Qualla: Battle of Fajardo https://qualla.com/battle-of-fajardo en-us © 2026 Bendyline Mon, 20 Jul 2026 10:21:13 GMT Qualla serial false Qualla support@bendyline.com yes https://qualla.com/_res/siteimages/rsslogo.png Qualla: Battle of Fajardo https://qualla.com/battle-of-fajardo Battle of Fajardo: Introduction https://qualla.com/battle-of-fajardo/ A telegraph clerk in Fajardo picked up the phone to the Cape San Juan lighthouse on the morning of August 3, 1898, and heard voices speaking English. That overheard conversation set off a chain of events that would turn a remote lighthouse on Puerto Rico's northeastern tip into a makeshift fortress, a civilian shelter, and the site of one of the war's stranger engagements. The Battle of Fajardo was not a clash of armies. It was a night fight between a handful of sailors, a contingent of Spanish cavalry and infantry, and three warships firing blind into the darkness -- all of it swirling around a lighthouse lamp that was lit, doused, and relit as signals flew between hill and sea.

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]]> Wed, 11 Mar 2026 00:00:00 GMT https://qualla.com/_m/d/e/3/2/battle-of-fajardo-wp/de32-battle-of-fajardo-intro.mp3 0:06 1 full Battle of Fajardo: A Rendezvous That Never Happened https://qualla.com/battle-of-fajardo/ The plan had been straightforward. Rear Admiral William T. Sampson ordered monitors, an armed tug, and a collier to proceed from Port Nipe, Cuba, to Cape San Juan on Puerto Rico's northeastern coast. They arrived on August 1, anchoring behind the cays of Icacos, Isla de Lobos, an...

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]]> Wed, 11 Mar 2026 00:00:00 GMT https://qualla.com/_m/d/e/3/2/battle-of-fajardo-wp/de32-battle-of-fajardo-a-rendezvous-that-never-happened.mp3 0:06 2 full Battle of Fajardo: Civilians in the Crossfire https://qualla.com/battle-of-fajardo/ When Dr. Santiago Veve Calzada, a prominent civic leader in Fajardo, realized the Spanish garrison had withdrawn and left the town defenseless, he begged San Juan to send troops. The situation was bewildering for Fajardo's residents: American warships sat offshore, Spanish soldie...

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]]> Wed, 11 Mar 2026 00:00:00 GMT https://qualla.com/_m/d/e/3/2/battle-of-fajardo-wp/de32-battle-of-fajardo-civilians-in-the-crossfire.mp3 0:06 3 full Battle of Fajardo: Moonlight and Gunfire https://qualla.com/battle-of-fajardo/ On the evening of August 8, the sailors fortified the lighthouse. They blocked the windows, posted sentries, and mounted the Colt machine gun on the roof to sweep the approach lane. Local horsemen galloped up throughout the day with wild estimates of Spanish strength -- 500 men, ...

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]]> Wed, 11 Mar 2026 00:00:00 GMT https://qualla.com/_m/d/e/3/2/battle-of-fajardo-wp/de32-battle-of-fajardo-moonlight-and-gunfire.mp3 0:06 4 full Battle of Fajardo: Flags Sent to Madrid https://qualla.com/battle-of-fajardo/ Atwater immediately ordered the lamp relit. Spanish fire ceased around the same time, and the American sailors stopped shooting shortly after. They had fired 1,100 rounds from 22 rifles. Atwater estimated the Spanish force at about 72 infantry and 24 cavalry, with two killed and ...

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]]> Wed, 11 Mar 2026 00:00:00 GMT https://qualla.com/_m/d/e/3/2/battle-of-fajardo-wp/de32-battle-of-fajardo-flags-sent-to-madrid.mp3 0:06 5 full