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134-428: The Cuban Liberation Army did not have a widespread or universal uniform, especially when they first began their operations. However, by 1895, most officers and some soldiers (especially those from expeditionary units who deployed to Cuba from Florida and New York ) had a uniform of some sort. Common among all soldiers were straw hats, which were necessary for protection against the hot Cuban sun. Some of these hats had

268-578: A new constitution , but mounting political unrest culminated in the 1952 Cuban coup d'état and the subsequent dictatorship of Fulgencio Batista . The Batista government was overthrown in January 1959 by the 26th of July Movement during the Cuban Revolution . That revolution established communist rule under the leadership of Fidel Castro . The country was a point of contention during the Cold War between

402-572: A spontaneous protest in Havana. From the start of the crisis until 1995, Cuba saw its gross domestic product (GDP) shrink by 35%. It took another five years for its GDP to reach pre-crisis levels. Cuba has since found a new source of aid and support in the People's Republic of China. In addition, Hugo Chávez , then president of Venezuela , and Evo Morales , former president of Bolivia , became allies and both countries are major oil and gas exporters. In 2003,

536-463: A sword or saber to bring with them, and might have also had some training in fencing. The iconic weapon of the Liberation Army, however, was the machete , the common tool of the peasants, indentured servants, and slaves. Besides local supplies and personal collections of guns that the insurgents might have owned, more weapons would be required to carry out successful military operations against

670-581: A tent , bullets , revolvers , and sabers . Máximo Gómez had a preference for using cavalry both in the Ten Years' War and in the War of Independence. One trick used by the cavalry was to ride up in view of Spanish columns, forcing them to deploy into battle formation, and then leave without presenting any combat. This left the Spanish troops "disconcerted, insecure, and confused". He also directed cavalry charges, such as

804-582: A Somali invasion. On 24 January 1978, Ethiopian and Cuban troops counterattacked, inflicting 3,000 casualties on the Somali forces. In February, Cuban troops launched a major offensive and forced the Somali army back into its own territory. Cuban forces remained in Ethiopia until 9 September 1989. Despite Cuba's small size and the long distance separating it from the Middle East, Castro's Cuba played an active role in

938-459: A Spanish force of 700 at San Gil on February 19, 1869. Due to the general lack of firearms and ammunition, close-range weapons were needed to make up the difference. Indeed, some aristocratic individuals, like Ignacio Agramonte , would have owned a sword either to display their status or to use in duels. The more common sidearm, however, was the machete. Many different types were used, and each soldier used whichever he could get. At first, this meant

1072-481: A campaign titled the "revolutionary offensive" was initiated to nationalize all remaining private small businesses, which at the time totaled to be about 58,000 small enterprises. The campaign would spur industrialization in Cuba and focus the economy on sugar production, specifically to a deadline for an annual sugar harvest of 10 million tons by 1970. The economic focus on sugar production involved international volunteers and

1206-526: A century, the Indigenous people faced high incidence of mortality due to multiple factors, primarily Eurasian infectious diseases , to which they had no natural resistance (immunity), aggravated by the harsh conditions of the repressive colonial subjugation. In 1529, a measles outbreak killed two-thirds of those few Natives who had previously survived smallpox . On 18 May 1539, conquistador Hernando de Soto departed from Havana with some 600 followers into

1340-812: A cloth patch backing on their machete sheath's sling, a tab on their shirt, or anywhere else visible. The color of the patch determines service branch. Blue means general staff , green means infantry , red means cavalry , light brown means artillery , brown means engineers , yellow means medical corps , black means judiciary corps, and white means civil government . Colonels wear three gold stars on their patch, lieutenant-colonels, two, and commanders, one. Captains are designated similarly to colonels, but their stars are white rather than gold. Lieutenants have two white stars, and sublieutenants have one. First sergeants were designated similarly, but with horizontal bars instead of stars, which they had three of. Second sergeants had two bars, and corporals had one. In 1895, there

1474-596: A collapse in the price of sugar, political unrest, and repression. Protesting students, known as the Generation of 1930, turned to violence in opposition to the increasingly unpopular Machado. A general strike (in which the Communist Party sided with Machado), uprisings among sugar workers, and an army revolt forced Machado into exile in August 1933. He was replaced by Carlos Manuel de Céspedes y Quesada . In September 1933,

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1608-528: A high parabolic trajectory. As a result, many inexperienced soldiers who did not adjust their sights would shoot over their enemies' heads in combat. There are numerous accounts of this happening in the war's earlier battles . With this in mind, soldiers were often instructed to aim low. Due to the width of the front sight on the Model 1861 Special the only bayonet that would fit was the Collins manufactured bayonet. With

1742-552: A joint U.S.-Latin American assault on Francoist Spain to overthrow its authoritarian regime. Cuba lost six merchant ships during the war, and the Cuban Navy was credited with sinking the German submarine  U-176 . Batista adhered to the 1940 constitution's strictures preventing his re-election. Ramon Grau San Martin was the winner of the next election, in 1944. Grau further corroded

1876-535: A middle class in most urban areas. After finishing his term in 1944 Batista lived in Florida, returning to Cuba to run for president in 1952. Facing certain electoral defeat, he led a military coup that preempted the election. Back in power, and receiving financial, military, and logistical support from the United States government, Batista suspended the 1940 Constitution and revoked most political liberties, including

2010-796: A mixture of Spanish, African, and Taíno heritages. Cuba developed slowly and, unlike the plantation islands of the Caribbean, had a diversified agriculture. Most importantly, the colony developed as an urbanized society that primarily supported the Spanish colonial empire. By the mid-18th century, there were 50,000 slaves on the island, compared to 60,000 in Barbados and 300,000 in Virginia ; as well as 450,000 in Saint-Domingue , all of which had large-scale sugarcane plantations. The Seven Years' War , which erupted in 1754 across three continents, eventually arrived in

2144-491: A separate black republic in Oriente Province, but was suppressed by General Monteagudo with considerable bloodshed. In 1924, Gerardo Machado was elected president. During his administration, tourism increased markedly, and American-owned hotels and restaurants were built to accommodate the influx of tourists. The tourist boom led to increases in gambling and prostitution in Cuba . The Wall Street Crash of 1929 led to

2278-463: A strategic point in the middle of the country, fell into the rebels hands on December 31, in a conflict known as the Battle of Santa Clara ). In the 1950s, various organizations, including some advocating armed uprising, competed for public support in bringing about political change. In 1956, Fidel Castro and about 80 supporters landed from the yacht Granma in an attempt to start a rebellion against

