The United States Navy battleship Maine was mysteriously sunk in Havana harbor on 15 February 1898;[b] political pressures from the Democratic Party pushed the administration of Republican President William McKinley into a war that he had wished to avoid.[3] Spain promised multiple times that it would reform the government of Cuba, but never delivered. The United States sent an ultimatum to Spain demanding that it surrender control of Cuba on 20 April. After the ultimatum was sent, Madrid declared war on 23 April and Washington responded with its own declaration two days later.[4]
The main issue was Cuban independence; the ten-week war was fought in both the Caribbean and the Pacific. After the declaration of war, the U.S. Navy blockaded ports such as Havana and Cardenas. The Spanish attempted to lift the blockades on Cardenas and Matanzas,[5] finally succeeding after failing once at Cardenas.[6]Commodore Dewey successfully destroyed the Spanish Pacific Fleet in Manila Bay on May 1, but failed to land troops.[7] The Navy also blockaded Puerto Rico and bombarded San Juan, but the Spanish attempted to lift this blockade, succeeding on the second attempt in June.[8] The U.S. Marines also cut telegraph lines under the bay of Cienfuegos, but suffered heavy losses from Spanish fire.[9] The U.S. also captured the port of Guantánamo Bay after a four-day battle, which ended on June 10.[10]
U.S. expeditionary forces landed in Cuba on 22 June and skirmished successfully at Las Guasimas two days later.[11] Meanwhile, the island of Guam was "captured" by the Americans, which consisted of raising of the American flag.[12] The U.S. also attempted to land forces near Trinidad, but were repulsed by Spanish forces.[13] The U.S. forces captured San Juan Heights, which overlooked Santiago de Cuba, after two battles at San Juan Hill and Kettle Hill,[14] which was preceded by a smaller battle on the San Juan Hill's right flank at El Caney.[15] The Spanish also attempted to lift the blockade on the port of Manzanillo twice, but failed both times.[16] The Spanish fleet also attempted to escape Santiago harbor, but was destroyed by U.S. gunboats and armored cruisers.[17] After this victory, U.S. forces laid siege to Santiago de Cuba for 14 days, until the Spanish forces surrendered, but there were several skirmishes afterwards.[18] The Spanish managed to cut the United States blockade at Manzanillo,[16] but the Americans sunk two Spanish ships at Nipe Bay.[19] The Americans also tried to land at Mani-Mani, which was west of Havana, but were repulsed by the Spanish.[20]
On 23 July, Americans landed close to the port of Ponce, Puerto Rico. Two days later, there was a small skirmish at Yauco, which was won by the Americans. The Spanish retreated and attempted to destroy rail lines to Ponce, but failed to.[21] On 5 August, American forces marched into the town of Guayama, but the Spanish deserted the town several hours earlier.[22] From 8 to 9 August, an American battalion captured the mountain at Coamo, Puerto Rico, on the road to the port of Ponce.[23] At the same time, there was an inconclusive battle at Fajardo, which led to the capture and desertion of a lighthouse.[24] One day later, the Americans captured Silva Heights. The Americans also landed near Mayaguez, and captured the town with no resistance.[5] At the Battle of Asomante, the US forces took Asomante and captured many Spanish prisoners.[25] At the same time, American forces also captured Manila. These two battles led to an armistice agreement, which quickly led to the Treaty of Paris, which ended the Spanish–American War.[26]
The 1898 Treaty of Paris, which was the result of the American victory in the war, was negotiated on terms favorable to the U.S. which allowed it temporary direct control of Cuba and ceded ownership of Puerto Rico, Guam and the Philippine islands. The cession of the Philippines involved payment of $20 million ($651,440,000 today) to Spain in order to cover the Spanish infrastructure.[27] The U.S. installed a military government in Cuba immediately after the Treaty of Paris, and eventually let it become an independent republic in 1902.[28] The Philippines also rebelled against U.S. control, which led to the Philippine–American War lasting from 1899 to 1902.[29] The Spanish also sold the rest of their Pacific islands to Germany under the German–Spanish Treaty.[30]
Inconclusive. American forces succeeded on capturing El Caney fort and protecting the right flank at San Juan Hill, but suffered delays and heavy casualties.[15]
US victory, capture of Asomante. This led to the end of the war in Puerto Rico and the end of the Spanish–American War.[26]
References
Notes
^This list only includes the significant battles of the Spanish–American War and not minor skirmishes.
