immediate. In every state of the Union the call to arms was heard
with delight and troops gathered at their armories for prompt
enlistment. The speed and facility with which a trained and
efficient army could be mobilized was an amazement to those who
had not been familiar with the details of the organization of the
National Guard of America. Within twenty-four hours after the
receipt of the order, thousands of troops were moving to the state
encampments where they had been directed to gather. Illinois was
an example of this promptness, in sending nearly 5,000 men out of
Chicago without delay, but this was no more notable than the
record made by many other states in every part of the Union. The
cheers and the blessings of hundreds of thousands of loyal
citizens stimulated those who were to go to the front with the
banner of freedom, and they realized that they were representing
the sentiment of a united nation.

Those days near the end of April were exciting times. The whole
nation was keyed up to a nervous tension of anxiety to know what
would be the next event recorded on land or sea. The armies of the
United States were preparing for the struggle, the coast defenses
were brought to completion, and the government was ready for any
emergency that might arise. Admiral Sampson's splendid North
Atlantic squadron was blockading the ports of Cuba. Admiral
Schley, with the flying squadron at Hampton Roads, was ready for
prompt action in any direction where it might be effective,
whether to protect the Atlantic coast cities from a threatened
assault by Spanish warships, or to descend upon the Spanish fleet
for a naval battle.

Admiral Dewey with the Asiatic squadron had been driven out of