2412-644: A sugar planter, freed his slaves to fight with him for an independent Cuba. On 27 December 1868, he issued a decree condemning slavery in theory but accepting it in practice and declaring free any slaves whose masters present them for military service. The 1868 rebellion resulted in a prolonged conflict known as the Ten Years' War . A great number of the rebels were volunteers from the Dominican Republic , and other countries, as well as numerous Chinese indentured servants . The United States declined to recognize

2546-543: A total ban on trade between the countries and a freeze on all Cuban-owned assets in the U.S. In February 1960, Castro signed a commercial agreement with Soviet Vice-Premier Anastas Mikoyan . In March 1960, U.S. President Dwight D. Eisenhower gave his approval to a CIA plan to arm and train a group of Cuban refugees to overthrow the Castro government. The invasion (known as the Bay of Pigs Invasion ) took place on 14 April 1961, during

2680-570: A vast expedition through the American Southeast , in search of gold, treasure, fame and power. On 1 September 1548, Gonzalo Perez de Angulo was appointed governor of Cuba. He arrived in Santiago, Cuba, on 4 November 1549, and immediately declared the liberty of all Natives. He became Cuba's first permanent governor to reside in Havana instead of Santiago, and he built Havana's first church made of masonry. By 1570, most residents of Cuba comprised

2814-618: A year, providing training to the Algerian army. In 1964, Cuba organized a meeting of Latin American communists in Havana and stoked a civil war in the capital of the Dominican Republic in 1965, which prompted 20,000 U.S. troops to intervene there. Che Guevara engaged in guerrilla activities in Africa and was killed in 1967 while attempting to start a revolution in Bolivia . Starting in 1968

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2948-579: A year. One of the main issues was that there was a severe lack of competent officers, as most had been exiled after the Ten Years' War. The War of Independence , also called the Necessary War by José Martí, saw the return of many important military officers and the recruitment of others which would earn their reputations in battle. At the beginning of the War of Independence, several large corps were created, which had an increased military deployment capacity when compared to previous wars. One of these corps

3082-532: Is now Cuba was inhabited as early as the 4th millennium BC , with the Guanahatabey and Taíno peoples inhabiting the area at the time of Spanish colonization in the 15th century. It was then a colony of Spain , through the abolition of slavery in 1886, until the Spanish–American War of 1898, when Cuba was occupied by the United States and gained independence in 1902. In 1940, Cuba implemented

3216-526: Is repressed; Reporters Without Borders has characterized Cuba as one of the worst countries for press freedom. Culturally, Cuba is considered part of Latin America. It is a multiethnic country whose people , culture and customs derive from diverse origins, including the Taíno Ciboney peoples, the long period of Spanish colonialism, the introduction of enslaved Africans and a close relationship with

3350-591: The Eastern Theater of Operations . Over 1,000,000 Model 1861 rifled muskets were produced, with the Springfield Armory increasing its production during the war by contracting out to twenty other firms in the Union . The number of Model 1861 rifled muskets produced by the Springfield Armory was 265,129 between January 1, 1861 and December 31, 1863. The Model 1861 was a step forward in U.S. small arms design, being

3484-409: The Guanahatabey people, who lived a hunter-gatherer lifestyle. After first landing on an island then called Guanahani on 12 October 1492, Christopher Columbus landed on Cuba on 27 October 1492, and landing in the northeastern coast on 28 October. Columbus claimed the island for the new Kingdom of Spain and named it Isla Juana ("John's Island") after John, Prince of Asturias . In 1511,

3618-548: The Sergeants' Revolt , led by Sergeant Fulgencio Batista , overthrew Céspedes. A five-member executive committee (the Pentarchy of 1933 ) was chosen to head a provisional government. Ramón Grau San Martín was then appointed as provisional president. Grau resigned in 1934, leaving the way clear for Batista, who dominated Cuban politics for the next 25 years, at first through a series of puppet-presidents. The period from 1933 to 1937

3752-726: The Soviet Union and the United States, and the Cuban Missile Crisis of 1962 is widely considered the closest the Cold War came to escalating into nuclear war . Following the dissolution of the Soviet Union , Cuba faced a severe economic downturn in the 1990s, known as the Special Period . In 2008, Fidel Castro retired after 49 years; Raúl Castro was elected his successor. Raúl Castro retired as president in 2018 and Miguel Díaz-Canel

3886-610: The Spanish Caribbean . Spain's alliance with the French pitched them into direct conflict with the British , and in 1762, a British expedition consisting of dozens of ships and thousands of troops set out from Portsmouth to capture Cuba. The British arrived on 6 June, and by August, had placed Havana under siege . When Havana surrendered, the admiral of the British fleet, George Pocock and

4020-544: The Taíno people arrived in the Caribbean in a separate migration from South America around 1,700 years ago. Unlike the previous settlers of Cuba, the Taíno extensively produced pottery and engaged in intensive agriculture. The earliest evidence of the Taíno people on Cuba dates to the 9th century AD. Descendants of the first settlers of Cuba persisted on the western part of the island until Columbian contact, where they were recorded as

4154-649: The Yucatán Peninsula (Mexico), south of both Florida and the Bahamas , west of Hispaniola ( Haiti / Dominican Republic ), and north of Jamaica and the Cayman Islands . Havana is the largest city and capital. Cuba is the third-most populous country in the Caribbean after Haiti and the Dominican Republic , with about 10 million inhabitants. It is the largest country in the Caribbean by area. The territory that

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4288-405: The bugler . By splitting off into various maneuver groups, Spanish square formations could be disorganized or undone. This leaves the Spanish infantry open for a decisive charge after the various groups join once again. So effective was "The Major's Cavalry" that there was a small window of time between 1871 and 1873 where the Spanish only controlled four villages in all of Camagüey. Perhaps one of

4422-460: The flintlocks of the 18th century; the last U.S. flintlock musket was the Springfield Model 1840 ). Well-trained troops were able to fire at a rate of three aimed shots per minute while maintaining accuracy up to 500 yards (460 m), though firing distances in the war were often much shorter. The most notable difference between the Model 1861 and the earlier Springfield Model 1855 was

