In the Thickest of the Battle: The Men of the Astor Battery in the Spanish-American War, (Paperback)

<p> The Spanish-American War is the shortest declared war in United States history. The period of ground combat ranged from the Battle of Las Guasimas, Cuba, on June 24, 1898, to the assault on Manila, Philippines, on August 13, 1898. Even then, significant combat took place on only a handful of days. Still, this period produced a handful of well-known military units such as Roosevelt's Rough Riders. Rivaling the Rough Riders for notoriety was the artillery battery known as the Astor Battery.</p><p> The genesis of the battery reads like a fictional Gilded Age story. Funded by millionaire John Jacob Astor IV, the battery was specially recruited to be part of the Regular Army. Contemporary newspaper accounts portrayed these men as wealthy, or the sons of the wealthy. Their ranks were said to be full of lawyers, doctors, and college athletes. Many of the men had had some military experience, either in the Regular Army, National Guard, or, in the case of a few men, foreign armies. Achieving fame during the assault on Manila in August of 1898, the Astor Battery cemented its place in Spanish-American War history in multiple heroic instances. This book is a detailed history of this singular military unit, including biographical information on all the officers and men who made up its ranks.</p>

• In the Thickest of the Battle: The Men of the Astor Battery in the Spanish-American War, (Paperback)
• Author: Peter L Belmonte
• ISBN: 9781476699349
• Format: Paperback
• Publication Date: 2027-01-08
• Page Count: 146