The Spanish American War

Another important primary source that can be used to examine the events of the Spanish American War is Russell A. Alger’s The Spanish-American War (1901). As the U.S. Secretary of War during the conflict, Alger provides an authoritative perspective on the high-level coordination between the branches. His account emphasizes that the Army’s operations were essentially designed to flush the Spanish fleet out of the harbor and into the waiting guns of the American Navy. Alger’s purpose in writing this shortly after the war was to provide a historical record of the administration's success, though his point of view is naturally biased toward justifying the U.S. government’s strategic decisions. This primary source allows a deep dive into the American perspective and demonstrates many accounts and details that are often unknown to most. Diving into this perspective allows the readers to understand the American point of view in this conflict.