William Fernandez:
While working on my manuscript "Narrations of War in Cuba" I was preparing a section on the landing in Gibara in 1931. Among the rebels fighting there was
Cornelio Rojas, a captain in the forces of old independence fighter Manuel Balan. Although the rebels were defeated there Captain
Cornelio Rojas distinguished himself. Later in 1959,
Cornelio Rojas was executed by order of Ernesto Che
Guevara in the city of
Santa Clara. He died very bravely and is known as the man with the hat. The execution was probably motivated because
Rojas, a descendent of a long line of Cuban freedom fighters was anti-communist.
Below is a section from my notes (be careful with Cuban government data since its reliability can be most dubious)
Please feel free to contact me at
daleyl@peak.orgtake care and be well
Larry
Daley (GArcia-I~niguez Ehamorado)
The original citation was: Feliciano Maderne in: de la Peña Rubio, Nicolás 2004 Gibara: Combates bajo el sol de agosto. Ediciones Holguín, Holguín ISBN 9592211183 August 17, 1931 page 66 “Pasado las tres de la tarde la avanzada del Numero cuatro se empeño con las tropas del capitán Fernández (
Machado army officer stationed in
Holguin L.D.). A la Vigía (Sergio Carbo’s position among the ruins of Spanish fortifications L.D.) continuaban llegando pequeños contingentes a caballo con escopetas de caza viejísimas y revólveres inservibles, al mando de Pepillo Dominicis, Celio Rodríguez, Benigno y
Cornelio Rojas, José Rafael de la Peña … se desmontaban y se les armaban. Eran la vanguardia de (Manuel “Lico” L.D.) Balán … “ The following are notes on the matter: (1) Special to The
New York Times 1959 CUBAN STUDENTS YIELD THEIR ARMS; Revolutionary Directorate Says It Never Planned Fight Against
Castro. The
New York Times January 11, 1959, Sunday Page 33 “Those executed had been convicted by summary courtsmartials ….They included…and Col. Cornelio
Rojas, police chief of
Santa Clara. (2) Torres
Rojas. Marielena 2006 (accessed 7-9-08)
Colonel Cornelio Rojas,
Batista Chief of
Police in
Santa Clara, Being Killed by Firing Squad. Havana Journal Fri August 20, 2004 On line responses Wed August 16, 2006 in
http://havanajournal.com/politics/entry/colonel_cornelio_roj... “You are welcome and I am glad you have mentioned my great grandfather in your site. He did not work for
Batista he was a National Policeman long before
Batista was in power and earned his military status of
Colonel working his way up the ranks and not paying anyone off as sometimes happened in his time. He was a true revolutionist who didn’t fight for the government but for the freedom of Cuba. Even before this revolution he was involved in other revolutionary activities such as a group that was fighting against the president
Machado in the 1930s unfortunately I am uncertain of the actual year(s). As far as his death it is so famous because he was not given a trial at all! It is also known as a mistake of the revolution because they were afraid of his rank and clout and worried he would be able to fight against
Castro. My great aunt went to Camilo Cienfuegos pleading
Cornelio case when he was in prison. In this meeting Camilo told my great aunt Josefina
Rojas that there was no reason for him to be killed because they didnt have anything against him but when he picked up the phone to call to find out why they had taken him prisoner
Cornelio had already been killed. Since there was no reason to kill him in several documents after his death were complied of lies in order to justify such a horrible act. ” “ … my great grandfather was never given a trial and was executed within a day or two of his caputre he was killed on 7 and believe to have been captured on the 5th or 6th. It is also stated in another article of the Geneva Convention that any prisoner of wars killed must be given an honorable burial. In
Cornelio case his body was thrown into a mass grave which was a huge hole in the ground with dozens of other bodies.… ” (3)
