Camilo Cienfuegos
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Camilo Cienfuegos Gorriarán (February 6, 1932 - October 28, 1959) was a Cuban revolutionary born in Calabazar de Sagua. He was active in underground activities against the Cuban President Fulgencio Batista and played an important role in the Cuban Revolution. Along with Fidel Castro, Che Guevara and Raúl Castro, he was one of the main leaders of the revolution.
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[edit] Guerrilla activities
Cienfuegos was one of the 82 revolutionaries who set sail aboard the yacht Granma in November 1956. He was one of several people who survived the attack by Batista's forces not long after they landed and was able to rejoin Castro in the Sierra Maestra a month later.
In 1957 he became one of the top leaders of the revolutionary forces, appointed to the rank of "Comandante". In 1958, with the defeat of Operation Verano, Cienfuegos was put in command of one of three columns which headed west out of the mountains with the intention of capturing the provincial capital city of Santa Clara. Che Guevara was in command of another column and Jaime Vega was in command of the third. Jaime Vega's column was ambushed and defeated by Batista's forces.
Cienfuegos and Guevara's two columns reached the central provinces, where they joined efforts with several other resistance groups. Cienfuegos's column fought the Battle of Yaguajay in December and, after a hard fight, forced the garrison to surrender on December 30, 1958. This earned him the nickname "The Hero of Yaguajay". With Yaguajay captured, Cienfuegos's column was able to advance against Santa Clara in conjunction with Guevara's forces. Together, the two columns captured Santa Clara on December 31; most of the defending soldiers gave up without shooting. Batista fled Cuba the next day, and the guerrillas were victorious.
Later, Cienfuegos would serve in the Cuban Army's high command, fight anti-Castro uprisings, and play an important role in the institution of agrarian reforms.
[edit] Politics and death
There has been debate as to Cienfuegos's political leanings. Many claim that he was anti-Communist, though it is not clear if that means he decried socialist ideals. Cuban author and historian Carlos Franqui suggests otherwise in his book, Family Portrait With Fidel. Franqui, one of Cienfuegos's closest friends during the Cuban revolution, asserts that Cienfuegos "sympathized with socialism" and that he followed Marxist Che Guevara politically. Other sources tend to agree with Franqui. Both Cienfuegos's father and his brother, Osmany, were, and in Osmany's case are, radical leftists.
Several days before his death, Cienfuegos arrested his former revolutionary comrade Huber Matos on Castro's orders.
On October 28, 1959, Camilo’s Cessna disappeared over the ocean during a night flight from Camagüey to Havana. The country ceased work as an immediate search was called which lasted several days, but no plane could be found. By November the search was called off and Cienfuegos was presumed lost. He quickly became a new martyr for the Cuban revolution.[1]
Rumors concerning Cienfuegos's disappearance have been rife, some have speculated that Cienfuegos was killed on the orders of Fidel Castro, others believed Raúl Castro had murdered the more popular revolutionary in a fit of jealousy. These rumors have been difficult to uphold, however, as Cienfuegos had appeared exceptionally loyal to Castro thoughout his involvement, and had vigorously supported the arrest of Matos only days earlier.[1] Che Guevara, who was also close to Cienfuegos naming his son Camilo after the fallen revolutionary, dismissed any rumors of Castro's involvement. Another rumor circulating was that a Cuban air force fighter plane shot Cienfuegos down mistaking his plane for a hostile intruder.[2] Historians seem to agree that Camilo's death is more likely to have been an accident, and not the result of foul play.[3]
Che Guevara opened his 1960 book 'Guerilla Warfare' with a 'Dedication to Camilo', in which he paid tribute to Cienfuegos.
On every October 28 school children from all over Cuba throw flowers into the sea (or into a river if they live inland) to honor Camilo Cienfuegos.[4]
[edit] Quotes
- "The rebel army is the people in uniform."
[edit] External links
- Bio of Cienfuegos
- "Who was Camilo Cienfuegos?" - J.A. Sierram, History of Cuba.
[edit] Footnotes
- ^ a b Hugh Thomas, Cuba : The pursuit of freedom. p842-3
- ^ John Lee Anderson. Che Guevara : A revoutionary life. p451.
- ^ Camilo Cienfuegos History of Cuba by J.A. Sierra.
- ^ Cuban cinema classics
° Museo Camilo Cienfuegos Yahoo Cities
