1898 â American troops drove Spanish forces from La Guasimas, Cuba.
Four veteran regiments of black soldiers would participate in the U.S. invasion of Cuba in 1898. The 9th and 10th Cavalry Regiments were placed in the same division along with white units, under the command of General Joseph Wheeler,61. The Georgian “Fighting Joe” Wheeler, who during the American Civil War had served in the Confederacy, now found himself in command of two fierce black regiments.
After landing at Daiquirà on June 22, General William Shafter’s Fifth Army Corps (17,000 men) set course for Santiago. The 10th Cavalry served in the same brigade as two other white regiments, the 1st.Er U.S. Volunteer Cavalry Regiment (Roosevelt’s Rough Riders) and the 1.Er Cavalry Regiment (regulars). On June 24, Wheeler ordered his men to attack general Antero RubÃn’s retreating units at Las Guásimas. The Rough Riders stumbled into the dense jungle and ran into Rubin’s rearguard. Stopped by a massive Mauser fire, companies from the 1st and 10th came to the rescue, unleashing “a devastating enfilade fire” on the Spanish left flank. The battle ended in a draw, but the Buffalo Soldiers helped rectify Wheeler’s damage.
MILITARY HISTORY SOCIETY OF ROCHESTER
ROCHESTERMILITARY.COM
