FOREWORD.
CAUSES OF THE WAR WITH SPAIN.
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.
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.
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."
CAPTAIN SIGSBEE OF THE MAINE.
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.