Siege of Santiago

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Siege of Santiago

Date	July 3 - July 17, 1898
Location	Santiago, Cuba
Result	American victory

Combatants

United States
Republic of Cuba

Spain

Commanders

William Rufus Shafter

Jose Toral

Strength

15,000 regulars
4,500 guerrilleros

13,500 regulars

Casualties

1,614 dead or wounded

2,000 dead or wounded
11,500 captured

Cuban Campaign
Cárdenas – Cienfuegos – Guantánamo Bay – Las Guasimas – Tayacoba – Aguadores – El Caney – San Juan Hill – Naval Santiago – Santiago – Manimani

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.

1 Santiago Campaign
2 The Siege
3 The Surrender
4 Aftermath
5 Sources
6 See also

[edit] 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.

[edit] 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 replaced 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 its 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 surrender 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.

[edit] 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 about 11,500 soldiers within the District of Santiago plus an additional 12,000 soldiers stationed around Santiago. The Spanish also ceded Guantanamo and San Luis.

[edit] Aftermath

The Siege of Santiago effectively ended the major fighting on Cuba, but the war was not yet over. Yellow fever had spread through the U.S. 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.