“I’m a foundling, I leave behind no one to cry me”

With this solemn sentence a volunteer took a step forward on September 26th, 1896 to carry out a desperate mission, a feat that would remain on the collective imagination of the Spaniards. His name: Eloy Gonzalo.

His detachment, only 150 men strong, was surrounded by more than 3000 Mambises equipped with artillery from September 22nd in the post of Cascorro, near Port-au-Prince (present Camagüey, in western Cuba). Entrenched in the surrounding houses, the rebels can not be dislodged and are gradually making a dent in the Spanish force. The situation is desperate but Captain Neila ignores any call to lay down arms. Their only option is suicidal: blowing up a hamlet/manor where the Mambises have become strong and use as an arsenal.

Daubed with mud, with the Mauser on his back, a can of oil under his arm and a rope tied to his chest in case he died, so his corpse could be recovered, Eloy Gonzalo crawled for more than an agonizing hour, sheltered by the darkness of the night, covering the 300 meters that separated his position from the enemy bastion without being discovered. The tremendous blast created great confusion among the rebel ranks and jubilation in the Spanish, who carried out a successful counterattack. Miraculously, Gonzalo comes back alive and two days later, the besieged troops were rescued by the column of General Jimenez Castellanos.

In this way the orphan, of difficult childhood, who marched to war to avoid imprisonment for insubordination, became the hero of Cascorro and was awarded the Cross of Military Merit with red badge. But happiness does not last in the home of the poor, as the Spanish saying goes, and on June 18th, 1897, Eloy Gonzalo died in the Military Hospital of Matanzas, not by the hand of the enemy, but, like so many others, of fevers. That same year, a Spain in need of popular heroes dedicated a street to him in Madrid, and in 1902 Alfonso XIII inaugurated a statue in the Rastro of Madrid, in a place that would be called Cascorro Square.

1898 Miniaturas wants to pay tribute to our heroes with this Eloy Gonzalo limited edition miniature inspired in the famous Aniceto Marinas’s statue in Madrid, personification of the courage and sense of duty of the Spanish soldier. This exclusive miniature could be get free with the purchase of the 1898 Miniaturas Premium Collection (includes one pack of each code –a total of six).*

*promotion valid at www.1898miniaturas.com and hobby stores, until out of stock.