In the violent universe in which the insurgents lived, the wounded were frequent. Some in combat and others by accident. The latter is less known but seems not to have been strange.
Sometimes there are references in the documentation to these types of accidents. This is understandable given the way of living among weapons handled by people who were poorly trained, at least at the beginning of the war. Diseases were not uncommon either. We have analyzed some examples. In the textual quotations we respect the original spelling and wording In August 1869 the forces of the Camagüey general Ángel del Castillo were decimated by cholera. (1)
In fact the illnesses caused extremely sensitive casualties such as Generals Adolfo Cavada and Salome Hernández who died in 1871 of fever. The private secretary of the Mambi president, Manuel Menigutia, was equally lucky. (2)
Moreover fevers were quite common. In his diary Carlos Manuel wrote on August 29, 1873: “There are few in the camp who do not suffer from fevers at all times, so I have stopped taking notes of that frequent event.” (3)
Even so each Mambi leader tried to care for his wounded and sick as best he could. Towards this sum of unfortunates, of people wounded by shrapnel or collapsed by perfidious microbes, a warm solidarity was created. There are several examples.
Also in a combat in February 1875 Vicente García has: “… two killed in the action and twenty-one wounded, sixteen very serious and five light.” (4)
The general from Las Tunas tells us that:
“When Dr. Rafael Pérez Martínez was asked if the injured could move today, he said it was not convenient and above all not to do it in the sun or at a very long distance, being able to move this afternoon, although walking at night.
From this afternoon I took care to remove these wounded by moving them at sunset and accompanying them; (5)
Subsequently this implacable warrior unexpectedly transforms into a father with a wounded son. Practically the only one that managed to resist the “Valmaseda Crescent” without abandoning its territory. He is no longer the inflexible guerrilla capable of executing the deserter without trembling in his conscience. Now he subordinates everything to avoiding the unnecessary pain of being bitten by shrapnel.
On May 11, 1876, the general from Las Tunas in a combat had four wounded. The attention of the troops is focused on that precious inheritance that the lead and the saber have left them. The retreat begins at the slow pace of the transfer of the injured. Let’s give the floor to the Mambi guerrilla.
“I withdrew in good order and reinforced the enemy came out in considerable numbers in pursuit, reaching me at the bottom of the Quesada estate, putting the wounded on stretchers whom I made withdraw holding the fire with about sixty until the park was completely consumed I continued to retreat and the enemy pursued me until near San Pablo.
In this second combat we had three dead, two seriously wounded, about ten or twelve horses dead and lost and some five or six rifles lost. I continued marching and gathered the people and camped in the Triunfo. ” (6)
Overall he has engaged in an intense struggle to take care of people who may no longer be able to contribute to the liberating forces. Solidarity sets aside the pragmatic sense of war. On February 17, 1877, after the attack on Puerto Padre, General Vicente García ordered: “… that the wounded and sick should be sent home….” (7)
Although forces were detached to guard the insurrectionary hospitals. On September 18, 1870, a column attacked one of these hospitals, located in the jurisdiction of Tunas: “… a small advance guard that protected him set fire to him.” (8)
They managed to evacuate the wounded and sick to a safe area.
In the care of these wounded and sick of the liberating army, healers were resorted to and the traditional family care to those in precarious health.
In February 1870, Holguin General Julio Grave de Peralta wrote to the prefect of Majibacoa, to whom he sent a wounded officer: “You have the Chinese healer who is at that point attend to you, cure you and attend to you as best as possible.” (9)
Besides this solidarity is not exclusive to the regional chiefs of the East. Máximo Gómez, disbelieving and bitter in his dealings with his subordinates, does not hesitate to change his plans when it is necessary to take care of those hit by the opposing fire. An issue that was evidenced with the attention to the wounded of the combat of July 4, 1874, in the plains of Camagüey. The Dominican sums up his actions in this case: “On the 5th I have to retire to place my wounded well.” (10)
The Irish journalist James O‘Kelly in his visit to Cuba Libre realized that: “Cubans fully know the importance of maintaining the confidence of their soldiers in the absolute security of not falling into the hands of the Spaniards.” (11)
In order to he added that: “No matter how critical and hurried the situation is for the mambises, the moment a man falls, his companions seize him, taking him to the rearguard.” (12)
There are several examples of this solidarity with the wounded or the sick in the liberating forces. This sensitivity became a factor of resistance in these men and women who resisted for ten years a relentless war to the death.
NOTES 1.–Francisco J. Ponte Domínguez. History of the 10 Years‘ War, Academy of History, Havana, 1958, p. 100 2.–Fernando Portuondo and Hortensia Pichardo. Carlos Manuel de Céspedes Escritos. Social Sciences Publishing House, Havana. 1982. t III, p. 95 3.–Eusebio Leal Spengler. Carlos Manuel de Céspedes El Diario Perdido. Publicimex S.A., Havana City, 1992, p. 95 4.–Diario de Vicente García, in Víctor Manuel Marrero. Vicente García Leyenda y Realidad, Editorial de Ciencias Sociales, Havana, 1992, p. 189 5.–Idem. 6.–Ibid. p. 230 7.–Ibid. p. 253 8.–Ibid. p.107 9.–Museo Provincial de Holguín, Fondo Julio Grave de Peralta, Copier Book, number 1059, February 4, 1870 10.–Máximo Gómez, Diario de Campaña, Instituto del Libro, Havana, 1968, p. 62 11.–James O Kelly, La Tierra del mambí, Instituto del Libro, Havana, 1968, p 244 12.–James O Kelly, La Tierra del mambí, Instituto del Libro, Havana, 1968, p. 222
By: José Miguel Abreu Cardet / Translated by Radio Angulo
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