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Includes 8 letters sent by seaman Jim Bryan of Wyandotte, Michigan, to his family while he was aboard the frigate USS Franklin off the Virginia coast, and the cruiser USS Newark, which departed the Chesapeake for Key West to participate in the blockade in June . Includes several descriptions of Bryan's dismay at naval life and customs, as well as his hope that they think fondly of him. Sailors' letters, Battle of Santiago, Siege of Santiago. Partial geographical list: Wyandotte (Mich.), Norfolk (Va.), Key West, Puerto Rico, Guantánamo Bay (Cuba).

Includes letters incoming to Sen. Joseph R. Hawley of Connecticut (who opposed the buildup to war) during the buildup to war with Spain from constituents and some New Yorkers. One letter, penned by an attorney Roger Welles out of Hartford (whose son Rod was entering command of the USS Tecumseh), believes that war against Spain is divinely ordained, and lamenting that no General Jackson or Grant would step up to lead the attack. Other letters, from John Nickolson of the Loyal Legion, the importer Edward Frisbie, and the estate and insurance broker Theodore E. Packer, express gratitude to Hawley for his opposition to the war; a letter from J. Cheney on March 30th goes further and says, "we do not have much in common with those yellow skinned devils on either side down in Cuba . . . Stand firm and let the heathen rage." The lawyer Albert Walker argues that war with Spain contravened the Monroe Doctrine, which held that the Doctrine only applied American protection to territories not under European control in 1823. Thomas Sims, the pastor of the Congregationalist church attended by Roger Welles, was less pro-war than Welles was--Welles took one of Sims's sermons as an argument to support the war, but Sims was content to leave the matter to McKinley (who still opposed the war at this time). USS Maine, U.S. Senate, William McKinley, pacifism, religion and the Spanish-American War. Partial geographical list: Hartford (Conn.), Washington (D.C.), South Manchester (Conn.), Mystic (Conn.), Philadelphia (Pa.), Norwich (Conn.), Willimantic (Conn.), New York.

Includes three letters sent by a sailor named Fred to his sister in Norwich, Conn., concerning conditions on the USS Iowa during its blockade actions in the Caribbean Sea between Cuba and Puerto Rico, including a description of the bombardment of San Juan by a small flotilla including the ships Indiana, New York, Amphitrite, and Terror as well as the Iowa; and an attack on the Spanish fleet in Cienfuegos. Sailors' letters, Battle of Santiago, Siege of Santiago. Partial geographical list: Caribbean Sea, USS Iowa, Santiago (Cuba), San Juan (Puerto Rico), Santo Domingo (Dominican Republic), Cienfuegos (Cuba), Norwich (Conn.).

A collection of letters sent by Edward F. Leiper on the USS New Orleans to his wife Mary his young daughter, also Mary. Mary and Mary were initially living in Annapolis before moving to (elder) Mary's mother's home in Overbrook, Philadelphia. While stationed at Newport, Leiper wrote to (elder) Mary quite frequently; by 8 May, the New Orleans had put to sea. After a stay in Hampton Roads that Leiper found quite frustrating, the New Orleans departed for Key West, and then to the Cuban coast for blockade duties, after which letters began to be sent much less regularly. As the New Orleans stayed off Santiago in June, Leiper begins to complain about "canned fruit, bad bread and bad coffee. I doubt if you can think of a worse combination" and the "heat of a tropical sun." He also makes a complaint to his wife about the "lot of irresponsible newspaper reporters" for their "sensational and readable columns of matter for the public." By August, the New Orleans was in San Juan for peace negotiations, witnessed by Edward, who was optimistic that the war would end soon. The envelopes of each letter are marked numerically; this collection begins with letter number seven. Sailors' letters, Battle of Santiago, Siege of Santiago. Partial geographical list: Newport (R.I.), Annapolis (Md.), North Atlantic Ocean, Hampton Roads (Va.), Key West (Fla.), Caribbean Sea, Santiago (Cuba), San Juan (Puerto Rico), Guantánamo (Cuba), Overbrook (Philadelphia, Pa.).

These are 5 items from William Chapman, Army, and 9 items (6 letters, 3 empty envelopes) from William and Douglas McCaskey, Infantry. William Chapman was an army captain (related to the McCaskey family by marriage) who was present in Santiago when the Spanish troops surrendered on July 17th; three of his letters detail the Spanish decision to surrender amidst a yellow fever outbreak, effectively ending the war. In an August letter to his mother, he expresses frustration that credit for the Santiago surrender in the press was going to the Rough Riders (who Chapman viewed as unprofessional but passionate) and the 71st New York Volunteer infantry (who Chapman hated). Instead, Chapman argued that the bulk of the credit should go to the First Brigade, including the 3rd and 20th Infantry--the 20th coincidentally commanded by Chapman's in-law William McCaskey. The other collection consists of papers from father William and son Douglas McCaskey, including a June 1898 note from William to his wife meant as a farewell letter in case William died commanding the 20th; a note from Douglas to his mother (William's wife) in Fort Leavenworth detailing the military situation; two other letters from William to his wife detailing the military situation during the siege of Santiago (including a hand-drawn map); and an August letter from William to his wife indicating that Douglas had typhoid but was recovering. Soldiers' letters, Battle of Santiago, Siege of Santiago, 20th U.S. Infantry, Rough Riders, guerrilla warfare. Partial geographical list: Santiago (Cuba), Tampa (Fla.), Fort Leavenworth (Kan.).