Lago, Armando 2007 (accessed 7-10-08) Cuba Archive: Mas de 200 Víctimas del Ché
Guevara en Cuba: 1957-1959 LiberPress martes 6 de febrero de 2007 taken from Armando
Lago, Ph.D. Cuba: El costo humano de la revolución social (in preparation Author died 2008 )-
http://liberpress.blogspot.com/2007/02/asesinados-por-el-che... “Ejecutados u enviados a ejecutar por el Ché durante su breve comando en
Santa Clara ( 1-3 de enero de 1959). … 9. Cornelio
Rojas - 1-7-59** … ** El Ché firmó la sentencia de muerte, pero la ejecución se efectuó luego de que dejara su comando.” (4) Vives, Juan 2007 (accessed 7-10-08) El Che / La Leyenda del Siglo XX Vida y Muerte de un Serial Killer Primera Parte. Baracutey Cubano miércoles, octubre 31, 2007
http://translate.google.com/translate?hl=en&sl=es&u=... “Quedaba el cuartel Leoncio
Vidal, en donde el coronel
Cornelio Rojas estaba acuartelado con el grueso de las tropas del ejército y la policía. Se le regalaron los grados de capitán a Antonio Nuñez Jiménez y otro más, y a Suarez Gayol, para que fueran a discutir la rendición del cuartel Leoncio
Vidal, prometiendo que todos tendrían la vida salva y podrían partir a sus casas. Gran mentira,a comenzar por
Cornelio Rojas los fusilamientos fueron masivos y la tropa no dejó de molestarle el nombramiento de los tres capitanes, que tenín el gran merito a los ojos del ché, e ser comunistas. (Fusilamiento del
Coronel Cornelio Rojas despues de hacerle¨ un juicio¨ de 10 minutos ).” (5)
Rojas,
Cornelio 1959 “Ya tienen la revolucion no la pierden” (last words) and photos of his execution. Bohemia 1959 Edicion de la libertad 2ª parte, Enero 18-25 1959 pages 22-23 One notes that he is about fifty and thus cannot be the 1895-1898 Veteran of the war of Independence but the son of the Mambi of the same name. He was chief of police of the national police in
Santa Clara and was caught in the port of Caibarien trying to hire a boat to escape from Cuba. (6)
Rangel, Barbara as reported by Irene Leal and Ziva Sahl 2007 (accessed 7-13-08) BlogFor Cuba Betrayal thy name is fidel April 29, 2007
http://blogforcuba.typepad.com/my_weblog/2007/04/index.html “My name is Barbara
Rangel, and I have just entered your web site to view the pictures of the damages caused by Hurricane Dennis, and I clicked on the "firing Squad" and tears rolled down my cheeks as I see my grandfather being killed in the firing squad on January 8, 1959 when the assassin Fidel
Castro took over that same day. My grandfather was Col. Cornelio
Rojas he was chief of
Police in
Santa Clara and he was a very brave man, as he was walking towards the firing squad he did not want to be blindfolded, and gave out the orders, he was asked if he had anything to say and these were his last words "Ahi tienen la revolucion no la pierdan" There you have the revolution don't lose it. Fidel
Castro committed this horrific crime to show the people what was coming. Just because my grandfather was a
Colonel and Chief of
Police for the previous government he was murdered. My grandfather's human rights were violated and was denied a trial. To date, we do not know where Fidel buried my grandfather. I have written letters to the Human Rights in Geneva and to other organizations, but nothing has been done, but I will continue to do whatever I can to see justice done one day. After Fidel televised this horrific firing squad and terrified so many people, he has never televised another firing squad. But we all know that he continues to kill whomever he wishes. Any way, I though I share my grandfather's name and who he was. Also my grandfather was the son of a General
Cornelio Rojas Escobar and his grandfather
Coronel de Brigada
Cornelio Rojas Hurtado who both fought in the war of our independence (
Los Mambises). The worst hurricane Cuba has and has had for 46 years is Fidel
Castro. One day he will have to set Cuba free!"” (7) NYT correspondent 1896 Some Spanish Guerrillas … Defeated by Col. Pancho Sanchez.