4556-490: The right to strike . He then aligned with the wealthiest landowners who owned the largest sugar plantations , and presided over a stagnating economy that widened the gap between rich and poor Cubans. Batista outlawed the Cuban Communist Party in 1952. After the coup, Cuba had Latin America's highest per capita consumption rates of meat, vegetables, cereals, automobiles, telephones and radios, though about one-third of

4690-497: The thirteen colonies arrived. It's been the weapon of the many slave rebellions both in Cuba and elsewhere. Cuban slaves, inspired by events in Haiti , would attempt slave revolts in the early 1800s, none of which succeeded. On October 25, 1868, then-sergeant Máximo Gómez prepared an ambush as part of the Battle of Pino de Baire . After firing one volley of rifle fire from concealed positions, 40 infantrymen wielding machetes came down upon

4824-485: The "Colt Special" rifled musket. These changes included redesigned barrel bands, a new hammer , and a redesigned bolster. Several of these changes were eventually adopted by the United States Army Ordnance Department and incorporated into its successor, the Springfield Model 1863 which was a slightly improved version of the Model 1861. The Model 1861 was relatively scarce in the early years of

4958-565: The 1959 Revolution were policemen, politicians, and informers of the Batista regime accused of crimes such as torture and murder, and their public trials and executions had widespread popular support among the Cuban population. The United States government initially reacted favorably to the Cuban Revolution, seeing it as part of a movement to bring democracy to Latin America. Castro's legalization of

5092-483: The 1970s was "extremely spartan" and discontent was rife. Fidel Castro admitted the failures of economic policies in a 1970 speech. In 1975, the OAS lifted its sanctions against Cuba, with the approval of 16 member states, including the United States. The U.S., however, maintained its own sanctions. During the Cold War, Cuban forces were deployed to all corners of Africa, either as military advisors or as combatants. During

5226-514: The 1970s, Fidel Castro dispatched tens of thousands of troops in support of Soviet-backed wars in Africa. He supported the MPLA in Angola ( Angolan Civil War ) and Mengistu Haile Mariam in Ethiopia ( Ogaden War ). In November 1975, Cuba deployed more than 65,000 troops and 400 Soviet-made tanks in Angola in one of the fastest military mobilizations in history. South Africa developed nuclear weapons due to

5360-485: The 19th century, the practice of coartacion had developed (or "buying oneself out of slavery", a "uniquely Cuban development"), according to historian Herbert S. Klein. Due to a shortage of white labor, blacks dominated urban industries "to such an extent that when whites in large numbers came to Cuba in the middle of the nineteenth century, they were unable to displace Negro workers." A system of diversified agriculture, with small farms and fewer slaves, served to supply

5494-534: The Batista government. In 1958, Castro's July 26th Movement emerged as the leading revolutionary group. The U.S. supported Castro by imposing a 1958 arms embargo against Batista's government. Batista evaded the American embargo and acquired weapons from the Dominican Republic. By late 1958, the rebels had broken out of the Sierra Maestra and launched a general popular insurrection . After Castro's fighters captured Santa Clara , Batista fled with his family to

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5628-483: The British occupation of the city proved short-lived. Pressure from London on sugar merchants, fearing a decline in sugar prices, forced negotiations with the Spanish over the captured territories. Less than a year after Britain captured Havana, it signed the 1763 Treaty of Paris together with France and Spain, ending the Seven Years' War. The treaty gave Florida to Britain in exchange for Cuba. Cubans constituted one of

5762-579: The Civil War (many troops were still using Springfield Model 1842 smoothbore muskets and Springfield Model 1816 flintlock muskets converted to percussion cap primers due to better reliability and weather resistance, both in .69 caliber). It is unlikely that any of these were available for use in the First Battle of Bull Run . However, over time, more and more regiments began receiving Model 1861 rifled muskets, though this upgrade appeared somewhat quicker in

5896-465: The Communist Party and retained broad authority, including oversight over the president. Cuba approved a new constitution in 2019. The optional vote attracted 84.4% of eligible voters. 90% of those who voted approved of the new constitution and 9% opposed it. The new constitution states that the Communist Party is the only legitimate political party, describes access to health and education as fundamental rights, imposes presidential term limits, enshrines

6030-497: The Communist Party and the hundreds of executions of Batista agents, policemen, and soldiers that followed caused a deterioration in the relationship between the two countries. The promulgation of the Agrarian Reform Law , expropriating thousands of acres of farmland (including from large U.S. landholders), further worsened relations. In response, between 1960 and 1964 the U.S. imposed a range of sanctions, eventually including

6164-587: The Cuban Revolutionary Party in New York City in 1892. The aim of the party was to achieve Cuban independence from Spain. In January 1895, Martí traveled to Monte Cristi and Santo Domingo in the Dominican Republic to join the efforts of Máximo Gómez . Martí recorded his political views in the Manifesto of Montecristi . Fighting against the Spanish army began in Cuba on 24 February 1895, but Martí

6298-514: The Cuban government had imposed broad restrictions on travel to prevent the mass emigration of people after the 1959 revolution; it approved exit visas only on rare occasions. Requirements were simplified: Cubans need only a passport and a national ID card to leave; and they are allowed to take their young children with them for the first time. However, a passport costs on average five months' salary. Observers expect that Cubans with paying relatives abroad are most likely to be able to take advantage of

6432-548: The Cuban military involvement in Africa was the significant presence of black or mixed-race soldiers among the Cuban forces. According to one source, more than 300,000 Cuban military personnel and civilian experts were deployed in Africa. The source also states that out of the 50,000 Cubans sent to Angola, half contracted AIDS and that 10,000 Cubans died as a consequence of their military actions in Africa. Soviet troops began to withdraw from Cuba in September 1991, and Castro's rule

6566-570: The Dominican Republic on 1 January 1959. Later he went into exile on the Portuguese island of Madeira and finally settled in Estoril, near Lisbon. Fidel Castro's forces entered the capital on 8 January 1959. The liberal Manuel Urrutia Lleó became the provisional president. According to Amnesty International , official death sentences from 1959 to 1987 numbered 237 of which all but 21 were carried out. The vast majority of those executed directly following

6700-609: The Enfield, Springfield 1861 , Springfield 1873 , Winchester Rifles , Spencers, Krag–Jørgensens , Colt Lightnings , and others. Revolvers were also acquired for officers and cavalry forces. During the Ten Years' War, the standard-issue rifle for the Spanish Army was the Remington Rolling Block in .43 Spanish . The Liberation Army would often raid for and capture these rifles and their ammunition for their own use. The same

