Young People's History of the War With Spain

by Prescott Holmes

Excerpt from Young People's History of the War With Spain
The brief war between the United States and Spain was the outgrowth of the humanity of the American people and their love of fair play. They did not stand idly by when Spain was literally starving the people of Cuba into subjection to her will, but freely and generously sent food, medicine and clothing to the sufferers.
When Spain's cruelty to the Cubans became intolerable to the civilized world, the United States intervened in the name of humanity and right, and demanded that the oppression should cease. Spain resented this, and the war followed.
Much has been said and written regarding our conduct of the war, and the grave scandals that arose from it: but it is not the purpose of this volume to discuss these other than to say that, the work of the navy was clean and beyond question, while it is clear to every one that there was gross mismanagement on the part of army officials.
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200 pages, Paperback

First published January 1, 1900

Reviews

[GoldGato · Rating 4 out of 5]

The Spanish-American War was, essentially, a war between a declining European empire and the rapidly ascending American empire. It set the tone for the American Century, just around the corner, and sent the Spaniards into decades of irrelevance. President McKinley did not want the war, but sometimes an event makes the future inevitable. The incident was the explosion and sinking of the U.S.S. Maine in Havana Harbor in 1898. While there has never been any conclusive proof that the Spanish sank the ship (some believe it was the Cuban rebels or the Americans themselves), it nevertheless moved the United States forward with the final result being the Americans acquiring Puerto Rico, the Philippines, and the island of Guam. Spain knew it had no chance whatsoever, but their conservatives felt a fight was necessary. In the United States, the rampant media outlets were full into yellow journalism, demanding a war to increase their readership. Truly, one of the dumbest wars ever fought, though not for the Yanks.

This book presents an overview of the war, written for younger readers. It would qualify in the Young Adult genre today, as it is written with an intelligence that focuses on the pre-history between the two countries while explaining the situation in Cuba. The people of the United States had been upset for some time about the situation with the Cuban War of Independence, although the American government itself stayed neutral. Towns and cities were sending massive aid packages to the Cubans, which included food and clothing to help against the Spaniards. In fact, the Cubans had already been successful against the Spanish, having driven them out of certain areas of the island. It wasn’t particularly difficult, as the Spaniards had not paid their soldiers for some time. Had the Europeans simply left as they knew they were going to do anyway, many lives would have been saved.

While American history glorifies in the exploits of Teddy Roosevelt’s Rough Riders, it was really the American Navy that won the war. The admiralty made short work of the Spanish shore defenses and kept its crews under tight disciplinary order. The result was a faster end to the war than expected, due to the Navy installing a well-run plan to encircle the island. The American Army was not quite as fortunate. There was a lack of coordination between commanders which resulted in miserable conditions for the young men who fought for the final victory. This book heralds the success of the Navy but notes that it was the spirit of the basic soldier who gave the United States its new empire. Clara Barton is also featured here as the American Red Cross installed floating hospital ships and on-the-ground medical facilities to help the wounded. But it wasn’t just battle scars that killed the men but also infectious diseases, namely Yellow Fever.

Several commanders and combatants get individually highlighted (including the Spanish), which makes the book a bit more personal than just a re-hash of the war. Published in 1900, it does extol the success of the American victory but I’m sure that was due to the dying memories of the American Civil War, which almost blew the country apart. Here was the first empirical war since 1865 and the United States clapped itself on the back for taking on Europe and winning. Each naval and ground battle is described, along with the artillery used and why it was important. The war extended to the Philippines and the book ends with that major victory. I knew almost next to nothing about the war, so even though it may have been written for younger readers, it clearly kept me enthralled all the way to the end. My hardcover is in excellent shape although it is now 123 years old, which is history itself.

Book Season = Spring (blockades and mosquitoes)

[F S · Rating 4 out of 5]

An interesting book