^The cause of the Maine was later attributed to the spontaneous combustion of coal in the engine.[1] However, at the time, the Board of Inquiry believed the sinking was caused by a mine or torpedo, and the American "Yellow Press" attributed the sinking to Spanish actions, which encouraged the public to go to war.[2]
^ abUnited States Navy Department (1898). "Annual Report of the Secretary of the Navy for the Year 1898, Appendix to the Report of the Chief of the Bureau of Navigation, p. 656-657". Annual Report of the Secretary of the Navy. Government Printing Office (100). ISSN 0272-9415. OCLC 2480810. Retrieved 27 November 2014.
Beede, Benjamin R., ed. (1994). The War of 1898 and U.S. Interventions, 1898–1934. Taylor & Francis. ISBN978-0-8240-5624-7.
Beede, Benjamin R. (2013). The War of 1898 and U.S. Interventions, 1898–1934: An Encyclopedia. Routledge. ISBN9781136746901.
Edelstein, David M. (2010). Occupational Hazards: Success and Failure in Military Occupation. Ithaca, New York: Cornell University Press. ISBN9783110436907.
Everett, Marshall (2010). Exciting Experiences in Our Wars with Spain, and the Filipinos. Nabu Press. ISBN9781176378476.
Grant, R. G. (2008). Battle at Sea: 3,000 years of Naval Warfare. Dorling Kimberly. ISBN978-0-7566-7186-0.
Marolda, Edward J., ed. (2001). Theodore Roosevelt, the U.S. Navy and the Spanish–American War. London, UK: Palgrave Macmillan. ISBN978-0-8317-0302-8.
Rivera, Jerry M. (2014). Guam USA: America's Forward Fortress In Asia Pacific. Pickle Partners Publishing. ISBN9781782896777.
Schmidt-Brucken, Daniel; Schuster, Susanne; Wienburg, Marina (2016). Aspects of (Post)Colonial Linguistics: Current Perspectives and New Approaches. Walter de Gruyter GmbH & Co KG. ISBN9783110436907.
Simpson, Richard (2001). Building the Mosquito Fleet: The U.S. Navy's First Torpedo Boats. Arcadia Publishing. ISBN9780738505084.
Taussig, Joseph K. (2009). Cherpak, Evelyn (ed.). Three Splendid Little Wars: The Diary of Joseph K. Taussig, 1898–1901. Government Printing Office. ISBN9780160827921.
Tucker, Spencer (2009). U.S. Leadership in Wartime: Clashes, Controversy, and Compromise. Vol. 1. ABC-CLIO. ISBN9781598841725.
"The Destruction of USS Maine". Naval History & Heritage Command. US Navy Department. 13 August 2003. Retrieved 16 April 2017.
