1898 9th Cavalry Buffalo Soldiers, Battle Las Guasimas Rough Riders, Miles Jul 9
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🗞️ HARPER'S WEEKLY · July 9, 1898
Complete Issue · New York
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An exceptional Spanish-American War issue — the 9th Cavalry Buffalo Soldiers at Port Tampa, the Rough Riders' stand at Las Guasimas, the invasion of Cuba double-page, General Nelson Miles commanding the Army, a bird's-eye view of Santiago, and a small portrait of Mark Twain. A primary document of one of the most significant weeks of the war, published two days after the Battle of San Juan Hill.
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🎖️ BUFFALO SOLDIERS — 9TH CAVALRY
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🎖️ FULL PAGE — "9TH U.S. CAVALRY (COLORED), PORT TAMPA"
A full-page illustration of the 9th U.S. Cavalry — one of the legendary Buffalo Soldier regiments — at Port Tampa, Florida, embarking for Cuba. The 9th Cavalry had served continuously on the western frontier since its founding in 1866 as one of the Army's first Black regiments, and in 1898 it was deployed alongside the 10th Cavalry and the Rough Riders in the Cuban campaign. At the Battle of Las Guasimas on June 24, reinforcements from the 9th Cavalry arrived to support the fighting; at San Juan Hill on July 1 — just eight days before this issue — the 9th and 10th Cavalry charged alongside Roosevelt's Rough Riders in the assault that became the most celebrated American military action of the war. Lieutenant John J. Pershing — the future commander of American forces in World War I — wrote of the Buffalo Soldiers: "They fought their way into the hearts of the American people." Theodore Roosevelt initially praised them: "No one can tell whether it was the Rough Riders or the men of the 9th who came forward with the greater courage." This Port Tampa portrait is a significant and rare piece of Black military history and Spanish-American War history — one of the most displayable Buffalo Soldier illustrations in the Harper's Weekly run.
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⚔️ THE BATTLE OF LAS GUASIMAS
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💥 FULL PAGE — "THE BATTLE OF LA GUASIMAS, JUNE 24 — THE HEROIC STAND OF THE ROUGH RIDERS"
A dramatic full-page illustration of the Battle of Las Guasimas — the first major land engagement of the Spanish-American War, fought on June 24, 1898, just three miles inland from Siboney along the jungle trail to Santiago de Cuba. General "Fighting Joe" Wheeler's cavalry division — including the 1st U.S. Volunteer Cavalry (the Rough Riders) under Colonel Leonard Wood and Lieutenant Colonel Theodore Roosevelt, alongside the 10th Cavalry Buffalo Soldiers — advanced through dense jungle and came under ambush fire from a Spanish rearguard of 1,500 men under General Antero Rubín. After two hours of sharp fighting, with 16 Americans killed and 52 wounded (including the wealthy New York socialite Sergeant Hamilton Fish, one of the first to fall), the Spanish withdrew toward Santiago. The yellow press declared it a rout; in reality Wheeler had come close to a serious reverse. This illustration connects directly to the 9th Cavalry portrait in the same issue, as both regiments — the 9th and 10th Cavalry — fought alongside the Rough Riders through the entire Santiago campaign. A primary document of the first land battle of a war that would make Theodore Roosevelt president.
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🖼️ INSIDE THE ISSUE
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🎖️ FULL FRONT PAGE — "MAJOR-GENERAL NELSON MILES, U.S.A. — COMMANDING THE ARMY"
A full front-page portrait of General Nelson Miles — the Commanding General of the U.S. Army, who would go on to lead the Puerto Rico campaign beginning July 25, 1898. Miles was one of the most decorated officers of the Civil War and Indian Wars, and his command of the Army made him the senior military figure of the Spanish-American War. He appears in this same 1877 Harper's Weekly run as an Indian Wars frontier commander.
🗺️ FULL PAGE — "BIRD'S-EYE VIEW OF SANTIAGO, CUBA"
A full-page bird's-eye view of Santiago de Cuba — the strategic prize of the entire Cuban campaign, whose harbor held Admiral Cervera's trapped Spanish fleet. Published just days after the Battle of San Juan Hill, this view captures the city at the moment of its investment and impending surrender. Santiago surrendered on July 17, 1898.
🌊 DOUBLE-PAGE — "THE INVASION OF CUBA"
A double-page illustration of the American invasion of Cuba — a panoramic document of one of the defining military operations of the Spanish-American War.
✍️ SMALL ILLUSTRATION — MARK TWAIN
A small portrait of Mark Twain — one of the most prominent American voices against the Spanish-American War and American imperialism, whose presence in this issue offers a quiet counterpoint to the martial enthusiasm surrounding him. Twain would become a leading figure in the Anti-Imperialist League later in 1898. A significant piece of American literary and political history.
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📋 CONDITION
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I photograph every page of every issue so you can inspect the condition closely before purchasing. Please review all images carefully and don't hesitate to ask any questions — I'm happy to provide additional detail or close-up shots of any page, illustration, or area of concern before you buy.
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📌 DETAILS
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Publication ········ Harper's Weekly
Date ··············· July 9, 1898
City ··············· New York
Format ············· Illustrated newspaper, complete in 24 pages
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📦 SHIPPING & PRESERVATION
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• Housed in an acid-free archival folder with Mylar overlay to protect the 128-year-old newsprint
• Flat-shipped with heavy-duty reinforcement to ensure safe arrival of the centerfold
• Fully tracked for your peace of mind
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1898 9th Cavalry Buffalo Soldiers, Battle Las Guasimas Rough Riders, Miles Jul 9
$45.67