Spanish–American War: Difference between revisions

Revision as of 23:42, 26 March 2007

Revision as of 23:42, 26 March 2007

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==Theaters of operation==

===The Philippines===

kjazbkdbASJHDVUASVUFVJASVDIYBsudviasvbjdfvasbfkhisdiyfviadivfuivdjasfidifbvdasfoubasdfguiadsvfihadsfouhipinesThe first battle was in the sea near the [[Philippines]] where, on [[May 1]], [[1898]], Commodore [[George Dewey]], commanding the United States Pacific fleet, in a matter of hours, defeated the Spanish squadron, under Admiral [[Patricio Montojo y Pasarón]], without sustaining a casualty, at the [[Battle of Manila Bay (1898)|Battle of Manila Bay]]. The success of the Pacific Fleet was due to the Spanish Navy being trapped in the bay.

Meanwhile, Dewey allowed [[Emilio Aguinaldo]] to return to the Philippines. Aguinaldo's forces attacked the Spanish on land, successfully defeating them and ended with the [[Battle of Manila (1898)|Battle of Manila]] ([[July 25]] [[1898]] - [[August 13]] [[1898]]) where the Spanish surrendered Manila but the U.S. Army made a deal to protect them from Filipino persecution.

===Cuba===

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[[Image:Theodore-roosevelt-and-officers.gif|thumb|250px|Staff of the 1st US Volunteer Regiment, the "Rough Riders" in Tampa - LtCol Roosevelt on right.]]

[[Image:San_Juan_Hill_by_Kurz_and_Allison.JPG|thumb|250px|Detail from ''Charge of the [[24th Infantry Regiment (United States)|24th]] and [[25th Infantry Regiment (United States)|25th Colored Infantry]] and Rescue of Rough Riders at San Juan Hill, [[July 2]] [[1898]]'' depicting the [[Battle of San Juan Hill]]. ]]

[[Theodore Roosevelt]] actively encouraged intervention in [[Cuba]] and, while assistant secretary of the Navy, placed the Navy on a war-time footing. He ordered Commodore George Dewey and the [[Pacific]] fleet to the Philippines and he worked with [[Leonard Wood]] in convincing the Army to raise an all-volunteer regiment, the 1st U.S. Volunteer Cavalry. Wood was given command of the regiment that became quickly known as the "[[Rough Riders]]".

====Naval operations in Cuba====

The first battle in Cuba was by a base at [[Guantánamo Bay]] on [[10 June]] by [[United States Marine Corps|U.S. Marines]] (''see'' [[1898 invasion of Guantánamo Bay]])

Spanish Admiral Cervera, who had arrived from Spain, held up his naval forces in Santiago harbor where they would be protected from sea attack. Assistant Naval Constructor [[Richmond Pearson Hobson]] was soon ordered by Admiral Sampson to sink the [[collier]] [[USS Merrimac (1898)|''Merrimac'']] in the harbor to bottle up the fleet. The mission was a failure and Hobson and his crew were captured. They were exchanged on [[July 6]], and Hobson became a national hero; receiving the [[Medal of Honor]] in 1933 and becoming a Congressman.

====Ground operations in Cuba====

The Americans planned to capture the city of Santiago in order to destroy Linares Army and Cervera's fleet, which they must to pass through concentrated Spanish defenses in San Juan Hills and a small town in El Caney. The Americans forces would be aided in Cuba by the pro-independence rebels led by General [[Calixto García]].

On [[June 22]] and [[June 24]], the [[U.S. V Corps]] under General [[William R. Shafter]] landed at Daiquiri and Siboney East of Santiago and established the American base of operations. An advance guard of U.S. forces under former Confederate General [[Joseph Wheeler]] ignored Cuban scouting parties and orders to proceed with caution. They caught up with and engaged the Spanish rear guard in the [[Battle of Las Guasimas]]. Here, U.S. forces were checked momentarily although the Spanish continued their planned retreat. The battle of Las Guasimas showed the U.S.A that the civil war tactics did not work effectively against Spain, they suffered a lot of unnecessary casualties.

====Battle of El Caney and San Juan Hill====

On [[July 1]] a combined force of about 15,000 American troops in regular infantry, cavalry and volunteer regiments, including Roosevelt and his "Rough Riders," and rebel Cuban forces attacked 1,270 entrenched Spaniards in dangerous frontal assaults at the [[Battle of El Caney]] and [[Battle of San Juan Hill]] outside of [[Santiago de Cuba|Santiago]]. [http://www.homeofheroes.com/wallofhonor/spanish_am/10_sanjuan.html] More than 200 U.S. soldiers were killed and close to 1,200 wounded [http://www.homeofheroes.com/wallofhonor/spanish_am/11_crowdedhour.html] in the fighting, The Spaniards suffered less than half the number of casualties. [http://www.spanishamericanwar.com] Supporting fire by Gatling guns was critical to the success of the assault [http://authorama.com/gatlings-at-santiago-1.html] [http://www.gutenberg.org/etext/6888]. It was then that Cervera decided to escape Santiago two days later.

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. This was not true of the Escario relief column from Manzanillo [http://www.spanamwar.com/escario.htm] which fought its way past determined Cuban resistance, but arrived too late to participate in the siege.

====Subsequent operations====

After the battles of San Juan Hill and El Caney, the action was slowed by the successful defenses at and around Fort Canosa [http://alainlecomte.free.fr/35B9.htm]. The campaign turned into a bloody strangling siege.<ref>Daley, 2000</ref> During the nights, Cuban troops were used to dig successive series of progressively advancing "trenches," which were actually raised parapets. Once completed, these parapets were occupied by US troops and a new set of parapets constructed. The US troops, while suffering some losses from Spanish fire, suffered far more casualties from heat exhaustion and mosquito borne disease.<ref>McCook, 1899</ref> 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.

The Americans defeated the poorly developed ships of A≈ Cervera as his fleet left the safety of the port of Santiago in the [[Battle of Santiago de Cuba]] and gained control of the seas around Cuba.<ref>Christian de Saint Hubert and Carlos Alfaro Zaforteza, "The Spanish Navy of 1898," ''Warship International'' vol. 7 (1980): 39 - 59, 110 - 119. </ref> This prevented re-supply of the Spanish forces and also allowed the U.S. to land considerable reserve forces unopposed. Within a month, most of the island was in US or Cuban hands, but they suffered serious casualties from wounds and illness. Soon the Spanish abandoned Havana, under US protection, but the Cubans wanted revenge.

===Puerto Rico===