spanish　was　the　better　equipped　in　armored　cruisers；　gunboats；　and　destroyers。

Both　Spain　and　the　United　States　hastily　purchased；　in　the　last　days　of　peace；　a　few　vessels；　but　not　enough　seriously　to　affect　their　relative　strength。　Both　also　drew　upon　their　own　merchant　marines。　Spain　added　18　medium…sized　vessels　to　her　navy；　the　United　States　added　in　all　123；　most　of　which　were　small　and　used　for　scouting　purposes。　The　largest　and　most　efficient　of　these　additional　American　ships　were　the　subsidized　St。　Paul；　St。　Louis；　New　York；　and　Paris　of　the　American　line；　of　which　the　last　two；　renamed　the　Harvard　and　Yale；　proved　to　be　of　great　service。　It　was　characteristic　of　American　conditions　that　28　were　private　yachts；　of　which　the　Mayflower　was　the　most　notable。　To　man　these　new　ships；　the　personnel　of　the　American　Navy　was　increased　from　13；750　to　24；123；　of　whom　a　large　number　were　men　who　had　received　some　training　in　the　naval　reserves　of　the　various　States。

The　first　duty　of　the　navy　was　to　protect　the　American　coast。　In　1885　the　War　Department　had　planned　and　Congress　had　sanctioned　a　system　of　coast　defense。　Up　to　1898；　however；　only　one　quarter　of　the　sum　considered　necessary　had　been　appropriated。　Mines　and　torpedoes　were　laid　at　the　entrances　to　American　harbors　as　soon　as　war　broke　out；　but　there　was　a　lack　of　highpower　guns。　Rumors　of　a　projected　raid　by　the　fast　Spanish　armored　cruisers　kept　the　coast　cities　in　a　state　of　high　excitement；　and　many　sought；　by　petition　and　political　pressure；　to　compel　the　Navy　Department　to　detach　vessels　for　their　defense。　The　Naval　War　Board；　however；　had　to　remember　that　it　must　protect　not　only　the　coast　but　commerce　also；　and　that　the　United　States　was　at　war　not　to　defend　herself　but　to　attack。　Cuba　was　the　objective；　and　Cuba　must　be　cut　off　from　Spain　by　blockade；　and　the　seas　must　be　made　safe　for　the　passage　of　the　American　Army。　If　the　navy　were　to　accomplish　all　these　purposes；　it　must　destroy　the　Spanish　Navy。　To　achieve　this　end；　it　would　have　to　work　upon　the　principle　of　concentration　and　not　dispersion。

For　several　months　before　the　actual　declaration　of　war　with　Spain；　the　Navy　Department　had　been　effecting　this　concentration。　On　the　21st　of　April；　Captain　William　T。　Sampson　was　appointed　to　command　the　forces　on　the　North　Atlantic　station。　This　included　practically　the　whole　fleet；　except　the　Pacific　squadron　under　Dewey；　and　the　Oregon；　a　new　battleship　of　unusual　design；　which　was　on　the　Pacific　coast。　On　the　1st　of　March　she　was　ordered　from　the　Bremerton　Yard；　in　the　State　of　Washington；　to　San　Francisco；　and　thence　to　report　in　the　Atlantic。　Her　voyage　was　the　longest　emergency　run　undertaken　up　to　that　time　by　a　modern　battleship。　The　outbreak　of　the　war　with　Spain　meant　the　sealing　of　all　ports　in　which　she　might　have　been　repaired　in　case　of　emergency。　Rumors　were　rife　of　Spanish　vessels　ready　to　intercept　her；　and　the　eyes　not　only　of　the　United　States　but　of　the　world　were　upon　the　Oregon。　A　feeling　of　relief　and　rejoicing　therefore　passed　through　the　country　when　this　American　warship　arrived　at　Key　West　on　the　26th　of　May；　fit　for　immediate　and　efficient　service。

