Ángel del Castillo y Agramonte (August 14, 1834 – September 8, 1869) 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 A revolutionary is a person who either participates in, or advocates for, a revolution. The term ''revolutionary'' can also be used as an adjective to describe something producing a major and sudden impact on society. Definition The term—bot ...

and military general who was killed during the

Ten Years' War The Ten Years' War (; 1868–1878), also known as the Great War () and the War of '68, was part of Cuba's fight for independence from Spain. The uprising was led by Cuban-born planters and other wealthy natives. On 10 October 1868, sugar mil ...

Cuba Cuba, officially the Republic of Cuba, is an island country, comprising the island of Cuba (largest island), Isla de la Juventud, and List of islands of Cuba, 4,195 islands, islets and cays surrounding the main island. It is located where the ...

Early life

Ángel del Castillo y Agramonte was born in Puerto Príncipe (now

Camagüey Camagüey () is a city and municipality in central Cuba and is the nation's third-largest city with more than 333,000 inhabitants. It is the capital of the Camagüey Province. It was founded as Santa María del Puerto del Príncipe in 1514, by Sp ...

Spanish Cuba The Captaincy General of Cuba () was an administrative district of the Spanish Empire created in 1607 as part of Habsburg Spain's attempt to better defend and administer its Caribbean possessions. The reform also established captaincies general ...

on August 14, 1834. As a member of a distinguished family, he was a wealthy planter on the Cuban island. After finishing his dentistry studies in the United States in the mid-1850s, he returned to Cuba.

Ten Years' War

After the revolutionary

Cry of Yara The Cry of Yara () was a declaration, battle cry, and uprising in eastern Cuba on 10 October 1868, initiating the Ten Years' War. The signaling of the Yara uprising occurred near Manzanillo in the eastern province of Oriente, at the sugar plan ...

and uprising led by Cespedes on October 10, 1868, Castillo and many other figures of Camagüey injected themselves into the

Las Clavellinas Uprising

Castillo was involved in the

Las Clavellinas Uprising The Las Clavellinas Uprising was a military engagement of the Ten Years' War. It took place on November 4, 1868, at the Las Clavellinas estate, near Puerto Príncipe (now Camagüey) in Cuba. It was the initial armed uprising in the Camagüey Pr ...

during Camagüey's armed revolt in November 1868. As coordinated by Cisneros Betancourt, the trusted allies of Eduardo Agramonte Piña were summoned to meet in the early hours of the morning. 76 Cuban patriots met at the Las Clavellinas river, three miles from Camagüey, and organized for battle on November 4, 1868. Ángel del Castillo, Jerónimo Boza Agramonte, Adolfo Varona y de la Pera, and

Salvador Cisneros Betancourt Salvador Cisneros y Betancourt (February 10, 1828 – February 28, 1914) was a Cuban revolutionary and statesman, who was the only Cuban to become the president of the Republic of Cuba (1902–1959), Republic of Cuba twice. Early life Salvador C ...

, among others assembled at the stream. Castillo and his brother freed their slaves to join the fight. While Jerónimo Boza Agramonte assumed command as the superior chief, Col. Agramonte Piña divided the Cuban insurgents into several

platoons A platoon is a Military organization, military unit typically composed of two to four squads, Section (military unit), sections, or patrols. Platoon organization varies depending on the country and the Military branch, branch, but a platoon can ...

Battle of Bonilla

During the

Battle of Bonilla The Battle of Bonilla was a military engagement of the Ten Years' War. It took place on November 28, 1868, at Minas, in Puerto Príncipe (now Camagüey Province) in Cuba. After the Las Clavellinas Uprising in the province, the Spanish colonial g ...