External links
Spanamwar.com: Spanish–American War Centennial website
February 27, 2023
list, battles, spanish, american, during, spanish, american, united, states, army, united, states, marine, corps, united, states, navy, fought, significant, battles, against, spanish, army, spanish, navy, these, occurred, caribbean, theater, three, pacific, th. During the Spanish American War the United States Army United States Marine Corps and United States Navy fought 30 significant battles against the Spanish Army and Spanish Navy a Of these 27 occurred in the Caribbean theater and three in the Pacific theater The Caribbean theater consisted of two campaigns the Puerto Rico campaign which had ten battles and the Cuba campaign with 17 battles while the Pacific theater had one campaign the Philippine campaign with two battles and the capture of Guam Contents 1 Overview 2 Pacific Theater 2 1 Philippine campaign 2 2 Capture of Guam 3 Caribbean Theater 3 1 Cuba campaign 3 2 Puerto Rico campaign 4 References 4 1 Notes 4 2 Citations 4 3 Bibliography 5 External linksOverview EditMain article Spanish American War The United States Navy battleship Maine was mysteriously sunk in Havana harbor on 15 February 1898 b political pressures from the Democratic Party pushed the administration of Republican President William McKinley into a war that he had wished to avoid 3 Spain promised multiple times that it would reform the government of Cuba but never delivered The United States sent an ultimatum to Spain demanding that it surrender control of Cuba on 20 April After the ultimatum was sent Madrid declared war on 23 April and Washington responded with its own declaration two days later 4 The main issue was Cuban independence the ten week war was fought in both the Caribbean and the Pacific After the declaration of war the U S Navy blockaded ports such as Havana and Cardenas The Spanish attempted to lift the blockades on Cardenas and Matanzas 5 finally succeeding after failing once at Cardenas 6 Commodore Dewey successfully destroyed the Spanish Pacific Fleet in Manila Bay on May 1 but failed to land troops 7 The Navy also blockaded Puerto Rico and bombarded San Juan but the Spanish attempted to lift this blockade succeeding on the second attempt in June 8 The U S Marines also cut telegraph lines under the bay of Cienfuegos but suffered heavy losses from Spanish fire 9 The U S also captured the port of Guantanamo Bay after a four day battle which ended on June 10 10 U S expeditionary forces landed in Cuba on 22 June and skirmished successfully at Las Guasimas two days later 11 Meanwhile the island of Guam was captured by the Americans which consisted of raising of the American flag 12 The U S also attempted to land forces near Trinidad but were repulsed by Spanish forces 13 The U S forces captured San Juan Heights which overlooked Santiago de Cuba after two battles at San Juan Hill and Kettle Hill 14 which was preceded by a smaller battle on the San Juan Hill s right flank at El Caney 15 The Spanish also attempted to lift the blockade on the port of Manzanillo twice but failed both times 16 The Spanish fleet also attempted to escape Santiago harbor but was destroyed by U S gunboats and armored cruisers 17 After this victory U S forces laid siege to Santiago de Cuba for 14 days until the Spanish forces surrendered but there were several skirmishes afterwards 18 The Spanish managed to cut the United States blockade at Manzanillo 16 but the Americans sunk two Spanish ships at Nipe Bay 19 The Americans also tried to land at Mani Mani which was west of Havana but were repulsed by the Spanish 20 On 23 July Americans landed close to the port of Ponce Puerto Rico Two days later there was a small skirmish at Yauco which was won by the Americans The Spanish retreated and attempted to destroy rail lines to Ponce but failed to 21 On 5 August American forces marched into the town of Guayama but the Spanish deserted the town several hours earlier 22 From 8 to 9 August an American battalion captured