The　fleet；　though　concentrated　in　the　Atlantic　within　the　region　of　immediate　hostility；　was　divided　for　purposes　of　operation　into　a　major　division　under　the　immediate　command　of　Admiral　Sampson　and　a　flying　squadron　under　Commodore　Schley。*　The　first　undertook　the　enforcement　of　the　blockade　which　was　declared　on　the　21st　of　April　against　Cuba；　and　patrolled　the　northern　coast　from　Gardenas　to　Bahia。　Key　West　was　soon　filled　with　Spanish　prizes。　On　the　27th　of　April　a　brush　took　place　between　batteries　at　Matanzas　and　some　of　the　American　vessels；　without　loss　of　life　on　either　side；　except　for　a　mule　which　bids　fair　to　become　immortal　in　history　through　being　reported　by　the　Spanish　as　their　only　casualty　and　the　first　of　the　war。　Admiral　Sampson；　following　the　tradition　of　the　American　Navy　of　aiming　at　a　vital　spot；　wished　to　attack　Havana；　and　a　careful　study　of　its　fortifications　seems　to　show　that　he　would　have　had　a　good　chance　of　success。　Chance；　however；　might　have　caused　the　loss　of　some　of　his　vessels；　and；　with　the　small　margin　of　naval　superiority　at　its　disposal　the　Naval　War　Board　was　probably　wise　in　not　allowing　him　to　take　the　risk。

*　A　patrol　squadron　of　cruisers　under　Commodore　Howell　was　also　established　to　protect　the　coast　from　the　Delaware　capes　to　eastern　Maine。　〃It　can　scarcely　be　supposed；〃　writes　Admiral　Chadwick；　〃that　such　action　was　taken　but　in　deference　to　the　unreasoning　fear　of　dwellers　on　the　coast。〃


It　was；　in　fact；　Spain　which　took　the　initiative　and　decided　the　matter。　Her　West　India　Squadron　was　weak；　even　on　paper；　and　was　in　a　condition　which　would　have　made　it　madness　to　attempt　to　meet　the　Americans　without　reenforcement。　She　therefore　decided　to　dispatch　a　fighting　fleet　from　her　home　forces。　Accordingly　on　the　29th　of　April；　Admiral　Cervera　left　the　Cape　Verde　Islands　and　sailed　westward　with　one　fast　second…class　battleship；　the　Cristobal　Colon；　three　armored　cruisers；　and　two　torpedo　boat　destroyers。　It　was　a　reasonably　powerful　fleet　as　fleets　went　in　the　Spanish　War；　yet　it　is　difficult　to　see　just　what　good　it　could　accomplish　when　it　arrived　on　the　scene　of　action。　The　naval　superiority　in　the　West　Indies　would　still　be　in　the　hands　of　the　concentrated　American　Navy；　for　the　Spanish　forces　would　still　be　divided；　only　more　equally；　between　Spanish　and　Caribbean　waters。　The　American　vessels；　moreover；　would　be　within　easy　distance　of　their　home　stations；　which　could　supply　them　with…　every　necessity。　The　islands　belonging　to　Spain；　on　the　other　hand；　were　ill　equipped　to　become　the　base　of　naval　operations。　Admiral　Cervera　realized　to　the　full　the　difficulty　of　the　situation　and　protested　against　an　expedition　which　he　feared　would　mean　the　fall　of　Spanish　power；　but　public　opinion　forced　the　ministry；　and　he　was　obliged　to　put　to　sea。

For　nearly　a　month　the　Spanish　fleet　was　lost　to　sight；　and　dwellers　on　the　American　coast　were　in　a　panic　of　apprehension。　Cervera's　objective　was　guessed　to　be　everything　from　a　raid　on　Bar　Harbor　to　an　attack　on　the　Oregon；　then　on　its　shrouded　voyage　from　the　Pacific　coast。　Cities　on　the　Atlantic　seaboard　clamored　for　protection；　and　the　Spanish　fleet　was　magnified　by　the　mist　of　uncertainty　until　it　became　a　national　terror。　Sampson；　rightly　divining　that　Cervera　would　make　for　San　Juan；　the　capital　and　chief　seaport　of　Porto　Rico；　detached