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 sho

On April 21st, 1898, a war began between the United States and Spain. All the other countries of the world felt an interest in it, but did not take any part in it. They were what we call "neutral"—that is, they did not help either side. As soon as the war was proclaimed a great wave of excitement swept through the United States, from shore to shore. Flags were hung out in every city and town; thousands of men offered to serve in the army—volunteers they were called; and many persons offered to h

Before the United States joined in the war, the Cubans had succeeded in driving the Spaniards out of many places in the eastern part of the island, but could not get possession of the western part and the chief harbors. We have seen that the war between the United States and Spain began in April, 1898. But, two months before that time something happened in the harbor of Havana, the capital of Cuba, which caused terrible excitement in our country. You must understand that many persons belonging t

I have already told you that the Cubans, in their rebellion, had driven the Spaniards out of many places in Cuba, but had not been able to get possession of the chief harbors. So now it was thought best that our ships should blockade the large harbors of Cuba. Do you know what blockade means? It means to surround a place held by the enemy, and stay there, doing any damage that can be done, cutting the enemy off from outside help, and so, in time, if he is not strong enough to break the blockade,

The greatest event of the war between the United States and Spain took place in a strange part of the world, far from both of those countries. If you look on a map of Asia, you will find a large group of islands in the Pacific Ocean, east of the China Sea. They are called the Philippine Islands. The largest of them is called Luzon, and its chief city is Manila, on a large bay of the same name. These islands were discovered nearly four hundred years ago, by Magellan, as we call him in English, a

While Admiral Sampson had been fixing the blockade he had also been forming plans to close the channel, and so keep any large ship from stealing out of the bay. For, although our men watched closely, there was always a chance that in a fog or storm the Spanish ships might slip out without being seen. Admiral Sampson knew that the Spaniards could remove anything that might be sunk to close the channel, but the work would take time, and meanwhile our Army might arrive on the land back of Santiago,

I have not told you all the brave deeds done by our Navy soon after our ships had reached Cuba, but I will go back, for a few minutes, to the 11th of May. A very sad affair took place at Cardenas, a port about twenty miles east of Matanzas, the place where the first shots were fired. Some of our smaller vessels blockading Cardenas were bold enough to go into the harbor to fight some Spanish gunboats. Though, our men gained a victory, it was dearly bought, for our torpedo-boat Winslow was nearly

Our soldiers—thousands of "Regulars" and thousands and thousands of "Volunteers"—were waiting in camps in the eastern and southern parts of the United States, in order to be ready to start for Cuba at short notice. Thousands of them were never ordered to go, but stayed in camp during all the war. Still, they were ready to go if needed. About the middle of June more than 16,000 soldiers, under General Shafter, sailed from Tampa, on the west coast of Florida, for the southeastern shore of Cuba. It

A Number of our officers thought it would be best not to go forward till some roads had been made, so that the army wagons could be sent on; but General Shafter thought it would be best to march on at once. He feared that after a week or ten days in that climate many of our men might have fever and be unfit for service. So, even before all the men had landed, General Shafter ordered the first ones to go forward and drive the Spaniards from a place near Siboney. Thus, some of our troops began the

For a few days after the battle of Las Guasimas no great event took place. There was no fighting. The other troops were making their way up from the coast, but the roads were so narrow and so bad that progress was slow. The army wagons had great trouble to get on, and many supplies were left at the coast or on the boats, because there was no proper way of taking them forward. The heavy cannon were hauled a few miles from the coast and then most of them were left, though they would have been a gr

While our Army had been toiling along narrow roads and through dense forests, wading the streams and storming the forts, on the way to Santiago, our Navy had been keeping up its blockade of the harbor. Perhaps I should explain to you that the Merrimac, sunk by Lieutenant Hobson, did not really close the channel, because the Merrimac had not gone down in the right spot on account of the breaking of the rudder. So our vessels still kept a close blockade. The Spaniards now felt worried. Our Navy wa

That Sunday morning, after General Shafter received the telegram from the War Office, he took a step which in the end proved very successful. He sent men to Santiago bearing a flag of truce and a message to the Spanish general. When a flag of truce is sent to an enemy all fighting stops for a number of days or hours, according to the time fixed for the truce, or quiet, and plans are then made. This message told the Spanish general that if he did not surrender within a certain time the American A

But in spite of Peace Jubilees and fine parades of returning troops, our country was still at war. But this war was with the natives of the Philippine Islands. To explain this trouble, I must go back in my story. In another chapter I told you of the rebellion of the Filipinos against Spain. One of the leaders in the rebellion was a young man named Aguinaldo. The name means a "Christmas box." Aguinaldo has been a good box for some people, a troublesome box for others. Well, to quiet that rebellio