On the night of February 15, 1898, the USS Maine exploded and sank in Havana Harbor, killing 268 American sailors. The cause was never conclusively determined, but American newspapers were quick to place the blame on Spain, and the rallying cry "Remember the Maine" spread across the country within days. Cuba had been fighting for independence from Spain since 1895, and American sympathy for the Cuban cause had been growing for years. The sinking of the Maine turned public sentiment into war fever. Congress declared war on Spain that April, and the United States began assembling a fighting force for an invasion of Cuba.
Among the units that formed was the 1st U.S. Volunteer Cavalry, made up of cowboys, miners, college athletes, and adventurers recruited from across the country. Commanded by Colonel Leonard Wood, with Lieutenant Colonel Theodore Roosevelt serving as his second, they quickly became known as the Rough Riders. Roosevelt had resigned his post as Assistant Secretary of the Navy to join the fight, despite having no military experience. In June 1898, the unit boarded the steamship Yucatan in Tampa Bay and set sail for Cuba. Due to logistical problems, only eight of the regiment's twelve companies could make the voyage, and most of their horses had to be left behind. On the eve of battle, Colonel Wood was promoted to Brigadier General in the field, elevating Roosevelt up to the rank of Colonel and placing him in command of the Rough Riders on the ground.
The decisive engagement came on July 1, 1898, at the Battle of San Juan Heights. The plan called for Major General Henry Ware Lawton's division to strike the fortified village of El Caney to the north while the main force pushed toward the heights. Around 500 Spanish soldiers at El Caney held Lawton's force of nearly 7,000 men at bay for over twelve hours before finally running out of ammunition, delaying the broader American advance. Meanwhile, General Kent's infantry and Roosevelt's dismounted Rough Riders pushed toward San Juan Heights, where the Spanish held two high points along a ridge: San Juan Hill and Kettle Hill. Roosevelt led the charge up Kettle Hill, and the two positions were taken by the end of the day.
The victory belonged to more than just the Rough Riders, though. Nearly 3,000 Black soldiersโthe Buffalo Soldiers of the 9th and 10th Cavalry and the 24th and 25th Infantryโfought alongside white troops in the assault on San Juan Heights. Twenty-six Buffalo Soldiers died that day, and several were later recognized with the Medal of Honor. Although Roosevelt would later downplay their role, he acknowledged during his 1900 vice-presidential campaign that Black soldiers had saved his life in Cuba.
