Battle of Guantánamo Bay

Battle of Guantánamo Bay
Part of the Spanish–American War
1st Marine Battalion raising the United States flag at Guantánamo Bay on June 10, 1898.
Date 6–10 June 1898 Location Guantánamo Bay, Cuba Result United States/Cuban victory
Belligerents
United States Republic of Cuba	Kingdom of Spain
Commanders and leaders
Bowman H. McCalla	Felix Pareja
Strength
Land: 623 U.S. Marines ~300 Cuban militia (guerrillero) Sea: 1 battleship 1 light cruiser 2 auxiliary cruisers 1 gunboat 1 steamer	Land: 5,000 infantry 7 artillery pieces 1 fort 1 shore battery 1 blockhouse Sea: 2 gunboats
Casualties and losses
29 killed or wounded 1 cruiser damaged	58 killed ~150 wounded 18 POW 2 gunboats damaged 1 fort damaged

The Battle of Guantánamo Bay was fought from June 6 to June 10 in 1898, during the Spanish–American War, when American and Cuban forces seized the strategically and commercially important harbor of Guantánamo Bay, Cuba. Capturing the bay from the Spanish forces was instrumental in the following Battle of Santiago de Cuba and the subsequent invasion of Puerto Rico. Although overshadowed by the land and sea battles at Santiago, the establishment of the United States naval base at Guantánamo Bay and the rout of defending Spanish troops by American and Cuban forces was important in the final Spanish defeat.

Cuba had been in rebellion against Spain since 1895. Soon after the rebellion began, two insurgent leaders — José Martí and General Máximo Gómez — had landed at the beach of Cajobabo, between Guantánamo Bay and Cape Maisí, but after three years of fighting throughout the island, the rebels had only been successful in two provinces — Oriente and Camagüey.

Following the explosion of the battleship USS Maine in Havana harbor in February 1898, the U.S. declared war on Spain in support of the Cuban insurgents. Havana harbor was blockaded, and by the end of May the Spanish fleet was bottled up in Santiago Bay, 40 mi (35 nmi; 64 km) west of Guantánamo Bay, by Rear Admiral William T. Sampson. In the U.S., an army expeditionary force was rapidly being readied at the same time for action in Cuba. Thus, America was allied with the Cuban insurgents. Guantánamo Bay had a measure of commercial importance because of the sugar port of Caimanera on the western shore of the inner bay, some five statute miles (8 km) from the sea.

...
Wikipedia