About 12 o'clock the next day the "New York" ordered us to get up full steam and follow her. We picked up the rest of the fleet along the line. That night the signals were displayed, and the "New York" ordered a sharp lookout, as the Spanish fleet had left the Cape Verde Islands, and was making for Porto Rico.
It was Sampson's
intention to steam slow and wait for the fleet, engage in battle and
proceed to destroy Porto Rico. He lay off
Hayti two days, but saw no Spaniards. It was on May 11 that the
"New York" came alongside of us and the
admiral gave us the following orders:
"To-morrow morning we shall be in sight of Porto Rico. Proceed right up the bay, take soundings, and if they fire on you return fire. To-night I will transfer my flag to the 'Iowa;' so take orders from her and keep 1,000 yards ahead of her." Thus we had the honor of leading the fight.
At daylight we steamed tip the bay, with the
fleet following. The port was in full view. We kept on
going, as no guns were fired on us. Sampson
thought we were getting too close and ordered us to stop, but the
brave "Detroit" kept right on.
The "Iowa" turned her broadside on the forts and fired a small gun in the water. This was only a ruse, but it worked like a charm, for the Spaniards thought we were firing on them, and they opened fire on us, and we right under their noses -so close that they could not train their guns on us. The " Iowa" then let go her broadside and took half of the main fort, with it; the "Detroit" followed with a discharge of her six 5-inch, and did terrible work, and the "lndiana" and the monitors joined the band.
One of the "lndiana's
" 13-inch struck the barracks and lifted it bodily. The guns on
the main fort spoke only once; that was when they first fired.
They never spoke after the "Detroit's" first volley. Around the
fort we went one by one, emptying our guns. After three hours of
terrific fighting the fort at San Juan was silenced. We then
withdrew and the Admiral went back to his own ship and signaled for
the number of wounded. All we lost was one killed on the "New
York" and three wounded slightly on the "Iowa."
The "Detroit," that was in the midst of it all, did not receive a
scratch.
Holloway, A., Hero Tales of the American Soldier and Sailor. (Philadelphia: Elliott Publishing Company, 1899).