In an attempt to break the stalemate, it was decided to attack Santiago from land. A transport convoy was assembled in Key West and "Indiana" was sent back to lead it. The expeditionary force, under the command of Major General William Rufus Shafter, landed east of the city and attacked it on 1 July. Cervera saw that his situation was desperate and attempted to break through the blockade on 3 July 1898, resulting in the battle of Santiago de Cuba. The cruisers and and battleship had left the day before to load coal in Guantanamo Bay. Admiral Sampson's flagship, the cruiser , had also sailed east earlier that morning for a meeting with General Shafter, leaving Commodore Schley in command. This left the blockade weakened and unbalanced on the day of the battle, as three modern battleships ("Indiana", and ) and the armed yacht guarded the east, while the west was only defended by the second-class battleship , cruiser and armed yacht .