Living in Puerto Rico, I was aware that the Spanish-American War had played a large part in the history of Puerto Rico.
In 1898, Puerto Rico was a colony of Spain and poised to receive independence from Spain in the latter part of 1898.
Unfortunately, the incident with the USS Maine in Havana changed those plans.
Puerto Rico was invaded by the American Army during the final weeks of the short war and ceded to America as part of the treaty with Spain, along with Cuba, Guam and the Philippines.
In my research, I discovered that some of the military actions had taken place very near to where I live. I was keen to discover if I could locate any relics from the war. As I dug deeper into the research, it became clear that there was a lot more to it than I had originally thought. I decided I would commit some time and energy into learning more.
I discovered a book written in Spanish by a Puertorican Artillery Officer named Angel Rivero. He had served as a battery commander in one of the Spanish forts in San Juan and had intimate knowledge of everything that had happened during the war.
After the United States took over the island, Rivero went into the private sector and did quite well for himself, inventing a soda beverage called Kola-Champagne that is sold here and to this day and remains very popular.
About 15 years after the war, he began to compose a chronicle dealing with the Spanish-American war and published it about 1921. He was given full access to the Spanish Archives in Madrid and interviewed many participants, both from Spain and America. His account is one of the most detailed that I have read and offers many personal stories from the veterans of that war.
While my initial goal was to learn more about the war in Puerto Rico, I went beyond the island and studied the conflicts in Cuba and the Philippines, as well.
I was inspired by other TreasureQuest bloggers to write a series of articles and post them in the TQ blog section. What good is all this knowledge if it cannot be shared? Greg was kind enough to let me post it and what you see below is the result of my research.
It is not in chronological order. The closest thing to an order would be to work your way backwards through the categorie listings. They are more or less in the right order but, again, my feeble knowledge of posting made them come out in reverse!
I did find that there are a number of versions of the "truth" out there with some accounts completely opposed to others. What I concluded was that the truth lay somewhere in between and this is the view that I have attempted to reveal.
At this point in time I do not anticipate adding any more articles to the blog. I will be occasionally enhancing them with more information as I continue to learn more.
I simply hope that they will serve to enhance the knowledge of this short but significant war where America lost more soldiers to disease than to combat. It was the first time (I believe) America had taken land by conquest and it marked the emergence of America as a global power.
In 1898, Puerto Rico was a colony of Spain and poised to receive independence from Spain in the latter part of 1898.
Unfortunately, the incident with the USS Maine in Havana changed those plans.
Puerto Rico was invaded by the American Army during the final weeks of the short war and ceded to America as part of the treaty with Spain, along with Cuba, Guam and the Philippines.
In my research, I discovered that some of the military actions had taken place very near to where I live. I was keen to discover if I could locate any relics from the war. As I dug deeper into the research, it became clear that there was a lot more to it than I had originally thought. I decided I would commit some time and energy into learning more.
I discovered a book written in Spanish by a Puertorican Artillery Officer named Angel Rivero. He had served as a battery commander in one of the Spanish forts in San Juan and had intimate knowledge of everything that had happened during the war.
After the United States took over the island, Rivero went into the private sector and did quite well for himself, inventing a soda beverage called Kola-Champagne that is sold here and to this day and remains very popular.
About 15 years after the war, he began to compose a chronicle dealing with the Spanish-American war and published it about 1921. He was given full access to the Spanish Archives in Madrid and interviewed many participants, both from Spain and America. His account is one of the most detailed that I have read and offers many personal stories from the veterans of that war.
While my initial goal was to learn more about the war in Puerto Rico, I went beyond the island and studied the conflicts in Cuba and the Philippines, as well.
I was inspired by other TreasureQuest bloggers to write a series of articles and post them in the TQ blog section. What good is all this knowledge if it cannot be shared? Greg was kind enough to let me post it and what you see below is the result of my research.
It is not in chronological order. The closest thing to an order would be to work your way backwards through the categorie listings. They are more or less in the right order but, again, my feeble knowledge of posting made them come out in reverse!
I did find that there are a number of versions of the "truth" out there with some accounts completely opposed to others. What I concluded was that the truth lay somewhere in between and this is the view that I have attempted to reveal.
At this point in time I do not anticipate adding any more articles to the blog. I will be occasionally enhancing them with more information as I continue to learn more.
I simply hope that they will serve to enhance the knowledge of this short but significant war where America lost more soldiers to disease than to combat. It was the first time (I believe) America had taken land by conquest and it marked the emergence of America as a global power.
