Battle of San Juan Hill Battle of San Juan Hill The Battle of San Juan Hill (July 1, 1898), also known as the battle for the San Juan Heights, was a decisive battle of the Spanish–American War. The San Juan heights was a north-south running elevation about east of Santiago de Cuba, Cuba. The names San Juan Hill and Kettle Hill were given to the location by the Americans. This fight for the heights was the bloodiest and most famous battle of the war. It was also the location of the so called "greatest victory" for the Rough Riders, as stated by the press and
USS Santiago de Cuba (1861) elusive Southern warships. On 21 June 1863, "Santiago de Cuba" overtook "Victory" off Palmetto Point, Eleuthera Island, ending a long chase after the British steamer had slipped through the blockade off Charleston with a cargo of cotton, tobacco, and turpentine. On the 25th, she took steamer, "Britannia", in the same area. On 15 July, she boarded steamer, "Lizzie", east of the Florida coast and sent the prize to Key West, Florida for trial. Late in the year, "Santiago de Cuba" sailed north for repairs and decommissioned on 30 December 1863. Overhaul completed, the side wheeler recommissioned on 6 June 1864