He Fired When Ready-- Part 4: 'You May Fire When You Are Ready, Gridley.'

So, Commodore Dewey is ready to destroy the Spanish fleet, but he almost had to do it without the service of his friend (they had met during stateside lighthouse duty), Charles Gridley.

For several months, Gridley had been seriously ill, suffering from some dysentery and an unspecified  liver condition (now believed to have been cancer).  Some days, he could barely get out of bed.  But, if the fleet was going into battle there was no way he was going to miss it.  He'd gone 33 years between battles and this likely might be his last chance.  He pleaded with Dewey to let him participate.  Dewey relented and let him.

Under cover of darkness on the night of April 30th, Dewey and the entire U.S. Asiatic fleet sailed past the Spanish batteries on Corregidor and into Manila Bay.  The Spanish were not expecting the Americans to do this at night and their ships were anchored at Cavite, a small peninsula in the bay that allowed them protection from the weather and tides.

As the sun rose on April 1st they found themselves bottled up.  There was nowhere to go but to make a run for safety.

At 5:41 AM, Dewey turned to Gridley and gave a brief, informal order that went on to become very famous U.S. Naval words:

"You may fire when you are ready, Gridley.

Fire he did.

--Cooter

What Is This RoadTripping Through History?

Roadtripping Through History is something I do often with all these blogs.  I start with a story and see how far I can take it, kind of like the old Paul Harvey's "Rest of the Story" in those interesting newscasts he used to do.

This particular (I guess you could call it a thread) started with a story I wrote about in my Running the Blockade: Civil War Navy blog about five U.S. Navy Medal of Honor recipients buried in cemeteries around Portsmouth, New Hampshire.

I then found out when I looked for more information on each one, that there might have been confusion on one of the names as there was someone else with nearly the same name.  His name was John Jones.  Then the other man was John E. Jones.  John Jones (buried in Portsmouth) got his Medal during the rescue of crewmembers of the sinking USS Monitor.

The John E. Jones got his for action on the USS Oneida at the Battle of Mobile Bay (along with seven other recipients from that ship).  Well, the commander of that ship must have been quite busy writing out the recommendations and the Wikipedia article said the commander was C.V. Gridley.

The name Gridley immediately brought to mind the "You may fire when you are ready, Gridley" quote from George Dewey at the Battle of Mobile Bay in the Spanish-American War.  Was this the same guy?  As it turns out, he was, but he had not been the commander of the Oneida at the battle of Mobile Bay.  However, he was on that ship as a junior officer, but not the commander of it.

And, that is how I have come to writing about that here.

In addition, earlier this month in this blog, I wrote about the USS Zafiro which transported the stricken with illness Gridley off the USS Olympia after the Battle of Manila Bay.  Then that led to the Dewey Medals given to U.S. participants at that battle.

So, You Never Know Exactly Where You're Going to Go When You Roadtrip Through History.  --Cooter

Charles V. Gridley: 'You May Fire When You Are Ready, Gridley'

I have been writing about him in my Running the Blockade:  Civil War Navy blog this month.  He was on the USS Oneida in the Battle of Mobile Bay where he distinguished himself.  The name Gridley made me think of the famous George Dewey quote at the Battle of Manila Bay some 34 years later.  

Was this the same Gridley?  the answer was yes. That has led to the posts on the USS Zafiro and Dewey Medal in this blog.

--Cooter

The Dewey Medal-- Part 4: Designed by D.C. French and Made By Tiffany's

The Dewey Medal was designed by celebrated artist Daniel Chester French, who sculped the seated Lincoln in Washington, D.C.'s Lincoln memorial and the Minuteman statue at Concord, Massachusetts.  The medal itself was struck by Tiffany & Company.

The front, or obverse, depicts a bust of Commodore George Dewey.  On the back, or reverse,  is included the name of the vessel on which the recipient served.  The name of the recipient is engraved on the medal's lower rim, this being  one of only two service medals issued officially to  the recipient.

*************************

One of these medals is located at the Headquarters Artifact Collection, Naval History and Heritage Command.

The obverse features a profile bust of Commodore George Dewey with text to the right and left of his head that reads:  "The gift of the people of the United States to the officers and men of the Asiatic Squadron under the command of Commodore George Dewey."

  Below the bust are the words: DC French 1898."

The reverse of the medal has the image of a bare-chested sailor sitting on a cannon barrel with a furled flag upon his lap.  The text along the edge reads:  "In memory of the Victory on Manila Bay on May 1, 1898."

Below the image is a tablet for the stamped "USS Olympia."  The rim of this medal is stamped "Ah Foy, Landsman."

--Cooter

The Dewey Medal-- Part 3: Very Few Were Made

The Dewey Medal was a one-time only decoration.  It consists of a circular medallion inscribed front and back, with a profile if Dewey on the front and a sailor sitting on a gun on the back.  It is suspended by a blue and gold ribbon.

Admiral Dewey also received one, but through modesty always wore it with the sailor's picture on it.  Dewey is one of only four Americans entitled to wear a medal with their mage on it.  The other three are Rear Admiral William T. Sampson (Sampson Medal for his victory at the Battle of Santiago de Cuba in the Spanish-American War), Rear Admiral Richard E. Byrd (1st and 2nd Byrd Expeditions to Antarctica) and General of the Armies John J. Pershing.

The Dewey Medal is one of the few  United States military awards to have fewer recipients than the Medal of Honor..  Only 1,825 medals were struck, each machine engraved to the recipient with his name, rate(enlisted) or rank (officer).

--Cooter

The Dewey Medal-- Part 2: About the Zafiro and Nanshan and the Medal

The colliers USS Nanshan and USS Zafiro were part of Dewey's squadron and supported the Manila Bay operation but are not listed  in Navy regulations having  their crew members eligible for the Dewey Medal.  This is because these ships were not actively involved in the battle and at the time they were civilian-manned vessels purchased to support the Navy ships.

The Nanshan was commanded by Navy Lieutenant Benjamin W. Hodges, but  technically remained a merchant ship so se could resupply at neutral ports  which simplified the squadron's logistics.  The Zafiro was commanded by Ensign Henry A.  Pearson, USN, and, like the Nanshan, was technically a merchant ship at the time of the battle.

Both ships were later commissioned into the U.S. Navy.

--Cooter

The Dewey Medal-- Part 1

From Wikipedia.

I found mention of this medal being given to Ensign Henry E. Pearson who commanded the USS Zafiro at the Battle of Manila Bay.  I had never heard of the Dewey Medal, so Wikipedia here I come.

It was a military decoration of the United States Navy established by the U.S. Congress on June 3, 1898, to recognize the leadership of George Dewey during the Spanish-American War and the sailors and Marines under his command.  Specifically it was for the Battle of Manila Bay.

To receive one, the person had to have served on one of these ships at the battle on May 1. 1898:

USS  Baltimore

USS Boston

USS Concord

USS  McCullough

USS  Olympia

USS  Petrel

USS Raleigh

--Cooter