José Lacret Morlot was a

Cuban Cuban or Cubans may refer to: Related to Cuba * of or related to Cuba, a country in the Caribbean * Cubans, people from Cuba, or of Cuban descent ** Cuban exile, a person who left Cuba for political reasons, or a descendant thereof * Cuban Americ ...

revolutionary soldier, military leader, and politician, notable for his participation in both of Cuba's wars of independence against Spain. A descendant of a French family, Lacret became one of the most prominent advocates for Cuban independence and the abolition of slavery. His personal motto was: "Everything for Cuba!" (

Spanish Spanish might refer to: * Items from or related to Spain: **Spaniards are a nation and ethnic group indigenous to Spain **Spanish language, spoken in Spain and many countries in the Americas **Spanish cuisine **Spanish history **Spanish culture ...

: ''Todo por Cuba!'') The street connecting the present-day neighborhoods of

Diez de Octubre Diez de Octubre is one of the 15 municipalities or boroughs (''municipios'' in Spanish) in the city of Havana, Cuba. Overview It is one of the oldest municipalities of the capital. Its foundation dates from the second half of the 16th Century aim ...

and Cerro is named in his honor. Lacret's monument, a white marble bust, was decapitated by vandals in 2022. The on the

Yumurí River The Yumurí is a river in Cuba, which drains into Bahia de Matanzas, an arm of the Straits of Florida in the historic provincial capital of Matanzas Matanzas (Cuban ; ) is the capital of the Cuban province of Matanzas Province, Matanzas. Kno ...

Matanzas Matanzas (Cuban ; ) is the capital of the Cuban province of Matanzas Province, Matanzas. Known for its poets, culture, and Afro-American religions, Afro-Cuban folklore, it is located on the northern shore of the island of Cuba, on the Bay of Mat ...

was originally named after Lacret.

Early life

Lacret was born in

Santiago de Cuba Santiago de Cuba is the second-largest city in Cuba and the capital city of Santiago de Cuba Province. It lies in the southeastern area of the island, some southeast of the Cuban capital of Havana. The municipality extends over , and contains t ...

, Oriente Province—possibly on a family estate in Hongolosongo, 21 km from the city of

El Cobre, Cuba El Cobre is a Cuban town and ''consejo popular'' ("people's council", i.e. hamlet) of the municipality of Santiago de Cuba, capital of the homonym province, with a population of about 7,000. Mainly known for a Basilica in honour of Our Lady of Ch ...

. He was the son of Pedro Alejandro Lacraite León and Micaela Mourlot Deame, owners of three prosperous coffee plantations whose produce was exported to

France France, officially the French Republic, is a country located primarily in Western Europe. Overseas France, Its overseas regions and territories include French Guiana in South America, Saint Pierre and Miquelon in the Atlantic Ocean#North Atlan ...

. Lacret received his early and secondary education in Santiago de Cuba and later studied in France. Despite the opportunities abroad, he remained deeply attached to his homeland and its cause for freedom.

Ten Years' War

Lacret joined the Cuban insurrection at the outbreak of the

Ten Years’ War Ten, TEN or 10 may refer to: * 10, an even natural number following 9 and preceding 11 * one of the years 10 BC, AD 10, 1910, 2010, 2110 * October, the tenth month of the year Places * Mount Ten, in Vietnam * Tongren Fenghuang Airport (IATA co ...

in 1868, serving under Major General

Donato Mármol Donato Mármol (February 14, 1843 – June 26, 1870) was a Cuban revolutionary and general who played a key role in the Ten Years' War in Cuba. Early life Donato Benjamín del Mármol y Tamayo was born in Bayamo, Spanish Cuba on February 14, 184 ...

. He was wounded in the Battle of El Cobre on November 23, 1868, captured by Spanish forces, and later released. He continued to support the revolutionary cause, serving as prefect of Guanimao in the

Sierra Maestra The Sierra Maestra is a mountain range that runs westward across the south of the old Oriente Province in southeast Cuba, rising abruptly from the coast. The range falls mainly within the Santiago de Cuba and in Granma Provinces. Some view i ...

, where he encountered the deposed President Carlos Manuel de Céspedes. As Antonio Maceo's assistant, Lacret participated in the Battle of Juan Mulato and in the famous

Protest of Baraguá A protest (also called a demonstration, remonstration, or remonstrance) is a public act of objection, disapproval or dissent against political advantage. Protests can be thought of as acts of cooperation in which numerous people cooperate ...

