Battle of El Salado (1869)
{{Short description|1868 battle of the Ten Years' War}}
{{other|Battle of Salado (disambiguation)}}
{{Infobox military conflict
| conflict = Battle of El Salado
| width =
| partof = Ten Years' War
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| date =January 7, 1869
| place = El Salado, Río Cauto, Granma Province, Captaincy General of Cuba
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| territory =
| result = Cuban victory
| status =
| combatants_header =
| combatant1 = {{flagdeco|Cuba|1902}} Cuban rebels
| combatant2 = {{flagu|Spain}}
| combatant3 =
| commander1 = {{flagdeco|Cuba|1902}} Gen. Donato Mármol
| commander2 = {{flagdeco|Spain|1785}} Gen. Blas Villate, Count of Valmaseda
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| units1 =
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| units3 =
| strength1 = 4,000 mambises
| strength2 = 3,000
| strength3 =
| casualties1 = 2,000
| casualties2 = Unknown
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| notes =
}}
{{Campaignbox Ten Years' War}}
The Battle of El Salado occurred on January 7, 1869, during the Ten Years' War, near Salado River and the Salado settlement ({{langx|es|El Salado}}), in the municipality of Río Cauto, Granma Province, in Cuba.
History
In the wake of the Battle of Bonilla and the retreat of Spanish troops to San Miguel de Bagá, Blas Villate, tasked with suppressing the rebellion, remained stationed while waiting for additional reinforcements.Marrero, L. (1972). Cuba, economía y sociedad: Azúcar, Ilustración y conciencia (1763-1868) (7). Puerto Rico: Editorial San Juan. With his forces bolstered, Villate's column headed towards Eastern Cuba to reclaim Bayamo, while enduring ongoing harassment from the mambises of Camagüey.Marrero, L. (1868). Cuba, economía y sociedad: Del monopolio hacia la libertad comercial (1701-1763). Puerto Rico: Editorial San Juan. Once his march crossed through the territory of Camagüey, he faced harassment from forces in Las Tunas.{{citation needed|date= August 2024}}
Cuban general Donato Mármol's forces were ordered from Santiago de Cuba to Bayamo to prevent Blas Villate, Count of Valmaseda's march on Bayamo.Chao, R. E. (2009). Baraguá: Insurgents and Exiles in Cuba and New York During the Ten Year War on Independence (1868-1878). United States: Dupont Circle Editions. The Spanish column, comprising approximately 3,000 troops from all three branches of the Spanish military and supported by four pieces of artillery, was equipped with Peabody rifles for its infantry. In contrast, Donato Mármol led a force of around 4,000 men, most of whom were poorly armed, with some carrying machetes while the majority had no weapons.Rodríguez Piña, J. (1990). Cuba. Mexico: Instituto de Investigaciones Dr. José María Luis Mora.Historia de la Nación Cubana: Publicada bajo la dirección de Ramiro Guerra y Sánchez [et al.].. (1952). Cuba: Editorial Historia de la Nación Cubana.
The Spanish column set out from Las Tunas, reaching Las Arenas on the 6th, before proceeding towards the Salado River.Franco, J. L. (1989). Antonio Maceo: apuntes para una historia de su vida. Cuba: Editorial de Ciencias Sociales. Mármol, instead of waiting for the enemy at the Cauto River and taking advantage of its natural defense, advanced to meet them at El Salado.Collazo, E. (1912). Cuba heróica. Cuba: Impr. La Mercantil, de Suárez, Solana y ca..
Mármol aimed to trap and destroy Valmaseda's army by adopting the tactics previously employed by Generals Francisco Vicente Aguilera and Modesto Díaz at Guabatuabo. He positioned his defenses at El Salado, near Guamo Embarcadero, around 30 miles from Bayamo, ready for the enemy's arrival.ZAMBRANA, A. (1873). La República de Cuba. United States: (n.p.).
The Battle
On January 7, 1869, at the Salado River, the passage of the Spanish column was contested by a force of 4000 men led by Gen. Donato Mármol. Gen. Valmaseda, leveraging his superior experience, outflanked Donato Mármol and surprised the main body of the Cuban forces, resulting in a complete rout.Foner, P. S. (1989). Antonio Maceo: The “Bronze Titan” of Cuba’s Struggle for Independence. United Kingdom: Monthly Review Press. The machete-wielding men charged between the cannons who had opened fire in defense, resulting in heavy losses and the capture of two flags.Granda, J. d. (1876). Reflexiones sobre la insurreccion de Cuba. Spain: Рипол Классик.
Aftermath
Mármol retreated to the left bank of the Cauto River, leaving behind the dead and wounded.Esténger, R. (1974). Sincera historia de Cuba (1492-1973). Colombia: Bedout, S. A.. Villate continued with his army along the river bank and finally succeeded in crossing the Cauto.Langdell, C. C. (1872). A Selection of Cases on Sales of Personal Property: With References and Citations. United States: Little, Brown. When informed of the approaching Spanish forces, Cuban Colonel Pío Rosado ordered Antonio Maceo to organize an ambush.Horrego Estuch, L. (1952). Maceo: héroe y carácter. Edición oficial del cincuentenario de la Independencia. Cuba: Impr. La Milagrosa. Maceo, on January 8, 1869, defended the Cuban retreat with relentless commitment, securing every section of the terrain.Franco, J. L., Maceo, A. (1963). La vida heroica y ejemplar de Antonio Maceo: cronología. Cuba: Comisión Nacional de la Academia de Ciencias, Instituto de Historia.
Unlikely to withstand the siege by the Spanish General, the Cubans decided on January 11, 1869, to abandon and carry out the Burning of Bayamo.Morales y Morales, V., Torre y Huerta, C. d. l. (1906). Nociones de historia de Cuba. Cuba: Libreria é imp. "La moderna poesia,".Jaques, T. (2006). Dictionary of Battles and Sieges: A Guide to 8,500 Battles from Antiquity Through the Twenty-first Century [3 Volumes]. United States: Bloomsbury Publishing.
Gen. Mármol was frustrated with Carlos Manuel de Céspedes, whom he blamed for his defeat at El Salado.Jiménez González, Á., Cepero Echmendía, O., Hernández Garaboto, J. (2003). Historia militar de Cuba. Cuba: Ediciones Verde Olivo. This resulted in Mármol's declaration as Dictator, but Francisco Vicente Aguilera stabilized things at a January 29, 1869 meeting in Tacajó.Astolpho, oder, Die Räuberhöhle. (1804). Germany: Bey Karl Christoph Stiller. Mármol had returned to his area after the battles at El Salado.Guerra, R. (1972). Guerra de los 10 [i.e. diez] años. Cuba: Editorial de Ciencias Sociales.
References
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Category:Battles involving Spain
Category:Battles involving Cuba