The Columbia Encyclopedia, Sixth Edition. 2001-07.
Gridley, Charles Vernon
1844–98, U.S. naval officer, b. Logansport, Ind. After serving in the Civil War, he continued in naval service. He was flagship commander under Commodore Dewey at Manila in 1898. Dewey’s command to him, “You may fire when you are ready, Gridley,” began the battle of Manila Bay in the Spanish-American War. Already in ill-health, Gridley died while returning to the United States.
