THE FIRST great fight of the war is fought! | |
| And who is the victor,—say,— | |
| Is there aught of the lesson now left untaught | |
| By the fight of Manila Bay? | |
| |
| Two by two were the Spanish ships | 5 |
| Formed in their battle line; | |
| Their flags at the taffrail, peak and fore, | |
| And batt’ries ready upon the shore, | |
| Silently biding their time. | |
| |
| Into their presence sailed our fleet,— | 10 |
| The harbor was fully mined,— | |
| With shotted guns and open ports | |
| Up to their ships,—ay,—up to their forts; | |
| For Dewey is danger-blind. | |
| |
| Signalled the flagship, “Open fire,” | 15 |
| And the guns belched forth their death. | |
| “At closer range,” was the order shown; | |
| Then each ship sprang to claim her own, | |
| And to lick her fiery breath. | |
| |
| Served were our squadron’s heavy guns, | 20 |
| With gunners stripped to the waist, | |
| And the blinding, swirling, sulph’rous smoke | |
| Enveloped the ships, as each gun spoke, | |
| In its furious, fearful haste. | |
| |
| Sunk and destroyed were the Spanish ships, | 25 |
| Hulled by our heavy shot, | |
| For the Yankee spirit is just the same, | |
| And the Yankee grit and the Yankee aim, | |
| And their courage which faileth not. | |
| |
| The first great fight of the war is fought, | 30 |
| And who is victor,—say,— | |
| Is there aught of the lesson now left untaught | |
| By the fight of Manila Bay? | |
| |
