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Attack on the Moncada Barracks
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Attack on the Moncada Barracks
The Moncada Barracks were military barracks in Santiago de Cuba, Cuba named after General Guillermo Moncada, a hero of the Cuban War of Independence. On 26 July 1953, the barracks was the site of an armed attack by a small group of revolutionaries led by Fidel Castro. That day a simultaneous attack was carried out on the Carlos M. de Cespedes Barracks in Bayamo directed by Raúl Martínez Ararás by order of Castro. The attack failed and the surviving revolutionaries were imprisoned. This armed attack is widely accepted as the beginning of the Cuban Revolution. The date on which the attack took place, 26 July, was adopted by Castro as the name for his revolutionary movement, Movimiento 26 Julio (abbreviated as M-26-7), which eventually toppled the dictatorship of Fulgencio Batista on 1 January 1959.
Almost all of Fidel Castro's followers were Partido Ortodoxo Youth rank and file of the lower middle class and working class. Of the 137 insurgents whose ages are known, the average age was 26, the same as that of Castro. Nine rebels were in their teens, 96 were in their twenties, 27 in their thirties, and five over 40. The Afro-Cuban composition of the group was limited to two Africans and 12 Cubans of partial African ancestry, partly because most biracial Cubans identified with Batista, who was of mixed blood.[citation needed] Only two of the group were women, Haydée Santamaría and Melba Hernández, both of whom went on to become politicians.
After Batista's military coup on 10 March 1952, Fidel Castro and his group began to train young men to engage in the struggle, along with other anti-Batista groups, against an illegitimate government. Castro claimed that they trained 1,200 men within a few months,[non-primary source needed] training at the University of Havana and at firing ranges in Havana, disguising themselves as businessmen interested in hunting and clay pigeon shooting.
The weapons included 40 12- and 16-gauge shotguns, 35 Mosberg and Remington .22 rifles, 60 handguns of various models, a malfunctioning .45 caliber submachine gun, 24 rifles of different caliber, including eight Model 1898 Krag–Jørgensen rifles, a .30-06 Model 1903 Springfield rifle, three sawed-off 1892 .44-caliber Winchester rifles, and a .30 caliber M1 Garand rifle with a folding metal stock.
Fidel Castro decided that army uniforms were needed for the Moncada attack. He discussed this with Calabazar cell leader Pedro Trigo Lopez (es), who suggested approaching his relative Florentino Fernandez Leon, a 26-year-old military hospital orderly in Jaimanitas. Fernandez agreed and received $200 to purchase surplus uniforms, weapons, and ammunition. He then pilfered from the military hospital laundry most of the blue uniforms needed to attire the rebels.
The night before the attack, the men gathered at a farm in Siboney, where they learned what the objective was.[non-primary source needed]
The plan was to secure the barracks and gain possession of the weapons stored within, and to use the building's army communications equipment to spread false messages for several hours to confuse the military.[non-primary source needed] In the meantime, the weapons would be removed and hidden throughout the city to use in the continuing struggle, and Santiago's radio station would be taken to broadcast the speeches of Eduardo Chibás, in order to mobilize the public with the ultimate aim of bringing down the Batista government.[non-primary source needed]
The men left the farm at 4:45 am[non-primary source needed] on 26 July 1953, planning to attack at dawn. The date of the attack was specifically chosen because the fiestas in Santiago are held on 25 July.[non-primary source needed]
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Attack on the Moncada Barracks
The Moncada Barracks were military barracks in Santiago de Cuba, Cuba named after General Guillermo Moncada, a hero of the Cuban War of Independence. On 26 July 1953, the barracks was the site of an armed attack by a small group of revolutionaries led by Fidel Castro. That day a simultaneous attack was carried out on the Carlos M. de Cespedes Barracks in Bayamo directed by Raúl Martínez Ararás by order of Castro. The attack failed and the surviving revolutionaries were imprisoned. This armed attack is widely accepted as the beginning of the Cuban Revolution. The date on which the attack took place, 26 July, was adopted by Castro as the name for his revolutionary movement, Movimiento 26 Julio (abbreviated as M-26-7), which eventually toppled the dictatorship of Fulgencio Batista on 1 January 1959.
Almost all of Fidel Castro's followers were Partido Ortodoxo Youth rank and file of the lower middle class and working class. Of the 137 insurgents whose ages are known, the average age was 26, the same as that of Castro. Nine rebels were in their teens, 96 were in their twenties, 27 in their thirties, and five over 40. The Afro-Cuban composition of the group was limited to two Africans and 12 Cubans of partial African ancestry, partly because most biracial Cubans identified with Batista, who was of mixed blood.[citation needed] Only two of the group were women, Haydée Santamaría and Melba Hernández, both of whom went on to become politicians.
After Batista's military coup on 10 March 1952, Fidel Castro and his group began to train young men to engage in the struggle, along with other anti-Batista groups, against an illegitimate government. Castro claimed that they trained 1,200 men within a few months,[non-primary source needed] training at the University of Havana and at firing ranges in Havana, disguising themselves as businessmen interested in hunting and clay pigeon shooting.
The weapons included 40 12- and 16-gauge shotguns, 35 Mosberg and Remington .22 rifles, 60 handguns of various models, a malfunctioning .45 caliber submachine gun, 24 rifles of different caliber, including eight Model 1898 Krag–Jørgensen rifles, a .30-06 Model 1903 Springfield rifle, three sawed-off 1892 .44-caliber Winchester rifles, and a .30 caliber M1 Garand rifle with a folding metal stock.
Fidel Castro decided that army uniforms were needed for the Moncada attack. He discussed this with Calabazar cell leader Pedro Trigo Lopez (es), who suggested approaching his relative Florentino Fernandez Leon, a 26-year-old military hospital orderly in Jaimanitas. Fernandez agreed and received $200 to purchase surplus uniforms, weapons, and ammunition. He then pilfered from the military hospital laundry most of the blue uniforms needed to attire the rebels.
The night before the attack, the men gathered at a farm in Siboney, where they learned what the objective was.[non-primary source needed]
The plan was to secure the barracks and gain possession of the weapons stored within, and to use the building's army communications equipment to spread false messages for several hours to confuse the military.[non-primary source needed] In the meantime, the weapons would be removed and hidden throughout the city to use in the continuing struggle, and Santiago's radio station would be taken to broadcast the speeches of Eduardo Chibás, in order to mobilize the public with the ultimate aim of bringing down the Batista government.[non-primary source needed]
The men left the farm at 4:45 am[non-primary source needed] on 26 July 1953, planning to attack at dawn. The date of the attack was specifically chosen because the fiestas in Santiago are held on 25 July.[non-primary source needed]
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