the mountain at Coamo Puerto Rico on the road to the port of Ponce 23 At the same time there was an inconclusive battle at Fajardo which led to the capture and desertion of a lighthouse 24 One day later the Americans captured Silva Heights The Americans also landed near Mayaguez and captured the town with no resistance 5 At the Battle of Asomante the US forces took Asomante and captured many Spanish prisoners 25 At the same time American forces also captured Manila These two battles led to an armistice agreement which quickly led to the Treaty of Paris which ended the Spanish American War 26 The 1898 Treaty of Paris which was the result of the American victory in the war was negotiated on terms favorable to the U S which allowed it temporary direct control of Cuba and ceded ownership of Puerto Rico Guam and the Philippine islands The cession of the Philippines involved payment of 20 million 651 440 000 today to Spain in order to cover the Spanish infrastructure 27 The U S installed a military government in Cuba immediately after the Treaty of Paris and eventually let it become an independent republic in 1902 28 The Philippines also rebelled against U S control which led to the Philippine American War lasting from 1899 to 1902 29 The Spanish also sold the rest of their Pacific islands to Germany under the German Spanish Treaty 30 Pacific Theater EditPhilippine campaign Edit Battle Date ConclusionBattle of Manila Bay May 1 1898 Decisive American victory destruction of Spanish Navy s Pacific squadron 7 Battle of Manila August 13 1898 American Filipino victory capture of Manila 25 Capture of Guam Edit Main article Capture of Guam Battle Date ConclusionCapture of Guam June 20 21 1898 US victory capture of Guam from the Spanish 12 Caribbean Theater Edit U S forces charging at Spanish positions during the Battle of Las Guasimas Cuba campaign Edit Battles Date ConclusionBattle of Matanzas April 25 1898 US victory blockades of the Spanish port of Matanzas 5 First Battle of Cardenas May 8 1898 American victory Spanish attempts to lift the blockade on Cuba thwarted 6 Second Battle of Cardenas May 11 1898 Spanish victory loosening of the blockade on Cuba 6 Battle of Cienfuegos May 11 1898 Inconclusive Americans cut telegraph cable but suffered heavy casualties 9 Battle of Guantanamo Bay June 6 10 1898 American victory capture of Guantanamo Bay 10 Battle of Las Guasimas June 24 1898 American victory town of Sevilla captured 11 Battle of Tayacoba June 30 1898 Spanish victory Americans fail to land troops 13 First Battle of Manzanillo June 30 1898 Spanish victory American gunboats fail to capture Manzanillo harbor 16 Battle of El Caney July 1 1898 Inconclusive American forces succeeded on capturing El Caney fort and protecting the right flank at San Juan Hill but suffered delays and heavy casualties 15 Second Battle of Manzanillo July 1 1898 Spanish victory a second attempt to capture Manzanillo harbor fails 16 Battle of San Juan Hill July 1 1898 American Cuban victory capture of San Juan heights 14 Battle of Aguacate July 1 1898 Cuban victory many Spanish forces continue retreat to Santiago 31 Battle of Santiago de Cuba July 3 1898 American victory destruction of six Spanish ships escaping from Santiago harbor 17 Siege of Santiago de Cuba July 3 17 1898 American Cuban victory surrender of the city of Santiago de Cuba 18 Third Battle of Manzanillo July 18 1898 American victory destruction of Spanish squadron in Manzanillo harbor 16 Battle of Nipe Bay July 21 1898 American victory sinking of two Spanish ships 19 Battle of Mani Mani July 23 1898 Spanish victory American landing fails 20 Puerto Rico campaign Edit Battle Date ConclusionBombardment of San Juan May 12 1898 Spanish defenses damaged 8 Second Battle of San Juan June 22 1898 US victory Spanish attempts to break U S blockade fails 8 Third Battle of San Juan June 28 1898 Spanish resupply attempts succeed 8 Battle of Yauco July 25 1898 US victory Spanish forces retreat and fail to destroy rail lines 21 32 Battle