6834-765: The Government. Most resistance came from Cuban construction workers, while the Grenadan People's Revolutionary Army and militia surrendered without putting up much of a fight. 24 Cubans were killed, with only 2 of them being professional soldiers, and the remainder were expelled from the island. U.S. casualties amounted to 19 killed, 116 wounded, and 9 helicopters destroyed. During the 1970s and 1980s, Castro supported Marxist insurgencies in Guatemala , El Salvador , and Nicaragua . Cuba gradually withdrew its troops from Angola in 1989–91. An important psychological and political aspect of

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6968-405: The Liberation Army had to depend on their strategies to win them victories. Such strategies did not purely rely on the force of arms, but also on the terrain, weather, and tropical diseases. The terrain was the native land of the members of the army, and thus would have granted an advantage. Furthermore, the Cuban soldiers were naturally immune to many of the diseases that the Spanish weren't. Most of

7102-415: The OAS". Fidel Castro wrote that Cuba would not rejoin the OAS, which, he said, was a "U.S. Trojan horse" and "complicit" in actions taken by the U.S. against Cuba and other Latin American nations. Effective 14 January 2013, Cuba ended the requirement established in 1961, that any citizens who wish to travel abroad were required to obtain an expensive government permit and a letter of invitation. In 1961

7236-575: The Republic of Cuba. Under Cuba's new constitution, the U.S. retained the right to intervene in Cuban affairs and to supervise its finances and foreign relations. Under the Platt Amendment , the U.S. leased the Guantánamo Bay Naval Base from Cuba. Following disputed elections in 1906, the first president, Tomás Estrada Palma , faced an armed revolt by independence war veterans who defeated

7370-534: The Soviet Union during the Cold War. Cuba is a founding member of the United Nations, G77 , Non-Aligned Movement , Organisation of African, Caribbean and Pacific States , ALBA , and Organization of American States . It has one of the world's few planned economies , and its economy is dominated by tourism and the exports of skilled labor, sugar, tobacco, and coffee. Cuba has historically—before and during communist rule—performed better than other countries in

7504-538: The Spanish Army, one of the most powerful at the time. There were two main methods of acquiring firearms: armed expeditions which smuggled weapons into Cuba, or attacking Spanish columns, camps, trains and armories to steal guns and ammunition. Several expeditions were funded by organizations in the United States, such as the Revolutionary Junta in the Ten Years' War and the Cuban Revolutionary Party in

7638-550: The Spanish casualties from all three wars were from disease, but that's not to discount the tactics and strategies of the Liberation Army's leadership, who were effective at planning and executing many combative actions. The infantry of the Cuban Liberation Army fought in open order, generally negating the effect of Spanish artillery fire. Infantry units engaged in surprise attacks and ambushes and moved around extremely quickly, only coalescing into larger bodies of men when it

7772-618: The Spanish soldiers. The shock and terror within the Spanish ranks was such that 233 casualties were sustained before the routing of the unit. Gómez, having served in both the Dominican and Spanish armies, would have seen similar charges in the Dominican War of Independence and the Restoration War . For his service in this battle, he was awarded the rank of general. Due to its nature as a generally poorly equipped and vastly outnumbered force,

7906-426: The Spanish. Major-General Carlos Roloff was the head of the corps with the following organization: Following the invasion of the west by Cuban forces, the Liberation Army was reorganized to include the Fifth Corps, which operated in Matanzas and Havana . It contained these units: After the completion of the Invasion from East to West, the Liberation Army was reorganized to include the Sixth Corps, which operated in

8040-406: The United States declared war on each other in late April 1898. After the Spanish–American War , Spain and the United States signed the Treaty of Paris (1898) , by which Spain ceded Puerto Rico , the Philippines , and Guam to the United States for the sum of US$ 20 million and Cuba became a protectorate of the United States. Cuba gained formal independence from the U.S. on 20 May 1902, as

8174-401: The United States. Additionally, while the embargo between the United States and Cuba was not immediately lifted, it was relaxed to allow import, export, and certain limited commerce. Raúl Castro stepped down from the presidency on 19 April 2018 and Miguel Díaz-Canel was elected president by the National Assembly following parliamentary elections . Raúl Castro remained the First Secretary of

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8308-735: The War of 1895. On the 22th of December, 1868, General Manuel de Quesada led 71 expeditionaries in bringing 2,540 Enfield Rifles , 150 Spencer Carbines , half a million rounds of ammunition , a cannon, 300 grenades, and a great amount of gunpowder. Carlos Roloff was heavily involved in expeditions during the 1895 war. He was an expert of bookkeeping, organization, and deception, which allowed him to fool Spanish spies and American officials who attempted to arrest him and confiscate his expeditions. On one such expedition, which landed in Tayabacoa, Las Villas, on July 24 of 1895 at 9:30 PM, carried 150 men, 300 rifles, 300,000 rounds of ammunition, and several pounds of dynamite. Popular rifles to smuggle included

8442-412: The West of the Island and Battle of Ceja del Negro are prime examples of column formation being used by Cuban forces. Changing from a marching formation into guerilla deployment rapidly was taught as well. Furthermore, several shooting positions were taught, such as 'knee on the ground' and 'on your feet'. Former Confederate general Thomas Jordan was made General-in-Chief of the Liberation Army after

8576-415: The attacks on the Cuban government, manufacturing a reason for the United States to invade Cuba. This plan was rejected by President Kennedy. By 1963, Cuba was moving towards a full-fledged communist system modeled on the USSR. In 1963, Cuba sent 686 troops together with 22 tanks and other military equipment to support Algeria in the Sand War against Morocco. The Cuban forces remained in Algeria for over

8710-421: The base of the already teetering legitimacy of the Cuban political system, in particular by undermining the deeply flawed, though not entirely ineffectual, Congress and Supreme Court. Carlos Prío Socarrás , a protégé of Grau, became president in 1948. The two terms of the Auténtico Party brought an influx of investment, which fueled an economic boom, raised living standards for all segments of society, and created

8844-574: The battle, these were used at short range against infantry, one of them causing five casualties and routing the enemy. Leather guns were produced in very limited numbers and were more intended as a psychological weapon rather than a physically effective one. In the War of Independence, Calixto García used Spanish Krupp guns to assault fortifications and towns. The Liberation Army had many different ways of obtaining necessary supplies. Expeditions from outside of Cuba brought not only guns and men, but also backpacks, uniforms, and medicine. One important aspect of

