April 25

“Remember the Maine” – three simple words that helped propel the United States into a major conflict with Spain. And Georgians played an important role in it.

The Spanish-American War grew out of American support for Cuba’s rebellion against Spain. After the American battleship USS Maine exploded in Havana Harbor, Americans clamored for war. Georgia had more than 25 training camps during the war. Savannah housed almost 13,000 men of the Seventh Army Corps in Forsyth Park, where they were reviewed by President McKinley, while Camp Thomas on the Chickamauga battlefield in northwest Georgia held more than 7,000 troops.

Several Georgians played prominent roles in the war. Augusta native and Confederate veteran “Fighting” Joe Wheeler commanded U.S. volunteers in Cuba; Savannah’s William Washington Gordon accepted the surrender of Puerto Rico, and Marietta native Thomas Brumby served under Admiral Dewey and raised the first American flag over Manila.

The war that brought America to the world’s stage began on April 25, 1898, Today in Georgia History.