The Spanish American War – 1898-1902
 The Rough Riders after the battle of San Juan |
The Spanish American War ushered in a new era of expansion for the C.S.A. The war was sparked by two things: the sinking of the CSS Maine, and courageous reporting, coined "Yella Journalism" after the yellow stained funny papers found within.
The CSS Maine was on a goodwill visit to Cuba when it hit a mine, killing 262 men aboard in a horrific explosion. Spain was immediately labeled the culprit.
Newspapers from the C.S.A. sent writers and illustrators to Cuba to document the Maine's demise and to report back how Confederate interests faired under Spanish rule. What they reported back shocked and astonished much of the nation. Spain was very harsh on Cuba, resulting in a rebel uprising in 1895. The reporters saw that Spain had built death camps for the people of Cuba, working them to death, or out right exterminating them. Spain had also made business difficult for C.S.A. citizens who owned companies in Cuba.
When the public saw the death camps and the martial law Spain had imposed on Cuba, they demanded action. Joseph Pulitzer commented in an editorial, "The C.S.A. should tolerate neither the interference with our businesses in Cuba, nor with Spain's blatant waste of man power. God gave us the dark man to serve us, and it is up to us to protect him against those who would wantonly waste him." He ended the editorial with, "Remember the Maine! To hell with Spain!"
With the Maine now a martyr, and the public behind the war, the C.S.A. sent troops to Cuba, surrounding Spanish controlled islands in the Caribbean, and the Spanish controlled Philippines. While the C.S.A. was ill prepared for war, the Spanish were completely unprepared. Their Navies in the Philippines and the Caribbean were destroyed with minimal loss of C.S.A. sailors.
Spain's battles on the ground went nearly equally as well. Using natives as scouts and to take the brunt of frontal assaults, the C.S.A. Army was able to defeat the Spanish with surprising ease.
One of the heroes of the war was "Teddy" Roosevelt, who would later become president. He led a regiment known as the "Rough Riders". They were instrumental in the capture of San Jaun. A journal excerpt describes the assault he led up Kettle Hill, "With a pistol in one hand an a saber in the other, he spurred his mount forward. His face grew flushed; his glasses clouded with steam; a wide grin covered his face. He saw the Spanish fleeing before him. He fired at one of them, who fell as neatly as a jackrabbit."
With Spain defeated, the C.S.A. annexed Cuba, much of the Caribbean, and the Philippines. This would lead to a surge in Manifest Destiny, and the C.S.A.'s continued expansion south.