LT. GENERAL ANTONIO MACEO GRAJALES - MANUSCRIPT LETTER SIGNED 06/17/1878 - HFSID 217693

ANTONIO MACEO
The Cuban military leader, renowned for his guerrilla fighting tactics, pens a letter to a friend to inform him about the necessity to meet with him.
Manuscript Letter Signed: "Antonio Maceo" in iron gall ink. 5x6½. Fully Translated in English: "July 17, 1878. Mr. Hilario Cisneros. Dear Friend: I would appreciate if tomorrow morning on the way to your office, you could stop by because I really need to talk to you. Sincerely yours Antonio Maceo". Lieutenant general Antonio Maceo (1845-1896) was second-in-command of Cuba's Army of Independence, and as so one of the most noteworthy guerrilla leaders of nineteenth-century Latin America. The son of a Venezuelan mulatto and an Afro-Cuban woman, Maceo began his fight for Cuban liberation by enlisting in the army in 1868 at the beginning of the Ten Years War; within five years he had been promoted to the rank of general due to his bravery and strategic prowess. Although most believed that Cuba could not defeat Spain, Maceo refused to surrender without independence and the abolition of slavery, ultimately being forced to leave Cuba. He returned when the war with Spain began again, and is best remembered for his invasion into Western Cuba when his troops (Afro-Cuban soldiers on horseback) covered more than 1,000 miles in 92 days and fought the enemy in 27 separate encounters. On December 7, 1896 Maceo was captured and killed as he attempted to aid Maximo Gomez' forces, and his death prompted yet another congressional resolution for belligerent rights for Cuba. Toned. Stained throughout. Irregularly cut. Slightly soiled. Otherwise, fine condition.