The Puerto Rican Campaign Revisited: "A Splendid Little War"

Abstract

The Puerto Rican campaign, examined in the context of the Spanish-American War, was a minor episode overshadowed by Dewey's attack on Manila Bay and the destruction of the Spanish fleet of Admiral Pascual Cervera at Santiago Bay in Cuba. None of the major figures that captivated the imagination of the American people, General Nelson A. Miles excepted, was involved in operations in Puerto Rico. Nonetheless, the island's history has been greatly influenced by the outcome of the war, when sovereignty over Puerto Rico passed from Spain to the United States.