Battle of Yaguajay

The Battle of Yaguajay (19 December, 1958-30 December, 1958) 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.

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.

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.

The Battle

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 desperation, 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.cite web | year = 1984| url = http://www.globalsecurity.org/military/library/report/1984/BLJ.htm | author = Larry James Bockman | title = The Spirit Of Moncada: Fidel Castro's Rise To Power, 1953 - 1959 | publisher = Global Security]

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.

ee also

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

References