General Rafael de Cardenas Y Benitez Autographs, Memorabilia & Collectibles

Rafael de Cardenas y Benitez (1868-1911) was a Cuban lawyer who joined the Liberation Army on May 15, 1895 and served as secretary of Major General Maximo Gomez. In La Habana he was given the mission to recruit men in its northeast side to form the North Brigade, which was subordinated to Major General Jose Maria Aguirre. The territory of the brigade bordered to the south with the Calzada de Guines, where the regiment commanded by Lino Mirabal operated. Rafael was seriously wounded during a combat in October 18, 1896 but recovered well and in June of the next year he was ordered to go to New York in order to conduct an expedition to Cuba, which departed on September 5 from Bahamas with 20 very well armed expeditionaries, debarking five days later in Boca Ciega. About a month later, on October 29 he was named in La Yaya, Sub-secretary of War, nevertheless, he declined that position in order to be able to remain in the troops. De Cardenas y Benitez was one of the nine Cuban Generals invited to assist to the ceremony of change of command in the island on January1, 1899. Rafael De Cardenas was Chief of the Municipal Police of La Habana from 1899 to 1906, where he died few years later.