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ADMIRAL DEWEY.
Soon the ships in both fleets went to work. Guns were brought to bear, and the forts gave all the help they could for Spain. Dew-ey kept his ships on the move so that they were not good marks for shots, while they could, at the same time fire at the foe. This went on for two hours, when the day was won. All the ships of that fleet of Spain were burnt or sunk. On the A-mer-i-can side not a man met death and not a ship was hurt! This was high praise for Dew-ey and the Stars and Stripes.
To lose her fleet was a big blow to Spain, but there was more woe in store for her. While our troops were made fit for war with all speed, the North At-lan-tic Squad- ron, with Com-mo-dore Samp-son at its head, was sent south to shut up Ha-van-a and near by ports.
Ships and troops were sent to San-ti-a-go, in Cu-ba, May and June. The last of May our ships found out that a fleet of Spain was in San-ti-a-go Bay. They kept it shut up there more than a month. That it might not come out, Hob-son and his brave men sunk a large coal ship in its way. But on Ju-ly 3, the ships of Spain got out and tried to steam off down the coast. They could not do it. Our fleet sank or drove all of them on shore.
Late in June a force of troops fought the foe on land, took their forts, and drew near the old town. At last, with some aid from our fleet, San-ti-ag-o was won, and our troops sent up the Stars and Stripes in the town on Ju-ly 17.
