The Spanish-American War was a military conflict between Spain and the United States that began in April 1898. Hostilities halted in August of that year, and the Treaty of Paris was signed in December.
USS Maine
Riots in Havana by pro-Spanish volunteers gave the United States a reason to send in the warship USS Maine to indicate high national interest. Upon destruction o USS Maine the US declared war against Spain in Havana harbor on February 15, 1898.
Commodore George Dewey
George Dewey (December 26, 1837 – January 16, 1917) was an admiral of the United States Navy, best known for his victory (without the loss of a single life of his own forces due to combat; one man died of heatstroke) at the Battle of Manila Bay during the Spanish-American War. He was also the only person in the history of the United States to have attained the rank of Admiral of the Navy, the most senior rank in the United States Navy.
Spanish American War, 1898
Major General William Shafter then conducted a successful transfer of troops from Tampa to the vicinity of Santiago de Cuba. The navy escorted his convoy of transports around the eastern end of Cuba to Santiago de Cuba, where he arrived on 20 June. The Spanish commander did not oppose Shafter’s landing and offered only slight resistance to his westward movement. On July 1, a combined force of about 15,000 American troops in regular infantry, cavalry and volunteer regiments, including Roosevelt entrenched Spaniards in dangerous Civil War-style frontal assaults at the Battle of El Caney and Battle of San Juan Hill. The Spanish forces at Guantánamo were so isolated by Marines and Cuban forces that they did not know that Santiago was under siege, and their forces in the northern part of the province could not break through Cuban lines.
After the battles of San Juan Hill and El Caney, the American advance ground to a halt. Spanish troops successfully defended Fort Canosa, allowing them to stabilize their line and bar the entry to Santiago. At the western approaches to the city Cuban general Calixto Garcia began to encroach on the city, causing much panic and fear of reprisals among the Spanish forces.
Hostilities were halted on August 12, 189, when Spain sued for peace, with the signing in Washington of a Protocol of Peace between the United States and Spain. The formal peace treaty was signed in Paris on December 10, 1898 and was ratified by the United States Senate on February 6, 1899. It came into force on April 11, 1899. Cubans participated only as observers.
General Shafter
In May 1898 General Shafter became major general of volunteers and given command over the Fifth Corps, containing most of the Army’s regular troops and volunteer companies like the Rough Riders. On May 9, Shafter was ordered to prepare for an attack on Mariel as a preliminary step to an attack on Havana. On July 1, Shafter’s troops went up against the Spanish at El Caney and San Juan. Unexpectedly, the Spaniards put up a formidable resistance. Had Shafter attacked again the following day, he would have taken the city; instead, sick with gout and unable to command, he waited until Santiago surrendered.
Col Leonard Wood
Leonard Wood (October 9, 1860 – August 7, 1927) was a physician who served as the Chief of Staff of the United States Army, Military Governor of Cuba and Governor-General of the Philippines. Early in his military career, he was awarded the Medal of Honor.
Theodore (Teddy) Roosevelt
Theodore (Teddy) Roosevelt (November 13, 1887-July 12, 1944) was an American political and business leader, a Medal of Honor recipient who fought in both World War I and World War II, and the eldest son of President Theodore Roosevelt. Roosevelt served as Assistant Secretary of the Navy, Governor of Puerto Rico (1929–32), Governor-General of the Philippines (1932–33), Chairman of the Board of American Express Company, and Vice-President at Doubleday Books, and as a Brigadier General in the United States Army.
Admiral Cervera
Pascual Cervera y Topete (February 18, 1839 – April 3, 1909) served as Almirante (or Admiral) of the Spanish Caribbean Squadron during the Spanish-American War, and prior to this served his country in a variety of military and political roles. Cervera was a highly decorated veteran of the Spanish Navy, and served with some distinction during the Carlist Wars before retiring from the active service to act as head of Spain’s Ministerio de Marina, the bureaucratic body that governed the naval and merchant marine forces of Spain.
John Philip Sousa
John Philip Sousa was the premiere band leader of the Spanish American War era. His patriotic songs were hits during the war.
In 1898, with the war in mind, Sousa composed a patriotic pageant entitled “The Trooping of the Colors”. He toured many cities in the United States with this pageant resulting in great public support and patriotism. On November 30, 1899, the Sousa Band, with John Philip Sousa at its head, marched in the victory parade for Admiral Dewey in New York City.
General Nelson A. Miles
General Nelson A. Miles, with 3,300 soldiers, landed at Guánica and invaded the island with little resistance in the brief Puerto Rican Campaign. In 1894, Miles commanded the troops mobilized to put down the Pullman strike riots. He was named Commanding General of the United States Army in 1895, a post he held during the Spanish-American War. Miles commanded forces at Cuban sites such as Siboney, and after the surrender of Santiago de Cuba by the Spanish, he personally led the invasion of Puerto Rico, landing in Guánica. He achieved the rank of Lieutenant General in 1900 based on his performance in the war. Called a “brave peacock” by President Theodore Roosevelt, Miles retired from the service in 1903.
Reference
The Price of Freedom: Americans at War — Spanish American War. National Museum of American History (2005).
American Civil War website (2007) Web.
Library of Congress. Web.
Spanish American War. Web.