Admiral George Dewey's Battle Report - 1898

The Battle of Manila, which took place on May 1st, 1898, was a crucial victory for the American navy during the early stages of the war. This American naval victory was rather impressive; in a matter of hours, the entire Spanish fleet in the Pacific was crushed. This great victory made it strategically impossible for the Spanish to defend the Philippines. The chosen primary source used to reveal information on this event is Admiral George Dewey’s battle report. His report was submitted to the United States Government right after the conclusion of the battle and later released to the public in 1913. The Admiral’s goal with this report was to inform the US government on the result of the battle which may possess some forms of bias especially in terms of the damages inflicted on the American fleet considering he was in charge of the operation. In his battle report following the American victory, he reveals the shocking number of Spanish vessels that had been sunk during the encounter. He reports: “The Spanish fleet lost the following vessels: Sunk - REINA CRISTINA, CASTILLA, DON ANTONIO de ULLOA. Burnt - DON JUAN de AUSTRIA, ISLA de LUZON, ISLA de CUBA, GENERAL LEZO, MARQUES del DUERO, EL CORREO, VELASCO, and ISLA de MINDANAO (transport). Captured - RAPIDO and HERCULES (tugs) and several small launches”. He further explains that the number of Spanish casualties are unknown but he considers them “to be very heavy”. In addition to the destruction of the Spanish fleet, he also reports minimal damage to the American fleet. He indicates zero deaths and only a few minor injuries.