Cuban War of Independence Santiago, and established a base. The port of Santiago became the main target of naval operations. The U.S. fleet attacking Santiago needed shelter from the summer hurricane season, thus nearby Guantánamo Bay, with its excellent harbor, was chosen for this purpose and attacked on June 6 (1898 invasion of Guantánamo Bay). The Battle of Santiago de Cuba on July 3, 1898 was the largest naval engagement during the Spanish–American War, resulting in the destruction of the Spanish Caribbean Squadron (Flota de Ultramar). Resistance in Santiago consolidated around Fort Canosa, All the while, major battles between Spaniards and Americans took place
San Luis, Santiago de Cuba San Luis, Santiago de Cuba San Luis is a town and municipality in the Santiago de Cuba Province of Cuba. It is located north of Santiago de Cuba. The city was founded in 1827 on the location of a ranch. Arrival of the railroad accelerated its development. San Luis achieved municipality status on 19 August 1898. In 2004, the municipality of San Luis had a population of 88,496. With a total area of , it has a population density of . The municipality is divided into the barrios of Dos Caminos, La Luz, Majaguabo, Monte Dos Leguas, Norte and Sur.