July 1, 1898: The Battle of San Juan Hill

July 1, 1898: The Battle of San Juan Hill is fought near Santiago, Cuba, as part of the Spanish-American War.

This battle has become part of the myth of American greatness, military and civilian. The truth is a bit more complicated.

In the 1890s, the people of Cuba rebelled against their colonial overlords from Spain. Many Americans wanted to go to war to free Cuba. Most of those, however, were business lords who wanted to exploit Cuba's natural resources, without Spain keeping them out. They had tried to make deals with Spain, and failed. So they needed to get Spain out of Cuba. All they needed was an excuse.

On February 15, 1898, they got their excuse. The battleship USS Maine was berthed in Havana Harbor, when there was an explosion, killing 261 sailors. An official U.S. Navy investigation ruled that an external mine caused the explosion. Witnesses among the American survivors denied this, and a much more likely cause for the explosion was a coal fire in the boiler.

No matter: Amid cries of "Remember the Maine!", on April 25, America declared war on Spain. President William McKinley had wanted to avoid it, but he no longer could.

This was America's 1st war with a European power since facing Britain in the War of 1812, which ended in 1815, 83 years earlier. Perhaps "power" was too strong a word for Spain, because the war was a mismatch: Spain was a nation of a crumbling bureaucracy, and the war only lasted until August 13, 1898. There were 2 signature battles, 1 on land, 1 on the sea. The naval battle was in Manila Bay, helping America to take the Philippines on May 1. The other was San Juan Hill.

One of the leading advocates for war with Spain was the Assistant Secretary of the Navy, Theodore Roosevelt. He had written books on military power, so he knew his stuff -- at least, from afar. But his father, Theodore Roosevelt Sr., a wealthy New York importer, had bought a substitute for himself in the American Civil War -- which, under the law of the time, was legal, if not moral -- and the son felt that the man he most admired in the world had damaged the family honor.

So when the Spanish-American War came, Theodore Jr. resigned his post, and enlisted in the U.S. Army. He was commissioned a Lieutenant Colonel, and after Colonel Leonard Wood (later to be one of the leading American Generals of World War I) was reassigned, TR (he didn't mind the use of his initials, but he hated being called "Teddy") was given command of the 1st United States Volunteer Cavalry. (Hence, the "U.S.V." pin on his collar.) 

The hat became iconic. Even after he became President,

editorial cartoonists drew him wearing it.

They were nicknamed the Rough Riders, after a term used in Buffalo Bill Cody's Wild West Show. Originally a group of men living up to the "rough" part of their name, TR used his contacts to bring in educated men of all kinds of expertise: Athletes, lawmen, actual cowboys he had known while running a ranch in South Dakota, and so on.

He wasn't the only one: A veteran of Buffalo Bill's show, the trick-shot artist Annie Oakley, wrote to McKinley, saying she could bring 50 female sharpshooters, who would bring their own weapons and ammunition, thus saving the government money on training and supplies. Although women had assumed masculine identities to serve in every American war effort from 1775 onward, this was the 1st time there was an official public effort by women to volunteer as anything other than a nurse, a cook, or, um, a provider of physical comfort. McKinley declined the offer.

When the Battle of San Juan Hill came, Roosevelt's men charged, with Gatling guns behind them, and the Spanish Army, which hadn't fought a major army since the Peninsular Campaign of the Napoleonic Wars 84 years earlier, didn't have a chance. The Americans lost more men -- 144 to 114 -- but they vastly outnumbered the Spanish, so they only lost 8 percent of their force, as opposed to Spain's 22 percent.

Spain surrendered Cuba a few days later. The victory made Roosevelt the most famous man in America, ahead of McKinley, ahead of Buffalo Bill, ahead of any actor, ahead of any athlete. That November, he was elected Governor of New York. In 1900, tired of his reform efforts, his own party, the Republican Party of the State of New York, talked the national Party into nominating him for Vice President, getting him out of their hair. The Vice Presidency was vacant due to the death the year before of Garret Hobart.

On September 6, 1901, President McKinley was assassinated. He died 8 days later, and his campaign manager and right-hand man, Ohio Republican boss Mark Hanna, said, "That damned cowboy is in the White House!" Hanna knew TR would be an activist President, and planned to oppose him for the Republican nomination in 1904. But Hanna died early that year, and TR won a term of his own easily -- becoming the 1st "accidental President" to do so.

He was that popular. Even Democrats who opposed him politically liked him personally. To this day, over 100 years after his death, he remains one of the most popular Presidents in American history, and a symbol of America's can-do optimism and toughness. 

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July 1, 1898 was a Friday. There was a full slate of 6 games in the National League, the only major league at the time:

* The New York Giants beat the Chicago Orphans, 8-4 at West Side Park in Chicago. Huh? "Orphans"? The year before, Adrian Constantine Anson, their 1st baseman since 1876 and their manager since 1879, retired as a player and left as their manager -- and was now managing the Giants. That only lasted one season. Anyway, he had long been known as "Cap," for "Captain." As he got older, people started calling him "Pop."

The team was founded in 1870 as the Chicago White Stockings. In 1890, because they had so many young players, they became the Chicago Colts. But after Anson left, a sportswriter called them the Orphans, because they "missed their Pop." Another youth movement, in 1903, led to them adopting the name everyone knows them by: The Chicago Cubs.

* The Brooklyn Bridegrooms beat the Pittsburgh Pirates, 8-7 at Exposition Park in Pittsburgh. There was an off-season in which 4 players from the team then known as the Brooklyn Grays got married, so, "Bridegrooms." In 1899, Ned Hanlon became their manager, somebody remembered a circus troupe named Hanlon's Superbas, and they became the Brooklyn Superbas. They became the Dodgers, short for Trolly Dodgers, in 1911, were known as the Robins while Wilbert Robinson managed them from 1914 to 1931, and became the Dodgers again.

* The Cleveland Spiders beat the Boston Beaneaters, 12-6 at League Park in Cleveland. The Spiders lasted just 1 more season. In 1901, the team that would eventually become the Cleveland Indians began play at League Park. A new ballpark with that name was built on the same site in 1910. The Beaneaters became the Braves in 1912.

* The Cincinnati Reds beat the Philadelphia Phillies, 14-2 at League Park in Cincinnati. What would eventually be named Crosley Field would be built on the site in 1912.

* The Baltimore Orioles beat the Louisville Colonels, 2-0 at Eclipse Park in Louisville.

* And the St. Louis Browns beat the Washington Senators, 4-2 at Sportsman's Park in St. Louis. These Browns would become the Cardinals. A new Browns would be started in the American League in 1902, and play at Sportsman's Park. A new ballpark with that name was built on the site in 1909.

The American League was possible because, after the 1899 season, the Spiders, the Orioles, the Colonels and the Senators would be contracted. However, the AL would take up several former NL names: The Baltimore Orioles, the Boston Red Sox, the Chicago White Sox, the St. Louis Browns, and the Washington Senators.