8978-404: The beginning of the Ten Years' War and all throughout the Little War. There were many methods of acquiring weapons. Many of those who would go on to become insurgents may have owned a shotgun , rifle , or blunderbuss for hunting or other activities before the ownership of firearms and importation of weapons was banned in Cuba. Aristocratic creoles or gentlemen who joined the army might have owned

9112-442: The cities with produce and other goods. In the 1820s, when the rest of Spain's empire in Latin America rebelled and formed independent states , Cuba remained loyal to Spain. Its economy was based on serving the empire. By 1860, Cuba had 213,167 free people of color (39% of its non-white population of 550,000). Full independence from Spain was the goal of a rebellion in 1868 led by planter Carlos Manuel de Céspedes . De Céspedes,

9246-499: The combatants of the Liberation Army, but not everyone was able to get a pair. Straw sandals and bare-footedness were common. Officers had distinctive insignia on their uniforms to identify their rank. Major-Generals, including the general-in-chief and lieutenant-general, wore three gold five-pointed stars on their collars. Divisional generals, which only became its own rank after the Little War, wore two such stars, and brigadiers, one. Officers ranked lower than brigadier will wear

9380-468: The commander of the land forces George Keppel , the 3rd Earl of Albemarle , entered the city, and took control of the western part of the island. The British immediately opened up trade with their North American and Caribbean colonies, causing a rapid transformation of Cuban society. Though Havana, which had become the third-largest city in the Americas, was to enter an era of sustained development and increasing ties with North America during this period,

9514-452: The deposition of Manuel de Quesada. He graduated from the Military Academy of West Point , which was one of the reasons he was hired by the Revolutionary Junta to help with the insurrection in Cuba. He was unfamiliar with and didn't understand the need for the guerrilla tactics used by the Liberation Army, and thus conducted his battles in traditional manner. He resigned in 1870 due to lack of supplies which would be needed to continue conducting

9648-711: The diets of the soldiers, along with honey and meat. It was the prefect's job to deliver the products of the prefecture to the military chiefs and their units. It was also important to raid Spanish-held towns, convoys, and fortifications. These attacks could bring back important materials such as medicine and food, besides, of course, weapons. It was the responsibility of the Medical Corps to establish field hospitals when circumstances permitted it. In order to attract students and practitioners of medicine, military ranks would be granted. Field hospitals were typically located near prefectures, where they could easily acquire supplies for

9782-478: The elements. Major-General Antonio Maceo also made heavy use of infantry in his operations in Oriente and Pinar del Río. Due to the mountainous terrain these areas, cavalry forces were relegated to a support role for the infantry. By presenting the threat of a cavalry charge, the Spanish formation is forced to form square, providing the perfect target for infantry riflemen and cavalry carabiniers . Infantry were trained in

9916-539: The elimination of the Maynard tape primer for the Model 1861 (the Maynard primer, a self-feeding primer system, was unreliable in damp conditions, and the priming mechanism was expensive and time-consuming to produce). Further, unlike the Model 1855, the Model 1861 was never produced in a two-banded rifle configuration. The Model 1861 was aimed using flip-up leaf sights. The sight had two leaves, one for 300 yards (270 m) and

10050-420: The first Spanish settlement was founded by Diego Velázquez de Cuéllar at Baracoa . Other settlements soon followed, including San Cristobal de la Habana , founded in 1514 (southern coast of the island) and then in 1519 (current place), which later became the capital (1607). The Indigenous Taíno were forced to work under the encomienda system, which resembled the feudal system in medieval Europe. Within

10184-498: The first rifled shoulder weapon adopted and widely issued as the primary infantry weapon (earlier U.S. martial rifles such as the Harpers Ferry Model 1803 rifle were issued to riflemen rather than the infantry as a whole and production and issuance of the Model 1855 prior to the war had been limited by comparison to the Model 1855). However, some argue that its impact on the Civil War has been overstated. While more accurate in

10318-581: The front folded upwards, upon which the Cuban flag or the Coat of arms of Cuba were displayed. The common dress uniform was a white or khaki drill tunic and trousers. The tunics would have folded collars, metal buttons, and pockets either on the breast or skirt. Upon the uniform, the men would wear any necessary accouterments and equipment, such as sheathes for machetes, pouches for bullets, and other supplies. In terms of footwear, military cobblers were producing boots for

10452-539: The government arrested and imprisoned a large number of civil activists, a period known as the "Black Spring" . In February 2008, Fidel Castro resigned as President of the State Council due to the serious gastrointestinal illness which he had suffered since July 2006. On 24 February, the National Assembly elected his brother Raúl Castro the new president. In his inauguration speech, Raúl promised that some of

10586-414: The hands of an experienced marksman, the rifled musket's accuracy was often lost in the hands of recruits who received only limited marksmanship training (the emphasis was on rate of fire). Further, most Civil War firefights were waged at a relatively close range using massed-fire tactics, minimizing the effect of the new rifled musket's long-range accuracy. Lastly, the .58 caliber bullet, when fired, followed

10720-449: The injured and sick. If medicine ran out, the medical staff could resort to herbal remedies grown in the prefecture. Unfortunately for hospital staff and injured soldiers, hospitals were a prime target for local guerillas who were working for the Spanish army. Many important officers of the Liberation Army in later years, such as Máximo Gómez and Antonio Maceo, saw their first action in the Ten Years' War . The Little War barely lasted

10854-401: The insurgent supply chain was the prefecture. Prefectures were small towns or areas controlled by a prefect, a member of the Cuban civil government. These prefectures were hidden such that the Spanish Army and local guerillas were unable to find them. Sometimes, even the Cuban forces who operated in the zone didn't know the exact location. These prefectures were able to have workshops dedicated to

10988-466: The insurgents, who purchased many models. The No. 22 was used by Cuban cavalry and, eventually, the Rough Riders and First US Volunteer Engineers. The Model No. 323 was especially made by Collins to circumvent Spanish weapon import bans. The machete used by Antonio Maceo was 73 centimeters long. Máximo Gómez's was 86. Most impressive, however, was the machete of José Guillermo "Guillermón" Moncada , which

11122-446: The island followed. The U.S. battleship USS Maine was sent to protect American interests, but soon after arrival, it exploded in Havana harbor and sank quickly, killing nearly three-quarters of the crew. The cause and responsibility for the sinking of the ship remained unclear after a board of inquiry. Popular opinion in the U.S., fueled by active yellow press , concluded that the Spanish were to blame and demanded action. Spain and

