On the 23d of April, 1898, war was declared between the United States
and Spain. To understand how this came about, we must go back a great
many years.
Ever since the island of Cuba was discovered by Columbus in 1492, the
one thought of the Spaniards has been to gain wealth from the island
without giving anything in return.
For many years, most of the Cubans have been little better off than
slaves. They have always been very poor and have had to do the hard work
on the plantations and in the cities. At best, they have never been able
to make much more than enough to pay the taxes imposed upon them by the
Spanish government.
The island has been ruled by governors sent out from Spain. Many of
these have been very bad men whose only desire has been to get rich and
return home. For a long time the Cubans have wished to choose their own
governors, and they have frequently tried, by force, to secure the right
to do this.
From 1868 to 1878, there was a rebellion known as the "Ten Years' War."
But, one by one, the insurgent bands were scattered and their leaders
killed. This war left Cuba with a heavy debt, and the people poorer than
ever.
The conduct of the Spaniards, after this war, was more cruel and
oppressive than before. Fifty thousand soldiers were sent to the island
to preserve peace. The people were forced to pay for the support of this
army, and the taxes were almost unendurable.
At last, in 1895, some of the Cubans resolved to stand it no longer.
They formed an army whose watchword was "Cuba Libre," meaning "Free
Cuba," and began another war with Spain.
The Spanish governor, General Campos, tried in vain to conquer these
insurgents, and was finally recalled to Spain. General Weyler, who was
sent in his place, proved to be a very cruel man.
He surrounded the larger towns with trenches and barbed wire fences, and
built wooden forts or blockhouses for his soldiers. Into these fortified
towns, thousands upon thousands of poor country people were driven,
their homes having been burned and their fields destroyed.
The sufferings of these poor people were terrible. They were huddled
together in sheds and huts without the means even of obtaining food.
Sometimes several families were packed into one little palm-leaf hut
where they had foul air, foul water, and almost nothing to eat.
Thousands of men, women, and children died from starvation and disease.
General Weyler hoped by these cruel means to starve the insurgents into
submission, but the war went on just as before. Throughout the island a
terrible work of destruction was carried on by both the insurgents and
the Spaniards. Railroads were destroyed, and buildings and plantations
were burned.
The people of the United States had heard of all these things, but for a
long time did not do anything to stop them. But when the American consul
at Havana, General Fitzhugh Lee, reported that many Americans were among
the starving, they could endure it no longer. Food and supplies were
sent through the Red Cross Society, and a little of the suffering was
thus relieved.
Matters grew steadily worse in the island until President McKinley felt
obliged to warn the Spanish government that they must soon end the war.
He declared that if this was not done, the United States would recognize
Cuba as an independent country.
Spain became alarmed at this, and, in October, 1897, the cruel Weyler
was recalled, and General Blanco was sent in his place. This new
governor tried to stop the war by granting to the Cubans some of the
rights they demanded. He allowed them to hold some of the offices. He
released the American political prisoners, and set free the starving
country people.
But it was too late. The crops had been destroyed and the people could
not get a living. The Cuban army would not be satisfied with anything
less than independence, and so the fighting continued.
[Illustration: THE MAINE.]
At last an event took place which aroused the people of the United
States to a deeper interest in Cuba than before. The United States
battleship _Maine_, commanded by Captain C.D. Sigsbee, had been sent on
a friendly visit to Havana. On the 15th of February, 1898, while lying
in the harbor, she was destroyed by a fearful explosion. Two hundred and
sixty-six officers and men were killed.
President McKinley immediately appointed a committee to find out, if
possible, the cause of the disaster. These men reported that the _Maine_
was destroyed by a submarine mine; but they could not find out who had
placed it in the harbor or who had exploded it.
[Illustration: CAPTAIN SIGSBEE OF THE MAINE.]
There was intense excitement all over the United States during this
investigation. Senator Proctor and others went to Cuba to see for
themselves if the reports of the suffering there were true. When they
came back, they told the people what they had seen. Senator John M.
Thurston made a speech in Congress in which he said:
"I never saw so pitiful a sight as the people at Matanzas. I can never
forget the hopeless anguish in their eyes. They did not ask for alms as
we went among them. Men, women, and children stood silent, starving.
Their only appeal came from their sad eyes.
"The government of Spain has not and will not give a dollar to save
these people. They are being helped by the charity of the United States.
Think of it! We are feeding these citizens of Spain; we are nursing
their sick; and yet there are people who say that it is right to send
food, but that we must keep hands off. I say that the time has come when
muskets should go with the food."
Most of the members of Congress agreed with Senator Thurston. On the
19th of April, 1898, they passed a resolution authorizing President
McKinley to use the army and navy of the United States to force Spain to
abandon all claim to the island of Cuba.
Spain was not willing to give up her control of the Cubans, and
therefore war was formally declared. It was only a few days until actual
hostilities began.
It is the purpose of the following chapters to relate the story of the
short but decisive struggle which followed. In that struggle the navy of
the United States bore by far the largest share, and it is therefore of
the navy and of the brave officers who commanded it that we shall have
the most to say.