The capture of Guam by the United States during the Spanish-American War was a pivotal moment in the conflict. When U.S. naval forces arrived in the waters around Guam in June 1898, they sought to assert control over the island as part of a broader strategy against Spanish colonial holdings in the Pacific. The U.S. fleet, commanded by Captain Henry Glass, comprised the USS Charleston and other support vessels, which approached the island under the assumption that they could take it with minimal resistance. At that time, the Spanish garrison was unaware of the declaration of war between the U.S. and Spain, which had occurred earlier that spring, sparking widespread hostilities in the Caribbean and the Pacific. On June 21, the U.S. naval ships fired several warning shots intended to intimidate, yet the Spanish interpreted these shots as ceremonial salutes. Consequently, the garrison did not mobilize for defense and instead surrendered the island without firing a shot in retaliation. This incident highlighted both the miscommunications of the time and the strategic advantages held by the technologically superior U.S. naval forces.