Question

Rewrite this in easy 8th grader words, determine what really happened on that historic battlefield on July 1, 1898. 8-9 sentences

The U.S. Navy had blockaded the port of Santiago in June 1898, and an expeditionary force of 15,000 men was preparing for an assault on the city. U.S. forces began their march on Santiago on June 30. Among the troops were four regiments of African American soldiers in the regular Army and a group of volunteers, called the Rough Riders.
The U.S. Army Fifth Corps fought its way to Santiago’s outer defenses, and on July 1 U.S. General William Shafter ordered an attack on the village of El Caney and San Juan Hill. Shafter hoped to capture El Caney before besieging the fortified heights of San Juan Hill, but the 500 Spanish defenders of the village put up a fierce resistance and held off 10 times their number for most of the day. Although El Caney was not secure, some 8,000 Americans pressed forward toward San Juan Hill.
San Juan Heights had two high spots along its north-south axis, one called San Juan Hill and the other later named Kettle Hill by the troops. On July 1, General William Shafter, the overall commander of U.S. forces in Cuba, ordered attacks on the Spanish blockhouse at El Caney and San Juan Heights. Generals Sumner and Kent lined up for an attack on San Juan Heights and waited for Brigadier General Henry W. Lawton’s division to arrive from El Caney which included the 25th Infantry.

Answer 1

In June 1898 the U.S. Navy blockaded the port of Santiago, and about 15,000 American soldiers got ready to attack. They began marching on June 30, and the force included four Black Army regiments and a volunteer group called the Rough Riders. By July 1 the U.S. Fifth Corps reached Santiago’s outer defenses and General William Shafter ordered attacks on the village of El Caney and the high ground called San Juan Heights. Only about 500 Spanish soldiers defended El Caney, but they fought so hard that they held off a much larger American force for most of the day. Because El Caney tied up troops, not all of the American units were together when nearly 8,000 men moved toward San Juan Hill. The heights actually had two high spots — San Juan Hill and a nearby rise later nicknamed Kettle Hill — and both were seen as vital. Even with the delay, American units, including the Rough Riders and African American regiments, charged uphill and after fierce fighting captured the positions. Lawton’s division was held up at El Caney and arrived late, but in the end the Americans took the hills, a victory that helped bring about the fall of Santiago soon after.