Ignacio Agramonte y Loynaz, "El Mayor" as his Mambí troops called him, would have turned 184 years old this December 23rd. In his 32 years of life, he participated in more than 100 battles, shone as a statesman, and his machete continues to inspire the revolutionary charges of the Cuban people today.
He was born in Puerto Príncipe, present-day Camagüey, on that date in 1841, into an illustrious and wealthy Creole family of that region. From a young age, he seemed to enjoy perfect harmony and communication with his father, a lawyer, who, along with his wife, stimulated his intellectual curiosity.
He completed his early studies in his hometown until the age of 11, and after a brief stay at the Colegio El Salvador in Havana, he went to Barcelona where he studied Latin and Humanities for three years. In 1855, he began studying Elements of Philosophy, in pursuit of a Bachelor of Arts degree, and enrolled at the University of Barcelona in 1856. The following year, he returned to Cuba and, after a brief vacation in his native Camagüey, began his law studies at the University of Havana, following the Agramonte family's professional tradition. He graduated from the university with a degree in Civil and Canon Law in 1865 and obtained his doctorate on August 24, 1867. Upon completing his studies, Agramonte served as a justice of the peace in the Havana neighborhood of Guadalupe and practiced law in that city. From mid-1868, he moved to Puerto Príncipe, where that year he married Amalia Simoni Argilagos, a cultured and progressive woman from Puerto Príncipe whom he always idolized and who later accompanied her husband to the war, experiencing hardships and dangers.
Agramonte participated in the conspiratorial activities that led to the uprising of the people of Camagüey on November 4, 1868, joining the Ten Years' War where he reached the rank of Major General in the Liberation Army and was a founder of the Revolutionary Junta of that region.
In his three and a half years of military service, until his death in combat at the age of 32, he participated in more than 100 battles and skillfully combined tactical principles with irregular warfare on the vast plains of Camagüey, especially with cavalry charges. He established a solid base of operations in that territory and paid special attention to the military and general training of his commanders and officers, for which purpose he created military schools such as the one in Jimaguayú.
He imposed strict organization and discipline on his troops. "El Bayardo" was another nickname by which he went down in history, as a symbol of gallantry, patriotism, and courage. Enrique Collazo Tejada, a Cuban brigadier general and writer, defined Agramonte as the "savior of the Revolution." Collazo, a lawyer, family friend, and former combatant under Agramonte's command, described him as a "colossus of military genius." The Cuban statesman and patriot Manuel Sanguily Garrite highlighted his extraordinary continental stature as "a Simón Bolívar."
As his disagreements with President Carlos Manuel de Céspedes intensified, he submitted his resignation on April 1, 1870, which was accepted on the 17th. Without a command, but retaining the rank of Major General, he continued the fight accompanied only by his escort and small forces that joined him.
Under these circumstances, he carried out approximately 19 combat actions until, understanding the importance of maintaining unity among Cubans, he accepted Céspedes' offer on January 13, 1871, to rejoin the forces in Camagüey and resume command of that division. One of his most notable actions was the rescue of Brigadier Julio Sanguily, who had been surprised and captured at a Mambí infirmary. Upon receiving the news, El Mayor, without inquiring how many enemies there were, but rather where they were located, saddled his horse and addressed his 70 soldiers: “My friends, the matter is clear. Brigadier Sanguily has been taken prisoner by the Spanish. Anyone willing to rescue him or die, step forward.”
El Mayor hastily assembled 35 horsemen. At the vanguard, Captain Henry Reeve, with four riflemen from the escort, informed his commander that the Spanish were gathered around a water well. Agramonte then drew his machete and ordered that Sanguily be rescued, dead or alive, or that they perish in the attempt.
As the Cuban forces advanced at a gallop, the Spanish sergeant guarding Sanguily pulled him from his horse and shot him at close range, permanently disabling his hand. However, Agramonte was already beside him at the head of the charge, which caused the Spanish to scatter. “My soldiers didn't fight like men, they fought like wild beasts!” said the Major.
In the early morning of May 11, 1873, news reached him of the enemy's presence in Santana de Cachaza. The Major rallied his troops for battle and ordered them to lure the enemy to the Potrero de Jimaguayú, 32 kilometers southwest of the city of Camagüey, but the Spanish did not take the bait.
Agramonte