Calixto García

Calixto García e Iñiguez (August 4, 1839 – December 11, 1898) was a general in three Cuban uprisings, part of the Cuban War of Independence: Ten Years' War, the Little War and the War of 1895, itself sometimes called the Cuban War of Independence, which bled into the Spanish-American War, ultimately resulting in national independence for Cuba.

Ancestry and Progeny

Garcia was born in Holguin to parents of Cuban "Criollo" descent; his maternal surname Iñíguez, indicates descendence from Iñigo Arista, Basque King whose forces are referred to as demons in the Song of Roland. He was a large, strong, educated man with a short fuse. Garcia was the grandson of Calixto Garcia de Luna e Izquierdo, whose had fought in the Battle of Carabobo in what is now called Venezuela. His grandmother was Maria de los Angeles Gonzalez, said to be the daughter of a Cacique Chief from 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 notable Carlos Garcia Velez [http://www.cubagenweb.org/mil/mambi/generals.htm] [http://www.granma.cubaweb.cu/secciones/comentarios/nacional-02.htm] and Calixto Enamorado [http://www.spanamwar.com/calixtoenamorado.htm] , fought in his armies.

War Record

Around the age of 18, taking after his grandfather, Garcia joined with a Cuban uprising which became the first war of independence Ten Years' War. Garcia fought against Spanish colonial rule for five years until his capture. Far from his troops, protected only by a small detail who soon lay dead or dying around him, Garcia in an attempt to avoid giving the Spanish the satisfaction of his seizure shot himself under the chin with a .45 caliber pistol. Although the bullet went out of his forehead and knocked him unconscious, he survived; the wound, which left a great scar, gave him headaches for the rest of his life. When the Spanish authorities came to Holguin to inform Calixto's mother, Lucía Iñíguez, she said that wasn't her son, when the officials explained to her Calixto tried to commit suicide she replied that was her son, "first dead than captured!" He was imprisoned until the Pact of Zanjon and the end of the Ten Year's War, was signed in 1878. Garcia travelled to Paris and New York between imprisonments. In keeping to his quest, Garcia joined with Maceo in the Little War from 1879 to 1880 as well as the 1895 War for Independence. He, and separately at least three sons, escaped 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.

This General had a long string of victories in this war including the taking of Tunas and Guisa, and the emotionally significant re-occupation of Bayamo. Garcia made liberal use of spies to prepare his attack, these include Dominador de la Guardia father of Angel 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 Garcia Menocal a to be president of Cuba was wounded in a principal assault. Angel de la Guardia, also a major Cuban national hero died in this battle on August 30 1897 [http://www.granma.cubaweb.cu/secciones/comentarios/nacional-02.htm] .

At the time of the U.S. landings, Garcia, 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 Spaniards surrendered.

Death

In 1898, Garcia died of pneumonia, at the age of 59, while on a diplomatic mission in New York. He was buried temporarily in Arlington National Cemetery in the U.S., then transported on the heavily armed seagoing war ship USS Nashville (PG-7) [http://www.history.navy.mil/photos/events/spanam/ships/gbt-lg.htm] [http://www.arlingtoncemetery.net/rblume.htm] [http://www.homeofheroes.com/e-books/mohW_spanam/page_12.html] to Cuba. His final burial in Cuba was preceded by a number of emotional incidents, and his statues and busts are found throughout Cuba. A major statue is found near the US Interests Section in Havana [http://66.102.7.104/search?q=cache:-rNmq-eGPpMJ:www.cubatravels.net/Ingles/Descripciones/RVedadoIing.htm+Cuba+Malecon+jpg+++statue+OR+estatua+OR+monumento+%22Calixto+Garcia%22&hl=en] .

The essay "A Message to Garcia" by Elbert Hubbard was written in reference to him.

In 1976, a municipality in Holguin Province was named Calixto Garcia for him.

Print Sources

Castellano Garcia, Gerardo 1927. Tierras y Glorias de Oriente (Calixto Garcia Iñiguez) Editorial Hermes Havana

Escalante Beaton, Anibal 1946 Calixto Garcia Su Campaña en el 95. Arrow Press Havana. (Introduction by General Carlos Garcia Velez son of the mayor general and a first hand witness to many of the events described).