There had been war scares before , as in the `` Virginius '' Affair in 1873 , but in the late 1890s , American public opinion was agitated Influence by reports Reporting of gruesome Spanish atrocities .

The `` Virginius '' Affair was a diplomatic dispute that occurred Coming_to_be from October 1873 to February 1875 between the United States , the United Kingdom , and Spain ( then in control of Cuba ) , during the Ten Years ' War .

`` Virginius '' was a fast American ship hired Employment by Cuban insurrectionists to land men and munitions in Cuba to attack Attack the Spanish regime there .

The `` Virginius '' Affair started Process_start a resurgence in the US Navy following the American Civil War ; its fleet had been heretofore inferior to the warships of Spain .