Ignacio Agramonte’s 150th death anniversary

Cuban President Miguel Díaz-Canel said that 150 years after the death in combat of hero Ignacio Agramonte, he continues to inspire the Cuban people.

Havana, Cuba.- Agramonte was one of the most outstanding leaders of the Ten-Year War (1868-1878) and was considered the greatest patriot from central Camagüey province.

He was born in the city of Puerto Principe on December 23, 1841, and was killed in combat against the Spanish troops on May 11, 1873.

Like other precursors of the Mambi rebellion, he came from a wealthy family and was forged in it, but thanks to the integral culture that he was able to receive, he also knew about the most advanced ideas of the time, almost all framed in 19th-century Europe.

A doctor in Law in 1867, Agramonte’s patriotic vision led him to renounce benefits early, and he joined the redeeming manigua in November 1868, leaving his beloved wife, Amalia Simoni, behind.

Due to Agramonte’s military and strategic prestige, authorities of the Republic in Arms appointed him, on May 10, 1872, chief of the district of the province of Las Villas, in addition to Camagüey, due to his capacity of agglutination and leadership, beyond the regionalisms of the time.

His patriotic and ethical conduct has been honored with several adjectives. He was called a paladin of shame, an iron man, a colossal military genius, a hero, a martyr, and an idol of the people from Camagüey, and Jose Martí immortalized him as a diamond with the soul of a kiss. (PL)