Guantanamo, Cuba, Apr 1 (Prensa Latina) Cuba recalls today the landing in 1895 of Major General Antonio Maceo and a group of patriots on a beach in this eastern province to resume the armed struggle against the Spanish occupation.
The historic event, which took place in Duaba, Baracoa, more than 1,000 kilometers east of Havana, was the trigger awaited by Cubans to intensify the so-called “Necessary War” for independence from Spanish colonialism.
At dawn that day, after seven days of navigation in the schooner Honor, Maceo arrived at Cuban shores accompanied by the also major generals of the Liberation Army (EL), his brother José and Flor Crombet, along with 20 other patriots.
According to historical records, the Mambi troops only managed to enter the national territory with 11 rifles with 75 cartridges each, 23 revolvers and 15 machetes, but with that arsenal they confronted and defeated, a few hours later, a Spanish patrol that was pursuing them.
According to notes, the troops of the Iberian country fled in panic when they heard the cry of: Here is Maceo! Viva Cuba Libre! In the following day the reduced group faced a fierce pursuit by forces far superior in numbers and military equipment.
However, the news of the arrival of the insurgent officers stimulated the Cubans’ resolution to fight for their definitive emancipation, which became evident on February 24 of that year, with several armed uprisings in different regions of the country.
On April 11, 1895, only 11 days after Maceo’s arrival in Duaba, José Martí and General Máximo Gómez would arrive at Playita de Cajobabo, who would also overcome multiple vicissitudes until they were reunited with the Cuban troops that awaited them.
With the leadership of the Revolution on the island, the course of the war gained in organization and the prestige of Maceo, nicknamed the Bronze Titan for his recklessness and physical resistance to the wounds of combat and his mastery in the use of military tactics, according to experts.
(Taken from PL)
