Spanish-American War Preview

Tour Overview

This tour contains three types of stops: HONOR stops mark the gravesites of specific individuals. REMEMBER stops commemorate events, ideas, or groups of people. EXPLORE stops invite you to discover what this history means to you.

Introduction

On February 15, 1898, an explosion in the harbor of Havana, Cuba, ripped open the hull of the USS Maine, sinking the ship and killing more than 260 of the American sailors on board. The Maine had been sent to Cuba to protect American interests during the Cuban fight for independence from Spain. Historians are still unsure what caused the explosion, but popular sentiment in the U.S. at the time blamed the Spanish.Fueled by concern for the condition of the Cuban rebels, general opposition to European colonization of the Americas, and public outrage over the destruction of the Maine, the U.S. declared war on April 25.The war did not last long. In the Pacific, ships of the U.S. Navy sailed into Manila Bay and quickly destroyed the Spanish squadron stationed there. Then U.S. Army forces made up of volunteers and regulars charged the San Juan Heights of Cuba, seized control of the island and forced the Spanish fleet stationed in the Caribbean out to sea, where ships of the U.S. Navy quickly sank them. By August 12, the Spanish had surrendered, and the war was effectively over.Although the war was over in less than four months, it had tremendous historical impact. The U.S. acquired international holdings, established itself as the dominant nation in the Western hemisphere, and began a new era as one of the major world powers. Treaty: Treaty of Paris, signed December 10, 1898 New Territories: Cuba became independent, Guam and Puerto Rico were ceded to the U.S., and the U.S. bought the Philippines for $20 million U.S. Casualties: 385 combat fatalities (not including the sailors killed on the Maine), over 2,000 died from disease

1

USS Maine Mast Memorial

The USS Maine Mast Memorial overlooks the remains of those who died when the ship exploded off the coast of Havana, Cuba on February 15, 1898.

Explore: Remembering the Maine

Many Americans recall the phrase “Remember the Maine!” from history lessons that focused on how some newspapers in 1898 sensationalized the explosion of the U.S.S. Maine to build public support for a war with Spain. Today, take the time to “remember the Maine” in a different way, by learning about the ship and the people who lost their lives on it.

2

Spanish-American War Memorial

In April of 1900, the National Society of the Colonial Dames of America undertook the responsibility of constructing a monument to those who died during the Spanish-American War. The organization created an Executive Committee for the Spanish War Memorial and Marker and elected Winifred Lee Brent Lyster as Chairman. In March of 1901, the design created by the committee received approval from the Quartermaster General and the Secretary of War. The government tasked the Society with raising the funds for the memorial. The dedication ceremony occurred on May 21, 1902, with President Theodore Roosevelt delivering the main address.The monument is approximately 50 feet tall. It is constructed of Barre Granite and takes the form of a Corinthian Column. On the top of the monument is a bronze eagle perched on top of a sphere constructed of Quincy Granite. At each corner of the base lies a black granite sphere. Along the border of the upper base are 44 bronze stars. On the rear of the monument are four guns mounted on concrete stands. The two inner guns are United States Naval Guns while the outer two are guns captured from Spanish coastal batteries.

3

Major General Leonard Wood

Wood earned a Medal of Honor for his actions during the Indian Wars, and became the personal physician to Presidents Grover Cleveland and William McKinley. Wood developed a strong friendship with Theodore Roosevelt, and when the War with Spain erupted, Wood and Roosevelt organized the famous Rough Riders. Later, Wood's campaign for President in 1920 paved the way for a new era of high-ranking generals who sought careers in politics.

4

Rear Admiral William T. Sampson

Sampson was appointed to a Court of Inquiry assigned to assess the reason for the USS Maine's explosion by President McKinley. He assumed command of the North Atlantic Squadron and monitored the blockade of strategic ports on the northern and southern coasts of Cuba. Sampson's squadron defeated the fleet of Spanish Admiral Cervera at the port of Santiago Harbor in Cuba on July 3, 1898.

5

Nurses Memorial

Section 21 is sometimes known as the “Nurses Section” because it is the resting place of 653 nurses who heroically served in the U.S. Armed Forces throughout history, including many from the Spanish-American War.Overlooking them is a white statue made from Tennessee marble. The figure, often called “The Spirit of Nursing,” is surrounded by evergreens and appears to gesture towards the rows of deceased nurses that lie before her. The figure is dressed simply with her hair pinned up, a practical style many nurses adopted while working. Frances Rich, later who served as a Navy WAVE (the women’s branch of the U.S. Naval Reserve during World War II), sculpted the statue in 1938 initially to honor the nurses who died during their service in the Army or Navy. However, its meaning has since expanded to include all nurses who served in the Armed Forces.The dedication ceremony occurred in 1938. On July 13, 1970, Navy Capt. Delores Cornelius, deputy director of the Navy Nurse Corps, requested authority to install a bronze plaque which reads:This Monument Was Erected in 1938and Rededicated in 1971To Commemorate Devoted ServiceTo Country and Humanity ByArmy, Navy, and Air Force Nurses

6

Colonel Charles Young

Young served in the Army until 1917, when he was medically retired and promoted to colonel, the first African American to achieve that rank in the U.S. Army. He became the first African American superintendent of a National Park, when he was appointed to manage and maintain Sequoia National Park in northern California in 1903.

