I'm not sure of Charles Gridley was counted as the one death in the American fleet or not, but this battle marked the beginning of the end for him.
The heat and poor ventilation in the Olympia's conning tower made his existing medical conditions so much worse. At one point in the battle, he hit his side on the edge of the chart table which caused him great pain. After the battle he had to be carried away from his post.
As the days passed by, it became more and more apparent that his condition was deteriorating rapidly, and Dewey had no choice but to relieve him of command of the USS Olympia.
On May 25, he was sent home aboard the USS Zafiro to receive medical treatment.
Two days later, he was transferred from the Zafiro to the Occidental & Oriental steamship Coptic which was bound for Japan. On June 4, the Coptic reached Nagasaki, Japan, and it was there that Gridley discovered that he and Dewey were the men of the hour.
He gave a British newspaper reporter a short interview tinged with a little bitterness. He did not see much of a future for the U.S. in the Philippines, seeing the islands as a backwater suitable only as a rest stop for fleets crossing the Pacific.
Still, he had no regrets about his life and role in the battle. He said, "The battle of Manila killed me, but I would do it again if necessary."
--Cooter
No comments:
Post a Comment