Ten Years' War (1868-1878)

Ten years' war, also well-known as Great War (1868-1878), began in October 10 of 1868 under the direction of the attorney at law Carlos Manuel de Céspedes and supported by a group of patriots in the Sugar Mill La Demajagua in the Oriente of Cuba, in called to the freedom and independence of the island. During the first days the insurrection almost failed. Céspedez attacked the village of Yara in October 11. From there taking its name this revolution, although the attack to Yara was not victorious. The date of October 10 is commemorated in Cuba like national party under the name of "Grito de Yara."

The Revolution of Yara extended through the whole area of the Oriente of Cuba and patriots' groups met in several parts of the island to support to Céspedez.

During the course of the Ten years' war many cruelties were made by the Spanish government and for the spanish sympathizers too.

April 10 of 1869, a Constituent Assembly takes place in the town of Guáimaro in the county of Camagüey. Grasses were elect President of this assembly and General Ignacio Agramonte y Loynaz and Antonio Zambrana, principal authors of the proposal Constitution, were elect Secretaries.

Due to political and personal conflicts, the Assembly deprived to Céspedes like President, the one that was replaced by Cisneros. But Céspedes was died in an ambush by Spanish troops in February 27 of 1874

The activities in the Ten years' War arrived to its high development in 1872 and 1873 but, postmortem of Agramonte and displacement of Céspedez, the military operations were limited to the regions of Camagüey and the Oriente of Cuba, due to a lack of supplies.

As a result of the successive disasters, February 8 of 1878 the constitutional organisms of the Government from Cuba were dissolved and the negociations for the peace were begun in Zanjón, Puerto Príncipe. February 10 of 1878, the terms of peace were accepted by the governments from Cuba and Spain, and the Ten years' War arrived to its end, except for some subsequent protests of a petty group of followers of Antonio Maceo, the one that made a revolt in The Mangos of Baraguá. These protests were concluded by Maceo in May 28 of 1878.