USS Winslow (TB-5)-- Part 2: The Battle of Cardenas

As the United States and Spain got closer to war after the USS Maine blew up mysteriously in Havana Harbor, the Winslow went to Key West to be closer to where the action was expected to happen.  After war was declared, the Winslow patrolled the  north coast of Cuba near Havana, Cardenas and Mantanzas.

On 8 May 1898, she forced three Spanish gunboats back into Cardenas Harbor.   On 11 May, the Winslow, USRC Hudson and USS Wilmington steamed into Cardenas Harbor looking for those three Spanish gunboats.  A battle erupted.

The Spanish concentrated their fire on the Winslow, which was the smallest of the three American ships, and she soon started getting hit.  Shots all but disabled the Winslow.  The other two American ships joined the battle and  soon put the Spanish warship out of action.

A request went out to be towed to safety.  As the Hudson was towing the Winslow, one last Spanish shot struck the torpedo boat near her starboard gun and killed Ensign Worth Bagley.  He was the first and only naval officer killed in action in the war.

In memory of his sacrifice and devotion, four ships in the U.S. Navy have carried his name.

There were temporary repairs at Key West and Mobile before sailing to New York Navy Yard, put out of commission and then extensive repairs were carried out.

--Cooter

Ensign Worth Bagley, USN (Brother of David Bagley)

From Wikipedia.

Ensign Worth Bagley (April 6, 1774-May 11, 1898) was the only naval officer killed in action in the Spanish-American War.  He is also the brother of David Bagley who rose to the rank of admiral and commanded the USS Jacob Jones, sunk in WW I.

He was born in Raleigh, North Carolina. and graduated from the U.S. Naval Academy in 1895.  After serving two years on the USS Montgomery (C-9), USS Texas and USS Maine, he was made ensign on July 1, 1897.  In November he was appointed inspector of the new torpedo boat USS Winslow. and when she was commissioned on  December 28, he was assigned the ship's executive officer under Lt.  John Baptiste Bernadou.

In April 1898, the Winslow was with the fleet when it mobilized for action in Cuba  On the morning of May 11 the Winslow went with the USRC Hudson and USS Wilmington (PG-8) to force the entrance to the harbor of Cardenas.

She was fired upon by the Spanish gunboat Antonio Lopez and immediately there was a general engagement.  The Winslow was soon disabled and with difficulty was hauled out of range of Spanish guns by the  Hudson.

Just as the engagement ended, Ensign Bagley and four sailors were killed by a shell.

--Cooter

46 Fascinating Facts About Our 46 Presidents-- Part 3: Polk to Buchanan

11.  JAMES K. POLK (1845-1849)

During his term, Polk secretly purchased  a number of enslaved children for his Mississippi cotton  plantation.

12.  ZACHARY TAYLOR (1849-1850)

"Old Rough and Ready" never voted in an election prior to being put on the ballot himself.

13.  MILLARD FILLMORE  (1850-1853)

He was the last Whig president; the party imploded after he left office.

14.  FRANKLIN PIERCE  (1853-1857)

The only [president from New Hampshire also attended college in New England -- Bowdoin College  in Brunswick, Maine.

15.  JAMES BUCHANAN (1857-1861)

In 1853, while serving as minister to Great Britain, he helped draft the 1854 Ostend Manifesto, which advocated for an American invasion of Cuba.

--CootPres

USS Montgomery (C-9)-- Part 2: Took Part in the Spanish-American War

The USS Montgomery was launched 5 December 1891 by Columbian Iron  Works in Baltimore, Maryland; sponsored by Miss Sofia Smith; and commissioned at Norfolk  Navy Yard (Virginia)  21 June 1894, Commander Charles Henry Davis, Jr. in command.

Assigned to the North Atlantic Squadron and operated along the eastern edge of the U.S. as far south as the Caribbean Sea.

During the Spanish-American War she  cruised near Cuba and Haiti in April 1898 and in May joined the blockade of Havana.  She took two prizes, the Lorenzo and Frasquito, on 5 May, and shelled the Spanish forts  a week later.

