Replies

The Spanish-American War was a mess top to bottom -- in the Army. Supplies, strategies, leadership, soldiers... it was all a mess. Before the Army could prove itself, the War was won by the Navy. The best American Army commander, Gen. Nelson Miles, for example, planned a brilliant campaign in Porto Rico -- peace came before he could prove it.

The heroes of the War were Dewey in the Pacific, and Sampson and Schley in the Gulf.

For reference, as is missing in the above post, the Battle of San Juan Hill took place on July 1, 1898.

The battle at San Juan Hill was a crucial but unfinished victory. Shafter's advance forced the Spanish to huddle at Santiago. More importantly, it scared the Spanish fleet into the open. With American guns in the hills above, the Spanish Admiral, Cervera, decided to run the American Naval blockade that was set in May. On July 3, Cervera's fleet made its try.

The American Commander, Sampson was meeting with Gen. Shafter at the time. His rival, Schley found himself in charge, and charge he did. From the "Brooklyn," Schley led the four American battleships and two cruisers in what turned into a turkey shoot. The American rapid-firing guns -- and expert handling of them -- achieved a complete victory in just about two hours. The Spanish flag ship went aflame within the first fifteen minutes and aground a half hour after that. At least two Spanish cruisers were blown up, another raised the flag, another was sunk, and the rest were beached. The Americans suffered two serious casualties, one dead, one wounded. The city of Santiago surrendered two weeks later.
-----

As ever, there was huge bickering among the players of the War, made worse by the shortness of the fight and the ease of the victory. There were more complaints than victories.

President McKinley was the real hero of the War. He went into it reluctantly, carefully, and skillfully. The last Civil War veteran President, McKinley used the War as a means to end the Civil War once and for all. He purposefully appointed former Confederates, and he empowered the South in general during the effort. Afterwards, he made the dramatic gesture of ordering the Government to tend to Confederate graves.

McKinley knew that the war changed the world. Shortly afterwards, he told a friend, "We are a world power now" (my paraphrase). This was bittersweet for him. He didn't want to be in the Philippines, but he knew he had to. He didn't want to keep Puerto Rico, but he knew he had to. He did his best to launch Cuba into self-government, a task, we all know too well, has yet to be achieved.