7

Anna Caroline Maxwell

Maxwell's service as a nurse during the Spanish-American War and World War I earned her the title of the “American Florence Nightingale.” Her 1914 textbook, Practical Nursing, shaped nursing practices in World War I and had a lasting impact on the field. She increased public awareness about the nursing profession, which laid the foundation for a new wave of female nurses during the 20th century.

8

Spanish-American War Nurses Memorial

The Spanish-American War was the first U.S. war in which nurses served as a special, quasi-military unit, and the first time in American history when nurses were fully accepted in military hospitals. Although no nurses were killed in combat, 140 died of typhoid and 13 from other diseases (including one, Clara Maass, who died of yellow fever after volunteering to be experimented upon by the Army).

Explore: Nursing in the Spanish-American War

Nurses in the Spanish-American War would work 14-hour shifts with 20-minute lunch breaks. They provided their own uniforms, which they also had to launder and maintain.Duties included: Giving ice baths Dressing wounds Preparing food Feeding soldiers Administering medicine Attempting to maintain sanitary conditions for medical care in tents, fields, and overcrowded buildingsMany locations experienced nurse shortages that put more stress on the nurses they had. Some nurses worked until they were too ill to do so. The pay was railroad fare to the assigned location, $30 a month, meals, and lodging (sometimes).

9

Anna "Anita" H. Campos

Prior to 1898 the military barred women from serving in any formal capacity, but the Spanish-American War facilitated the integration of female nurses into military hospitals. Campos enlisted early to serve as a nurse. Campos was the first Spanish-American War nurse to be buried at Arlington National Cemetery.

10

Namahyoke (Namah) Curtis

In the 1800s, Black women had fewer opportunities for formal nurse training than their white peers but still served as contract nurses during the war. Namahyoke Curtis was such a nurse. She was assigned by the Surgeon General to recruit African American “immune” nurses to serve during the Spanish-American War. Immunity was not well understood and two of the recruited nurses died of typhoid in Cuba. After serving in the war, Curtis served as a nurse after the Galveston hurricane (1900) and San Francisco earthquake (1906).

11

Rough Riders Monument

The “Rough Riders” became one of the best-known cavalry units in American history, though few people remember their official title, the 1st U.S. Volunteer Cavalry. But mention the name "Rough Riders," and visions come to mind of the charge up Kettle Hill, led by Theodore “Teddy” Roosevelt.

12

Buffalo Soldiers Centennial Memorial

Located next to the Rough Riders monument is a small memorial dedicated to the Buffalo Soldiers. The Buffalo Soldiers consisted of four all-African American regiments (originally six regiments, then merged into four) established by Congress in 1866. Sources disagree on the origin of the nickname “Buffalo Soldiers,” but it may have been given to the Black soldiers by Native American warriors during their service in the western states during the 1860s-1890s.

Explore: Honoring the Buffalo Soldiers

The Buffalo Soldiers’ participation in the Spanish-American War was very controversial in the African American community at the time. Some troops and citizens questioned whether they should fight for the U.S. government when Black people were routinely discriminated against and deprived of their rights by federal and state laws. Others advocated that this was an opportunity to demonstrate loyalty and patriotism and “reaffirm our claims to equal liberty and protection” (editorial in the Cleveland Gazette, March 5, 1898). If you were in this situation, what would you do? How did the Buffalo Soldiers’ service make a difference for future generations of African Americans in the military?

13

Colonel Charles C. Pierce

While stationed in the Philippines, Pierce perfected new techniques for identifying war dead, maintaining accurate records and transferring remains to the United States for proper burial. As chief of the newly created Graves Registration Service (GRS), Pierce was responsible for managing the burial and identification of all American war dead in Europe during World War I. During the war, the GRS supervised over 70,000 temporary burials. The new procedures that Pierce helped establish in the GRS, along with standardized identification tags, increased the identified war dead from 60 percent in the Civil War to 97 percent in World War I.

Explore: Repatriation

The Spanish-American War marked the first time the United States government paid to repatriate the remains of fallen soldiers. Of the over 300,000 soldiers who fought in the war, 2,061 died from disease and 385 died during battle.

14

Dr. Anita Newcomb McGee

McGee was appointed as the Acting Assistant Surgeon of the U.S. Army which made her the only woman permitted to wear an officer’s uniform during the Spanish-American War. She drafted the legislation to establish the Army Nurse Corps and later helped the Navy establish the Navy Nurse Corps. McGee advocated for nurses’ rights and recognition, and defied social norms and paved the way for future female doctors and nurses.

15

Captain Allyn K. Capron

Capron was the first United States officer to die during the Spanish-American War. He was posthumously awarded two Silver Star Awards for bravery for his actions in the Sioux Campaign and the Spanish-American War.

Conclusion

You've reached the end of the Spanish-American War Tour. You can explore additional content and resources on the Arlington National Cemetery Education Program website, or find more tours through Arlington National Cemetery's STQRY.