The Naval Disaster at Santiago Cuba
There has been a lot written about the Battle of Santiago Cuba on July 3rd, 1898. It was the 2nd heroic victory for the United States, the first was in Manila Bay in May when Admiral Dewey was heard to say “You may fire when ready, Gridley!"
The outcome shouted out to the world that not only was America a world power; America was now a world-class military power.
So what happened there that brought the Spanish navy to its knees and made the world take notice of the American navy?
The obvious facts are well known and documented on various websites about the war. I want to see if I can add some depth to the facts. I have read accounts sourced from the Spanish archives and eyewitness accounts and I will present what I learned to be judged by the reader. Spanish Admiral Cervera’s son served in the navy as an aide to his father during that time and was witness to many important moments. History is not always written the same by different countries and often, eyewitness accounts often prove themselves as a valuable source of accurate information.
I will try to blend an accounting of the event from both sides of the conflict to hopefully arrive at something near the truth.
The Main Players
On the American side:
Admiral Sampson, Atlantic Fleet Commander, USS New York
Admiral Schley, Comander of the “Flying Sqaudron” of the Great White Fleet, USS Brooklyn
On the Spanish Side:
Admiral Cervera, Commanding Officer of the Spanish Atlantic Fleet, Maria Teresa
General Blanco - Governor-General of Cuba
The Spanish naval forces under Admiral Cervera were holed up in Santiago and the American army was moving in on the city of Santiago so the pressure was on for Cervera to escape the American Navy force blockading the harbor or be trapped by the American Army.
Unfortunately for Cervera, it was not his decision to make. He served at the command of the governor-general in Cuba. To disobey governor-general Blanco would be to disobey the king of Spain. The Spanish are a proud military force with a long history of naval warfare. Honor is extremely important to the sons of Spain.
Cervera knew that they were no match for the American navy. The Spanish navy had been built for speed and not for a slug fest with #1 rated armored battleships and cruisers.
The American army was closing in around the city of Santiago. The American navy continued to blockade the harbor entrance. It was only a matter of time before the Spanish fleet would either have to attempt to break out and engage the American navy or be pounded into submission by the American army artillery. There were not many options.
The Spanish Governor-General Ramon Blanco y Erenas, ordered Cervera to depart immediately. Cervera had to decide whether to risk the narrow channel at night or by daylight. He chose to leave the next morning, Sunday, at 9 a.m. with the hope that the American crews would be busy with Sunday religious services.
He made a final address to his sailors:
The battle line was established. The flagship Maria Teresa would lead the squadron followed by the Viscaya, the Colon and the Quendo. The destroyers Pluton and Furor would be last but were to avoid combat and use their speed to escape from the battle.
Admiral Cervera’s plan was for the Maria Teresa to ram the USS Brooklyn. The Brooklyn was further south of its normal western end blockade station. Cervera hoped this would buy the rest of the squadron enough time to run west to the relative safety of Cienfuegos.
The American blockade was smaller than usual, the battleship USS Massachusetts and the cruisers Newark and New Orleans had left to take on coal at Guantanamo to the east.
At 0900, Admiral Sampson turned the USS NewYork, and set a course for a meeting with General Shafter at Siboney to the east. He took a torpedo boat and a gunship with him as escort.
The Americans did not compensate for the loss of the other ships so that the only vessel between the center of the line and the west shore was the small gunship, the USS Vixen. There was a 4-mile gap between the USS Brooklyn and the shore.
The Spanish fleet began to emerge at 0945. The Americans observed a large amount of smoke coming from the harbor and it began moving towards the harbor exit.
When Schley became aware of the impending breakout of the Spanish fleet, he looked for Admiral Sampson’s ship. Sampson was already 6 miles to the east and just about to move out of sight.
Admiral Sampson was already dressed in his horse riding attire when he heard the first rounds of the battle being fired. He immediately ordered the ship be turned to join in the battle. He hoped that the Spaniards would be heading to the East where his ship would be in the perfect position to intercept them. His ship had the largest guns in the American fleet.
Luck was not with Sampson that morning and he watched the action as he steamed at full speed towards the battle.
The Maria Teresa came out of the harbor and headed for the Brooklyn. They could only fire their forward turret while the Americans opened up a withering fire upon her that had a devastating effect on her plan to ram the Brooklyn.
In fact, when it became clear to Schley that he needed to get out of the way of the Maria Teresa, he ordered the Brooklyn to make a hard right turn. He did not see the USS Texas was bearing down on his position at full speed. They nearly collided. The captain of the Texas put his engines in full reverse and they managed to pass close by but with no damage.
