San Juan Hill and El Caney, Battles of
SAN JUAN HILL AND EL CANEY, BATTLES OF
SAN JUAN HILL AND EL CANEY, BATTLES OF. After the Spanish withdrawal from Las Guásimas, Cuba, the key points defending Santiago de Cuba against U.S. general William Shafter's advance in June 1898 were
along a line from San Juan Hill northeast to El Caney. On 1 July the Americans attacked along the entire line. General Henry Lawton's division, on the right, carried El Caney. One division and Colonel Theodore Roosevelt's dismounted Rough Riders, advancing as much from desperation as by design, captured San Juan Hill. Admiral Pascual Cervera y Topete, alarmed by threat of American artillery on hills overlooking the harbor, sought safety on 3 July in a dash to the open sea. The Spanish fleet was overwhelmed by the U.S. Navy, under Admiral William T. Sampson. Santiago surrendered on 17 July.
BIBLIOGRAPHY
Dierks, Jack C. A Leap to Arms: The Cuban Campaign of 1898. Philadelphia: Lippincott, 1970.
Trask, David F. The War with Spain in 1898. New York: Macmillan, 1981.
Jim DanHill/a. r.