Calixto García

Source: Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia.
For the Cuban municipality, see Calixto García, Cuba.
"General Garcia" redirects here. For other uses, see General Garcia (disambiguation).

In this
Spanish name, the first or paternal surname
is García and the second or maternal family name is Íñiguez.
Calixto García in 1898

Calixto García Íñiguez (August 4, 1839 – December 11, 1898) was a

Cuban War for Independence: the Ten Years' War, the Little War, and the War of 1895, itself sometimes called the Cuban War for Independence, which bled into the Spanish–American War, ultimately resulting in national independence for Cuba.[1]

Ancestry and progeny

García was born in

Valencia, Venezuela. His grandfather (who had dropped the aristocratic "de Luna" upon taking refuge in Cuba) had been jailed on March 18, 1837 for demanding emancipation of slaves, constitutional freedom for all, and allegedly trying to hang a priest who opposed him. As befitted a man of importance of that time, Calixto had a wife, Isabel Velez Cabrera, and a good number of mistresses; these women gave birth to many children both legitimate (about 7) and illegitimate (at least six, each to a different woman). A number of his sons, most notably Carlos García Velez[2][3] and Calixto Enamorado,[4] fought in his armies
.

War record

Around the age of 28, taking after his grandfather, García joined with a Cuban uprising which became the first war of independence (

Antonio Maceo Grajales in the Little War from 1879 to 1880 as well as the 1895 War for Independence
. He, and at least three sons, separately escaped from Spain and arrived with a well-supplied expedition in 1896. In that last conflict he succeeded Maceo, once his subordinate in the Ten Years' War, as the second in command in the Cuban Army.

García with American brigadier general William Ludlow at the time of the landing of the American army in Cuba

Garcia had a long string of victories in this war, which included the taking of Tunas and Guisa, and the emotionally significant re-occupation of Bayamo. García made liberal use of spies to prepare for his attacks. These include Dominador de la Guardia father of Ángel de la Guardia and María Machado, illegitimate daughter of Spanish General Emilio March who helped prepare the taking of Tunas; Frederick Funston later US Major General and José Martí y Zayas Bazán son of José Martí the major Cuban National Hero directed artillery; Mario García Menocal a to-be president of Cuba who was wounded in a principal assault. Angel de la Guardia, also a major Cuban national hero, died in this battle on August 30, 1897.[3]

At the time of the U.S. landings, García, with skilled use of mobile artillery, controlled the interior of old Oriente Province, and prepared the landing places for the U.S. Army near Santiago. His troops effectively supported the Marine forces at Guantanamo who, once out of range of the guns of the USS Marblehead, had difficulty dealing with Spanish guerrilla tactics. He was the general who dealt with the American troops and joined them in military actions, only to be denied entrance into Santiago de Cuba when the Spanish surrendered.

Death

García died of pneumonia at the age of 59 on December 11, 1898, one day after the end of the Spanish–American War, while on a diplomatic mission in

US Interests Section in Havana.[7] After his death, a large bronze tablet prominently inscribed with the phrase "Dulce et decorum est pro patria mori" was erected by the Freemasons
at the place of his demise—the Raleigh Hotel in Washington, D.C. Today, this tablet resides at the private residence of one of García's direct descendants.

García depicted on the original artist/progress proof designed by the United States Bureau of Engraving and Printing for Cuban silver certificates (1936).
García depicted on the original artist/progress proof designed by the United States Bureau of Engraving and Printing for Cuban silver certificates (1936).

The essay "

A Message to Garcia featuring Enrique Acosta
.

In 1976, a municipality in Holguín Province was named Calixto García after him. His portrait is on the 50 Cuban peso banknote.

Print sources

  • Castellano García, Gerardo 1927. Tierras y Glorias de Oriente (Calixto García Iñiguez) Editorial Hermes Havana
  • Escalante Beaton, Anibal 1946. Calixto García Su Campaña en el 95. Arrow Press Havana. (Introduction by General Carlos García Velez, son of the mayor general and a firsthand witness to many of the events described.)
  • Rice, Donald Tunnicliff, 2016. Cast in Deathless Bronze: Andrew Rowan, The Spanish–American War, and the Origins of American Empire. Morgantown: West Virginia University Press. (This volume contains more information regarding García's life and career than any other English-language publication.)

References

  1. ^ "Palabras de tres guerras". Instituto Civico Militar. 1942.
  2. ^ "Generals of the Cuban Army of Liberation". www.cubagenweb.org. Retrieved March 22, 2019.
  3. ^ a b (in Spanish) Article Archived January 16, 2006, at the Wayback Machine on Granma
  4. ^ "Enamorado". www.spanamwar.com. Retrieved March 22, 2019.
  5. ^ "Infos on the Naval Historical Centre website". Retrieved March 22, 2019.
  6. ^ "Log In ‹ Home of Heroes — WordPress". homeofheroes.com. Retrieved March 22, 2019.
  7. ^ Info at cubatravels.net

External links

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