Charging Into Fame

Theodore Roosevelt wanted to fight. By the mid-1890s, inflamed by press reports of Spanish atrocities against Cubans fighting for independence, he strongly favored forcing Spain to give up Cuba or face war. On Feb. 15, 1898, the U.S. battleship Maine exploded under mysterious circumstances in Havana harbor, killing 266 sailors. Congress declared war against Spain in April and called for volunteers. Among the first was Roosevelt, who said a man "should pay with his body" for his beliefs.He helped raise a cavalry regiment largely from the Southwest and became its lieutenant colonel. The press dubbed them the Rough Riders. Roosevelt got his fight and stormed into politics upon his return. [This article contains complex diagrams and maps. Please see hardcopy or pdf.] THE CUBAN CAMPAIGN Spain's only Atlantic fleet was bottled up in the harbor of Santiago de Cuba. As the Navy lurked offshore, the U.S. landed troops to capture the city and the fleet 1. Marines invade, JUNE 6-10 2. Army lands, JUNE 22 3. Inland skirmish, JUNE 24 4. San Juan Heights, JULY 1 5. Navy destroys Spanish fleet, JULY 3

CUBA CARIBBEAN SEA Santiago de Cuba Las Guasimas El Caney El Pozo Siboney Daiquiri Guantanamo Bay Caimanera Fort Toro Fisherman's Point CUBA Havana Map area

15 miles 15 km

THE BATTLE OF SAN JUAN HEIGHTS The Spanish defenses on the low hills were the key to controlling Santiago de Cuba. Once the Spanish lost the high ground, they could not defend the city. They surrendered on July 17 Santiago de Cuba The Spanish kept thousands of soldiers in reserve near the city, but they never joined the battle Spanish positions The Spanish were outnumbered more than 10 to 1, but they held the high ground and inflicted heavy damage during the disorganized American approach San Juan Hill U.S. troops were pinned down at first, but withering fire from their three Gatling guns sent the Spanish troops scrambling in less than 10 minutes

Kettle Hill Under fire, Roosevelt led the charge, killing one soldier just below the summit. He then led a second charge, joining the fight for San Juan Hill

U.S. positions Units became hopelessly entangled on the narrow road through the jungle. Casualties were heaviest at the exposed river crossing

Trail Sharpshooter skirmish lines El Pozo Hill Aguadores River San Juan River To El Caney Gatling guns Trail Road Observation balloon Factory Blockhouse Barbed wire U.S. artillery Cavalry units Spanish retreat

1,000 ft. 300 m

AFTERMATH: A U.S. EMPIRE In one of his last acts as Assistant Secretary of the Navy, Roosevelt dispatched Commodore George Dewey and the U.S. Pacific Fleet to the Philippines. On May 1, 1898, Dewey destroyed the Spanish squadron at Manila Bay without a single U.S. casualty. A peace agreement was signed on Aug. 12, and with a formal treaty in December, Spain ceded Puerto Rico and Guam, sold the Philippines to the U.S. for $20 million and granted independence to Cuba PHILIPPINES Manila Guam

Sources: The Rough Riders and An Autobiography, by Theodore Roosevelt; The War with Spain in 1898, by David F. Trask; San Juan Hill 1898, by Angus Konstam; The Spanish-American War, An American Epic, 1898, by G.J.A. O'Toole; The Spanish-American War, by Edward F. Dolan

TIME Graphic by Joe Lertola and Jackson Dykman