Moncada Barracks
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The Moncada Barracks, in Santiago de Cuba, was the site of an armed attack by a small group of rebels led by Fidel Castro that sparked the Cuban Revolution. These barracks are named after the "Ebony Giant" Guillermon Moncada, a War of Independence Hero. The date on which the attack took place, July 26, 1953, was adopted by Castro as the name for his revolutionary 26th of July Movement (Movimiento 26 Julio or M 26-7) which eventually took power in 1959.
The remaining rebels were tried and sentenced for their role in the attack, Castro giving a four hour speech, concluding with the words "Condemn me. It does not matter. History will absolve me", in his defense. They were released after an amnesty in 1956.
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[edit] Attack on Moncada Barracks
On July 26, 1953, at 5:00AM, Fidel Castro and his brother Raúl led a group of approximately 160 rebels in an attack on the second largest military garrison in Cuba, headquarters of the 1,000 (others say about 400) strong Antonio Maceo regiment, under the command of President Fulgencio Batista.
The night before the attack, 25 July, nearby Santiago de Cuba played host to a festival, and the rebel group believed the soldiers would be suffering from hangovers. Also, the rebels had stolen army uniforms to wear during the attack. The group formed an automobile caravan in order to give the appearance of being a delegation headed by a high-ranking officer sent from western Cuba. Their plan was to take the barracks, including the radio transmitter within it, and use it as a centre from which to broadcast propaganda to the Cuban people, with the ultimate hope of bringing down the Batista government.
The attack began poorly. The caravan of automobiles became separated by the time it arrived at the barracks, and the car carrying the guerillas' heavy weapons got lost. Further, many of the rebels who would have taken part in the attack were left behind for a lack of weapons. The net result of these events was the rebels being outnumbered more than 10 to 1.
Sixty-one rebels were killed in the fighting, and one third of them were captured. Half of the men captured were tortured to death. A handful of rebels, including Fidel Castro, escaped into the nearby countryside but were apprehended shortly thereafter.
The barracks still bears bulletholes inflicted during the attack.
[edit] Aftermath of the Attack
Castro, a lawyer, defended himself at his trial. His defence speech, History Will Absolve Me, was written down by a court reporter. It became the platform of the 26th of July Movement, detailing plans for reform in Cuba, and was later frequently used in Castro's speeches. Castro was sentenced to death; however, at the urging of Roman Catholic priests, Batista abolished the death penalty just before Castro's execution, and he was sentenced instead to fifteen years in prison on the Isle of Pines (Now known as the Isle of Youth).
Two years later, in 1955, a group of prisoners' mothers launched a campaign to free Castro and the other rebels imprisoned with him. As popular support for the rebels and opposition to Batista's rule mounted, a group of political leaders, editors, and intellectuals signed a public appeal demanding "liberty for the political prisoners". That year, the Cuban Congress passed a bill granting general amnesty to political prisoners. After being signed by Batista, the imprisoned rebels were freed.
[edit] References
- Huberman, Leo, Paul M. Sweezy. Cuba: Anatomy of a Revolution.
[edit] External link
- "History Will Absolve Me"
- Merle, Robert (1965). Moncada, premier combat de Fidel Castro (in French).
