“Position No. 7, 1:15 p.m.  The Colon surrendered.  In the two hours and ten minutes from the last position given the vessels had coursed westward a great distance.  The Colon had run twenty-six and one-half miles and was off the Tarquino River.  The Brooklyn was the nearest American vessel.  It had sailed twenty-eight and one-half miles and was three and four-tenths miles from the Colon.  The Oregon was four and one-half miles from the Colon and more in shore than the Brooklyn.  The Texas was three and four-tenths miles behind the Oregon.  The New York was nine and one-half miles from the Colon.  No one of the other vessels had come up save the Vixen, which was abreast of the New York.  This little vessel in the beginning of the fight steamed out to sea and sailed westward on a course about two and one-quarter miles from that of the nearest Spanish ships.

“The tracings of the chart show that the Spanish vessels sailed on courses not more than three-tenths of a mile apart until the Oquendo ran ashore.  Then the Vizcaya veered out to sea and the Colon kept nearer the shore, their courses being about seven-tenths of a mile apart.  Up to the time the Oquendo went ashore the Iowa, Indiana, Oregon, and Texas sailed on courses within three-tenths of a mile of each other, the Iowa being the nearest and the Texas the farthest from the course of the Spanish ships.  The Brooklyn’s course was from three-tenths to one-half of a mile outside that of the Texas.  The swing to the right which the Brooklyn made at the beginning of the engagement shows an oval four-tenths of a mile across.  It crossed the courses of the Texas, Oregon, and Indiana twice while making the turn, but before these vessels had gone over them.  The course of the New York after passing Morro was nearer the shore than any other United States vessel except the Gloucester, and a mile behind where the Oquendo turned to run ashore it passed inside the courses of the Spanish vessels.  Ten miles west of the Vizcaya disaster it crossed the Colon’s track, but followed close the course of that vessel until the latter surrendered.

“The Iowa, Indiana, and Ericsson did not go further west than where the Vizcaya ran ashore.  The Gloucester stopped by the Maria Teresa and Oquendo, as also did the Hist.  The latter vessel was not able to keep pace with the New York and Ericsson, the vessels it was with at the beginning of the battle.”

Major General Nelson A. Miles was carrying on, as master of the art and science of war, a prospering campaign in Porto Rico, when the protocol of peace between the United States and Spain was signed, and “the war drum throbbed” no longer.  It is the testimony of those who have studied the management of the invasion of Porto Rico by the military head of the army, that it was going on guided with consummate skill when the war closed.  The American forces had the pleasure in Porto Rico of moving in a country that had not been desolated as Cuba was.