Spanish-American War Timeline

The Spanish–American War was fought between Spain and the United States from April 21 to August 13, 1898. The war brought an end to almost four centuries of Spanish presence in the Americas, Asia, and the Pacific, while the United States emerged as a major world power.

The first combat between American and Spanish forces in the Caribbean occurred on May 11, 1898, in the harbor near the city of Cienfuegos, Cuba, where American forces cut undersea communication cables under heavy fire.

Image source: Battle of Cienfuegos

The American offensive against Puerto Rico began on May 12, 1898, when a squadron of 12 U.S. warships bombarded San Juan. On May 24, Henry Cabot Lodge wrote to Theodore Roosevelt, 'Porto Rico is not forgotten and we mean to have it.'

Image source: Puerto Rico campaign

The 1898 invasion of Guantánamo Bay happened between June 6 and 10, marking the first U.S. ground operation in Cuba and providing a crucial forward base for American forces during the Santiago campaign.

Image source: Battle of Guantánamo Bay

On June 29, 1898, a reconnaissance team in landing boats attempted to land on the beach but were repelled by Spanish fire. A second attempt on June 30 left a team trapped on the beach near the mouth of the Tallabacoa River.

Fearing for the safety of the Spanish coast, the Spanish Ministry of the Navy recalled Admiral Cámara's squadron, which had reached the Red Sea, on July 7, 1898. It stopped at Mahón and Cartagena before arriving at Cadiz, where it was dissolved on July 25.

An example of the Silver Cross of Military Merit with the red emblem for fighters was issued on July 18, 1898, for good behavior on May 11 in defense of the fortress of El Faro and the Pueblo de Jagua during the Battle of Cienfuegos.

On August 9, 1898, American troops pursuing units retreating from Coamo encountered heavy resistance in Aibonito at Cerro Gervasio del Asomante and retreated after six of their soldiers were injured.

On April 23, 1898, a document from Governor General Basilio Augustín appeared in the Manila Gazette warning of the impending war and calling for Filipinos to participate on the side of Spain.

Commodore Dewey transported Emilio Aguinaldo, the Filipino leader who had led rebellion against Spanish rule since 1896, from exile in Hong Kong to the Philippines to rally more Filipinos against the Spanish colonial government.

Image source: Emilio Aguinaldo

On June 20, 1898, the protected cruiser USS Charleston commanded by Captain Henry Glass, and three transports carrying troops to the Philippines, entered Guam's Apra Harbor, capturing the island from Spain without resistance.

Image source: Capture of Guam

On August 14, 1898, Spanish Captain-General Jaudenes formally capitulated Manila to U.S. forces, completing the American conquest of the Spanish Philippines.

Image source: Battle of Manila (1898)

Hostilities were halted on August 12, 1898, with the signing in Washington of a Protocol of Peace between the United States and Spain, effectively ending the fighting of the Spanish–American War.

Image source: Boxer Protocol

The war formally ended with the 1898 Treaty of Paris, signed on December 10 with terms favorable to the U.S. The treaty ceded ownership of Puerto Rico, Guam, and the Philippines to the U.S., and set Cuba up to become an independent state in 1902.

With the loss of the Philippines, Spain's remaining Pacific possessions in the Caroline Islands and Mariana Islands became untenable and were sold to Germany in the German–Spanish Treaty of 1899.

Image source: German–Spanish Treaty (1899)

The Treaty of Paris came into force in Cuba on April 11, 1899, with Cubans participating only as observers, formalizing the transfer of sovereignty arrangements following the war.

Image source: Treaty of Paris (1898)

In 1900, Congress enacted the Foraker Act, which established that Puerto Ricans would not have U.S. citizenship, organizing civilian government on the island after its cession by Spain.

Having been occupied since July 17, 1898, Cuba formed its own civil government and gained independence on May 20, 1902, with the announced end of U.S. military government. Tomás Estrada Palma became Cuba's first president.

Image source: Republic of Cuba (1902–1959)

Guantánamo Bay was established as a U.S. naval base after the signing of the Cuban–American Treaty of Relations in 1903, a lasting legacy of the Spanish–American War that continues to this day.

Image source: Guantanamo Bay Naval Base

Passed as a rider to an Army appropriations bill signed into law on March 2, 1903, the Platt Amendment effectively prohibited Cuba from signing treaties with other nations or contracting a public debt, cementing U.S. influence over the island.

In 1904, the United Spanish War Veterans was created from smaller groups of veterans of the Spanish–American War. The organization became defunct in 1992 when its last surviving member, Nathan E. Cook, died.

Image source: United Spanish War Veterans

The Sons of Spanish–American War Veterans was created in 1937 at the 39th National Encampment of the United Spanish War Veterans, serving as heir to the original veterans' organization.