On 13 June a 280 Krupp gun at the Santa Clara  Battery fired on the Montgomery at a range of 9,000 meters, apparently without effect.

--Cooter

He Fired When Ready-- Part 3: Dewey to Strike First and Hard

So, Charles Gridley finally had that plum command, the USS Olympia.  But then, on February 15, 1898, the USS Maine blew up while anchored in Havana Harbor, Cuba.  The relations between Spain, who controlled Cuba, and the United States had been worsening for years.

The American people, spurred on by a Yellow Press Campaign of Spanish misdeeds in Cuba, were upset about heavy-handed tactics the Spanish were using to put down Cubans who were striving for independence.  And, the American government and business interests were trying to find ways to grab Spain's colonial possessions and make them their own.

The commander of the U.S. Asiatic Squadron, George Dewey,  had been preparing for war for months.  He knew that Spain's hold on the Philippines was tenuous at best, and that if he moved swiftly, he could strike a first blow and weaken Spain's ability to resist.

Just as soon as war was declared, he moved fast to destroy the Spanish fleet operating out of  Manila in the Philippines.

--Cooter

William J. Worth, U.S. Soldier in Three Wars

I have been writing about William J. Worth in my Not So Forgotten:  War of 1812 blog.

He was an officer in the War of 1812, Second Seminole War and the Mexican War and at one time, a close friend of Winfield Scott.

After the Mexican War he was almost involved in a plot to kick the Spanish out of Cuba.

He is buried under the Worth Memorial in New York City.

Interesting Reading.  --Cooter

USS Oregon (BB-3)-- Part 3: The Battle of Santiago de Cuba

 The USS Oregon arrived off the port of Santiago de Cuba on June 1st and joined the blockading fleet.

At 8:45 am on July 1, Admiral Cervera sortied with his fleet on his flagship, the Infanta Maria Teresa.  Luckily for the Spanish, the Oregon was out of its usual position and another battleship, the USS Massachusetts was recoaling at Guantanamo Bay at the time.

Lookouts aboard the armored cruiser USS Brooklyn discovered the approach of the Spanish fleet and fired a gun as a warning and the battle was underway.  The goal of the Spaniards was to escape and put out to sea.  Cervera went after the Brooklyn

The Oregon took the lead in the ensuing chase as it was the only ship with its steam up.  It was followed by the Brooklyn.  American gunfire son set the Infanta Maria Teresa afire and fearing an explosion, Cervera ordered the ship run aground.  The Almirante Oquendo did likewise a short time later.  The Vizcaya was also forced aground and surrendered.  The two destroyers were particularly savaged by American gunfire.

Only the Cristobol Colon had a good six-mile lead and was still running west.  The American ships slowly caught up with her and struck its flag, running ashore and scuttling the ship.  Thus ended the Battle of Santiago de Cuba.

The Oregon was not hit in the action owing to the poor quality of the Spanish gunfire.

With the American success here and in Cuba and the Philippines, Spain sued for peace on 17 July and the Spanish-American War ended 12 August 1898 with the signing of the Treaty of Paris.

It Wasn't Much of a Battle, Actually.   --Cooter

USS Oregon (BB-3)-- Part 2: Completed a 16,000 Cruise from Pacific to Atlantic in 66 Days (Pre-Panama Canal)

Two of the Indiana-class battleships were built on the U.S. East Coast and the Oregon on the West Coast.  The Oregon was commissioned on 15 July 1896 and joined the U.S. Pacific Fleet.

On 15 February 1898, the USS Maine blew up in Havana Harbor, Cuba, during rising tensions between Spain and the U.S..  The Oregon was in dry dock at the time and was refloated the next day and placed under the command of Captain Charles Edgar Clark and ordered to steam the U.S. East Coast to join the North Atlantic Fleet and arrived after a 16,000 mile journey in just 66 days.  

While passing through the Cape Horn the ship encountered a horrific storm  (these three battleships had very low freeboards and did not do well in rough seas).  This was before the Panama Canal was built and became a major reason for its construction.

