Santiago, Battle of

▪ Spanish-American War

 (June–July 1898), concluding engagement fought near Santiago de Cuba in the Spanish-American War, in which U.S. successes on land and sea resulted in final victory over the Spaniards.

      On May 19, 1898, a month after the outbreak of hostilities between the two powers, a Spanish fleet under Admiral Pascual Cervera arrived in Santiago harbour on the southern coast of Cuba. U.S. naval squadrons in the Atlantic, under Rear Admiral William T. Sampson and Commodore Winfield S. Schley, thereupon blockaded the harbour entrance.

      To support the operation by land, U.S. troops (including the Rough Riders (Rough Rider), a volunteer cavalry regiment led by Theodore Roosevelt) disembarked east of the city and penetrated its outer defenses. Between July 1 and July 3 they took the fortified village of El Caney and completed their assault on San Juan Ridge by capturing its highest point, San Juan Hill. In an effort to escape capture, Admiral Cervera led his squadron out of the harbour on July 3. In the ensuing battle all the Spanish ships came under heavy fire from the U.S. fleet and were beached in a burning or sinking condition. Two weeks later, Spain surrendered Santiago de Cuba. The U.S. victory ended the war, suppressed all Spanish naval resistance in the New World, and enhanced the reputation of the U.S. Navy.

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