Question

In what way were American soldiers unprepared for conditions they experienced in the Spanish-American War?

a) American soldiers lacked modern weaponry and struggled to compete with the Spanish military.
b) American soldiers were not adequately trained and faced logistical challenges in a tropical environment.
c) American soldiers were unfamiliar with guerrilla warfare tactics used by the Spanish rebels.
d) American soldiers were well-prepared and faced no significant challenges in the war.

Answer 1

American soldiers in the Spanish-American War were unprepared due to training and supply deficits, leading to high disease-caused mortality and logistical challenges in the tropical environment they were not equipped to handle.

Step-by-step explanation:

American soldiers were unprepared for conditions they experienced in the Spanish-American War due to a combination of lack of training, inadequate supplies, and poor knowledge of tropical diseases. The soldiers faced logistical challenges and were unequipped with necessities like sanitary training camps, healthy meat supplies, and uniforms.

They also lacked sufficient knowledge of tropical illnesses, which resulted in a high number of deaths due to disease rather than combat, highlighting their unpreparedness in this tropical environment. Furthermore, the U.S. military initially had fewer than thirty thousand soldiers and relied heavily on volunteers who, although enthusiastic, often lacked uniforms and came equipped with their guns. These conditions created additional difficulties in managing and supplying such a large, inexperienced force.