alternatehistory.com
Spanish American War Pt 3
Sheridan after spending a week at Mariel unloading equipment and organizing his army started his march to take Havana. Sheridan’s Army reached the first of the Spanish defensive lines that were defending Havana on the 20th of June which marked the start of the Battle for Havana. Sheridan’s army of 45,000 men was facing a Spanish Army of just under 20,000. Even through the on going rebellion in Cuba was mostly focused in the Eastern Part of the island the Spanish maintain a sizable garrison in the capital of their most important Caribbean colony.
Fighting for control of Havana lasted for eight days before the Spanish flag at La Cabaña was brought down and the Stars and Strips when up. During that eight days Sheridan Army learned harsh lessons about urban combat. During the battle Sheridan suffered just over 5,000 casualties taking the city. The Spanish suffered just under 4,000 casualties with their force being in prisoner of war camps in Georgia after the end of the battle.
Just as Sheridan was taking control of Havana and started to prep for the Overland Campaign Hancock started his task of taking Santiago. His force was facing 28,000 Spanish soldiers and sailors. The Spanish Navy being old wooden ships decided to deman their ships for the most part and use them as floating artillery to defend Santiago. Unlike at Havana where the Spanish forced Sheridan into the city to take it the Spanish took to defensible positions outside of Santiago.
These positions were San Juan and Kettle Hills. The Battle fought between June 30th and August 1st would be named after the former hill the battle to take both were bloody. The entrenchments on the hill tops were well concealed and made use of plunging fire which made it hard for the Americans to return fire and hit their targets. After a fail charge to take either hill Hancock when to a different tactic to take the hills. Using trenches in a preview of what would happen on the Western Front of World War One in the first part of that war Hancock has his army dig and fight up the hill instead of just fight up the hill.
It was a slow process. Yet it did not have the mass casualties that the charge of June 30th had. It wasn’t till July 23rd that Kettle Hill fell to the Americans. This was after a night assault after the trench lines on Kettle Hill had reached within 10 yards of the Spanish positions on the hill. Fighting for San Juan lasted for another week before it also fell. Hancock suffered just under 10,000 casualties in taking both hills whereas the Spanish suffered 6,000 casualties. The Spanish did withdraw into Santiago following their defeats on San Juan and Kettle Hills but those hills gave the Americans a direct view of the city and port of Santiago. With Hancock controlling the high ground the Spanish surrender to him five days after the fall of San Juan Hill after scuttling their naval ships there.
With Hancock regroup in Santiago, Sheridan who had been reinforced was marching overland in Cuba to link up with Hancock. Once Hancock had regrouped, he did the same. The two armies met at Camaguey on September 11th 1874. With this meeting Cuba was under effective American control. Yet with New Orleans still being on the mind of many Americans just taking Cuba wouldn’t be enough. The last remaining outpost of the Spanish in the Caribbean would had to be taken.
The Puerto Rican Campaign started in October of 1874 when the USN moved to blockade San Juan. Ground forces were landed on the 15th of October under the command of General Sheridan. Hancock had been left in Cuba as the acting governor of the island. Some viewed this as a political move as Hancock was a Democratic with President Grant being a Republican to keep Hancock from getting further glory on the battlefield. This still wouldn’t stop Hancock from going on to becoming president in 1881.
On Puerto Rico through the Spanish weren’t in a good position to fight back against the army being led by Sheridan. There were only a total of 8,000 Spanish troops in all of Puerto Rico with 5,000 being in San Juan. With the 35,000 thousand Sheridan had they couldn’t hold out for long. Indeed the Spanish surrender three days after Sheridan’s Army landed in Puerto Rico on October 18th. Soon after this victory word had reached the west coast of the United States that campaign by the USN to take the Spanish Central Pacific Islands was victorious.
In early November German Chancellor Otto von Bismarck offered to broker a peace agreement between Madrid and Washington. There was some fears but unfounded ones this war would spread to Africa and possibly Europe. President Grant was ready to come to terms with the Spanish and agreed to Bismarck broker peace talks on the 11th of November. The Spanish under Serrano didn’t agree to peace talks till the 20th of November.
Peace talks started in Berlin on December 12th and lasted till January 15th of 1875. It was on that day that the Treaty of Berlin was signed. Under the terms of this treaty the United States formally annexed Cuba and Puerto Rico in the Caribbean. In the Pacific the US formally annexed the Mariana Islands, the Caroline Islands, and the Marshall Islands. There were other parts of the treaty that dealt with economic issues along with paying the family members of the crew of the Virginius reparations.
