Battle of Paso de las Damas

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Battle of Paso de las Damas
Part of Cuban War of Independence
Muerte Serafin Sanchez.jpg
The death of Serafín Sánchez
Date18 November 1896
Location
Result Spanish victory
Belligerents
Flag of Cuba (sky blue).svg Cuban rebels Flag of Spain (1785-1873, 1875-1931).svg Spain
Commanders and leaders
Flag of Cuba (sky blue).svg Serafín Sánchez  
Flag of Cuba (sky blue).svg Francisco Carrillo  (WIA)
Flag of Cuba (sky blue).svg Avelino Rosas  [ es ]
Flag of Cuba (sky blue).svg Enrique Loynaz  (WIA)
Flag of Spain (1785-1873, 1875-1931).svg Manuel Armiñán
Flag of Spain (1785-1873, 1875-1931).svg López de Amor
Strength
800 infantry[ citation needed ] 2,500 infantry with artillery[ citation needed ]
Casualties and losses
8 killed and 19 wounded[ citation needed ] 30 killed and 83 wounded[ citation needed ]

The Battle of Paso de las Damas was a battle of the Cuban War of Independence that took place on 18 November 1896 at the Santa Clara Province. [1]

Contents

Background

Cuban Major General Serafín Sánchez, had previously participated in the Ten Years' War and the Little War for the independence of Cuba. The Cuban War of Independence was the continuation of the previous two wars and General Sánchez immediately joined the mambises. Towards the last months of 1896, the Cuban independence forces were waging the Las Villas Campaign in mid-November of that year.

The battle

The combat was meticulously prepared by General Sánchez in a field chosen by him. The regiments under his command, made up of approximately 800 men,[ citation needed ] attacked the enemy in the afternoon. The Spanish forces had been defeated the day before by the same Cuban forces. Now they brought 2,500 soldiers well-armed and equipped with various pieces of artillery.[ citation needed ] They were led by Generals Armiñán and López de Amor.

During the battle, Major General Francisco Carrillo suffered a severe contusion to his face and the then Lieutenant Colonel Enrique Loynaz del Castillo was knocked off his horse, which collapsed on top of him, causing injuries. Given the lack of ammunition and the Spanish push, the Cuban troops withdrew in an orderly fashion. At that moment, an enemy bullet went through Serafín Sánchez's body, from the right shoulder to the left. His last words were: "They have killed me, that is nothing! Keep going!" [2]

While the rear guard detained the enemy, the Cubans transported the body of General Sánchez to a safe place. The general died at 5:15 on 18 November 1896. [3] He was buried the next day.

Aftermath

With this battle, the Mambí Army lost an important and experienced general, who, together with the previous deaths of Guillermón Moncada, Flor Crombet, José Martí and José Maceo, was added to the list of Cuban generals killed in this war, significantly affecting the military capacity of the Cubans.

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References

  1. Grudemi, Editorial (17 August 2021). "Independencia de Cuba - ¿Qué fue?, etapas, batallas, protagonistas y más". Enciclopedia de Historia (in Spanish).
  2. "Serafín Sánchez Valdivia". wolverines.belenjesuit.org.
  3. Proenza, Delia (18 November 2018). "Rinden homenaje a Serafín en el lugar de su caída en combate". Escambray (in Spanish).

Bibliography