This Day in Cuban History – February 10, 1896. Captain General Valeriano Weyler arrived in Havana.

On February 10, 1896, Captain General Valeriano Weyler arrived in Havana and was welcomed by an enthusiastic pro-Spanish population.  The new military governor was quick to realize the severity of the insurrection on the island.  In an address to the crowd in front of the Governor’s Palace, Weyler said, “I shall not hesitate to punish with all the mot rigorous sanctions those who in any way help the enemy cause… for the time being I shall disregard all political considerations.   My mission is to end the war. I have come to uphold Spanish sovereignty …. as long as the war goes on.  I will ignore all political distinctions.  Only Spanish political ideas will be allowed. I condemn all other political factions and in my opinion, there are only two major political groups on the island.  Those who are in favor of Spanish rule and the separatists…they can be easily told apart.  There are those who love Spain, and those who fight against her.”

Weyler lacked an attractive personality.  He was dry, uncommunicative, lean and “very short.”  He dressed carelessly and looked rather vulgar, but he was a reflective, resourceful commander, able to satisfy his thirst and hunger in the field with a can of sardines and a pitcher of wine.  Wyler’s first report clearly reflected the revolution’s success in its main military objective: to cripple the economic wealth of the Western provinces.  “The day after my arrival they prevented milk coming in (to Havana)… the insurgents had been burning everything in their path and were not sparing anything…”

For the conduct of the war, Weyler assembled a small group of trusted officers.  He believed in the principle of the military offensive.  As he saw it, the Spanish battalions had not pulled together but had acted like a disorganized team with no definite strategy for dealing with the insurrection.  Weyler sought first to try to isolate General Antonio Maceo in Pinar del Rio by fortifying a new north-south line (trocha) between Mariel and Majana.

Weyler’s initial scheme to isolate Maceo was thwarted by the rebel leader.  In a bold drive, Maceo returned to the Havana neighborhood before Weyler could initiate his plan and joined forces with General Maximo Gomez.  The two warrior-leaders of the revolution embraced one another.  The troops cheered while a band played the national anthem.  In the following weeks, Gomez and Maceo marched into Matanzas province.  These maneuvers seem to confuse the Spaniards.  Assuming they were moving back to Oriente, Weyler fell into the triumphalist pattern so typical of senior Spanish officers during the war in Cuba.

On March 15, Maceo’s forces fought their way through the yet to be completed Mariel Majana trocha.  For the second time, the Cuban hero was invading Pinar del Rio.  By moving into the mountains of El Rosario, he hoped to pin down large numbers of Spanish troops, which would allow Gomez to take the offensive in Las Villas Province and his brother, Jose, in Oriente.  In Pinar del Rio, Antonio Maceo fought for over eight months, a brilliant campaign with particular audacity and heroism.

(With General Weyler came the eight-military expedition of 8,667 soldiers)*
Spanish Soldiers sent to Cuba 1895-1898

In February 1898, the last contingent of 7,186 men landed in Cuba, bringing to the total to 203,449 and making it the largest European army ever to cross the Atlantic to America.  Angel Castro, the father of communist dictator Fidel Castro, came from Galicia during this army reinforcement phase to fight against Cuba’s independence.