The following are known Battles of the Spanish–American War.
This list includes all major engagements and most reported skirmishes of the Spanish–American War. Some items, such as the claim by Puerto Ricans that Spanish guns in San Juan fired the first shots of the war, cannot be confirmed by official records. Therefore, the list includes only those battles and skirmishes that can officially be documented after the official declarations of war on April 23 (Spain) and April 25 (United States). Two key battles were the battle of San Juan, and the battle of Santiago de Cuba.
Key: (A) – US Victory; (S) – Spanish Victory; (I) – Inconclusive
April 1898
April 25 – Bombardment of Matanzas, Cuba by US Navy (A)
May 1898
May 1 – Battle of Manila Bay; American Asiatic Squadron under Commodore George Dewey destroys Spanish Pacific Squadron under Admiral Patricio Montojo (A)
May 11 – Battle of Cárdenas; Spanish gunboats defeat American gunboats (S)
May 11 – Battle of Cienfuegos; US to cuts telegraph cable at Cienfuegos after two failed attempts (I)
May 12 – Admiral William T. Sampson bombards San Juan, Puerto Rico (I)
May 31 – US Fleet skirmishes with Cristóbal Colón and the fortifications of Santiago, Cuba (S)
June 1898
June 3 – Failed effort to block harbor mouth at Santiago with scuttling of collier Merrimac, sunk by the Spanish Navy (S)
June 10 – US Marines land at Guantanamo Bay, Cuba (A)
June 21 – Guam captured by US forces; Wake Island soon follows(A)
June 21 – Cuban guerillas land at Sigua, Cuba (I)
June 22 – Second San Juan; USS Saint Paul (SP-1643) maintains a blockade by defeating a Spanish sortie. (I)
June 22 – US troops land at Daiquiri, Cuba; they find Spanish positions abandoned (I)
June 23 – Skirmish at Las Guasimas, Cuba, Cuban rebels driven back (S)
June 24 – Battle of Las Guasimas; US troops under General Joseph Wheeler encounter Spanish resistance under General Antero Rubin (S)
June 28 - Third Battle of San Juan; US auxiliary cruiser defeats a Spanish squadron (A)
June 30 – Battle of Tayacoba; US landing effort repulsed by Spaniards (S)
June 30 – First Battle of Manzanillo; a US naval force attempts to clear the harbor but is repulsed (S)
July 1898
July 1 – Second Battle of Manzanillo; two American gunboats attempt to recanoiter the harbor but are forced to flee(S)
'July 2 Third Battle of Manzanillo (A)
July 1 – Battles of the Santiago Heights: Battle of Kettle Hill and San Juan Hill (A)
July 2 Battle of El Caney (A)
(A) ; fierce fighting for capital of Santiago Province in Cuba (I)
July 3 – Siege of Santiago begins; Battle of Santiago de Cuba; Cervera's squadron destroyed (A)
July 10 – Santiago, Cuba bombarded by US Navy (I)
July 17 – Spanish garrison of Santiago surrenders after weeks of siege(A)
July 21 – Battle of Nipe Bay American gunboats defeat Spanish gunboats and clear the bay (A)
July 23 – Battle of Mani-Mani; Spanish prevent landing of Cuban reinforcements (S)
July 25 – Puerto Rican Campaign; US troops begin invasion of Puerto Rico (I)
July 28 – US troops defeated at Battle of Fajardo (I)
July 31 – Night attack by Spanish on US lines outside Manila, Philippines (S)
August 1898
August 11 – US Troops enter Mayagüez, Puerto Rico; Spanish troops encircle the city to fight a battle that never occurs (A)
August 13 – Battle of Manila; US Troops capture Manila, Philippines(A)
1899–1913
Continued struggles in the Philippine–American War involving Filipinos and Spanish soldiers who refuse to give up fighting. The struggle is called "America's first Vietnam" by late 20th-century historians.
