American Training
While video footage of the Spanish American War is limited, the following video depicts trained horses and cavalrymen.
Here, a Tampa training camp is seen.
The following newspaper article looks into the training of American soldiers during the Spanish American War and notes that the soldier needs more than simply courage to face the challenges within the crucible of war. The writer references a text that demonstrated that the armies of Caesar and Alexander the Great underwent great lengths to defeat their adversaries, of which included strenuous physical labor. The argument is that the American soldier should put forth similar effort in his persistence and fighting spirit. The soldier should train hard so as to be a potent force on the battlefield. At the time, the writer states that the soldiers undergo a long, hard seasoning, the result of 'a broad national system of bodily education.' Physical exercise is looked upon as a means to strengthen the body and provides the needed stamina and conditioning that will help keep a person, and naturally a soldier, at a peak level of performance. While the latter part of the newspaper is rather blurred, the newspaper account continues by indicating that overall health is of utmost importance in the military landscape.
The article below notes how rifle handling and marksmanship is not a simple skill to acquire, but requires time and diligent training. This would become a challenge for the American forces as the army was made up of many volunteers who had never had military experience. These fresh recruits would need to be effectively trained for the contemporary battlefield and learn how to use bolt-action rifles in the carrying out of their duties.
Newsprint, "Fine Lungs and Legs"
Newsprint, "Handling a Modern Rifle"
Newsprint, "Handling a Modern Rifle"