Which Caribbean island did U.S. forces invade at Guanica on July 25, 1898?

Which Caribbean island did U.S. forces invade at Guanica on July 25, 1898? The answer is Puerto Rico.

The landing at Guánica, on Puerto Rico’s southern coast, began the United States’ land campaign against Spain’s remaining Caribbean possessions. Major General Nelson A. Miles commanded the expedition, and about 1,300 American infantrymen came ashore on July 25 from a larger force assigned to the invasion. The landing site had not been the original plan: Miles changed course from Fajardo after judging that Spanish defenses were stronger near San Juan and the northeastern coast.

Spanish authorities had concentrated troops around San Juan and Arecibo, leaving much of southern and western Puerto Rico lightly defended. After the landing, Spanish regulars, civil guards, and Puerto Rican volunteers opposed the advance in several engagements, including the Battle of Yauco and fighting near Coamo, San Germán, and Aibonito. The campaign was halted by the August 12 armistice before U.S. forces captured San Juan.

Puerto Rico is sometimes confused with Cuba because both campaigns belonged to the same war and American operations in Cuba began earlier. The Treaty of Paris, signed in December 1898, formally transferred Puerto Rico from Spain to the United States.