Negative premonitions dealing with a real danger in wait for taking off his life when first marching into war scenario, made José Martí send a farewell letter to his son on  April 1, 1895 from Montecriti;  “If I disappear on the way”… and further it reads “I leave without you, when you should be by my side”.

Martí felt fascinated with the idea of landing in the island and the project certainly encouraged by far his fruitful mind for, as it’s told later, plans and thoughts flowed easily one after the other. Since his arrival in Playitas  up to Dos Ríos, where he fell dead, his hand did never stop writing leaving record of a memorable letter to his close friend Manuel Mercado, important notes in his war diary, tender letters written to Carmen Miyares  and his dear María,  Manuel and Ernesto Mantilla. Also  Tomás Estrada Palma and Benjamín Guerra were addressed.

On April 13, Gómez and Martí stationed out in the plain area called Dos Ríos from where Gómez led and headed a number of quick incursions keeping regular harassments over the enemy that increasingly came closer to the rebel camps. Soon they were visited by General  Bartolomé Masó and his troop.

On the 19th and before Gómez left the camp in pursue of the Spanish as he was warned of their proximity, the Delegate as Martí was dubbed in those days gave a steering speech before all the mambises in camp;  “visibly moved Martí exhorted the men”,  Gómez told later.

He did not ignore the influence his words and brave decision-making would exert over the rebels and their just cause. They called him President but he did not like the distinction; “My soul is simple …” he declared.

On the 19th  in the  afternoon, the news about the proximity of Ximénez de Sandoval´s army was brought in by Chacón, a young farmer who had set out since early in the morning for the place where Gómez and Martí were to join the insurrection.

Shortly after the young man entered into camp shots were heard and right away the horn man played to march out to combat. Gómez, Martí and Borrero were seen heading the men on horseback riding towards the place from where shooting sound had come.

Gómez, aware of the imminent danger asked Martí to hold back and take a safer position. The former was in charge of taking care of the President’s life. But some force major urged him to prove in the middle of a heated atmosphere the man of powerful speech was in line with the man of action.

Soon the rebels were surrounded and caught into a heavy cross shooting, a tight ambush laid for killing them all, a ring of fire and death.

Not two minutes had passed after the combat got started when Martí and his white horse that Maceo had given him as a present fell to the beloved Cuban soil deadly wounded.  “General –Gómez was called – the President has got shot!”.

No matter how shocking and paralyzing the news was, the enemy did not give any chance to recover the body of the hero. It was a matter of life or death.  “An anthem I feel in my soul, it’s so beautiful that can not be any other but the death’s …”

Cuban poet, teacher, thinker and revolutionary leader José Martí was killed on May 19, 1895 -- fighting for the island's independence from Spanish colonial rule.

By Cubasi Translation Staff