Nurses serving in the Spanish-American
War.
Army Nurse Corps Collection, Office of Medical
History,
Office of the Surgeon General.
On April 25, 1898, the United States declared war on Spain following the sinking of the Battleship Maine in Havana Harbor on Feb. 15, 1898. The Treaty of Paris on Dec. 10, 1898, ended the war and Spain lost its control over the remnants of its overseas empire. The Treaty established the independence of Cuba, ceded Puerto Rico and Guam to the United States, and allowed the United States to purchase the Philippine Islands from Spain for $20 million.
The war had cost the United States $250 million and nearly 5,500 lives. Only about 400 were killed in battle or died of wounds--the remainder succumbed to disease. More than 1,500 female nurses served under contract to the Army, 21 of them died in the line of duty and their service led to a permanent niche for them in the US Armed Forces.