11256-478: The largest labor union privileges in Latin America, including bans on dismissals and mechanization. They were obtained in large measure "at the cost of the unemployed and the peasants", leading to disparities. Between 1933 and 1958, Cuba extended economic regulations enormously, causing economic problems. Unemployment became a problem as graduates entering the workforce could not find jobs. The middle class, which

11390-475: The last War of Independence were undertaken by General Gómez on December 3, 1895. The Liberation Army's high command was structured as such: The First Corps was created during the Ten Years' War, and once again in 1895. It continued its operations until 1899. By the end of the War of 1895, it was organized like this: The Second Corps was created during the Ten Years' War, and once again in 1895. It continued its operations until 1899. Its base of operations

11524-486: The machete charge was extremely circumstantial by the time of the War of 1895. Maceo's tactic of cavalry feints was more popular at this time. In the Ten Years' War, Carlos Roloff made use of rudimentary leather guns in the first few military actions after the uprising of Las Villas. Similarly, on the 13th of June, 1870, Captain Francisco Valladares commanded a battle which included the employment of leather guns. In

11658-481: The machetes used in the sugarcane fields to harvest the cane, but with time, other options would be made available. Workshops operated by the Liberation Army had the capability of producing machetes with blades that were specialized for combat. The preferred machete blade shape was single-edged and long, they also often had crossguards for hand protection. Machetes made by Collins & Co., a machete manufacturer from Hartford, Connecticut , were particularly popular with

11792-478: The many diverse units which fought alongside Spanish and Floridan forces during the conquest of British-controlled West Florida (1779–81). The largest factor for the growth of Cuba's commerce in the late eighteenth and early nineteenth century was the Haitian Revolution . When the enslaved peoples of what had been the Caribbean's richest colony freed themselves through violent revolt, Cuban planters perceived

11926-515: The meager government forces. The U.S. intervened by occupying Cuba and named Charles Edward Magoon as Governor for three years. Cuban historians have characterized Magoon's governorship as having introduced political and social corruption. In 1908, self-government was restored when José Miguel Gómez was elected president, but the U.S. continued intervening in Cuban affairs. In 1912, the Partido Independiente de Color attempted to establish

12060-420: The mobilization of workers from all sectors of the Cuban economy. Economic mobilization also coincided with greater militarization of Cuban political structures and society in general. The ten million ton harvest goal was not reached. The Cuban economy feell into decline after large sectors of the economy were neglected when large amounts of urban labor mobilized to the countryside. The standard of living in

12194-537: The most elemental and essential skills for a soldier to possess. Often, training would be conducted by Spanish sergeants or corporals who joined the Cubans. The infantry were taught to stand in line formation to build unit cohesion, and they were taught to march in column for a similar purpose. It should be noted, however, that the column was used on campaign whenever the Cubans needed solid power to move through enemy territory or if they were protecting something. The Invasion of

12328-493: The most famous cavalry charges of the Ten Years' War was the Rescue of Sanguily . Thirty-five riders, including Ignacio Agramonte and Henry Reeve, charged against 120 Spanish light cavalry. The objective was to rescue Brigadier Julio Sanguily, who was captured by the Spanish horsemen. Without losing any men, they inflicted 11 mortal casualties, rescued Brigadier Sanguily and five other prisoners, and captured dozens of horses , saddles ,

12462-421: The name is unclear, but it may be translated either as 'where fertile land is abundant' ( cubao ), or 'great place' ( coabana ). Humans first settled Cuba around 6,000 years ago, descending from migrations from northern South America or Central America. The arrival of humans on Cuba is associated with extinctions of the islands native fauna, particularly its endemic sloths . The Arawakan -speaking ancestors of

12596-552: The new Cuban government, although many European and Latin American nations did so. In 1878, the Pact of Zanjón ended the conflict, with Spain promising greater autonomy to Cuba. In 1879–80, Cuban patriot Calixto García attempted to start another war known as the Little War but failed to receive enough support. Slavery in Cuba was abolished in 1875 but the process was completed only in 1886. An exiled dissident named José Martí founded

12730-399: The new policy. In the first year of the program, over 180,000 left Cuba and returned. As of December 2014 , talks with Cuban officials and American officials, including President Barack Obama , resulted in the release of Alan Gross , fifty-two political prisoners, and an unnamed non-citizen agent of the United States in return for the release of three Cuban agents currently imprisoned in

12864-474: The one at the Battle of Mal Tiempo . General Gómez ordered Lieutenant-Colonel José Loreto Cepero to charge any and all enemies he comes across without first asking permission, after the Lieutenant-Colonel asked to be in the forward vanguard. The invading army, led by Gómez, needed as much momentum as possible to reach Pinar del Río, and thus required the annihilation of any obstacles. Furthermore, ammunition

12998-569: The other for 500 yards (460 m), and with both leaves down, the sight was set for a range of 100 yards (91 m). By contrast, the British Enfield Pattern 1853 , favored by the Confederate military , utilized a ladder-sight system with 100-yard (91 m) increments, using steps from 100 to 400 yards (91–366 m) and a flip-up ladder for ranges beyond 500 yards (460 m). While the Enfield's sights did allow more precise sighting,

13132-532: The population is living in extreme poverty. The traditional diet is of international concern due to micronutrient deficiencies and lack of diversity. As highlighted by the World Food Programme (WFP) of the United Nations, rationed food meets only a fraction of daily nutritional needs for many Cubans, leading to health issues. Historians believe the name Cuba comes from the Taíno language ; however, "its exact derivation [is] unknown". The exact meaning of

13266-419: The population was considered poor and enjoyed relatively little of this consumption. However, in his " History Will Absolve Me " speech, Fidel Castro mentioned that national issues relating to land, industrialization, housing, unemployment, education, and health were contemporary problems. In 1958, Cuba was a well-advanced country in comparison to other Latin American regions. Cuba was also affected by perhaps

13400-650: The presence of a Cuban tank brigade in the Golan Heights , which was supported by two brigades. The Israelis and the Cuban-Syrian tank forces engaged in battle on the Golan front. In 1979, the U.S. objected to the presence of Soviet combat troops on the island. Following the 1983 coup that resulted in the execution of Grenadian Prime Minister Maurice Bishop and establishment of the military government led by Hudson Austin , U.S. forces invaded Grenada in 1983, overthrowing

