Joaquín Vara del Rey y Rubio

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Joaquín Vara del Rey y Rubio (1840 – July 1, 1898) was a celebrated Spanish soldier and general. He was killed leading the stubborn defence of El Caney against a massively superior American army during the Spanish-American War.

Vara del Rey was born on Ibiza in 1840. He graduated as a second lieutenant from the Colegio General, rising to the rank of first lieutenant in 1862. He fought against uprisings in Cartagena and Valencia and against the Carlists in the Carlist Wars. He requested a transfer to the Philippines in 1884 and remained there until 1890, serving as Captain General of the Philippines and governor of the Mariana Islands.

In 1895, Vara del Rey volunteered for service in Cuba. He commanded the Spanish forces at Bayamo and led his regiment to victory at the Battle of Loma de Gato in which the Spaniards killed revolutionary leader José Maceo, brother of Antonio Maceo Grajales.

On July 1, 1898, Brigadier General Joaquín Vara del Rey, with only 550 men and no artillery, heroically defended El Caney for ten hours against a U.S. army 12,000 strong and better armed. Vara del Rey lost two sons in the battle and died fighting; only 84 Spanish soldiers survived unscathed.

U.S. troops buried Vara del Rey with full military honours. American accounts of the campaign praised the "magnificent courage" of Vara del Rey's soldiers and described the man as an incomparable leader; a heroic soul.[1] Vara del Rey's remains were repatriated to Spain in November 1898 with American cooperation. He was posthumously awarded the San Fernando Cross (Cruz Laureado de San Fernando), Spain's highest military decoration.

[edit] References

• Albert A. Nofi (1997). The Spanish-American War, 1898. Combined Books. ISBN 0938289578.