Page:The Presidents of the United States, 1789-1914, v. IV.djvu/98

70 LIVES OF THE PRESIDENTS sailed from Key West for Cienfuegos. On the same day the navy department was informed of Cervera s presence at Santiago, and this informa tion was transmitted to Commodore Schley at Cien fuegos through Admiral Sampson. Commodore Schley then proceeded to Santiago. Sampson joined Schley on June 1, and assumed command of the entire fleet. Naval operations against Santiago had as a pre lude the landing on June 10 of 600 marines, who intrenched themselves near the harbor of Guan- tanamo, and successfully repulsed repeated attacks by the Spaniards. The army that had been collect ing at Tampa was now ready for action, and on June 14 Gen. Shafter with 16,000 men embarked for Cuba, under escort of 11 war-ships. The troops arrived off Guantanamo Bay on the 20th, and began landing on the 22d at Daiquiri, 17 miles east of Santiago, the entire army being disem barked by the 23d with only two casualties. The forward movement was begun at once; after a sharp action near La Quasima on the 24th, in which the Americans under Gen. Wheeler lost 16 killed and 52 wounded, came on July 1 the storming of the heights of El Caney and San Juan near San tiago. In the two days fighting at this point the loss for the U. S. troops was 230 killed, 1,284 wounded, and 79 missing. Gen. Shafter found Santiago so well defended that he feared he could