13534-400: The production of important items, such as socks, clothing, saddles, sheathes, machetes, straps, and other things. They were also able to repair minor damage on rifles, revolvers, and machetes. Furthermore, brass casings, collected after combats if possible, would be reloaded with gunpowder and projectiles. The prefectures also included garden wherein fruits and vegetables were grown to supplement

13668-454: The province of Pinar del Río . It was organized thusly: Cuba Cuba , officially the Republic of Cuba , is an island country , comprising the island of Cuba (largest island), Isla de la Juventud , and 4,195 islands , islets and cays surrounding the main island. It is located where the northern Caribbean Sea , Gulf of Mexico , and Atlantic Ocean meet. Cuba is located east of

13802-571: The region during the Cold War. In 1972, a major Cuban military mission consisting of tank, air, and artillery specialists was dispatched to South Yemen . Cuban military advisors were sent to Iraq in the mid-1970s but their mission was canceled after Iraq invaded Iran in 1980. The Cubans were also involved in the Syrian-Israeli War of Attrition (November 1973–May 1974) that followed the Yom Kippur War (October 1973). Israeli sources reported

13936-496: The region on several socioeconomic indicators, such as literacy, infant mortality and life expectancy. Cuba has a universal health care system which provides free medical treatment to all Cuban citizens, although challenges include low salaries for doctors, poor facilities, poor provision of equipment, and the frequent absence of essential drugs. A 2023 study by the Cuban Observatory of Human Rights (OCDH), estimated 88% of

14070-436: The region's changing circumstances with both a sense of fear and opportunity. They were afraid because of the prospect that slaves might revolt in Cuba as well, and numerous prohibitions during the 1790s of the sale of slaves in Cuba who had previously been enslaved in French colonies underscored this anxiety. The planters saw opportunity, however, because they thought that they could exploit the situation by transforming Cuba into

14204-463: The restrictions on freedom in Cuba would be removed. In March 2009, Raúl Castro removed some of his brother's appointees . On 3 June 2009, the Organization of American States adopted a resolution to end the 47-year ban on Cuban membership of the group. The resolution stated, however, that full membership would be delayed until Cuba was "in conformity with the practices, purposes, and principles of

14338-445: The right to labor and health care. Batista was elected president in the same year, holding the post until 1944. He is so far the only non-white Cuban to win the nation's highest political office. His government carried out major social reforms. Several members of the Communist Party held office under his administration. Cuban armed forces were not greatly involved in combat during World War II—though president Batista did suggest

14472-500: The right to legal representation upon arrest, recognizes private property, and strengthens the rights of multinationals investing with the state. Any form of discrimination harmful to human dignity is banned under the new constitution. Raúl Castro announced at the Eighth Congress of the Communist Party of Cuba , which began on 16 April 2021, that he was retiring as secretary of the Communist Party. His successor, Miguel Díaz-Canel,

14606-536: The rural population into what he called reconcentrados , described by international observers as "fortified towns". These are often considered the prototype for 20th-century concentration camps . Between 200,000 and 400,000 Cuban civilians died from starvation and disease in the Spanish concentration camps, numbers verified by the Red Cross and United States Senator Redfield Proctor , a former Secretary of War . American and European protests against Spanish conduct on

14740-512: The shooting, gave the order to charge, but was stopped by a barbed wire fence. The fence was removed with assistance from the Céspedes Infantry Regiment. Máximo Gómez and Serafín Sánchez were the next to charge in. The Spanish infantry was terrorized and panicked, they were unable to properly defend against the Cuban cavalry, leading to the 300 casualties inflicted on the approximately 2,500 strong force. It should be noted, however, that

14874-522: The sight designs were very different, the two weapons were otherwise very similar, and had very similar effective ranges. The Model 1861 cost around $ 15 each at the Springfield Armory where they were officially made. Overwhelmed by the demand, the armory opened its weapons patterns up to twenty independent contractors. The most notable producer of contract Model 1861 rifled muskets was Colt , who made several minor design changes in their version,

15008-403: The simple flip-up leaves found on the Model 1861 were more rugged and were less expensive to produce. The Enfield's sights also extended to 900 yards (820 m) (and further, on later models), compared to the 500-yard (460 m) maximum range of the Model 1861's sights, but for the average infantryman hitting anything beyond 600 yards (550 m) with either weapon was mostly a matter of luck. While

15142-598: The slave society and sugar-producing "pearl of the Antilles" that Haiti had been before the revolution. As the historian Ada Ferrer has written, "At a basic level, liberation in Saint-Domingue helped entrench its denial in Cuba. As slavery and colonialism collapsed in the French colony, the Spanish island underwent transformations that were almost the mirror image of Haiti's." Estimates suggest that between 1790 and 1820 some 325,000 Africans were imported to Cuba as slaves, which

15276-661: The term of President John F. Kennedy . About 1,400 Cuban exiles disembarked at the Bay of Pigs . Cuban troops and local militias defeated the invasion, killing over 100 invaders and taking the remainder prisoner. In January 1962, Cuba was suspended from the Organization of American States (OAS), and later the same year the OAS started to impose sanctions against Cuba of similar nature to the U.S. sanctions. The Cuban Missile Crisis of October 1962 almost sparked World War III . In 1962 American generals proposed Operation Northwoods which would entail committing terrorist attacks in American cities and against refugees and falsely blaming

15410-492: The threat to its security posed by the presence of large numbers of Cuban troops in Angola . In 1976 and again in 1988 at the Battle of Cuito Cuanavale , the Cubans alongside their MPLA allies defeated UNITA rebels and apartheid South African forces. In December 1977, Cuba sent its combat troops from Angola, the People's Republic of the Congo, and the Caribbean to Ethiopia, assisted by mechanized Soviet battalions, to help defeat

15544-439: The war using his methods. One of the most depicted branches of service of the Liberation Army in media is the cavalry. The cavalry was responsible for several tasks throughout the wars fought by the Liberation Army. Before the Battle of Dos Ríos , Spanish columns led by Colonel José Jiménez de Sandoval were spotted by Cuban cavalry scouts and his vanguard harassed by mounted skirmishers . Besides scouting and skirmishing, cavalry

15678-522: The years 1871 and 1873. He also used information presented at historical and military lectures to inform his organizational decisions. The men were organized into maniples , units smaller than regiments, which were stationed in a particular respective area. When necessary, a messenger could summon the maniple to assist in combat elsewhere. Agramonte, nicknamed "The Major" by his American subordinate officer Henry Reeve , trained his men to be extremely maneuverable, being able to rapidly respond to orders given by