Minas Minas or MINAS may refer to: People with the given name Minas * Menas of Ethiopia (died 1563) * Saint Menas (Minas, 285–309) * Minias of Florence (Minas, Miniato, died 250) * Minas Alozidis (born 1984), Greek hurdler * Minas Avetisyan (192 ...

on November 28, 1868, insurgent forces commanded by Ángel del Castillo and

Bernabé Varona Bernabé Varona (1845November 4, 1873), also known as Bembetta, was a Cuban revolutionary and mambí General who was executed during the Ten Years' War in 1873. Early life Bernabé Varona y Borrero was born in the district of Puerto Príncipe (n ...

routed a Spanish regiment led by

Blas Villate Blas Villate y de la Herra, 2nd Count of Valmaseda (February 3, 1824, in Sestao – January 8, 1882, in Madrid) was a Spanish general. He was several times governor of Cuba Cuba, officially the Republic of Cuba, is an island country, c ...

, who retreated to

Nuevitas Nuevitas is a municipality and port town in the Camagüey Province of Cuba. The large bay was sighted by Christopher Columbus and crew during their first voyage of exploration in 1492. History Founded in 1775 during the time of the Spanish Empire ...

. Shortly after, he engaged in another skirmish with Villate, Count of Valmaseda. After

Céspedes Céspedes is a Spanish patronymic surname, originating in Spain which is derived from the Spanish ''césped,'' meaning "grass; fields." It would have likely denoted a farmer or gardener. It can refer to: *Alba de Céspedes, Cuban-Italian writer * ...

assumed the presidency in April 1869, Castillo was named colonel of the 2nd

Brigade A brigade is a major tactical military unit, military formation that typically comprises three to six battalions plus supporting elements. It is roughly equivalent to an enlarged or reinforced regiment. Two or more brigades may constitute ...

, under Maj. Gen.

Ignacio Agramonte Ignacio Agramonte y Loynaz (23 December 1841 – 11 May 1873) was a Cuban revolutionary, who played an important part in the Ten Years' War (1868–1878). Biography Born in Puerto del Príncipe (known as Camagüey) on December 23, 1841, to a w ...

's Camagüey division in

Manuel de Quesada Manuel may refer to: People * Manuel (name), a given name and surname * Manuel (''Fawlty Towers''), a fictional character from the sitcom ''Fawlty Towers'' * Manuel I Komnenos, emperor of the Byzantine Empire * Manuel I of Portugal, king of Po ...

Cuban Liberation Army The Cuban Liberation Army (), colloquially known as the Mambises, Mambí Army () was an insurgency, insurgent army which was formed in the last third of the 19th century and fought for independence from Spain and the abolitionism, abolition of ...

Battle of Las Minas

Ángel del Castillo participated in the Battle of Las Minas in May 1869, where he and

gathered over 4,000 troops and established a

stronghold A fortification (also called a fort, fortress, fastness, or stronghold) is a military construction designed for the defense of territories in warfare, and is used to establish rule in a region during peacetime. The term is derived from La ...

beyond Las Minas. Gen.

Juan de Lesca Juan de Lesca was a 19th-century Spanish military figure who was a Knight of the Grand Cross of the Order of Isabella the Catholic, fought in the Ten Years' War, and was later bestowed the Order of Saint Hermengild. Biography Juan de Lesca y F ...

launched an assault, leading to

coming to their aid, and they successfully repelled the attack.(1870) The American Annual Cyclopedia and Register of Important Events of the Year ..., Volume 9; Volume 1869. United States: D. Appleton.

Death

Ángel del Castillo died on September 8, 1869, while assaulting Fort Lázaro López in

Ciego de Ávila Ciego de Ávila () is a city in the central part of Cuba and the capital of Ciego de Ávila Province. The capital city has a population of about 156,322 and the province 430,507. Geography Ciego de Ávila lies on the Carretera Central highway a ...

Ciego de Ávila Province Ciego de Ávila () is one of the provinces of Cuba, and was previously part of Camagüey Province. Its capital is Ciego de Ávila, which lies on the Carretera Central (central highway), and the second city is Morón, further north. The provi ...

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:del Castillo Agramonte, Ángel 1834 births 1869 deaths Cuban generals 19th-century Cuban military personnel Cuban independence activists Cuban revolutionaries People of the Ten Years' War People from Camagüey