Battle of El Caney - Aftermath

Aftermath

Though eventually successful, the attack on the fortifications of El Caney had proved to be of little real value. The attack on two strongly defended points at both El Caney and San Juan diluted the strength of American forces, resulting in delays and additional casualties.

The Americans lost 81 dead and 360 wounded, with Cuban rebel losses estimated at around 150 killed and wounded. The number of killed and wounded on the Spanish side is not known with certainty, as many of the defenders who survived the battle at El Caney were later killed, wounded, or captured in a fruitless attempt to recapture the Spanish trenchworks at Kettle Hill. One of the Spanish wounded was Colonel Salvador Diaz Ordóñez, who commanded the Spanish artillery and was the designer of the Ordóñez guns that the Spanish used as coastal artillery in Cuba.

Approximately 400-600 of the retreating Spanish defenders at El Caney later participated in a hastily-organized counterattack against troopers of the U.S. 3rd Cavalry and the 1st Volunteer Infantry atop Kettle Hill. After closing to within 200 yards of Kettle Hill, they were taken under fire at a range of 600 yards by a single ten-barrel .30 Gatling Gun atop San Juan Hill manned by Sgt. Green of the Gatling Gun Detachment. According to Spanish commanders captured after the battle, all but 40 of the 600 attacking Spanish troops were killed by the Gatling gun fire.