The Battle of Yaguajay, was a decisive victory for the Cuban Revolutionaries over the soldiers of the Batista government near the city of Santa Clara in Cuba during the Cuban Revolution. The Cuban Revolution was the overthrow of Fulgencio Batista’s regime by the 26th of July Movement and the establishment of a new Cuban government led by Fidel Castro in the 1950s. ... December 19 is the 353rd day of the year (354th in leap years) in the Gregorian calendar. ... 1958 (MCMLVIII) was a common year starting on Wednesday of the Gregorian calendar. ... December 30 is the 364th day of the year (365th in leap years) in the Gregorian Calendar, with 1 day remaining. ... 1958 (MCMLVIII) was a common year starting on Wednesday of the Gregorian calendar. ... Cuban poster showing Camilo Cienfuegos Camilo Cienfuegos Gorriarán (February 6, 1932 - October 28, 1959) was a Cuban revolutionary born in Havana. ... , Santa Clara is the capital city of the Cuban province of Villa Clara. ... The Cuban Revolution was the overthrow of Fulgencio Batista’s regime by the 26th of July Movement and the establishment of a new Cuban government led by Fidel Castro in the 1950s. ...

Background

In 1958, Fidel Castro ordered his revolutionary army to go on the offensive against the army of Fulgencio Batista. While Fidel led one force against Guisa, Masó and other towns, the other major offensive was directed at the capture of the city of Santa Clara, the capital of what was then Las Villas Province. 1958 (MCMLVIII) was a common year starting on Wednesday of the Gregorian calendar. ... Fidel Alejandro Castro Ruz (born on August 13, 1926) is the current President of Cuba. ... General Fulgencio Batista y Zaldívar (pronounced ) (January 16, 1901 – August 6, 1973) was the de facto military leader of Cuba from 1933 to 1940 and the de jure President of Cuba from 1940 to 1944. ...

Three columns were sent against Santa Clara under the command of Che Guevara, Jaime Vega, and Camilo Cienfuegos. Vega's column was caught in an ambush and completely destroyed. Guevara's column took up positions around Santa Clara (near Fomento). Cienfuegos's column directly attacked a local army garrison at Yaguajay. Initially Cienfuegos's column was just 60 men, out of Castro's hardened core of 230. But as they moved through the lands towards Santa Clara, they gained many recruits. A best guess is that Cienfuegos had between 450 to 500 men fighting for him. Ernesto Guevara de la Serna (June 14, 1928 – October 9, 1967), commonly known as Che Guevara or el Che, was an Argentine-born Marxist revolutionary, political figure, and leader of Cuban and internationalist guerrillas. ... Cuban poster showing Camilo Cienfuegos Camilo Cienfuegos Gorriarán (February 6, 1932 - October 28, 1959) was a Cuban revolutionary born in Havana. ...

The Battle

Map of Cuba.

The garrison was some 250 men under the command of a Cuban-born Chinese captain Abon Ly. The attack seems to have started around December 19. Convinced that reinforcements would be sent from Santa Clara, Ly put up a determined defense of his post. Repeatedly, the guerrillas attempted to overpower Ly and his men, but each time they failed. By December 26th, Cienfuegos had become quite frustrated; it seemed that Ly could not be overpowered, nor could he be convinced to surrender. In desparation, Cienfuegos began to use a homemade "tank" against Ly's position. The "tank" was actually a large tractor encased in iron plates with a .50 caliber machine gun mounted on top. It, too, proved unsuccessful. Finally, on December 30th, Ly, out of ammunition, surrendered his garrison. Fidel Castro's Rise to Power by Major Larry Bockman Image File history File links Download high-resolution version (1150x430, 87 KB) map created from public domain image File links The following pages on the English Wikipedia link to this file (pages on other projects are not listed): Battle of Yaguajay ... Image File history File links Download high-resolution version (1150x430, 87 KB) map created from public domain image File links The following pages on the English Wikipedia link to this file (pages on other projects are not listed): Battle of Yaguajay ...

Aftermath

The surrender of the garrison was a major blow to the defenders of the provincial capital of Santa Clara. The next day, the combined forces of Cienfuegos, Guevara, and local revolutionaries under William Alexander Morgan captured Santa Clara in a fight of vast confusion. News of the loss of Santa Clara and other losses elsewhere panicked Batista and he fled Cuba the next day. William Alexander Morgan was born in Cleveland, Ohio, on April 19, 1928 [1]. His life origens are obscure and his death legendary (Abella, 2000). ...

Note: Cuban histories claim that the surrender occurred on December 31 and the Cienfuegos's forces were not present when Santa Clara was captured.^{[citation needed]} This seems to be an attempt to burnish Che Guevara's reputation at the expense of Cienfuegos.

See also

• Battle of La Plata 11-21 July 1958
• Battle of Las Mercedes 29 July - 8 August 1958