Action of 13 June 1898 decided to withdraw. At the outbreak of the Spanish–American War Cienfuegos was a strategically important port due to its facilities and good communications with Havana. Some prewar plans recommended its prompt capture, but instead it was blockaded, along with some other important ports of the southern coast of Cuba such as Santiago de Cuba and Manzanillo. The most powerful Spanish naval units of the island, meanwhile, had been gathered in Santiago, and submarine defenses consisting mainly of torpedoes had been installed in the major ports of Havana, Cienfuegos, Santiago and San Juan de Puerto Rico. The naval units based in
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.