Commodore George Dewey in the Spanish-American War

Commodore George Dewey in the Spanish-American War Born December 26, 1837, George Dewey was the son of Julius Yemans Dewey and Mary Perrin Dewey of Montpelier, VT. The couples third child, Dewey lost his mother at age five to tuberculosis and developed a close relationship with his father. An active boy who was educated locally, Dewey entered the Norwich Military School at age fifteen. The decision to attend Norwich was a compromise between Dewey and his father as the former wished to go to sea in the merchant service, while the latter desired his son to attend West Point. Attending Norwich for two years, Dewey developed a reputation as a practical joker. Leaving the school in 1854, Dewey, against his fathers wishes, accepted an appointment as an acting midshipman in the US Navy on September 23. Traveling south, he enrolled at the US Naval Academy in Annapolis. Annapolis Entering the academy that fall, Deweys class was among the first to progress through the standard four-year course. A difficult academic institution, only 15 of the 60 midshipmen who entered with Dewey would graduate. While at Annapolis, Dewey experienced firsthand the rising sectional tensions that were gripping the country. A known scrapper, Dewey took part in several fights with Southern students and was prevented from engaging in a pistol duel. Graduating, Dewey was appointed a midshipman on June 11, 1858, and was assigned to the steam frigate USS Wabash (40 guns). Serving on the Mediterranean station, Dewey was respected for his devoted attention to his duties and developed an affection for the region. The Civil War Begins While overseas, Dewey was given the opportunity to visit the great cities of Europe, such as Rome and Athens, before going ashore and exploring Jerusalem. Returning to the United States in December 1859, Dewey served on two short cruises before traveling to Annapolis to take his lieutenants exam in January 1861. Passing with flying colors, he was commissioned on April 19, 1861, a few days after the attack on Fort Sumter. Following the outbreak of the Civil War, Dewey was assigned to USS Mississippi (10) on May 10 for service in the Gulf of Mexico. A large paddle frigate, Mississippi had served as Commodore Matthew Perrys flagship during his historic visit to Japan in 1854. On the Mississippi Part of Flag Officer David G. Farraguts West Gulf Blockading Squadron, Mississippi participated in the attacks on Forts Jackson and St. Philip and the subsequent capture of New Orleans in April 1862. Serving as executive officer to Captain Melancton Smith, Dewey earned high praise for his coolness under fire and conned the ship as it ran past the forts, as well as forced the ironclad CSS Manassas (1) ashore. Remaining on the river, Mississippi returned to action the following March when Farragut attempted to run past the batteries at Port Hudson, LA. Moving forward on the night of March 14, Mississippi grounded in front of the Confederate batteries. Unable to break free, Smith ordered the ship abandoned and while the men lowered the boats, he and Dewey saw to it that the guns were spiked and the ship set afire to prevent capture. Escaping, Dewey was later reassigned as executive officer of USS Agawam (10) and briefly commanded the screw sloop of war USS Monongahela (7) after its captain and executive officer were lost in a fight near Donaldsonville, LA. North Atlantic Europe Brought east, Dewey saw service on the James River before being appointed executive officer of the steam frigate USS Colorado (40). Serving on the North Atlantic blockade, Dewey took part in both of Rear Admiral David D. Porters attacks on Fort Fisher (Dec. 1864 Jan. 1865). In the course of the second attack, he distinguished himself when Colorado closed with one of the forts batteries. Cited for bravery at Fort Fisher, his commander, Commodore Henry K. Thatcher, attempted to take Dewey with him as his fleet captain when he relieved Farragut at Mobile Bay. This request was denied and Dewey was promoted to lieutenant commander on March 3, 1865. With the end of the Civil War, Dewey remained on active duty and served as executive officer of USS Kearsarge (7) in European waters before receiving an assignment to the Portsmouth Navy Yard. While in this posting, he met and married Susan Boardman Goodwin in 1867. Postwar Moving through assignments on Colorado and at the Naval Academy, Dewey steadily rose through the ranks and was promoted to commander on April 13, 1872. Given command of USS Narragansett (5) that same year, he was stunned in December when his wife died after giving birth to their son, George Goodwin Dewey. Remaining with Narragansett, he spent nearly four years working with the Pacific Coast Survey. Returning to Washington, Dewey served on the Light House Board, before sailing for the Asiatic Station as captain of USS Juniata (11) in 1882. Two years later, Dewey was recalled and given command of USS Dolphin (7) which was frequently used as the presidential yacht. Promoted to captain on September 27, 1884, Dewey was given USS Pensacola (17) and sent to Europe. After eight years at sea, Dewey was brought back to Washington to serve as a bureau officer. In this role, he was promoted to commodore on February 28, 1896. Unhappy with the climate of the capital and feeling inactive, he applied for sea duty in 1897, and was given command of the US Asiatic Squadron. Hoisting his flag at Hong Kong in December 1897, Dewey immediately began preparing his ships for war as tensions with Spain increased. Ordered by Secretary of the Navy John Long and Assistant Secretary Theodore Roosevelt, Dewey concentrated his ships and retained sailors whose terms had expired. To the Philippines With the beginning of the Spanish-American War on April 25, 1898, Dewey received instructions to immediately move against the Philippines. Flying his flag from the armored cruiser USS Olympia, Dewey departed Hong Kong and began gathering intelligence regarding Admiral Patricio Montojos Spanish fleet at Manila. Steaming for Manila with seven ships on April 27, Dewey arrived off Subic Bay three days later. Not finding Montojos fleet, he pressed into Manila Bay where the Spanish were located near Cavite. Forming for battle, Dewey attacked Montojo on May 1 at the Battle of Manila Bay. Battle of Manila Bay Coming under fire from the Spanish ships, Dewey waited to close the distance, before stating You may fire when ready, Gridley, to Olympias captain at 5:35 AM. Steaming in an oval pattern, the US Asiatic Squadron fired first with their starboard guns and then their port guns as they circled around. For the next 90 minutes, Dewey attacked the Spanish, while defeating several torpedo boat attacks and a ramming attempt by Reina Cristina during the fighting. At 7:30 AM, Dewey was warned that his ships were low on ammunition. Pulling out into the bay, he soon learned that this report was an mistake. Returning to action around 11:15 AM, the American ships saw that only one Spanish vessel was offering resistance. Closing in, Deweys squadron finished the battle, reducing Montojos fleet to burning wrecks. With the destruction of the Spanish fleet, Dewey became a national hero and was immediately promoted to rear admiral. Continuing to operate in the Philippines, Dewey coordinated with Filipino insurgents led by Emilio Aguinaldo in attacking the remaining Spanish forces in the region. In July, American troops led by Major General Wesley Merritt arrived and the city of Manila was captured on August 13. For his great service, Dewey was promoted to admiral effective March 8, 1899. Later Career Dewey remained in command of the Asiatic Squadron until October 4, 1899, when was relieved and sent back to Washington. Appointed president of the General Board, he received the special honor of being promoted to the rank of Admiral of the Navy. Created by a special act of Congress, the rank was conferred on Dewey on March 24, 1903, and back-dated to March 2, 1899. Dewey is the only officer to ever hold this rank and as a special honor was permitted to remain on active duty beyond the mandatory retirement age. A consummate naval officer, Dewey flirted with running for president in 1900 as a Democrat, however several missteps and gaffs led him to withdraw and endorse William McKinley. Dewey died at Washington DC on January 16, 1917, while still serving as president of the US Navys General Board. His body was interred at Arlington National Cemetery on January 20, before being moved at his widows request to the crypt of Bethlehem Chapel at the Protestant Episcopal Cathedral (Washington, DC).