The Oregon arrived in Key West on 26 May and joined the North Atlantic Squadron under the command of Rear Admiral William T. Sampson.  The Spanish fleet had been located and blockaded in the harbor of Santo de Cuba, Cuba.  The Spanish squadron was under the command of Rear Admiral Pasqual Cervera y Topete and consisted of  the armored cruisers Infanta Maria Teresa, Cristobol Colon, Vizcaya and Almirante Oquendo and destroyers Pluton and Furor.

--Cooter

Jacob Smith's Wounds

By the 1902 court martial, Jacob Smith had received three wounds during his war service:

**  Scar from a saber cut on the head which he received  in July 1861 in Barboursville, Virginia.

**  April 7, 1862, wounded by Minie ball in hip.  It was still in his hip in 1902.

**  Still had a bullet in his body  from a wound at El Caney in Cuba during the Spanish-American War.

A Walking Bullet.  --Cooter

When Presidents Lied or Misled U.S. to War-- Part 2: The Spanish-American War

James Polk followed James Madison's (War of 1812, see the Nov. 19, 2018) Not So Forgotten: War of 1812 blog post) agenda when he concealed his westward expansion policy.

President William McKinley wanted to go to war with Spain in the 1890s and used what was a faulty boiler causing the sinking of the USS Maine in Havana Harbor.  He even promised to free the people of Cuba from Spanish occupation.

So in 1898, we went to war at his behest without his consulting Congress or the American people.

But what it really was an attempt for an American empire.  He grabbed the Philippines from Spain and demanded the conversion of its people to Christianity.  (I thought the people of the Philippines were Catholic when the U.S. took over.)

--Cooter

Plattsburgh Barracks-- Part 1: The War of 1812 and "The President's Own"

From Wikipedia "The Old Stone Barracks"

I have been writing about these barracks for the past week in my War of 1812 blog "Not So Forgotten."

These barracks were constructed at Plattsburgh, New York in 1838 to replace barracks that had been in use since the War of 1812.  The famous Battle of Lake Champlain/Battle of Plattsburgh took place here.

In the 1890s, the Barracks were the home of the 21st U.S. Infantry, known as "The President's Own."

President William McKinley gave them that nickname because he frequently summered at the nearby Hotel Champlain and would often visit the post to review the troops.

The 21st Infantry left here to participate in the Spanish-American War where on 22 June 1898, they fought at the Battle of Santiago and on July 1, they were in on the attack on San Juan Hill.  They were then withdrawn from Cuba in August because of disease.

--Cooter

Deaths: Cuba's Leader For a Real Long Time, Fidel Castro

Age 90.  "No other Third World leader prompted so much U.S. hostility for so long.  Castro brought the planet to the brink of nuclear war in 1962 and endured a crippling U.S. embargo and outlasted ten U.S. presidents."

Died Friday, November 25, 2016.

You almost had to admire the man to do that.  But, was I ever scared when at age 11, I thought my life was about to end.  I'll never forget that Cuban Missile Crisis.  I am glad we have finally reopened trade and relations with Cuba.  I've always believed that he wouldn't have turned to Communism had the U.S. not so opposed him back when he came to power.  And, that was primarily because of his nationalizing U.S. interests in the country.

Like Him or Not, he Was a Force to Be Reckoned With.

Spanish-American War Memorial Dedicated in Goldsboro, NC-- Part 3: All Four Died of Disease

Members of the Bain family were on hand to witness the event.  T.H. Bain, the great grandson of T.H. Bain came to the event from Florida and said, "We're really extremely honored that Mr. Tillman not only honored the four men who died but honored Theodore Bain and the Bain family and we're very appreciative as well."

Great granddaughter of Captain T.H. Bain, Georgia Bain Reese, from Wilmington, N.C., was also on hand.

The four men honored on the memorial are: Pvt. Archer C. Hayes, Pvt. Newman P. Jones, Pvt. Charles R. Barnes and Pvt. Thomas R. Edwards.  Hayes and Jones died in a Florida camp and Barnes and Edwards died in Havana, Cuba.

--Cooter