Spanish-American War

Time for another round of “obscure wars no one cares about!” (except maybe Cubans, Filipinos or Puerto Ricans). This week:  the Spanish-American War of 1898.  Just as the Russo-Japanese War (1905) was Japan’s opportunity to defeat a European country (Tsarist Russia), this was America’s chance to knock down on Spain, which had by then deteriorated into just another half-assed European country with a bunch of overseas colonies it could no longer adequately protect.  Instead of fighting at home in Virginia, Maryland, Pennsylvania, or out on the Plains against Indians (American type, not 7-11) the US was off to Cuba, Puerto Rico, and far off in the Pacific to the Philippines.

 Cuba.  The Spanish had been having problems with a native Cuban insurgency (the Army of Liberation) in the late 1800s.  By 1895 another one had erupted.  Popular sentiment in the US supported the insurgency.   Before Che Guevara (who was Argentinian, by the way), the popular hero of Cuba was Maximo Gomez, a general in the Army of Liberation.

            On February 15, 1898, the US battleship Maine, (built to compete with Brazil’s dreadnought the Riachuelo, which had scared the hell out of the Americans) anchored in Havana harbor, mysteriously exploded and sank.  Although no one knows who was responsible, the Spanish were blamed anyway.  By April 25, the US had declared war on Spain.

            As was so often the case with US getting into wars, the standing peacetime army was far too small, and a volunteer army had to be raised and trained from scratch.  The volunteers camped at Camp Alger, which was actually close by to where my office is now:  Route 50 west of Graham Road in northern Virginia. 

            On June 22, US forces landed in southeast Cuba near Santiago.  The harbor defenses were too strong to directly defeat, so a prolonged siege from both land and sea was what ultimately broke the Spanish.  The US fleet blockaded the Spanish fleet at Santiago, while various land forces, including Roosevelt’s Rough Riders, took on the Spanish forces on the mainland; by July 1, San Juan Hill was in US hands.  This completed the land-side siege of Santiago.  An attempt by the Spanish fleet to break out was unsuccessful.  On July 17 the garrison surrendered, which ended the war in Cuba.

 The Rough Riders.  Officially known as the 1^st US Volunteer Cavalry, led by Theodore Roosevelt.  Their uniform was a blue flannel shirt, slouch hat, bandana, and leggings; they used the Krag-Jorgensen bolt-action rifle, .30-40 caliber.  The Rough Riders attracted an amazing variety of adventurous characters:  American Indians, cowboys, athletes, anyone with some military experience (Civil War or Indian War) or horseriding skill, almost an American version of the French Foreign Legion.

 Puerto Rico.  US troops landed on July 25.  By August 13 the Spanish had surrendered.

 The Philippines.  As with Cuba, there was a native insurgency in the Philippines, the major player being Emilio Aguinaldo.  When the US entered war with Spain, Aguinaldo, who had been in exile in Hong Kong after the last rebellion, negotiated his return to the Philippines.  As with Cuba, the war against Spain in this area had a naval and land aspect.  On sea, Admiral Dewey defeated the Spanish fleet in Manila Bay on May 1.  On June 30, US troops debarked at Cavite; by August 13, the Spanish had surrendered.

            But this didn’t end the hostilities.  The Filipino insurgents, who had been expecting full independence in exchange for assisting the US invasion (liberation?) were shocked and disappointed when the end of the war simply transferred ownership from Spain to the US.  Then began an “insurgency” which lasted far longer than the original war; the locals put up a much tougher fight than the Spanish had.  The “official” end was declared in April 1902, but sporadic clashes with primitive Muslim Moro tribes continued on until the 1920s.  The US finally granted the Philippines independence on July 4, 1946.  Aguinaldo himself lived until 1964, age 94.

 Uniforms and equipment.  This was about the time the Navy switched from the older “Donald Duck” hat for sailors to the current Dixie Cup variety.  For its part, the Army was switching over from dark blue (since the Civil War) to khaki, a completely different color far better suited to the realities of modern warfare, and in much lighter, more comfortable materials.  The latter was important as for the first time US soldiers were fighting in tropical conditions different than experienced at home in the United States. 

            Spanish soldiers typically wore a cotton tropical uniform, called rayadillo, in white with narrow blue vertical stripes.  To modern eyes – or at least mine – they look like pajamas.  Their rifle was the 1893 Spanish Mauser (7mm Mauser), which was actually superior to the US rifles, both the obsolete trapdoor Springfields (.45-70, single shot) and the Krags.  It was the success of this rifle which led the US to adopt the Mauser bolt action system on the 1903 Springfield.  Another popular rifle was the Remington rolling block, typically in 11mm (.43) as used by the Spanish.