4 signs that your manager is the problemâ€not you

4 signs that your manager is the problem- not you Are you having problems at work? If so, you’re not alone, and it’s not something you should ignore. Most of us spend a significant portion of our lives at work- way too much time to be constantly unhappy or submerged in an uncomfortable environment. And the truth is, there’s a wide array of possible explanations for why you’re having issues- including many that aren’t really your fault, and might be a problem of poor management. Much like our family members, the vast majority of us don’t get to pick our bosses, which means that we’re often in the passenger seat regarding who we report to on a daily basis. In a perfect world, our managers would be great people and shining examples of professionalism, individuals whom we can aspire to emulate as we learn and grow on the job.Unfortunately, we don’t live in a perfect world, and most of us aren’t lucky enough to work with perfect managers. In fact, some of us find ourselves wo rking alongside problematic managers who really exert a negative energy and adversely impact the ability of others to do their jobs.Does this sound like the situation you’re in? If so- or if you’re finding yourself unhappy at work and are unsure if the problem lies with you or your manger- then keep a lookout for the following 4 signs that just might indicate that your manager is indeed the source of the problem.Everyone is having similar issuesAlthough your knee-jerk reaction to a less than ideal work environment might be that the problem lies in others and not you, you should take a step back and try to gain some perspective on the situation. If you think your manager might be the source of your problem at work, then listen to what others are saying. If you’re the only one who’s having a problem with your manager, then maybe the situation isn’t as black and white as you think, and you may benefit from taking a deeper look at your involvement and role (hopefully in an effort to make improvements). However, if others are also reporting problems (or show dismay at how your manager does business on a daily basis), it’s a good indication that they are the problem- not you.Productivity is downOne of the truly unfortunate side effects of having a problematic manager is that not only are they difficult to work with, but they also tend to negatively impact the workflow and productivity of the department or team they lead. This impact can be profound and quite apparent- everything from decreased efficiency and productivity to poor intradepartmental and interdepartmental communication and collaboration can result from the ill effects of an unchecked managerial bad seed. If your team or department is in chaos and productivity is down- and your manager simply refuses to right the ship or is unable to- then it’s pretty clear that there’s a problem.People are unhappyWhen a team reports to a problematic manager and the situation goes unchecked for too long without a course correction, the end result is often a sharp dip in morale alongside an uptick in stress and anxiety- not a recipe for employee happiness. And when employees are unhappy, it’s hard to imagine anything positive, productive, or innovative resulting. If the people who report to your manager are unhappy, then it doesn’t take an HR professional to deduce that there may be a problem at the top that needs to be addressed.People are leavingAn extreme result of employees being too unhappy for too long is that they tend to jump ship and seek out opportunities on different teams, in other departments- and at other companies. Are you noticing a trend of employees who report to your manager fleeing their positions in droves? If so, then it’s a classic red flag that there’s an unresolved problem with your manager that needs to be addressed.If you’re having a problem at work, the only path to improvement is t o first diagnose the problem, including from where- or who- the issue originates. Use the signs covered here to help you determine if the problem lies in your manager, so you can start the process of working towards a satisfying resolution for you and your career.