IN THE MAIL: Craig Symonds’ Decision at Sea: Five Naval Battles That Shaped American History. Looking through it, I was interested to see that Commodore Dewey’s staff was almost embarrassed at the lack of casualties in the battle of Manila Bay. Symonds reports that the size of the butcher’s bill had, in the age of wooden ships and iron men, been seen as an indicator of how major the victory was. This battle marked a paradigm shift in that regard.