By the 4th of May Commodore Dewey had taken possession of the naval
station at Cavite, destroying the fortifications there and at the
entrance of the bay and paroling their garrisons. The waters of the bay
are under his complete control. He has established hospitals within the
American lines, where 250 of the Spanish sick and wounded are assisted
and protected.

The magnitude of this victory can hardly be measured by the ordinary
standard of naval warfare. Outweighing any material advantage is the
moral effect of this initial success. At this unsurpassed achievement
the great heart of our nation throbs, not with boasting or with greed of
conquest, but with deep gratitude that this triumph has come in a just
cause and that by the grace of God an effective step has thus been taken
toward the attainment of the wished-for peace. To those whose skill,
courage, and devotion have won the fight, to the gallant commander and
the brave officers and men who aided him, our country owes an
incalculable debt.

Feeling as our people feel, and speaking in their name, I at once sent
a message to Commodore Dewey thanking him and his officers and men for
their splendid achievement and overwhelming victory and informing him
that I had appointed him an acting rear-admiral.

I now recommend that, following our national precedents and expressing
the fervent gratitude of every patriotic heart, the thanks of Congress
be given Acting Rear-Admiral George Dewey, of the United States Navy,
for highly distinguished conduct in conflict with the enemy, and to
the officers and men under his command for their gallantry in the
destruction of the enemy's fleet and the capture of the enemy's