More from author
-	The Final Greek Victory II
-	The Final Greek Victory
-	The Battle of Thermopile and the Naval Battle of Salamis
-	A Message to Garcia 9
-	The Battle of Marathon

See news about

activism AKP Al Yamamah alcoholism treatment Angelina Jolie BAE Systems Bill Murray bizarre news BRIT Awards Buick car crash Celebrity Commonwealth Bank Series Cricket Demi Moore extradition formula one France Gambhir genocide geri Halliwell headlines single Health Care Commission Heather Mills Hutu Hyperinflation Impeachment James Earl Katie Holmes Kylie Minogue Mika military tribunal MRSA Mugabe music Pakistan Pakistan Tour Paris Hilton Politics Ponting Prince Harry and Chelsy Rod Stewart Saudi Arabia SCG Secularists security Serious Fraud Office Sienna Miller Stockholm Syndrome Symonds terrorism The Huff Tim Burton Tutsi usic Victoria Beckham Victoria Beckham nude Yves Leterme00710 Worst Nude Film Scenes2nd amendment50 Cent50-Centa-teamA-Team movieABBAAbbie CornishAbi TitmussAbigail BreslinAcademy AwardsaccidentsAdam SandleraddictionsAdeleAdnan GhalibAfghanistanAfton SmithAgyness DeynAir IndiaAishwarya RaiAl GoreAl Pacinoal QaedaAl-QaedaAlan ArkinAlan RickmanAlanis MorisseteAlanis MorissetteAlbert Einsteinalcoholalcohol addictionalcoholismAlec BaldwinAlesha DixonAlex TurnerAlexandriaAli CampbellAli LarterAlicia KeysAlicia SilverstoneAllahAlli SimsAmanda HoldenAmanda PeetAmanda SeyfriedAmazonAmelle BerrabahAmerican IdolAmerican PieAmy AdamsAmy RyanAmy WinehouseAmy Winehouse is planning a massive Christmas bingAnatole TaubmannAndhraAndrew MortonAndy HilfigerAndy SerkisAng LeeAngela MerkelAngelina Jolieanimal rightsAnjelica HustonAnna NicoleAnna Nicole SmithAnne HathawayAnnie LennoxAnthony HopkinsAnthony MinghellaAnti-IconAntonio BanderasAppleArctic MonkeysAretha FranklinAri SandelArmaniArnieArnold SchwarzeneggerArpad BussonAshantiAshely TisdaleAshlee SimpsonAshley ColeAshley JuddAshley OlsenAshley TisdaleAshton KutcherAsif Ali ZardariAsley OlsenAssamastronautAtonementAtonement\'Audrey HepburnAustraliaAvril LavigneAyda FieldBabelbabyBackstairs BillyBackstreet Boysbad influencesBaftaBaghdadBalticBangladeshBar RafaeliBar RefaeliBarack ObamaBarry ManilowBasraBattlestar GalacticaBBCBeatlesbeauty pageantBeckhambecome news reporterBeethovenBelgiumBen AffleckBenazirBenazir assassinationBenazir BhuttoBenazir Bhutto assassinationBenazir Bhutto photosBenazir Bhutto stampsBenazir Bhutto willBenezir Bhutto assassinationBeowulfBernardo BertolucciBest ActressBest Dressed in 2007best haircutbest motorcycle movie momentsbest moviesBeth DittoBethlehemBette MidlerBeverly Hills 90210BeyonceBeyoncé KnowlesBeyonc¨¦ KnowlesBilawal ZardarBilawal ZardariBill GatesBillie PiperBillionaireBilly JoelBilly Zanebinge drinkingBipasha Basubird fluBismarckBizarre NewsBjorkBlack CrowesBlack Eyed PeasBlake FielderBlake Fielder CivilBlake Fielder-CivilBlaze Media ProblogbloggerbloggingBlurBMWBo DerekBob DylanBobby BrownBollywoodbombBon JoviBondBond 22Bond girlBond girlsBonoBoratBotoxBoy GeorgeBrad PittBrad RenfroBrainBrandon RouthBrandyBrazilbrazil prisonbread thievesBrendan FraserBrian MayBrian McFaddenBrian WilliamsBridget JonesBridget MoynahanBRIT AwardsBritish royal familyBritish Secret IntelligenceBritney SpearBritney SpearsBritney Spears adoptionBritney Spears body doubleBritney Spears lawyerBritney Spears psychological evaluationBritsBrittany MurphyBrooke ShieldsBruce LeeBruce SpringsteenBruce WillisBruneiBryan AdamsBuckingham Palacebulletproof vestBushBusta RhymesCairoCalista FlockhartCalvin KleinCameron DiazCameron MackintosCamila AlvesCamillaCanadaCanada¡¯s Juno AwardscancercannabisCannesCannes Film FestivalCapri Hollywood Film FestivalCarey HartCarla Bruni-SarkozyCarmen ElectraCarmit BacharCaroline KennedyCarrie UnderwoodCasablancaCasey AffleckCasey AldridgeCash WarrenCasio keyboard

