Santiago, Battle of
Santiago, Battle of (1898).Early in the Spanish‐American War, President William McKinley on 26 May 1898 dispatched an army force to help the U.S. Fleet under Rear Adm. William Sampson destroy Spain's Atlantic Battle Squadron, which had taken refuge in the harbor of Santiago de Cuba, and which was thought capable of raiding the North American coast or endangering American invasion forces bound for Cuba. The 15,000‐man army expedition, commanded by Maj. Gen. William R. Shafter, disembarked near Santiago between 22 and 24 June. Following a preliminary action at Las Guasimas on the 24th and a week's delay to bring supplies and equipment ashore, Shafter's army on 1 July assaulted and captured Santiago's outer defenses at El Caney and then fought the Battle of San Juan Hill, at the cost of more than 1,000 U.S. troops...
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