Battle of El Caney
Encyclopedia : B : BA : BAT : Battle of El Caney
| Cuban Campaign |
|---|
| Cárdenas – Cienfuegos – Guantánamo Bay – Las Guasimas – Tayacoba – Aguadores – El Caney – San Juan Hill – Naval Santiago – Santiago – Manimani |
The Battle of El Caney was fought on July 1, 1898, during the Spanish-American War.
At El Caney, Cuba, 500 Spanish soldiers under General Joaquín Vara del Rey were instructed to hold the northwest flank of Santiago against an American advance. Despite having no machine guns or artillery and being denied promised reinforcements, Vara del Rey and his soldiers held over eight thousand Americans from their position for nearly twelve hours, preventing them from sweeping through and overwhelming the defenders of San Juan Hill.
The Americans took staggering losses: over 80 dead and 350 wounded. Precise Cuban losses at El Caney are not known, but the Cuban irregulars also suffered heavily, losing 150 killed and wounded that day.
Many have called this engagement proof that, properly led, the Spanish Army might well have defeated the United States during the Cuban Campaign.
References
- Carrasco García, Antonio, En Guerra con Los Estados Unidos: Cuba, 1898, Madrid: 1998.
External links
- [Spanish-American War Centennial Website]
- [History of Negro soldiers in the Spanish-American War, and other items of interest], by Edward Augustus Johnston, published 1899, hosted by the [Portal to Texas History.] Features illustrations and information about the Battle of El Caney.
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