 

By Humberto Rodriguez

We read the original article, "A Message To Garcia" in a previous part of this publication. This was reportedly the most reproduced article during the lifetime of an author, in the history of the United States. The article suggests that President William McKinley gave First Lieutenant Rowan an actual letter or message to deliver to Major General Calixto Garcia. In fact, he did not. Prudence in view of the possibility of Lt. Rowan being captured with such a message made it impractical. He was given an oral message instead. The letter he was given was a letter from the Department of State of the United States to serve as presentation to the Cuban Exile Junta, which operated in Jamaica.

It must be remembered that this final war, "The War of Independence," had started with the "Grito de Baire," by Saturnino Lora and family, on February 24, 1895. Soon thereafter, the Cuban political leader and source of inspiration, Jose Marti, died in combat at Dos Rios, in Eastern Cuba, on May 19, 1895. Spain could no longer contain the independence movement. The Grito de Baire marked the beginning of the end for the rule of Spain. It started incessant warfare in the eastern part of rural Cuba.

As we have seen time and again in history, the intransigence and arrogance of the rulers left the ruled no option but to rebel. After the cruelty of the 10 Year War and the arbitrary actions of General Martinez Campos, the Baragua protest gave an indication of what was to come. The policy of repression of the "Penninsulars," as the people born in Spain were called, left no alternative. It boiled down to the fact that Penninsulars regarded those Spaniards of "Ultramar" or Overseas as third class citizens, albeit most were entirely of Spanish blood. They could not study the careers they wanted, nor had access to the best employment. Although, as is usual in these cases, there were three separate courses of actions and trains of thought, 1) full integration into Spain or the US, 2) more autonomy as a colony and 3) full independence, the full independence movement had by now, all the momentum. There were several reasons, not the least of which were the cruelty of the Spanish rulers and the pen of a teacher, writer and journalist called José Julian Marti Perez, who from New York, had united and motivated all Cubans, prior to his death in combat, related above. The Electric Encyclopedia at http://www.encyclopedia.com describes the situation like this:

"After efforts to quell guerrilla activity had failed, the Spanish military commander, Valeriano Weyler y Nicolau, instituted the reconcentrado, or concentration Camp, system in 1896; Cuba's rural population was forcibly confined to centrally located garrison towns, where thousands died from disease, starvation, and exposure.

Weyler's actions brought the rebels many new American sympathizers. These pro-rebel feelings were inflamed by the U.S. yellow press, especially W. R. Hearst's New York Journal and Joseph Pulitzer's New York World, which distorted and slanted the news from Cuba. The U.S. government was also moved by the heavy losses of American investment in Cuba caused by the guerrilla warfare, an appreciation of the strategic importance of the island to Central America and a projected isthmian canal there, and a growing sense of U.S. power in the affairs of the Western Hemisphere. There was an unspoken threat of intervention. This grew sharper after the insurgents, refusing a Spanish offer of partial autonomy, determined to fight for full freedom."

The popularity of the war amongst the rural population and the help they offered the mambises (Cuban independence forces) moved Weyler to execute his policy of "Reconcentrado." Bad mistake. While he was doing that, the mambises were advancing. Already in 1996 Major General Antonio Maceo Grajales had fought his famous "Battle of Mal Tiempo" and executed his "Invasion," or traveled the entire island, from east to west, fighting and winning battles along the way. Spain still held the major cities. General Maceo was surprised in the province of Habana, close to a town called Bejucal, at the place known as "El Cacahual," by Spanish forces while his own forces were between two stone fences, making his retreat impossible. He was killed at that battle, on December 7, 1896. His assistant and son of the supreme military leader of the mambises, Francisco Gomez Toro, was also killed with him.

