GOMEZ Y BAEZ, MAXIMO

born Nov. 18, 1836, Bani, Dominican Republic died June 17, 1905, Havana distinguished commander in chief of the Cuban revolutionary forces in the unsuccessful Ten Years' War (1868-78) and again in the successful revolution against Spain some 20 years later. Rejecting the clerical career that his mother desired for him, Gmez at the age of 16 fought against Haitian forces and later unsuccessfully led his nation's army against Spanish troops, after which he migrated to Cuba to work as a farmer, enlisting as a sergeant when the Cuban revolution broke out in 1868. He rose quickly to become second in command and later, in 1870, commander in chief. A master strategist, he organized and directed the guerrilla forces against the well-equipped Spanish Army. The Ten Years' War ended inconclusively, however, with a general amnesty and limited concessions to the Cubans; Gmez and the other revolutionary leaders refused to accept the accord and went into exile. When rebellion erupted again in 1895, Gmez returned to Cuba to reassume command of the revolutionary forces. He hoped that his guerrilla activity would induce the United States to intervene to end the destruction of American property, and, ironically, it was the eventual U.S. military intervention that completely overshadowed the heroic exploits of Gmez and other Cuban patriots. When the Cubans were finally granted limited freedom in 1902, Gmez could have been elected president but did not wish to accept public office.