The Spanish-American War: A New Opportunity to Serve

Answering the Call

After the Civil War ended in 1865, the United States was not involved in armed conflict at home or abroad for more than thirty years. The nation had focused inward on the challenging tasks of unifying the north and south under one flag and bringing the country into the industrial age. By the 1890s, the economy was expanding, technology was beginning to link the distant states together, and many Americans believed that the United States should play a significant role in world affairs. The Spanish-American War provided the United States with an occasion to exhibit the country's potential strength on the world stage and set a precedent for increased participation in global affairs during the twentieth century.

A generation of Ohioans who had grown up listening to the tales of their mothers' and fathers' heroic deeds and difficult sacrifices during the Civil War were anxious for their own opportunity to display their dedication to their country's flag and ideals. When war flared between Spain and the United States in 1898, the Regular Army did not have the manpower that was needed to engage the Spanish. For many years the Army was limited by law to 25,000 troops. Lack of active recruiting had caused the ranks to dwindle to only 18,000 soldiers. State militia organizations, such as the Ohio National Guard, were not subject to the same limits as the Regular Army and counted between 150,000 and 200,000 men in their ranks. Their participation would be crucial to the United States' ability to wage an international war. The general public was feeling very patriotic and militia members were so eager to serve that few people seriously questioned the unprecedented act of sending them to far-off countries to fight. The Spanish-American War marked the first time in U.S. history that members of militia organizations were called to fight overseas.

President William McKinley's call for troops, from the Columbus Dispatch, April 23, 1898, front page.

Companies of Ohio National Guard regiments recruited to reach their full strength of 75 men and assembled at their armories as soon as President McKinley, a fellow Ohioan, issued the first call for volunteers on April 23, 1898. They easily filled Ohio's initial quota of six infantry regiments and four batteries of light artillery. The term of enlistment for volunteer troops in 1898 was for two years or until discharged. President McKinley and many other political and military leaders were Civil War veterans. They did not want to repeat the confusion that resulted in 1861 when volunteers responding to the first call for troops from President Lincoln enlisted for only three months and had to reenlist when it became clear that the war would last much longer.

Despite the willingness of Ohio soldiers to serve, only two Ohio regiments were sent to combat zones. The 8th Ohio Infantry was sent to Cuba as part of a group of reinforcements for the troops entrenched outside the port city of Santiago. The 4th Ohio Infantry participated in the invasion and occupation of Puerto Rico. Circumstances and disease caused the two regiments to have very different experiences overseas.