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Article: Dewey's great day.(Montpelier, VT, celebrates centenary of George Dewey's return from Spanish-American War)(Brief Article)
- Article from:
- The Economist (US)
- Article date:
- October 9, 1999
CopyrightCOPYRIGHT 1999 Economist Newspaper Ltd. This material is published under license from the publisher through the Gale Group, Farmington Hills, Michigan. All inquiries regarding rights should be directed to the Gale Group. (Hide copyright information)
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MONTPELIER, VERMONT
THE tourists who descend each October on this tiny New England town always pause to admire the Greek Revival statehouse with its gilded dome. Invariably, they mistake the two big cannon on its lawn for relics of the Revolution or perhaps the Civil War--bits of history one associates with Vermont. In fact, these guns were salvaged from the bottom of far-away Manila Bay, from Spanish ships sunk by Montpelier's own Admiral George Dewey on the day America came of age as an international power.
On May 1, 1898, Dewey led his six cruisers and gunboats on a bold midnight run past the guns of Corregidor into Manila Bay. At dawn, seeing the ...