Daiquiri,
A sea-coast town in the province of
Santiago, about 15 miles east of
Santiago,
Cuba.
It was here that the
American army of invasion disembarked after the declaration of war against
Spain in 1898.
After
Gen. William Rufus Shafter (q. v.), commander of the expedition, had accepted the offer of the services of the Cuban troops under
General Garcia, he furnished them with rations and ammunition.
A number of sharp-shooters, machine-guns, and mountain artillery were landed to aid the Cubans in clearing the hills, after which 6,000 men were put ashore on June 22.
The landing was difficult on account of the defective
[
4]
transport facilities, but still the Spaniards could offer no serious opposition, as they were held in check by the Cubans and the shells of the
American warships, and also by the feint of
Admiral Sampson to bombard Juragua.
On June 23, 6,000 more troops were landed, and a division under
Maj.-Gen. Henry W. Lawton (q. v.) marched to
Siboney (q. v.) in order to give place to the division of
Maj.-Gen. Jacob F. Kent (q. v.) While
General Shatter conducted the disembarkation,
Maj.-Gen. Joseph Wheeler directed the operations ashore.
The only losses sustained in this landing were one killed and four wounded.
