Santiago Surrender Tree Santiago Surrender Tree The site of the Santiago Surrender Tree (also known as the "Tree of Peace" or ), located in Santiago, Cuba, marks where Spanish forces surrendered to U.S. forces on July 17, 1898, at the end of the Spanish–American War. The ceiba tree had been the site of previous prisoner exchanges. On July 1, 1898, U.S. and Cuban troops had taken Fort El Viso, El Caney and San Juan Hill. These victories led to the U.S. victory at Santiago de Cuba. Per United States law, the site is to be maintained by the American Battle Monuments Commission since
Battle of Santiago de Cuba and later research by historians, have suggested that nearly 85% of the Spanish ammunition at Santiago was utterly useless, either defective or simply filled with sawdust as a cost-saving measure for practice firing. The American ammunition had no such issues of lethality. "Vizcaya" continued the fight until overwhelmed, and by the end of the engagement she had been struck as many as 200 times by the fire from "Brooklyn" and "Texas". "Brooklyn" had closed to within when she finally delivered an round which, according to witnesses, may have detonated a torpedo being prepared for launch. A huge explosion ensued, "Vizcaya"