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) 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