July 04, 1898
Admiral SAMPSON,
Playa del Este, Cuba:
You have the gratitude and congratulations of the whole American people. Convey to your noble officers and crews, through whose valor new honors have been added to the American navy, the grateful thanks and appreciation of the nation.
WILLIAM MCKINLEY
William McKinley, Executive Order Online by Gerhard Peters and John T. Woolley, The American Presidency Project https://www.presidency.ucsb.edu/node/205865