Battle of the Aguadores Battle of the Aguadores The Battle of the Aguadores was a sharp skirmish on the banks of the Aguadores River near Santiago de Cuba, on 1 July 1898, at the height of the Spanish–American War. The American attack was intended as a feint to draw Spanish defenders away from their nearby positions at San Juan Hill and El Caney, where the main blows fell later that day. Poor coordination between Duffield's column and the North Atlantic Fleet led to an ineffective bombardment of the Spanish positions. By the time the Americans arrived, the west end of the only bridge had
USS Santiago de Cuba (1861) covered them as they reluctantly reembarked the next day, under orders of General Benjamin F. Butler, the army commander. Porter immediately began work organizing a new invasion force. The union warships and Army transports returned to the vicinity of Wilmington in mid-January 1865. After a bloody three-day fight, Fort Fisher fell on the 15th. The next day, "Santiago de Cuba" embarked men wounded in the battle and sailed for Norfolk, Virginia. During the Civil War, the following crewmen of the USS "Santiago de Cuba" were awarded the Medal of Honor: Before the war ended, "Santiago de Cuba" was the steamship