The Battle of Las Guasimas was the first land engagement of the Spanish–American War, setting the stage for the Santiago Campaign.
Key Facts
- Date
- June 24, 1898
- U.S. casualties (dead)
- 17 killed, 52 wounded
- Spanish casualties (dead)
- 7 killed, 14 wounded
- U.S. commander
- Major General Joseph 'Fighting Joe' Wheeler
- Spanish commander
- Major General Antero Rubín
- Units engaged (U.S.)
- 1st Volunteer Cavalry and 10th Regular Cavalry
By the Numbers
Location
Cause → Event → Consequence
Spanish forces defending Santiago de Cuba had received orders to withdraw toward the city. Wheeler, commanding U.S. advance columns, received conflicting intelligence about Spanish intentions. Despite Cuban scouts reporting the Spaniards were abandoning their position and the refusal of Cuban allied forces to join, Wheeler chose to press an immediate attack on the Spanish rearguard at Las Guasimas.
On June 24, 1898, Wheeler's forces attacked the Spanish rearguard under Rubín at Las Guasimas de Sevilla using frontal and flanking assaults. American attacks were repulsed twice, first by the main line and then by the Puerto Rico Battalion. After halting the American advance, the Spanish completed their planned withdrawal toward Santiago, making this a successful rearguard delaying action.
U.S. forces suffered 17 dead and 52 wounded compared to 7 dead and 14 wounded for the Spanish. The American press falsely portrayed the engagement as a rout of the Spaniards, while later historians criticized Wheeler for ordering a costly frontal assault against a position the Spanish were already vacating. The battle opened the overland advance on Santiago de Cuba.
Belligerents & Mobilization Analysis
Side A
1 belligerent
Major General Joseph Wheeler.
Side B
1 belligerent
Major General Antero Rubín.