Spanish-American War Voyage Tips and guide

The Spanish-American War was fought between the United States and the Spanish Empire in 1898. A decisive conflict, it saw the end of Spain's interests in the Americas and the Pacific and asserted the U.S.'s role as a global power.

The United States won the Spanish-American War in 1898, seizing the Spanish colonies of Cuba, Puerto Rico and Guam. They also bought the Spanish colony of the Philippines and defeated independence fighters there with great brutality; see the Philippines article.

Cuba was granted independence in 1902, and the Philippines in 1946, while Puerto Rico and Guam remain U.S. territories.

Map of Spanish-American War

• 18.381111-65.618251 Cape San Juan Light, Fajardo, Puerto Rico. American forces captured and occupied this lighthouse during their invasion of Puerto Rico. (updated Dec 2025)
• 20.016667-75.82 San Juan Hill, Santiago de Cuba. A memorial stands at the site of the Battle of San Juan Hill, taken by the U.S. from a small Spanish force on July 1, 1898. A hotel stands near the site. (updated Dec 2025)

Following the outbreak of the war in 1898, the U.S. built several fortifications on its Southern coast to protect against a potential Spanish invasion, which did not occur. Hence, these forts were in most cases operated for just a few years before being decommissioned.

• 27.615499-82.7359023 Fort De Soto, Tierra Verde, Florida. Fortifications dating back to 1898 (in case of a potential Spanish attack, which did not materialize) are preserved in what is now a county park and museum. Remains include the battery, quartermasters, and concrete fortifications. (updated Dec 2025)
• 32.305278-80.6433334 Fort Fremont, Beaufort (South Carolina). The fort and battery is historically significant as an example of late 19th- and early 20th-century military architecture and as one of two surviving coastal fortifications in the United States intact from the Spanish–American War era. (updated Dec 2025)

• The Seminole Wars took place earlier in the 19th century between the U.S. and the Seminoles.
• Spanish Florida existed as a colony of Spain from 1565 to 1821, with a brief interruption by the British in the late 18th century.
• Philippine Revolution