3A Tale of Two Invasions
A convoy of ships approached the coast of Cuba near Daiquiri in June
1898, bearing almost 17,000 American troops. Th ey belonged to a U.S.
Army that had been created virtually overnight—veteran regulars
combined with National Guard regiments and new, barely trained
units, such as the celebrated 1st U.S. Volunteer Cavalry, the Rough
Riders. With ships of the U.S. Navy bottling up a Spanish fleet in
Santiago, the convoy faced no real danger on its voyage. Th e problem
was what to do next. Because the army lacked a general staff of the kind
contemporary European militaries had developed, senior offi cers had
pieced together the invasion plan on the fl y, repeatedly changing the
landing site and target date. After boarding chartered cargo vessels in
Tampa, the troops had no good way to land in Cuba. Th e army had had
to borrow steam lighters from the navy to tow longboats fi lled with
soldiers to the beach, while horses and mules were thrown into the
water to swim to shore. Amid the din of naval gunfi re, some of the
animals became confused, turned out to sea, and drowned. Heavy guns
that might be needed for a siege of Santiago had to be left on board
because there were neither vessels nor facilities to get them ashore.