For the English journalist, see "Henry Reeve

Henry Reeve

Henry Reeve was an English journalist.-Biography:He was the younger son of Henry Reeve, a Whig physician and writer from Norwich, and was born at Norwich. He was educated at the Norwich grammar school under Edward Valpy. During his holidays he saw a good deal of the young John Stuart Mill...

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Henry Reeve (1850—1876) was a Brigadier General

Brigadier General

Brigadier general is a senior rank in the armed forces. It is the lowest ranking general officer in some countries, usually sitting between the ranks of colonel and major general. When appointed to a field command, a brigadier general is typically in command of a brigade consisting of around 4,000...

 in Cuba

Cuba

The Republic of Cuba is an island nation in the Caribbean. The nation of Cuba consists of the main island of Cuba, the Isla de la Juventud, and several archipelagos. Havana is the largest city in Cuba and the country's capital. Santiago de Cuba is the second largest city...

's 'Ejército Libertador' - more commonly known as the 'Ejército Mambi' - during the Ten Years' War

Ten Years' War

The Ten Years' War , also known as the Great War and the War of '68, began on October 10, 1868 when sugar mill owner Carlos Manuel de Céspedes and his followers proclaimed Cuba's independence from Spain...

 (1868-1878).

He was born in Brooklyn

Brooklyn

Brooklyn is the most populous of New York City's five boroughs, with nearly 2.6 million residents, and the second-largest in area. Since 1896, Brooklyn has had the same boundaries as Kings County, which is now the most populous county in New York State and the second-most densely populated...

, New York

New York

New York is a state in the Northeastern region of the United States. It is the nation's third most populous state. New York is bordered by New Jersey and Pennsylvania to the south, and by Connecticut, Massachusetts and Vermont to the east...

, USA on April 4, 1850 and died in Matanzas

Matanzas Province

Matanzas is one of the provinces of Cuba. Major towns in the province include Cárdenas, Colón, Jovellanos and the capital of the same name, Matanzas...

, Cuba on August 4, 1876. Reeve was 27 years old at the time of his death, and had served in the Cuban Army

Military of Cuba

The Cuban Revolutionary Armed Forces consist of ground forces, naval forces, air and air defence forces, and other paramilitary bodies including the Territorial Troops Militia , Revolutionary Armed Forces , and Youth Labor Army .The armed forces has long been the...

 for 7 years having participated in over 400 battles against the Spanish Army

Spanish Army

The Spanish Army is the terrestrial army of the Spanish Armed Forces responsible for land-based military operations. It is one of the oldest active armies - dating back to the 15th century.-Introduction:...

.

Upon becoming aware of the Cuban uprising initiated at 'La Demajagua' by Carlos Manuel de Cespedes

Carlos Manuel de Céspedes

Carlos Manuel de Céspedes del Castillo was a Cuban planter who freed his slaves and made the declaration of Cuban independence in 1868 which started the Ten Years' War...

 in 1868, he promptly volunteered. He arrived in Cuba in 1869 aboard the ship Perrit as part of an Expeditionary Force

Expeditionary warfare

Expeditionary warfare is used to describe the organization of a state's military to fight abroad, especially when deployed to fight away from its established bases at home or abroad. Expeditionary forces were in part the antecedent of the modern concept of Rapid Deployment Forces...

.

The expedition was ambushed by the Spanish Army while unloading and Reeve was taken prisoner along with many others. A Spanish firing squad shot the group, and left them unburied and presumed dead. Reeve was wounded but had enough strength to creep away, and was found by units of the Cuban Army.

He was known as 'Enrique - El Americano' and nicknamed "El Inglesito" by Ignacio Agramonte y Loynáz, and he quickly rose under his command. Reeve in turn gave Agramonte his nickname: "El Mayor". He served with distinction initially under Agramonte and subsequently under Máximo Gómez y Báez.

Under Agramonte he participated in many actions, including the rescue of Julio Sanguily in 1871 where Agramonte, Reeve, and 34 others overcame a superior Spanish force of 120.

In one critical action he jumped over an artillery battery, lifting the morale of the Cuban fighters but was seriously wounded on a leg. For his actions he was promoted to the rank of Brigadier General.

Exposed to the harsh jungle conditions, he was told he would never walk or ride a horse again. Reeve persevered and with metallic braces he was able to walk, but had to be strapped to his mount in order to be able to ride his horse. He kept leading the famed Camagüey Cavalry Corps throughout the balance of his life.

After Agramonte's death at Jimaguayú in May 1873, Reeve presented Máximo Gómez to the legendary Camagüey Cavalry Corps. Under Gómez' command Reeve participated in the failed invasion of Western Cuba. Stranded in the province of Matanzas in 1876, the Spanish annihilated his small escort at Yaguaramas; unable to ride, Reeve shot himself with his handgun before being captured.

Henry Reeve was honored by the Cuban government in 1976 on the centenary of his death with a postal stamp.

In response to Hurricane Katrina, Cuba assembled 1,586 humanitarian doctors to offer to assist the United States. The offer was declined, and on September 19, 2005 Fidel Castro created the Henry Reeves International Contingent of Doctors Specialized in Disasters and Serious Epidemics in honor of him.

Sources and further reading

Speech by Fidel Castro initiating the Henry Reeve's Contingent