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During the Spanish-American War, on June
20, 1898, Captain Henry Glass, U. S. Navy, sailed
proudly into Apra Harbor, Guam ready to do battle.
The U.S.S. Charleston's guns were firing away and
expecting fire in return. The Spaniards could not
return fire. Their forts were disintegrating, their
guns did not work, and they had no
ammunition.
The
Spanish officials later apologized for not
returning what they thought was a naval salute from
the visiting ships. The Americans, highly agitated
over the sinking of the U.S.S. Maine in Havana
Harbor a few months earlier, promptly informed the
Spaniards that they came to capture, not salute,
them.
It
would be the second time that the fate of Guam was
decided by nations from afar while the native
Chamorros were relegated to mere observers in the
process.
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