In 1898 US public opinion turned against the Spanish for their
repression of Cuba. Relations between the two governments soured and
ultimately resulted in the mysterious blowing up of the USS Maine in
Havana harbor, which triggered a short but demanding war.
A US expeditionary force was sent to Cuba, where the troops encountered
both difficult climate and terrain, and a fierce Spanish garrison which,
despite being greatly outnumbered, fought hard before surrendering.
Many famous US personalities were involved, including future President
Theodore Roosevelt, future general John Pershing, and journalists
William Randolph Hearst and Stephen Crane.
The war against the Spanish may have been brief but as Henry Cabot Lodge
declared: "Its results were startling, and of world-wide meaning."
Victory made the US a nation with global interests.
As an extension of the war, US troops also captured the island of Puerto
Rico. The US Navy bombarded Manila in the Philippines, and landed its
troops. The Spanish garrison quickly surrendered, but a local
anti-Spanish insurgent force under Emilio Aguinaldo resisted US
occupation. The conflict continued until 1902, more than 100,000 US
troops were eventually committed, and the campaign saw difficult jungle
fighting, with indigenous Moro tribesmen fiercely resisting US forces.
Providing a detailed examination of the experiences and equipment of the
opposing sides, and featuring rare and previously unpublished
photographs, this book highlights this crucial yet oft-forgotten war
that changed the future of American foreign policy during "the age of
American imperialism."