This short war would however have lasting connections both in the United States and around the world that fully wouldn’t be felt till World War II.
Fighting for control of Havana lasted for eight days before the Spanish flag at La Cabaña was brought down and the Stars and Strips when up. During that eight days Sheridan Army learned harsh lessons about urban combat. During the battle Sheridan suffered just over 5,000 casualties taking the city. The Spanish suffered just under 4,000 casualties with their force being in prisoner of war camps in Georgia after the end of the battle.
Just as Sheridan was taking control of Havana and started to prep for the Overland Campaign Hancock started his task of taking Santiago. His force was facing 28,000 Spanish soldiers and sailors. The Spanish Navy being old wooden ships decided to deman their ships for the most part and use them as floating artillery to defend Santiago. Unlike at Havana where the Spanish forced Sheridan into the city to take it the Spanish took to defensible positions outside of Santiago.
These positions were San Juan and Kettle Hills. The Battle fought between June 30th and August 1st would be named after the former hill the battle to take both were bloody. The entrenchments on the hill tops were well concealed and made use of plunging fire which made it hard for the Americans to return fire and hit their targets. After a fail charge to take either hill Hancock when to a different tactic to take the hills. Using trenches in a preview of what would happen on the Western Front of World War One in the first part of that war Hancock has his army dig and fight up the hill instead of just fight up the hill.
It was a slow process. Yet it did not have the mass casualties that the charge of June 30th had. It wasn’t till July 23rd that Kettle Hill fell to the Americans. This was after a night assault after the trench lines on Kettle Hill had reached within 10 yards of the Spanish positions on the hill. Fighting for San Juan lasted for another week before it also fell. Hancock suffered just under 10,000 casualties in taking both hills whereas the Spanish suffered 6,000 casualties. The Spanish did withdraw into Santiago following their defeats on San Juan and Kettle Hills but those hills gave the Americans a direct view of the city and port of Santiago. With Hancock controlling the high ground the Spanish surrender to him five days after the fall of San Juan Hill after scuttling their naval ships there.
With Hancock regroup in Santiago, Sheridan who had been reinforced was marching overland in Cuba to link up with Hancock. Once Hancock had regrouped, he did the same. The two armies met at Camaguey on September 11th 1874. With this meeting Cuba was under effective American control. Yet with New Orleans still being on the mind of many Americans just taking Cuba wouldn’t be enough. The last remaining outpost of the Spanish in the Caribbean would had to be taken.
The Puerto Rican Campaign started in October of 1874 when the USN moved to blockade San Juan. Ground forces were landed on the 15th of October under the command of General Sheridan. Hancock had been left in Cuba as the acting governor of the island. Some viewed this as a political move as Hancock was a Democratic with President Grant being a Republican to keep Hancock from getting further glory on the battlefield. This still wouldn’t stop Hancock from going on to becoming president in 1881.
On Puerto Rico through the Spanish weren’t in a good position to fight back against the army being led by Sheridan. There were only a total of 8,000 Spanish troops in all of Puerto Rico with 5,000 being in San Juan. With the 35,000 thousand Sheridan had they couldn’t hold out for long. Indeed the Spanish surrender three days after Sheridan’s Army landed in Puerto Rico on October 18th. Soon after this victory word had reached the west coast of the United States that campaign by the USN to take the Spanish Central Pacific Islands was victorious.
In early November German Chancellor Otto von Bismarck offered to broker a peace agreement between Madrid and Washington. There was some fears but unfounded ones this war would spread to Africa and possibly Europe. President Grant was ready to come to terms with the Spanish and agreed to Bismarck broker peace talks on the 11th of November. The Spanish under Serrano didn’t agree to peace talks till the 20th of November.
Peace talks started in Berlin on December 12th and lasted till January 15th of 1875. It was on that day that the Treaty of Berlin was signed. Under the terms of this treaty the United States formally annexed Cuba and Puerto Rico in the Caribbean. In the Pacific the US formally annexed the Mariana Islands, the Caroline Islands, and the Marshall Islands. There were other parts of the treaty that dealt with economic issues along with paying the family members of the crew of the Virginius reparations.
This short war would however have lasting connections both in the United States and around the world that fully wouldn’t be felt till World War II.
- Jim Smitty
- Word Count: 980