Consists of letters sent by Schenck to his mother (and wife of another Robert Schenck who was in the Grand Army of the Republic [G.A.R.]) while Robert (Jr.) was serving aboard the USS Vicksburg off the Cuban coast. One letter is from May, but the others are from late June and after, as the Spanish were moving towards surrender and the war was ending. Consists of the detailing of military manoeuvres as well as Schenck's relief upon the end of the war and his return trip to Virginia. Sailors' letters, Battle of Santiago, Siege of Santiago. Partial geographical list: Havana/Habana (Cuba), Santiago (Cuba), Cárdenas (Cuba), Key West, Portsmouth (Va.).

C.O. of the 157th Indiana Volunteers. Consists of three letters detailing life at military camp in Tampa, Fla., to his father was on the board of the Studebaker Company in South Bend, Ind. Also includes a document detailing the sending of food and ammunition provisions to soldiers fighting in Cuba. Soldiers' letters, military logistics, military provisioning. Partial geographical list: Tampa (Fla.), Jacksonville, South Bend.

Consists of letters to Oliver E. Wood, the chief commissary of the Province of Havana, in American Cuba in 1899. Correspondences generally pertain to logistical and supply concerns for American soldiery stationed around Havana, including supplies of foodstuffs (particularly meat and fresh vegetables) and ice (as an anti-inflammatory tool to combat typhoid--a December letter by Joaquín Ramos informs Wood that logistical concerns have raised the price of ice shipped from Ramos's ice and beer factory in Havana). Military logistics, military correspondence. Partial geographical list: Havana/Habana (incl. Camp Columbia, Cuba), Pinar del Río (Cuba), Puerto Principe (Cuba), Washington (D.C.), Buena Vista (Cuba), Guanajay (Cuba).

Consists of American soldiers' and sailors' letters sent from the Spanish-American War front--particularly the areas of Guantánamo Bay and Santiago during the June-July siege and battle--to friends and relatives in the States, as well as a despatch from Maj.-Gen. Nelson Miles to Maj.-Gen. James Wade to initiate the land invasion of Cuba in May. The enlisted soldiers and sailors often have vivid descriptions of siege and guerrilla warfare. Also includes notes sent (with American approval) through the blockade by the British consul in Cuba, Frederick Ramsden, who empathized with the Cuban rebels. Many soldiers make note of the yellow fever and typhoid outbreaks during the latter stages of the war in Santiago. Additional soldiers and sailors wrote home in the aftermath of the Spanish surrender at Santiago. One letter to Atlantic City evinces that the author reflects on his own patriotism due largely to his disgust for Cubans who, in the author's opinion, did not deserve American support. Much reference is made in the letters to the yellow fever outbreak that reached American troops in the aftermath of the Battle of Santiago, which prompted a push to evacuate U.S. troops from Cuba as early as August. Also included are a friendly telegraph from Lt. Richmond Hobson to Adm. Pascual Cervera, a prisoner-of-war in Annapolis; a letter from Cmdr. A.P. Niblack of the USS Topeka to an admiral in the Austro-Hungarian Navy about the circumstances of the Cuba blockade; and several telegraphs and despatches concerning the treatment and movement of Spanish war prisoners. Lastly, this group of materials includes correspondences, despatches, and orders given in the context of the American occupation of Cuba after 1898, beginning with the raising of the U.S. flag in early January 1899. Occupying soldiers found that they were able to cultivate good relations with many Cubans as the Spaniards were leaving, and the supply issues of the previous year had mostly been resolved. However, reference is made to delays in setting up the Cuban postage system. After a delay, Máximo Gómez paraded into Matanzas, then Cienfuegos. The U.S. army continued to struggle with issues of diseases, as well as logistical issues accessing the interior. Many of the letters (from various soldiers) are addressed to a barrister or lawyer Richard Fishman in St. Louis. Some of the letters are on Spanish military stationery taken when the Spanish military evacuated. Two letters from 1907 advise suppression of anti-American activities on the island as well as the revision of Cuban laws. Rough Riders, military strategy and operations, guerrilla warfare, Monroe Doctrine, yellow fever, typhoid, Anglo-Spanish relations, Anglo-American relations, U.S.-Cuba relations, U.S. occupation of Cuba, Máximo Gómez, parades, USS Maine. Partial geographical list: Havana/Habana (including Camp Columbia, Cuba), Gibara (Cuba), Cienfuegos (Cuba), Guanajay (Cuba), Matanzas (Cuba), Bayamo (Cuba), Santiago (Cuba), Guantánamo, San Juan (Cuba), Siboney (Cuba), "Passo Cabalo" (Passacaballos?) (Cuba), Elizabeth City (Va.), Richmond (Va.), Chicago (Ill.), Key West, Tampa (Fla.), Steubenville (Ohio), Toledo (Ohio), Medway (Mass.), Washington (D.C.), London (England), Traverse City (Mich.), Wyandotte (Mich.), Shepherd (Mich.), Cedar Rapids, Atlantic City (NJ), Saratoga Springs (N.Y.), Troy (N.Y.), Lyons (N.Y.), Orange (N.J.), Annapolis (Md.), Wilmington (Del.), East Liverpool (Ohio), Adams (Mass.), West Point (N.Y.), Kansas City (Mo.), Brookfield (Mo.), St. Louis (Mo.), Toledo (Iowa), Reinbeck (Iowa), Jennings (La.).