Casualties During the Spanish American War

The Totals

Location	Killed	Wounded	Deaths from Disease
Cuba	311	1,479
Puerto Rico	4	47
Philippines	17	115
Other			2,957
Totals	332	1,641	2,957

Total number of Americans killed in war: 3,289
Deaths from loss of USS MAINE (not included in above wartime casualties, since the MAINE sunk before a state of war existed): 260

Total loss: 3,549

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SPANISH LOSSES:

Information on the Spanish losses in the war are somewhat sketchy. The Spanish were already fighting an ongoing war with Cuban Insurgents when the U.S. became involved and the war officially began.

The best information we have on this is from one of our correspondents in Spain. It is as follows:

One century after the war experts still  do not a clear idea about the Spanish casualties in the Spanish American War. Data varies but indicates that between 55,000 and 60,000 men died. Of these men,  90 %  died from malaria, dysentery and other diseases; the remaining 10 % died during the battles or later as a consequence of their injuries.

More specific information is provided concerning the actions in Puerto Rico, where no ongoing war was already occurring. The records for this portion of the conflict indicate the following:

     Soldiers killed: 34

     Soldiers wounded: 91

     Civilians killed: 8

     Civilians wounded: 18

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Bibliography:

Cardona, Gabriel, "A sangre y fuego." La Aventura de la Historia. Year 1, No 2. page 88. (Madrid: December 1998). (source for general information on Spanish losses; provided by correspondent Jose Poncet).

Clerk of the Joint Committee on Printing, The Abridgement: Message from the President of the United States to the Two Houses of Congress. (Washington DC: Government Printing Office, 1899) Vols I, II. (source for information on American losses).

1898, La Guerra - Hispano Americana en Puerto Rico website (Source for information concerning the Spanish losses in Puerto Rico).

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