According to Spanish Captain Concas, he observed that the conning tower of the Maria Teresa was hit with 7 large shells. The bridge of the Maria Teresa took a shell that mortally wounded the captain. Cervera attempted to contact the next in command but not being able to find him, took over control of the now burning flagship.
Another of these shells ignited a box of projectiles, which threw all sorts of shrapnel flying around them.
At the same time, a shell cut some of the major steam lines and added to the inferno, the heat now setting off the smaller caliber bullets heaped near their guns. The situation was hopeless. Cervera saw that the flames were now advancing towards the ammunition storage bunkers and ordered them flooded. He then ordered the ship be turned towards the shore and beached.
There was no need to lower their battle flag to save it from being taken by the Americans, it had been consumed by the flames.
The next in line, the Viscaya, met the same fate, also beaching itself on a reef. Nearly everyone on board was either dead or wounded.
The Orquendo received the combined firepower of the USS Indiana, Iowa and Oregon and was soon taken out of the battle. She was also beached. After she stranded herself, her valiant captain collapsed on deck. His body was covered with their battle flag.
The Spanish destroyers barely made it out of the harbor when they were hit by the American shells, mainly from the USS Gloucester. They both sank near the harbor entrance.
Only the Colon remained afloat and managed to break through the American blockade. Running at full speed, she began to put a good distance between herself and her pursuers. Unfortunately, her supply of good English coal ran out and they had to stoke her with inferior coal. The steam pressure began to drop and she lost speed. The American boats came into range and fired a shot across her bow. The Spanish knew the gig was up. The lowered their ensign and fired a gun on the side facing away from the American ships.
Admiral Sampson arrived at the scene and Schley signaled they had won a great victory. Sampson did not reply. Schley again signaled that it was a great day for America and Sampson signaled ordering Schley to report casualties. They remained on less than friendly terms after the battle and for the rest of their careers.
The Aftermath
In the end, it was a lop-sided victory for the United States. The Spanish were completely out-classed, out-gunned and doomed to annihilation. The final toll was 1 American dead and 10 wounded (one seriously). The Spanish suffered 323 dead and 70 wounded. 70 officers and 1,600 sailors were taken prisoner. Only 150 sailors made it back to the Spanish army lines.
The devastation was horrific. The captain of the USS Texas ordered his men to stop cheering, reminding them that the Spanish sailors were dying as they cheered. The description of the scenes on the Spanish ships and of the survivors is too grisly for me to relate here.
The courage shown by the Spanish in attempting to preserve their honor is above reproach but the orders of Cuban Governor-General Blanco to leave the harbor was nothing less than a death sentence for the Spanish fleet.
The Spanish prisoners were treated for their wounds and honored by the American sailors who had defeated them. Many of the American sailors slept on deck so that the Spanish sailors could sleep in their quarters. Every Spanish officer who surrendered their sword had it refused or returned by the American commanders.
Admrial Cervera was taken first to Portsmouth Maine then to Naval Academy at Annapolis where he was boarded as a prisoner of war in very comfortable quarters. He was given total freedom to visit his wounded men. He received many courtesy visits and a lot of positive articles from the American press. The ladies of Annapolis sent flowers daily for his quarters.
Cervera wrote to his son in Spain, “I forgot to mention that the American people have treated me with extraordinary consideration and warmth for what I did for Lieutenant Hobson. There was one day when I shook over 2,000 hands.”
Cervera and the rest of the prisoners were taken back to Spain on September 12th. There the welcome was less friendly than the welcome he received from the Americans. He was put on trial and thanks to pressure by the American Navy, the world press and the Spanish legislature, he was acquitted of all charges and given a post of honor in the Spanish Navy Department.
His spirit, however, was never quite the same.
He died in 1909.
One story tells how a school teacher named Charles McGuffey in Chattanooga traveled to Spain to meet with the Admiral. The admiral sent seeds of a yellow flower from his garden to the students. McGuffey crossed them with other colors and created a variety called Cervera’s Pink or Admiral’s Pink.
The outcome shouted out to the world that not only was America a world power; America was now a world-class military power.
So what happened there that brought the Spanish navy to its knees and made the world take notice of the American navy?
The obvious facts are well known and documented on various websites about the war. I want to see if I can add some depth to the facts. I have read accounts sourced from the Spanish archives and eyewitness accounts and I will present what I learned to be judged by the reader. Spanish Admiral Cervera’s son served in the navy as an aide to his father during that time and was witness to many important moments. History is not always written the same by different countries and often, eyewitness accounts often prove themselves as a valuable source of accurate information.
I will try to blend an accounting of the event from both sides of the conflict to hopefully arrive at something near the truth.
