Arsenio Martínez Campos
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Arsenio Martínez Campos was a Spanish officer, who rose against the First Spanish Republic and was later Captain General of Cuba. (Segovia, Spain, December 14, 1831 - Zarauz, Spain, September 23, 1900). Militaryman and politician, he took part in the wars in Africa, Mexico, Cuba and the last Carlist war.
In 1854, he was named member of the Spanish General Staff (Estado Mayor). Later on, he was named professor in its academy. In 1860, he was sent to Africa, in a joint expedition along with France and Britain, and also took part in the Mexican 1862 campaign under General Juan Prim.
After the Revolution of 1868, Arsenio Martínez Campos requested posting to Cuba, where he fought well against the rebels in 1869 gaining the rank of brigadier. Success in this war commonly was a matter of perception, the Spanish army after taking serious losses, would take the field in bayonet charges thus technically winning. However, the Cuban rebels would count up the Spanish losses against their own and consider the action a victory in terms of body count and withdraw. The Cubans also knew that movements of Spanish in the field caused the exposure of the susceptible Spanish forces to yellow fever and other tropical diseases; these diseases would hurt the enemy further. Martínez Campos, perceived as too soft to win, was displaced by the ruthless Blas Villate, Count of Balmaceda [1]; who proceeded with a brutal campaign of ethnic cleansing called, "The Rising Flood of Valmaseda". In 1872, Martínez Campos returned to Spain, where he backed the pronouncement by Manuel Pavía. Here, he took charge of several brigades to fight the Carlist uprisings with little success. After this, he was put in charge of the Valencian army, fighting Independent forces in Alicante and Cartagena.
The chaotic situation in Spain caused him to plot against the Republic and in favour of Alfonso XII, son of the exiled Isabel II. On the 29 December 1874, Martínez Campos pronounced in Sagunto for Alfonso XII as King of Spain. Later, he was named Captain General of Catalonia after defeating the Carlists there and in Navarre in the Restoration. He was made Captain General (governor) of Cuba in 1876 where his reputation as a noble warrior allowed him to arrange a peace treaty (Paz de Zanjón) with the war weary Cuban rebels in 1878. This treaty granted more autonomy to Cuba, freedom to rebels who had been slaves, and a few years after led to the complete abolition of slavery on the island.
Returning to Spain, and after presiding over a conservative government in 1879 as Cánovas's puppet, he was forced to leave the Conservative Party, since he favoured granting total freedom to all races in Spain. He turned to the liberals. As Minister for War under Sagasta, he founded the Academia Militar General.
In 1893, he was named general-in-chief of the African army, and subscribed a peace treaty (Peace of Melilla) with the Sultan of Morocco in 1894. That same year (1893), he suffered an assassination attempt. Two years later, he returned to Cuba, but facing an incorrectly perceived need to toughen measures against the rebels, he refused to order ethnic cleansing and resigned his post. He was replaced with by Valeriano Weyler a cruel disciple of the Count of Balmaceda. Among the ruthless soldiers of Weyler, there was a Galician by the name of Angel Castro who would be the father of Fidel Castro. Martínez Campo returned to Spain, where he was named president of the Supreme War and Navy Council until his death in 1900. Weyler’s tactics did not lead to victory but instead contributed to the U.S. intervention in the Spanish American War.
