Dates: 1895-1898
Biographical Note:This collection is evidence of the role journalism and photography took during the Spanish-American War. The war lasted from April to July of 1898 and arose as a response to the Cuban rebellion against Spanish rule. American involvement in the conflict was precipitated by the destruction of the USS Maine, on February 15, 1898 from an explosion that killed around three-quarters of the Maine’s crew.
There were two significant naval battles during this conflict, the Battle of Manila Bay on May 1, 1898 and the Battle of Santiago de Cuba on July 3, 1898. The Battle of Santiago de Cuba resulted in the destruction of Spain’s Caribbean Squadron. The scrapbook within this collection contains many images of the naval ships that participated in the Battle of Santiago de Cuba, including the Spanish Navy’s Infanta Maria Teresa, Vizcaya, Cristóbal Colón and Almirante Oquendo and the United States Navy’s Brooklyn, Oregon, Texas, and Indiana.
Many U.S. Navy officers became public heroes through their involvement in the war, which is evidenced by headings under the photographs in this scrapbook. Three U.S. Naval officers who had a significant role in the Spanish-American war were Admiral George Dewey, Rear Admiral William Thomas Sampson and Rear Admiral Winfield Scott Schley, each of which appears in this scrapbook.
Collection Scope:
The collection consists of one scrapbook containing photographs of naval ships and officers from the United States and Spain that participated in the Spanish-American War. The periodical(s) the photographs are cut from is unknown, but some photographs have copyright dates including 1895, Wm. H. Rau; 1898, Wm. H. Rau; and 1898, W.R. Hearst.
Subject Headings:
Battleships – United States.
Scrapbooks – United States.
Dewey, George, 1837-1917.
Spanish-American War, 1898.
Ship captains – Washington (D.C.)
Spanish-American War, 1898 – Naval operations.
Spanish-American War, 1898 – Naval operations, American.
Spain, Armada – History – Spanish-American War, 1898.
United States, Navy – History – Spanish-American War, 1898.
Other Resources
Arnold, James and Roberta Weiner (eds). (2009). The encyclopedia of the Spanish-American and Philippine-American wars: a political, social, and military history. (Santa Barbara, Calif.: ABC-CLIO). (3 volumes). Print.
Berner, Brad K. (1998). The Spanish-American War: a historical dictionary. (Lanham, Md: Scarecrow Press). Print.
Concas y Palau, Víctor María. (1900). The squadron of Admiral Cervera. (Washington: Govt. Print. Off). Print.
Gómez Núñez, Severo. (1899). The Spanish-American war. Blockades and coast defense. (Washington: Govt. Print. Off). Print.
Hemment, John C. (1898). Cannon and camera, sea and land battles of the Spanish American war in Cuba, camp life, and the return of the soldiers. (New York: Appleton). Print.
Jacobsen, Hermann. (1899). Sketches from the Spanish-American War. (Washington: Govt. Print. Off). Print.
Leslie’s official history of the Spanish-American war: a pictorial and descriptive record of the Cuban rebellion…. [Washington?: sn, 1899]. Print.
Long, John Davis. (1903). The new American Navy. (New York: The Outlook Company). Print.
Spears, John Randolph. (1898). Our navy in the war with Spain. (New York: C. Scribner’s Sons). Print.
Wilson, Herbert Wrigley. (1900). The downfall of Spain: naval history of the Spanish-American War. (Boston, Little, Brown). Print.
Access and Use:
Use Restrictions: Portions of the collection may be photocopied, digitally scanned, or photographed, depending on condition and restrictions.
Access Restrictions: Access to portions of this collection may be restricted depending on condition.
Please direct any questions regarding this collection to the Reading Room at the St. Louis Mercantile Library by contacting 314.516.7247.
Citation: When citing material from this collection, the preferred citation is: From the Special Collections of the St. Louis Mercantile Library at the University of Missouri-St. Louis.
In observance of security procedures, certain services may not be available shortly before the daily closing time.
Charles Brown
Reference Services,
St. Louis Subject Specialist
314.516.7243
cbrown@umsl.edu
