How Guam Fell After Just 13 Shots

[Ringel05]

At the outbreak of the Spanish American War Commander Henry Glass was ordered to take the USS Charlston and the USS City of Pekin to Guam and take it from the Spanish. When he arrived he noticed the harbor was empty of Spanish ships but only one fort guarding the entrance and decided to fire on the fort. He fired 13 shots all of which missed the fort. The Spanish commanders with a surgeon as a translator came out to the American ship to welcome them thinking the American firing had been a salute. The apologized for not being able to return the salute because they were out of powder, they had no idea Spain and the US were at war. They and the Spanish governor were promptly taken as prisoners of war but paroled back onto the Island to inform the local inhabitants. A local merchant, Francisco Portusach, known as Frank by the Americans came out to the ship under an American flag, displayed his US naturalization papers and immediately made Governor of the island.

1898: Spanish at Guam Thought the Attacking USS Charleston Fired Salute Shots & Asked For Gunpowder To Return the Gesture

 

[Votto]

Memories. Just imagine, the US could actually fight a war once successfully, but now then can't ever retreat out of a country.

 

[aaronleland]

"Thanks for putting us in these salute chains. I'm sorry we don't have any salute chains to give you."

"That's okay. Wait until you see your new salute cell... you retards."

 

[whitehall]

Breach loaded artillery shells were used in the late 1890's so it seems strange that a fort would claim to be out of gunpowder. Maybe all they had was obsolete muzzle loading cannons. Apparently the rounds exploded near the fort but they thought it was a "salute"? Somethin ain't right.

 

[AZrailwhale]

Breach loaded artillery shells were used in the late 1890's so it seems strange that a fort would claim to be out of gunpowder. Maybe all they had was obsolete muzzle loading cannons. Apparently the rounds exploded near the fort but they thought it was a "salute"? Somethin ain't right.

A lot of breech loading guns used bagged powder. Shells with cartridge cases were common only on fast firing light guns and very rare even then. Given the state of the Spanish military in the late 19th century, the fortress guns quite possibly dated to the post-ACW era.

 

[Vrenn]

Breach loaded artillery shells were used in the late 1890's so it seems strange that a fort would claim to be out of gunpowder. Maybe all they had was obsolete muzzle loading cannons. Apparently the rounds exploded near the fort but they thought it was a "salute"? Somethin ain't right.

Move this to the conspiracy section.

 

[Shawnee_b]

Didn't some brainac libtard claim Guam was going to tip over?