of Guayama August 5 1898 US victory capture of Guayama 22 Battle of Coamo August 8 9 1898 US victory capture of Coamo 23 Battle of Fajardo August 8 9 1898 Inconclusive 24 Battle of Silva Heights August 10 1898 US victory capture of Silva Heights 5 Battle of Mayaguez August 11 1898 US victory Spanish forces retreated before the US forces arrived 5 Battle of Asomante August 9 13 1898 US victory capture of Asomante This led to the end of the war in Puerto Rico and the end of the Spanish American War 26 References EditNotes Edit This list only includes the significant battles of the Spanish American War and not minor skirmishes The cause of the Maine was later attributed to the spontaneous combustion of coal in the engine 1 However at the time the Board of Inquiry believed the sinking was caused by a mine or torpedo and the American Yellow Press attributed the sinking to Spanish actions which encouraged the public to go to war 2 Citations Edit The Destruction of the Maine 2013 Marolda 2001 p 9 Beede 1994 p 148 Beede 1994 p 120 a b c d e Tucker 2009 p 385 a b c Richard 2001 p 96 a b Grant 2008 pp 241 243 a b c d Beede 2013 p 364 a b Beede 2013 p 104 a b Tucker 2009 p 265 a b Algers 1901 p 110 a b Rivera 2014 p 6 a b Taussig 2009 p 9 a b Tucker 2009 pp 400 402 a b Tucker 2009 pp 398 400 a b c d e Everett 2010 pp 140 143 a b Grant 2008 p 239 a b Algers 1901 pp 213 215 a b Everett 2010 p 115 a b Beede 2013 p 365 a b Everett 2010 p 146 a b Everett 2010 pp 147 148 a b Everett 2010 pp 151 155 a b United States Navy Department 1898 Annual Report of the Secretary of the Navy for the Year 1898 Appendix to the Report of the Chief of the Bureau of Navigation p 656 657 Annual Report of the Secretary of the Navy Government Printing Office 100 ISSN 0272 9415 OCLC 2480810 Retrieved 27 November 2014 a b Everett 2010 p 161 a b Everett 2010 p 156 Beede 2013 p 289 Edelstein 2010 p 178 Tucker 2009 p 479 Schmidt Brucken amp Schuster amp Wienburg 2016 p 204 Muller Juan 1899 Battles and Capitulation of Santiago de Cuba Completed Government Printing Office Battle of Yuaco Described The Cincinnati Enquirer Garnett Company 25 September 1898 p 37 Bibliography Edit Alger Russell A 1901 The Spanish American War Harper amp Bros OCLC 923398431 Beede Benjamin R ed 1994 The War of 1898 and U S Interventions 1898 1934 Taylor amp Francis ISBN 978 0 8240 5624 7 Beede Benjamin R 2013 The War of 1898 and U S Interventions 1898 1934 An Encyclopedia Routledge ISBN 9781136746901 Edelstein David M 2010 Occupational Hazards Success and Failure in Military Occupation Ithaca New York Cornell University Press ISBN 9783110436907 Everett Marshall 2010 Exciting Experiences in Our Wars with Spain and the Filipinos Nabu Press ISBN 9781176378476 Grant R G 2008 Battle at Sea 3 000 years of Naval Warfare Dorling Kimberly ISBN 978 0 7566 7186 0 Marolda Edward J ed 2001 Theodore Roosevelt the U S Navy and the Spanish American War London UK Palgrave Macmillan ISBN 978 0 8317 0302 8 Rivera Jerry M 2014 Guam USA America s Forward Fortress In Asia Pacific Pickle Partners Publishing ISBN 9781782896777 Schmidt Brucken Daniel Schuster Susanne Wienburg Marina 2016 Aspects of Post Colonial Linguistics Current Perspectives and New Approaches Walter de Gruyter GmbH amp Co KG ISBN 9783110436907 Simpson Richard 2001 Building the Mosquito Fleet The U S Navy s First Torpedo Boats Arcadia Publishing ISBN 9780738505084 Taussig Joseph K 2009 Cherpak Evelyn ed Three Splendid Little Wars The Diary of Joseph K Taussig 1898 1901 Government Printing Office ISBN 9780160827921 Tucker Spencer 2009 U S Leadership in Wartime Clashes Controversy and Compromise Vol 1 ABC CLIO ISBN 9781598841725 The Destruction of USS Maine Naval History amp Heritage Command US Navy Department 13 August 2003 Retrieved 16 April 2017 External links EditSpanamwar com Spanish American War Centennial website Retrieved from https en wikipedia org w index php title List of battles of the Spanish American War amp oldid 1124016787, wikipedia, wiki, book, books, library,
