Máximo Gómez

Máximo Gómez (1836–1905) was a Dominican-born military leader who commanded Cuban forces in the Ten Years’ War and the Cuban War of Independence against Spain.

Machete charge: A Cuban insurgent tactic in which cavalry or infantry charged Spanish positions with machetes, often after approaching under cover. Gómez helped make rapid machete charges a defining feature of Cuban insurgent warfare.
Dominican War of Independence: The conflict from 1844 to 1856 in which Dominicans secured independence from Haiti. Gómez grew up in the newly independent Dominican Republic before entering military service.
Antonio Maceo: A Cuban general known as the Bronze Titan, who became one of the independence movement’s most prominent military leaders. Maceo and Gómez led major campaigns together, including the westward invasion of Cuba.
Invasion of the West: The 1895–1896 Cuban insurgent campaign that carried the independence war from eastern Cuba into the western provinces. Gómez and Maceo’s campaign extended the rebellion into Spain’s economic stronghold.
Ignacio Agramonte: A Cuban independence general and lawyer who commanded forces in Camagüey during the Ten Years’ War. Agramonte’s regional command offers a contrast with Gómez’s role as a Dominican-born national military leader.
Scorched-earth policy: A military strategy that destroys resources an opposing army could use, including crops, supplies, and infrastructure. Gómez used destruction of plantations and infrastructure to weaken Spain’s control and supply lines.
Spanish reannexation of the Dominican Republic: Spain’s restoration of colonial rule over the Dominican Republic from 1861 to 1865. Gómez served Spanish forces during the reannexation and left after Spain withdrew.
José Martí: A Cuban writer and political organizer who helped unite the independence movement before the 1895 uprising. Martí persuaded Gómez to accept command of the Liberation Army in the renewed war.
Reconcentration policy: Spain’s forced relocation of Cuban rural civilians into guarded towns during the 1895–1898 war. The policy followed insurgent advances and caused widespread civilian suffering.
Federico Capdevila: A Spanish military officer who defended the accused students after the 1871 executions in Havana. His conduct illustrates dissent within Spanish institutions during the conflict Gómez fought against.

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