The Main Players
On the American side:
Admiral Sampson, Atlantic Fleet Commander, USS New York
Admiral Schley, Comander of the “Flying Sqaudron” of the Great White Fleet, USS Brooklyn
On the Spanish Side:
Admiral Cervera, Commanding Officer of the Spanish Atlantic Fleet, Maria Teresa
General Blanco - Governor-General of Cuba
The Spanish naval forces under Admiral Cervera were holed up in Santiago and the American army was moving in on the city of Santiago so the pressure was on for Cervera to escape the American Navy force blockading the harbor or be trapped by the American Army.
Unfortunately for Cervera, it was not his decision to make. He served at the command of the governor-general in Cuba. To disobey governor-general Blanco would be to disobey the king of Spain. The Spanish are a proud military force with a long history of naval warfare. Honor is extremely important to the sons of Spain.
Cervera knew that they were no match for the American navy. The Spanish navy had been built for speed and not for a slug fest with #1 rated armored battleships and cruisers.
The American army was closing in around the city of Santiago. The American navy continued to blockade the harbor entrance. It was only a matter of time before the Spanish fleet would either have to attempt to break out and engage the American navy or be pounded into submission by the American army artillery. There were not many options.
The Spanish Governor-General Ramon Blanco y Erenas, ordered Cervera to depart immediately. Cervera had to decide whether to risk the narrow channel at night or by daylight. He chose to leave the next morning, Sunday, at 9 a.m. with the hope that the American crews would be busy with Sunday religious services.
He made a final address to his sailors:
“The solemn moment of fighting has come. The sacred name of Spain and the glorious honor of her flag so demands. I want you to assist me in this rendezvous with the enemy dressed in our full-dress uniforms.
I know my order has surprised you because of its inadequacy but its the uniform which Spanish sailors dress in the great solemnities and I do not believe that there is a more solemn time than that when a soldier is going to die for his fatherland.
The enemy covets our old and glorious hulls. They have sent the whole power of their young navy against us so as to achieve this goal, but they will be only able to take the splinters of our ships, and they will be only be able to take our sabers from us when, as corpses, we remain floating in this waters which belonged and belongs to Spain. My sons, the enemy is superior to us in strength but they are not in courage. Hoist the flag and surrender no ship. Crewmen of my squadron, up with Spain!
The Day ComesSound the trumpet for combat! May God receive our souls!"
The battle line was established. The flagship Maria Teresa would lead the squadron followed by the Viscaya, the Colon and the Quendo. The destroyers Pluton and Furor would be last but were to avoid combat and use their speed to escape from the battle.
Admiral Cervera’s plan was for the Maria Teresa to ram the USS Brooklyn. The Brooklyn was further south of its normal western end blockade station. Cervera hoped this would buy the rest of the squadron enough time to run west to the relative safety of Cienfuegos.
The American blockade was smaller than usual, the battleship USS Massachusetts and the cruisers Newark and New Orleans had left to take on coal at Guantanamo to the east.
At 0900, Admiral Sampson turned the USS NewYork, and set a course for a meeting with General Shafter at Siboney to the east. He took a torpedo boat and a gunship with him as escort.
The Americans did not compensate for the loss of the other ships so that the only vessel between the center of the line and the west shore was the small gunship, the USS Vixen. There was a 4-mile gap between the USS Brooklyn and the shore.
The Spanish fleet began to emerge at 0945. The Americans observed a large amount of smoke coming from the harbor and it began moving towards the harbor exit.
When Schley became aware of the impending breakout of the Spanish fleet, he looked for Admiral Sampson’s ship. Sampson was already 6 miles to the east and just about to move out of sight.
Admiral Sampson was already dressed in his horse riding attire when he heard the first rounds of the battle being fired. He immediately ordered the ship be turned to join in the battle. He hoped that the Spaniards would be heading to the East where his ship would be in the perfect position to intercept them. His ship had the largest guns in the American fleet.
Luck was not with Sampson that morning and he watched the action as he steamed at full speed towards the battle.
The Maria Teresa came out of the harbor and headed for the Brooklyn. They could only fire their forward turret while the Americans opened up a withering fire upon her that had a devastating effect on her plan to ram the Brooklyn.
In fact, when it became clear to Schley that he needed to get out of the way of the Maria Teresa, he ordered the Brooklyn to make a hard right turn. He did not see the USS Texas was bearing down on his position at full speed. They nearly collided. The captain of the Texas put his engines in full reverse and they managed to pass close by but with no damage.
