Categories: Sieges | Battles of the Spanish-American War

Siege of Santiago

The Siege of Santiago also known as the Siege of Santiago de Cuba was the last major operation of the Spanish-American War on the island of Cuba. This action should not be confused with the naval battle of Santiago de Cuba.

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Santiago Campaign

The primary objective of the Americans on Cuba had been the capture of the city of Santiago de Cuba. U.S. forces had driven back the Spaniard's first line of defense at the Battle of Las Guasimas. General Arsenio Linares pulled his troops back to the main line of defense against Santiago along San Juan Heights. In the charge at the Battle of San Juan Hill U.S. forces captured the Spanish position. At the Battle of El Caney the same day, U.S. forces took the fortified Spanish position and were then able to extend the U.S. flank on San Juan Hill. The destruction of the Spanish fleet at the Battle of Santiago de Cuba allowed U.S forces to safely besiege the city.

The Siege

On July 3, the same day as the Battle of Santiago de Cuba, Major General William "Pecos Bill" Shafter began the siege of Santiago. Shafter fortified his position on San Juan Heights. General Henry W. Lawton's division moved up from El Caney extending the U.S. right flank to the north. To the northwest Cuban Rebels under the command of Calixto Garcia extended the U.S. line to the bay. General Arsenio Linares had been severely wounded at the Battle of San Juan Hill and was replace by General Jose Toral . Toral had a good defensive position and Shafter knew he would sustain severe casualties from a frontal assault. Instead the Americans pounded the city with their artillery on the heights and choked out all water and food supplies to the city. On July 3 a relief column was able to fight it's way through Garcia's rebels and into the city bringing Toral's force to a total of 13,500. On July 4 a cease fire was enacted to evacuate roughly 20,000 citizens from the city. On July 8 Toral proposed to Santiago if his troops could be evacuated to another city. Washington officials would not accept Toral's proposal. Shafter was now pressed for time. Disease had began to take its toll on the U.S. forces and the officials in Washington wanted results. Shafter and the U.S. Navy under William T. Sampson continued to bomb the city.

The Surrender

Everyone involved wanted a quick end to the campaign. Major General Nelson A. Miles, the commander-in-chief of the U.S. Army, arrived on Cuba and on July 13 Toral, Shafter and Miles met between lines to discuss surrender terms. In order to keep the Spanish happy and bring about a quick surrender Shafter and Miles avoided the word "surrender". On July 17 after both governments agreed to the terms, Toral surrendered Santiago and its garrison along with Guantanamo and San Luis.

Aftermath

The Siege of Santiago effectively ended the fighting on Cuba, but the war was not yet over. Yellow fever had spread through the army before the surrender had taken place and some 4,000 U.S. soldiers were ill. Many officers, notably Theodore Roosevelt, fought for the removal of the army from Cuba, which was recalled and sent to containment camps in coastal cities in the U.S to deal with the infected troops. Plans were made for a major assault on Havana, Cuba but the next major campaign of the war came on Puerto Rico personally led by General Miles.

Sources

Konstam, Angus San Juan Hill 1898: America's Emergence as a World Power(1998)
Marrin, Albert The Spanish-American War(1991)