the enemy,
and stay there, doing any damage that can be done, cutting the enemy
off from outside help, and so, in time, if he is not strong enough to
break the blockade, he must surrender, as his supply of food will give
out.

[Illustration: Rear-Admiral Sampson.]

On the morning of April 22d, a squadron under the command of Acting
Rear-Admiral Sampson sailed from Key West to establish a blockade of
the most important Cuban ports. The ships which were to be stationed
off Havana reached that port on the same day; others were sent to
different ports along the coast, and so the blockade was begun.

All kinds of vessels were employed in this blockading service. There
were huge battleships, splendid cruisers, and gunboats that could go
into shallower waters than the large ships. There were also
monitors--immense fighting machines with decks but a little height
above the water and big guns in circular turrets. Then there were
torpedo boats--very swift vessels armed with deadly torpedoes, any one
of which could sink the largest ship afloat.

Some of our large passenger steamships had been appropriated by the
Government for war service, and did good work for the blockade, as
they can move very fast. They flew about from place to place as
"scouts" or "spies"; they carried messages; they cut the Spanish
cables under water, and were useful in other ways.

The gunboat Nashville sailed from Key West with the squadron, and
before the sun had fairly risen she saw the smoke of a steamer away
off to the westward. She gave chase at once, and, as the vessels drew
near, the stranger was flying the flag of Spain. The Nashville fired a
shot across her bows, and this was the first shot in the war between
the United States and Spain. The Spaniard was not inclined to stop,
and it required another shot before she would stop her engines. The
Nashville sent an officer in a boat to inform the steamer that she was
a prize to the United States. She was found to be a Spanish
merchantman, the Buena Ventura, and was sent in charge of a prize-crew
to Key West. During the next thirty days, many other Spanish ships,
with cargoes worth millions of dollars, were captured by different
vessels of the navy. A few were released, but the larger part were
condemned by a prize-court and sold.

The first action of the war was a small affair, but I shall mention
it, as it was much talked about at the time. It took place on April
27th, a few days after our sh