Battle Of San Juan Hill Essay

The Battle of San Juan Hill,

Before 1898, Spain had ruled over a vast, profitable empire for over four centuries, The Spanish Empire controlled the Caribbean, Central, and South America, Cuba considered as the linchpin to the Spanish empire and Havana was the most important harbor in Americas at the time.

Following the involvement of Spain in the Napoleonic Wars (1808-1815) many provinces took the opportunity to seize independence, by the 1860 Cuba and Puerto Rico were the only remaining Spanish provinces. In 1868 the seeds of unrest had spread throughout Cuba and the first Cuban war for independence came in 1868 and Cuban launched a ten years war.

In early 1898 the United States sent the USS Maine from Key West to Havana to help protect

One of the most famous battles fought during that war was the battle of San Juan Hill also known as San Juan Heights, the battle fought without direction, with decisions made by private and junior officers setting the course of the battle, this battle was the turning point of the Spanish-American war. Within months of the outbreak of war, the Spanish would lose their possession in Cuba, Puerto Rico, Saipan, the Philippines and Guam. The war marked the end of the Spanish sovereignty and the establishing of United States as new world

Arsenio Linares graduated from the Artillery Academy as a lieutenant of infantry. He served in the Carlist Wars; he fought against the Cuban insurgents in 1872. After a short return to Spain, he went back to Cuba in 1875, promoted to colonel after his part in the battle of Arroyo del Gato. After distinguishing himself in Morocco fighting Moroccan tribesmen, he was sent to Cuba in 1895, where he cleared Cuban insurgents from Pinar del Rio Province, On the eve of the Spanish-American war he was promoted to lieutenant-general, and given command of all Spanish troops in eastern Cuba, based in Santiago. After losing an arm on San Juan Hill, he handed over command to