New York Times February 9, 1896 “Santiago de Cuba, Feb. 1… . Rebel Gen. Periquito Perez is in Guantanamo;
Brig. Matias Vega in Mayari leaders Ruen and Tamayo in Baracoa, Salvador Rios andEstarda in Manzanillo and Bayamo(,)
Brig. Cornelio
Rojas in Holguin;
Brig. Joaquin Planas in Las Tunas, and
Brig. Higinio Vazquez in Cobre. … ” (8) Soto Paz, Rafael 1950
Los Verdaderos Generales del 95. Bohemia 42(9, February 26, 1950) 128-146. states on page 143 "General de
Brig. Cornelio
Rojas Hurtado. Remedios, septiembre 16 de 1833,
Holguin, enero 18 de 1921, Vivio 88 años." (9) Bonachea, Ramon L. and Marta San Martín 1974 The last battle in The Cuban Insurrection, 1952-1959 Transaction Publishers ISBN-10 0878550747 ISBN-13 978-0878550746 page 300 This is still the most complete source on War Against
Batista in Cuba 1956-1958 that I know of; although it misses much of the last phases of the war in Oriente Province (for that you will have to consult other works such as
Daley,L (manuscript in progress) "Narrations of War in Cuba". A great source for details on this conflict, and unlike the Cuban government sources is even handed and factual. It also reads well, take for instance this excerpt found on page 300: "
Colonel Cornelio Rojas, who commanded the position, fought bravely with police and army officers and troops. Roberto Rodríguez ("El Vaquerito"), a rebel officer, died leading on assault. Colonel
Rojas stood firmly against succeeding waves of attack by the rebels, and forced the guerrillas to fall back to re-organize their forces. Shortly afternoon,
Colonel Rojas counterattacked and succeeded in pushing the rebels out of their positions, but then a rebel counterattack forced him to retreat. The house-to-house fighting forced his exhausted troops to return to the police station after they ran short of ammunition. Colonel
Rojas issued orders to fight to the last man. The rebels made three more attempts to dislodge the colonel and were repulsed each time. Towards the end, the colonel and his men were surrounded by reinforcements from
Guevara, the DR and the urban underground. Even though no help came from the army (the regular troops refused to leave the Leoncio
Vidal Camp) colonel
Rojas kept on fighting and was the last man captured, when he ran out of ammunition. Still, he escaped his escort momentarily, joining a group of police officers and trying to regroup other regular troops. He was surrounded again by rebels, captured, and placed under the custody of a full squad of rebel soldiers. Colonel
Rojas was later summarily tried, and sentenced to die before a firing squad. Rojas asked and was granted permission to lead his execution squad, and his last words were, "Muchachos, now you have your Revolution, don't lose it." (10)
Rojas had been a strong anti-communist for instance in 1952 e.g. San Miguel Aguilar, Mayra 2007 (accessed 7-15-08) El golpe de Estado de 1952. Actuación de los partidos políticos en Holguín. Revista de Historia de Holguín
http://www.baibrama.cult.cu/rhistoria/anteriores/2007/MaJuJu... “Los comunistas dejaron constancia en el Periódico Norte de su protesta ante los atropellos cometidos contra sus militantes y los falsos enjuiciamientos de que fueron objeto. Protestaron por el asalto perpetrado al mando del Cdte. Cornelio
Rojas de sus oficinas ocupando lo que en ella había. La policía también allanó los domicilios de los señores Ramón Escalona y José Carcoba Alberteris, así como a Gilberto Cobiellas de modo arbitrario, bajo falsas acusaciones. Denunciaron la irregularidad a partir de la disolución de los partidos políticos, pues mientras las oficinas del PAU se mantienen abiertas sin ser molestados por la policía y el hecho de que los enemigos del pueblo pintaban lemas falsamente firmados por el PSP. Aún así dejaron claro que el partido de los comunistas no negaba la postura oposicionista al golpe. Esta denuncia apareció firmada por Oscar
Ortiz Domínguez presidente del Partido y Concejal, los Doctores Francisco García Benítez, Antonio Moreno Luna como miembros del Ejecutivo Municipal del PSP.” Oscar
Ortiz was a old comunista who bécame a Captain in the Sierra Manuel, 2008 Personal communication “El mencionado por Ud Oscar
Ortiz bajó de la Sierra con grados de Capitán, viejo comunista que fuera concejal de Holguín y representante a la Camara.”
