Since August 1776, British forces under General William Howe had been driving the Continental Army south out of New York. On November 16 the British overran Fort Washington in Manhattan, taking 2,000 Americans prisoner.
In February 1898, a mysterious explosion sank the USS Maine ship in Havana Harbor, which led to the war.
On April 25, 1898, the United States officially declared war on Spain.
During the first battle at Manila Bay in the Philippines, the United States inflicted a defeat on Spanish fleet.
In the famous battle of San Juan Hill, a small Spanish force initially succeeded in keeping U.S. force from advancing, but U.S. soldiers eventually managed to gain the advantage, against all odds.
The outcome of the war was the U.S. acquisition of territories in the western Pacific and Latin.
