Getting to Another War

The sinking of the USS Maine, a battleship of the line, in Havana Bay, February 15, 1898, was the final straw of US and Spanish tension and struggle over the issue of Cuban independence. Off and on, rebellions by Cubans determined to rid Cuba of Spanish rule with the establishment of a free and independent nation, had been going on since 1868. President William McKinley had resisted war cries for most of his administration. He had worked for a peaceful solution with Spain giving Cuba greater independence. He'd made some progress. The sinking of the Maine had brought a demand for war from across the nation and halls of Congress. He listened to the voice of the people.

On April 19, Congress passed a joint resolution, "for the recognition of the independence of the people of Cuba. . . . direct the president of the United States to use the land and naval forces of the United States to carry these resolutions into effect."

The US Army had counted 27,146 soldiers as of April1, 1898. This tiny force was spread from the Atlantic coast to Pacific coast. The Indian Wars were over. No large-scale war training had been undertaken in decades because of small numbers and any real need for such training given the mission of the army. By August 1, 1898, the army numbered 272,046 - 56,012 regulars and 216,034 volunteers.

Congressman Joseph Wheeler, from Alabama's 8th Congressional District, West Point graduate, 1859, six year veteran of the United States Army (1854-1861) and four year veteran of the Confederate States of America Army (1861-65), was one of the first to volunteer. He, Matthew C. Butler and Fitzhugh Lee, all Confederate Generals, were appointed Major Generals. The Civil War was more over now than anytime in the years since 1865. "Fightin' Joe" was critical to that reconciliation in his volunteering for US service.