. He accompanied Maceo to Jamaica in May 1878 to seek support for continuing the war and later returned to Cuba with a message to President

Manuel de Jesús Calvar Manuel de Jesús Calvar y Oduardo, or simply "Titá," was a Cuban military leader and a prominent figure during the Ten Years’ War. He held the rank of major general in the Cuban Liberation Army and briefly served as president of the Cuban Re ...

Little War

Though he supported the failed Little War, Lacret was arrested in October 1879 and imprisoned in both Cuba and Spain until his release in June 1880.

Cuban War of Independence

Lacret rejoined the independence struggle on July 15, 1895, in Sagua la Grande, Las Villas Province. He organized revolutionary forces and operated in the provinces of Las Villas and Matanzas. On December 18, 1895, he was appointed head of the Matanzas province by Maceo. He led over 183 combat actions, including battles at

Quita Pesares Keta is a coastal town and the capital of the Keta Municipal District in the Volta Region of Ghana. Keta was an important trading post between the 14th and the late 20th centuries. The town attracted the interest of the Danish, because they fe ...

, Lagunillas, and

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, and was instrumental in the destruction of Spanish

sugar mills A sugar cane mill is a factory that processes sugar cane to produce raw sugar or plantation white sugar. Some sugar mills are situated next to a back-end refinery, that turns raw sugar into (refined) white sugar. The term is also used to refer ...

. Despite his success, General

Máximo Gómez Máximo Gómez y Báez (November 18, 1836 – June 17, 1905) was a general of Dominican origin in the Cuban Wars of Independence (1868-78 and 1895–98). He was known for his controversial Scorched earth tactics, which entailed dynamiting pa ...

removed him from his position in January 1897, citing discipline issues. He later joined the General Headquarters and was elected vice president (and subsequently president) of the Constituent Assembly of La Yaya in October 1897. Lacret was also involved in a proposed but ultimately blocked expedition to

Puerto Rico ; abbreviated PR), officially the Commonwealth of Puerto Rico, is a Government of Puerto Rico, self-governing Caribbean Geography of Puerto Rico, archipelago and island organized as an Territories of the United States, unincorporated territo ...

. In May 1898, with U.S. support, he led an expedition from

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to Banes, Oriente, to reinforce Cuban efforts in the final stages of the war.

Ranks

Source: *

Captain Captain is a title, an appellative for the commanding officer of a military unit; the supreme leader or highest rank officer of a navy ship, merchant ship, aeroplane, spacecraft, or other vessel; or the commander of a port, fire or police depa ...

(February 18, 1874) *

Colonel Colonel ( ; abbreviated as Col., Col, or COL) is a senior military Officer (armed forces), officer rank used in many countries. It is also used in some police forces and paramilitary organizations. In the 17th, 18th, and 19th centuries, a colon ...

(July 15, 1895) * Brigadier General (December 18, 1895) *

Division General Divisional general is a general officer rank who commands an army division. The rank originates from the French Revolutionary System, and is used by a number of countries. The rank is above a brigade general, and normally below an army corps ...

(March 10, 1896)

Postwar contributions and political career

Lacret chaired the Executive Commission of the Assembly of Representatives of the Cuban Revolution (ARRC) until its dissolution in June 1899. He was one of nine Cuban generals invited to the official power-transfer ceremony on January 1, 1899. He founded '' La Marina Cubana'', a newspaper promoting the Cuban merchant navy, and was elected to the 1901 Constituent Assembly, where he opposed the

Platt Amendment The Platt Amendment was a piece of United States legislation enacted as part of the Army Appropriations Act of 1901 that defined the relationship between the United States and Cuba following the Spanish–American War.

Later life and death

A staunch nationalist, Lacret opposed foreign control by the United States and supported national development projects, including the revitalization of the Cuban navy, industrial initiatives, and the dredging of the

Cauto River The Cauto River or Río Cauto is the longest river in Cuba, as well as the longest river in the Caribbean. Located in the southeast of the island, it is one of two navigable rivers in Cuba, the other being the Sagua la Grande River. Overview The ...

. He died in poverty and isolation in Havana on December 24, 1904.

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Morlot, Jose 1850 births 1904 deaths Cuban revolutionaries Cuban soldiers Cuban politicians