Radio Cadena Agramonte emisiora de Camagüey
Santa Cruz del Sur, Camagüey, September 27. - Commander in Chief Fidel Castro Ruz formed a new rebel column in 1958 in the Sierra Maestra itself to extend the national liberation struggle throughout the territory of Camagüey. He appointed Captain Jaime Vega as the leader of this force.
At the meeting held in the Santo Domingo camp, the supreme leader of the olive green army informed the fighters that Column 11 would carry the name of their fallen comrade Cándido González.
The leadership also included auditor Luís Bosca and platoon leaders Captains Roberto León and José Manuel Hernández. More than 60 men began their march from the eastern massif toward the Agramontina region on September 8 of that year.
The supreme leader of the army gave the officers the relevant orders. He instructed them and their subordinates to avoid being seen by the tyranny’s troops to prevent ambushes and especially to avoid traveling by trucks, as this could be fatal.
They had to move through flat terrain with little vegetation, and at other times it was difficult to move quickly due to intense rains making the paths almost impassable. The exhausted men took precautionary measures, managing to cross the road covering the Bayamo-Manzanillo route.
Days later, after crossing the wide Cauto River by boat, Captain José Botello joined them. By then, the Cándido González column had already surpassed 100 members.
On September 22, the troop organized by Fidel set foot on Camagüey soil. Jaime Vega, eager to reach the town of Ciego de Ávila to fulfill personal desires, disregarded Fidel's strict order. He arranged for private truck drivers in the area to transport the troop in the early morning of the 27th.
The irresponsible Captain knew about his subordinates’ awareness of the enemy's movements near the San Miguel del Junco mountains, where they were camped, not far from the former Macareño sugar estate, now the town of Haiti in Santa Cruz del Sur. Vega refused to heed calls to avoid shedding blood.
The irresponsible Captain knew, as his subordinates, about enemy movements near the San Miguel del Junco mountains, where they were camped, not far from the former Macareño company town, now the town of Haití in Santa Cruz del Sur. Vega refused to listen to warnings to avoid bloodshed.
The soldiers in service of Fulgencio Batista prepared an ambush among the sugarcane fields in a place known as Pino Tres. From the cowardly siege, the enemy fired ruthlessly at the first trucks that crossed the railway line in the area.
Massacre, death, infinite pain. The young blood of 22 fallen in combat and 11 captured wounded, later brutally murdered at a place called La Caobita, just a few kilometers from Macareño, was the result of Jaime Vega's failure to comply with the order.
This Saturday, September 27, the people of Santa Cruz, along with their top political and governmental leaders, will pay tribute to the brave rebels at the mausoleum where their remains rest, located at the very site of the event, on the 67th anniversary of this historical fact. (Raúl Reyes Rodríguez/Radio Santa Cruz) (Photo: Taken from the Internet)