Spain committed more and more resources and men to retaining Cuba as a colony. An estimated 200,000 Spaniards died in Cuba. It was all in vain. Many of the Spaniards were honorable men and were respected by the mambises, such as Camps, the Spanish commander of "La Periquera" en Holguin, brave soldier who defended its post beyond duty and was much admired by the mambises. The episode of “La Periquera” will be the subject of another article.

Perhaps the Spanish soldier that Cuba could have done without was Angel Castro. He returned to live in Cuba after the war. I wish he had stayed in Galicia. If he had, Fidel Castro would not have been born in Cuba.

By the time President William McKinley sent Lieutenant Andrew Summers Rowan with his "Message To Garcia," it was very doubtful that Spain could have retained Cuba, even without any US intervention. But the sentiment for involvement in the Cuban War of Independence was growing in the US.

First, Hearst published a stolen letter, written by a minister of Spain in their embassy in Washington, which showed contempt for President McKinley. Then, on February 15, 1898, the USS Maine blew up in Havana Harbor, under mysterious circumstances, while the yachts of both Hearst and Pulitzer were nearby. Here is the official version of the US Navy:

http://www.history.navy.mil/faqs/faq71-1.htm

Members of the US Congress visited Cuba and reported on the effect of the Reconcentrado policy of Valeriano Weyler. In late March 1898, President McKinley proposed to Spain an armistice in Cuba, but the US sentiment ran now toward war.

The Queen of Spain had just ordered a ceasefire and the President of the United States knew it, but nevertheless, he asked Congress on April 11, 1898, for War Powers. Congress issued resolutions demanding that Spain withdraw from Cuba and setting the terms for US intervention. The resolutions contained the Teller Amendment, which provided that the US would withdraw as soon as Cuba gained independence.

On 22 April 1898, Congress authorized the recruitment of volunteers to fight in Cuba and the US had already blockaded Cuban ports on 21 April, which is considered an act of war. On 24 April 1998, Spain declared war on the US. On 25 April 1898, the US declared war on Spain also, but retroactive to 21 April 1898.

Such were the events that took place while Andrew S. Rowan was on his mission. The great contribution of the United States to the Cuban Independence War was that of its Navy. It started when Admiral George Dewey sailed into Manila Bay and defeated the Spanish fleet which was there at anchor, on 1 May 1898. On 19 May 1898, Admiral Pascual Cervera y Topete took the Spanish armada into the bay of Santiago de Cuba. On 28 May 1898, Commodore W. S. Schley blockaded the Santiago Harbor. Rear Admiral W. I. Sampson joined the blockade and took command. When the fleet under Admiral Cervera tried to run the blockade on 3 July 1898, it was destroyed.

Meantime, the US had landed 17,000 volunteer troops, more or less trained and not very well equipped. They were under the command of W. R. Shafter. They wanted to take Santiago and fought a good battle at El Caney on 1 July 1898, where the decisive contribution was that of the forces of Major General Calixto Garcia. The "Rough Riders," under Leonard Wood and Teddy Roosevelt, fought the battle of San Juan Hill. Santiago surrendered on 17 July 1898. That was it, the war was practically over.

The Armistice was signed on 12 August 1898. At that time, US troops under Nelson A. Miles were occupying Puerto Rico. Admiral Dewey and General Wesley Merritt occupied Manila on 13 August 1898. The official end of the war was when the Treaty of Paris was signed on 10 December 1898, which was ratified by Congress on 6 February 1899. This treaty was exclusively between the United States and Spain. The Cuban patriots were completely ignored and excluded.

