1898 – Shipboard magazine, published on the U. S. Flagship Olympia, devoted to the Battle of Manila Bay, published in Manila shortly after the battle

Manilla, Philippine Islands, 1898. Very good. The Bounding Billow. Published in the Interests of American Men-O’-Warsmen. Volume I, issue 5. Edited by L. S. Young. Printed by H. B. Glover aboard the U. S. Flagship Olympia on captured Spanish paper. Manila, Philippine Islands, June 1898. 16 pages. 6.5” x 8”. Uncut sheet.

The front cover features a colorful patriotic vignette with a U.S. flag, a Naval Jack, National Eagle, the Liberty Bell, gun barrels, and olive branches with text reading, “The Battle of Manila Bay. / ‘We Came! We Saw! We Conquered!’ / ‘Twas for Cuba and our honor, to avenge our heroes slain, / That victory wreathed our banner when we fought the ships of Spain.” Horizontal fold and a few splits along some of the uncut folds.

The rear cover features a map of Manila Bay that was made by crew member L.C. Passano, "who, with indomitable energy and a couple of sail needles, made it after a number of failures. . . . Without a doubt it is the first thing of the kind done on a man-o'-war, and taking into consideration the difficulties under which our artist labored, it can pose as a work of art."

Contents include eyewitness accounts of the battle and several poems.

. On 1 May 1898, Admiral George Dewey completely destroyed the Spanish fleet that was defending Manila, and the 1st California Infantry and the 2nd Oregon Infantry Regiments occupied the city after ‘fighting’ a pre-arranged, choreographed ‘battle’ that allowed the Spanish Army to maintain a semblance of honor. Subsequently, some Filipinos declared themselves independent in January of 1899, but later that April, the United States proclaimed sovereignty of the islands. Over the following year, U. S. forces fought and subdued the Philippine rebels, after which William Howard Taft was appointed to serve as governor.

At the time of listing, no other examples are for sale in the trade. OCLC shows 16 examples in institutional collections. The Rare Book Hub reports that only six examples have been sold at auction and estimates this pamphlet’s current market value at $995.

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