George Dewey
(Montpelier, 1837-Washington, 1917) American admiral, famous for commanding the North American fleet that defeated the Spanish in Manila Bay.He began his military studies at the Norwich School (New Hampshire), and in 1854 he entered the Annapolis Naval Academy, where he graduated in 1858.After serving on the steam frigate USS Wabash bound for the Mediterranean fleet, in 1861 he returned to the Naval Academy to obtain the rank of lieutenant.
George Dewey
When the civil war broke out that same year, he was assigned to the Mississippi frigate with the mission of participating in the blockade of the coast of the Confederacy, and commanding this ship took part in the Battle of New Orleans (April 1862).In 1863 he fought under the orders of Admiral David Farragut at the Battle of Port Hudson, in which the Mississippi was destroyed.Later he was appointed commander of the Monongahela, flagship of Admiral Farragut, and of the Kearsarge, in which he served when the war ended.
In 1867 he married Susan Goodwin, daughter of the governor of New Hampshire, whom he widowed five years later.In 1871, at the command of Supply, he was ordered to bring humanitarian aid to the wounded of the Franco-Prussian War; in 1872 he was promoted to the rank of commander and later served in the Juniata during a voyage to Europe.In 1884 he was promoted to Captain of the Navy and elected to command the first modern ship in the US Navy, the USS Dolphin.In subsequent years he carried out administrative tasks in the Equipment and Recruitment Office and in the Naval Inspection Council, until in 1897, already with the rank of Commodore, he was placed in command of the Asian fleet.
When the war with Spain broke out (April 1898) he received the order to capture or destroy the enemy squad; With this objective he went to Manila, where on May 1 he faced and completely defeated the Spanish ships of Admiral Patricio Montojo with hardly any casualties.This action earned him promotion to admiral of the Navy, graduation created by an Act of Congress, and the appointment as president of the recently created General Council of the Navy, a position from which he promoted the empowerment of the naval forces.His popularity led him to run as a candidate for the presidency of the government, although he eventually dropped out.In 1903 he was elected president of the Joint Council of the Army and the Navy, since he served until his death.
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