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Welcoming a Hero Home: The Dewey Day Parade

On September 29th, 1899, a two-day land and sea parade welcomed Rear Admiral George Dewey (1837-1917) home. Dewey had become the nation’s great naval hero, the first and only admiral to be titled “Admiral of the Navy”, after his 1898 victory at the Battle of Manila Bay, in the Philippines, during the Spanish–American War.

Take a virtual walk into the Manhattan of 1899, and see the celebrations with the photographs of amateur photographer Thomas W. Kennedy (active ca. 1890-1915.)

The Spanish–American War ended with the 1898 Treaty of Paris, and the US took possession of several former Spanish colonies including Puerto Rico, the island of Guam, and the Philippine Islands. The US occupation of the Philippines would lead to the brutal Phillipine-American War.

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South Street Seaport Museum

General Grant National Memorial (Grant's Tomb)

Admiral George Dewey was the hero of Manila Bay. He led the Asiatic Squadron to victory aboard the U.S.S. Olympia in a brief six-hour-long battle on the coast of the Philippines.

General Grant National Memorial (Grant's Tomb)

Dewey made famous the phrase: "You may fire when you are ready, Gridley." These were the words he uttered to the USS Olympia's Captain Charles Gridley before the fleet attacked the Spanish at first light on April 30, 1898. The Americans sunk or captured seven warships, claiming the lives of 381 Spaniards. Admiral Dewey's crew saw no fatalities.

St. Clair and Riverside

The Admiral's victory established the United States a global military power. Dewey was invited home by then-Governor Theodore Roosevelt a year after the winning of Manila Bay. A flotilla (fleet of ships and boats) of steamers led by the U.S.S. Olympia graced the Hudson river to welcome Dewey home.

Dewey Arch

A ceremonial arch, the "Dewey Arch," was constructed out of "staff" (plaster + wood shavings) at Fifth Avenue and 24th Street. The idea was that the arch would be re-created in stone when enough funds were raised. However, the waning popularity of the Philippine War meant that fundraising became nearly impossible. The arch was taken down a year after Dewey's homecoming.

2 Broadway

"Battle of Manila Bay Medal," also known as the "Dewey Medal," was awarded to Dewey and every American sailor, officer, and Marine present at Manila Bay. The award bore an image of the Admiral on the front and was designed by the sculptor of the Lincoln Memorial. Dewey wore his medal face down out of modesty.

General Grant National Memorial (Grant's Tomb)

The Dewey's procession made popular the tradition of ticker-tape parades along the "Canyon of Heroes," which stretched down Broadway just south of City Hall. "Ticker-tape" parades referred to the large amounts of ticker-tape (paper strip which a stock-ticker would read) which were thrown from buildings above.