Such was the situation when Elbert Hubbard wrote his famous essay, "A Message To Garcia," on 22 February 1899. Previous parts covered a prologue that the author wrote on 1913 and the actual article that he wrote and published in 1899. In case you missed it or do not remember it, I will give you a little information on the author, Elbert Hubbard and on the man who carried the message, Andrew S. Rowan, below. These previous parts gave you the actual story of Rowan, a detailed account of his actions and vicissitudes, the contents of the message and the results. Rowan printed his article in 1923, long after Elbert Hubbard, William McKinley and Calixto Garcia were dead.

At the end of the war, Spain assumed the Cuban debt. Puerto Rico and Guan were ceded to the United States as Indemnity or Reparations and Manila was bought for $20 millions. The United States emerged from the Spanish-American War as a World Power.

Cuba was under United States rule until the Republic was established on 20 May 1902, when the US flag was lowered and the Cuban flag, the one designed by the Venezuelan Narciso Lopez, was raised at the Morro Castle, in Havana. The republic was under US control however, under the terms of the Platt Amendment, until it was repealed in Cuba in 1934. The first Cuban president, Tomas Estrada Palma, was a teacher and a United States citizen.

The protagonists Rowan, Andrew S. (1857-1943)

Lieutenant Colonel Andrew Summers Rowan was born at Monroe County, Virginia, which is now West Virginia, in 1857.

Graduated from the US Military Academy at WestPoint, class of 1881. He was stationed in Washington D.C. at the time he was entrusted with "A Message To Garcia." After the Spanish-American war, he served in different US posts and in the Philippines, retiring as a Major after thirty years of service, in 1909. Here is what they say about him at a history site:

http://americanhistory.si.edu/westpoint/history_4b2.html history.html">http://scriptorium.lib.duke.edu/scriven/bohol-history.html

Captain Rowan was honored by his native State of West Virginia in a proclamation on January 1901:

http://www.wvculture.org/history/military/rowanandrew02.html

Hubbard, Elbert (1856 - 1915)

American author and publisher, born at Bloomington, Ill. Editor of The Fra and The Philistine magazines. After a visit to London, He founded in 1895 an artist colony in East Aurora, N.Y., and founded there Roycrofter Inc.the Roycroft Press, for fine books and hand craftsmanship.

Hubbard was the author of the essay "A Message to Garcia" in 1899, a lesson in duty based on an incident in the Spanish-American War. Hubbard died on the Lusitania, which was sunk in the Irish Sea by a German submarine on May 7, 1915.

Elbert Hubbard's business "Credo": I believe in the goods I sell. I believe in the firm for whom I work. I believe in my colleagues and helpers. I believe in American business methods. I believe in producers, creaters, manufacturers, distributors, and in all industrial workers of the world who have a job, and hold it down. I believe that Truth is an asset. I believe in good cheer and in good health, and I recognize the fact that the first requisite in success is not to achieve the dollar, but to confer a benefit, and that the reward will come automatically, and usually as a matter of course. I believe in sunshine, fresh air, spinach, applesauce, laughter, buttermilk, babies, bombazine and chiffon, always remembering that the greatest word in the English language is "Sufficiency." I believe that when I make a sale I make a friend. And I believe that when I part with a man I must do it in such a way that when he sees me again he will be glad - and so will I. I believe in the hands that work, in the brains that think, and in the hearts that love. Amen, and Amen.

Resources

Lern more about Elbert Hubbard:

http://www.bigeye.com/elberth.htm

Elbert Hubbard bibliography:

http://www.bigeye.com/ehbiblio.htm

Learn more about Major General Calixto Garcia:

http://www.spanamwar.com/Garciabio.htm

See what the official Whitehouse website says about:

William McKinley, 25th President of the United States:

http://www.whitehouse.gov/history/presidents/wm25.html

Theodore Roosevelt, the 26th President of the United States:

http://www.whitehouse.gov/history/presidents/tr26.html

Other Resources

Interesting links

Subscribe to a free historical electronic publication by sending a blank email to: Cuba From Exile

or you may subscribe online at: http://www.3cuba.com/cgi-bin/pub/websub.cgi?from

Publish your book in electronic form:

EDIT.US

Humberto Rodriguez, Miami, March 3, 2005

Humberto Rodriguez, CLU is a writer, author, programmer, marketer, insurance and financial consultant. Webmaster of several sites, he teaches you how to develop, publish and market your own website. Subscribe to his free newsletter:

http://HRFinancial.com/