15812-418: Was 130 centimeters long. Machetes have been in combat in Cuba since 1762. When the British sieged Havana , the mayor organized Free Black and Mulatto Militias to face the British in conjunction with the regular army. When muskets ran out, the militias took up machetes. Early on, the militias were able to capture and kill a number of British soldiers and officers, but the siege was lost when reinforcements from

15946-412: Was 40 inches (100 cm) long, firing a .58 caliber Minié ball , and the total weight was approximately 9 pounds (4.1 kg). The Model 1861 had a general effective range of 200 to 400 yards (180–370 m) but could reliably hit man-sized targets out to 500 yards (460 m) when used by marksmen, and used percussion caps which were much more reliable and weather resistant to fire (rather than

16080-469: Was a time of "virtually unremitting social and political warfare". On balance, during the period 1933–1940 Cuba suffered from fragile political structures, reflected in the fact that it saw three different presidents in two years (1935–1936), and in the militaristic and repressive policies of Batista as Head of the Army. A new constitution was adopted in 1940, which engineered radical progressive ideas, including

16214-425: Was a widespread rumor that the soldiers of the Liberation Army all wore nose rings. However, a fifteen-year-old plantation worker from Havana province went to see for himself, and returned with a definitive answer: the soldiers did not wear nose rings. The Liberation Army equipped itself with a wide range of weapons for its operations. There were always issues with standardization and equipment shortages, especially in

16348-488: Was also used in charges and in pursuing routed enemies. Soldiers of the cavalry used both firearms, such as carbines and revolvers, as well as machetes. The Major-General Ignacio Agramonte is known for his cavalry force, which operated in Camagüey. He learned the tactical use of machetes from Máximo Gómez , who himself made extensive use of cavalry, and organized his horsemen into some of the most famous cavalry in Cuba between

16482-557: Was comparable to that of the United States , became increasingly dissatisfied with unemployment and political persecution. The labor unions, manipulated by the previous government since 1948 through union "yellowness", supported Batista until the very end. Batista stayed in power until he resigned in December 1958 under the pressure of the US Embassy and as the revolutionary forces headed by Fidel Castro were winning militarily (Santa Clara city,

16616-504: Was done in the War of Independence, when the standard-issue rifle of the Spanish Army was the Mauser . The Remington was still in use with Volunteer units, which were typically Cuban Loyalists who fought for Spain, but could also be Basques who were born in regions which were not obligated by Spanish law to provide regiments to the crown. In terms of artillery, cannons purchased in the United States were available in minuscule numbers. More common

16750-603: Was elected president by the National Assembly following parliamentary elections . Raúl Castro retired as First Secretary of the Communist Party in 2021 and Díaz-Canel was elected. Cuba is a socialist state , in which the role of the Communist Party is enshrined in the Constitution . Cuba has an authoritarian government where political opposition is not permitted. Censorship is extensive and independent journalism

16884-547: Was four times the amount that had arrived between 1760 and 1790. Although a smaller proportion of the population of Cuba was enslaved, at times, slaves arose in revolt. In 1812, the Aponte Slave Rebellion took place, but it was ultimately suppressed. The population of Cuba in 1817 was 630,980 (of which 291,021 were white, 115,691 were free people of color (mixed-race), and 224,268 black slaves). In part due to Cuban slaves working primarily in urbanized settings, by

17018-505: Was in Santiago de Cuba. By the end of the War of 1895, it was organized like this: The Third Corps of the Liberation Army was created during the Ten Years' War, and once again in 1895. It continued its operations until 1899, with the province of Puerto Príncipe as its base of operations. At the conclusion of the Necessary War it was organized as follows: In the first days of August 1895, the Fourth Corps would be organized to operate against

17152-418: Was limited, so prolonged firefights were not an option. Lieutenant-Colonel José Loreto Cepero came across a skirmish between local patriots and Spanish troops, but instead of charging like he was ordered to, he dismounted his men, took up guerilla formations, and joined the shootout. This removed the element of surprise and allowed the Spanish to reorganize and give fierce fire. General Antonio Maceo, upon hearing

17286-529: Was necessary. In the Campaign of La Reforma , the guerilla cells formed by Major-General Máximo Gómez were able to inflict an average of 40 daily casualties upon Spanish forces. One of the tactics used to achieve this was the shooting of Spanish camps from safe and hidden positions. Although these actions seldom resulted in bullet injuries or deaths among the Spanish troops, it deprived them of sleep, weakening them both in physical battle and in battle against disease and

17420-505: Was severely tested in the aftermath of the Soviet collapse in December 1991 (known in Cuba as the Special Period ). The country faced a severe economic downturn following the withdrawal of Soviet subsidies worth $ 4 billion to $ 6 billion annually, resulting in effects such as food and fuel shortages. The government did not accept American donations of food, medicines and cash until 1993. On 5 August 1994, state security dispersed protesters in

17554-505: Was the Fourth Corps of the Liberation Army, which had its headquarters in Las Villas . After the Invasion from East to West in 1896, the forces of the Liberation Army were organized into six corps with fourteen divisions, thirty-four brigades, and eighty-four regiments. Of these regiments, thirty-four were cavalry and fifty were infantry and other units. A lot of the first organization efforts in

17688-470: Was the taking of Spanish cannons. In the War of 1895, the Spanish were by then using the Krupp gun , a breech-loading field gun. There was also native production of leather guns , which may have had a bronze or wooden barrel, which is then wrapped in leather. These were muzzleloaded, and had high risks of self destruction, especially after four shots. Carlos Roloff used these rudimentary cannons and 300 men to defeat

17822-406: Was unable to reach Cuba until 11 April 1895. Martí was killed in the Battle of Dos Rios on 19 May 1895. His death immortalized him as Cuba's national hero. Around 200,000 Spanish troops outnumbered the much smaller rebel army, which relied mostly on guerrilla and sabotage tactics. The Spaniards began a campaign of suppression. General Valeriano Weyler , the military governor of Cuba, herded

17956-568: Was voted in on 19 April. Springfield Model 1861 The Springfield Model 1861 was a Minié-type rifled musket used by the United States Army during the American Civil War . Commonly referred to as the "Springfield" (after its original place of production, Springfield, Massachusetts ). It was the most widely used Union Army shoulder weapon during the Civil War, favored for its range, accuracy, and reliability. The barrel

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