According to Spanish Captain Concas, he observed that the conning tower of the Maria Teresa was hit with 7 large shells. The bridge of the Maria Teresa took a shell that mortally wounded the captain. Cervera attempted to contact the next in command but not being able to find him, took over control of the now burning flagship.
Another of these shells ignited a box of projectiles, which threw all sorts of shrapnel flying around them.
At the same time, a shell cut some of the major steam lines and added to the inferno, the heat now setting off the smaller caliber bullets heaped near their guns. The situation was hopeless. Cervera saw that the flames were now advancing towards the ammunition storage bunkers and ordered them flooded. He then ordered the ship be turned towards the shore and beached.
There was no need to lower their battle flag to save it from being taken by the Americans, it had been consumed by the flames.
The next in line, the Viscaya, met the same fate, also beaching itself on a reef. Nearly everyone on board was either dead or wounded.
The Orquendo received the combined firepower of the USS Indiana, Iowa and Oregon and was soon taken out of the battle. She was also beached. After she stranded herself, her valiant captain collapsed on deck. His body was covered with their battle flag.
The Spanish destroyers barely made it out of the harbor when they were hit by the American shells, mainly from the USS Gloucester. They both sank near the harbor entrance.
Only the Colon remained afloat and managed to break through the American blockade. Running at full speed, she began to put a good distance between herself and her pursuers. Unfortunately, her supply of good English coal ran out and they had to stoke her with inferior coal. The steam pressure began to drop and she lost speed. The American boats came into range and fired a shot across her bow. The Spanish knew the gig was up. The lowered their ensign and fired a gun on the side facing away from the American ships.
“What does that mean?”, Admiral Schley asked,. His second answered, “It means she has surrendered.”
The captain of the Colon ordered that the valves be opened to sink the ship an deny the Americans a prize.Schley replied” It’s damned good I didn’t have to surrender, I wouldn’t have known how!”
Admiral Sampson arrived at the scene and Schley signaled they had won a great victory. Sampson did not reply. Schley again signaled that it was a great day for America and Sampson signaled ordering Schley to report casualties. They remained on less than friendly terms after the battle and for the rest of their careers.
The Aftermath
In the end, it was a lop-sided victory for the United States. The Spanish were completely out-classed, out-gunned and doomed to annihilation. The final toll was 1 American dead and 10 wounded (one seriously). The Spanish suffered 323 dead and 70 wounded. 70 officers and 1,600 sailors were taken prisoner. Only 150 sailors made it back to the Spanish army lines.
The devastation was horrific. The captain of the USS Texas ordered his men to stop cheering, reminding them that the Spanish sailors were dying as they cheered. The description of the scenes on the Spanish ships and of the survivors is too grisly for me to relate here.
The courage shown by the Spanish in attempting to preserve their honor is above reproach but the orders of Cuban Governor-General Blanco to leave the harbor was nothing less than a death sentence for the Spanish fleet.
The Spanish prisoners were treated for their wounds and honored by the American sailors who had defeated them. Many of the American sailors slept on deck so that the Spanish sailors could sleep in their quarters. Every Spanish officer who surrendered their sword had it refused or returned by the American commanders.
Admrial Cervera was taken first to Portsmouth Maine then to Naval Academy at Annapolis where he was boarded as a prisoner of war in very comfortable quarters. He was given total freedom to visit his wounded men. He received many courtesy visits and a lot of positive articles from the American press. The ladies of Annapolis sent flowers daily for his quarters.
Cervera wrote to his son in Spain, “I forgot to mention that the American people have treated me with extraordinary consideration and warmth for what I did for Lieutenant Hobson. There was one day when I shook over 2,000 hands.”
Cervera and the rest of the prisoners were taken back to Spain on September 12th. There the welcome was less friendly than the welcome he received from the Americans. He was put on trial and thanks to pressure by the American Navy, the world press and the Spanish legislature, he was acquitted of all charges and given a post of honor in the Spanish Navy Department.
His spirit, however, was never quite the same.
He died in 1909.
One story tells how a school teacher named Charles McGuffey in Chattanooga traveled to Spain to meet with the Admiral. The admiral sent seeds of a yellow flower from his garden to the students. McGuffey crossed them with other colors and created a variety called Cervera’s Pink or Admiral’s Pink.
Recent Blog Entries by Steve in PR
- The thrust to the West and the first engagement (10-06-2007)
- The Naval Disaster at Santiago Cuba (03-28-2007)
- A Few Celebrities of the Times. (03-10-2007)
- The First Attempt Against the Spanish Fleet (02-22-2007)
- The Spanish Fleet goes to Cuba (02-16-2007)
