March 4, 1897. Arrival in Güines of Colonel Clemente Fernández (aka.  Pitirre) and Brigadier Adolfo Castillo

By Rafael García Cárdenas^[1]

During the evening of March 4, when Güines residents were resting, when the Spanish troops were sure of a quiet and peaceful night, the silence was suddenly interrupted by the advance of the insurgent forces commanded by Clemente Fernández, who entered via General Dulce Street today renamed Clemente Fernández Street.

As soon as the Cubans entered, they turned off the lights on the lampposts and from the corner of San Julián and General Dulce Streets they fired at the Town Hall and Lyceum buildings. On Vapor and Trujillo Streets they were firing at the "Arango y Parreño" School which had been converted into a field dressing station.

Güines had a Civil Guard squadron under the command of Colonel Guillermo Fort at Cuatro Palmas Street but he did not move from that location.

Pitirre stayed in Güines from 9 p.m. until 11 p.m. When they left and all was peaceful, at 2 o'clock in the morning, Adolfo Castillo entered the town via Beneficencia Street, from the direction of the Cemetery. Again shoot outs erupted at all the forts and a squad of volunteers under the command of Lieutenant Pendás advanced on Tacón Street to stop Castillo's advance. They did not succeed and Pendás was killed in the middle of the street. Castillo set fire to 3 homes on Soparda and Tacón Streets and Tacón and Real Streets, and the flames reached up all the way to the Courthouse. On Tacón Street both sides of the street burned down.

Castillo left at about 4 o'clock in the morning. Pitirre lost only one man and 3 wounded, who carelessly climbed up a lamppost at the corner of General Dulce and Vapor Streets, corner of Pancho Hevia to turn off the light, he was seen and shot dead.

These two gentlemen, Pitirre and Castillo, were the only ones who dared to enter Güines, where there was a fort in every town's exit.

The Cubans gathered food and clothes during this daring war action.

It is said that when the insurgents were being pinned down by the shooting coming from the Town Hall and Lyceum buildings, a man named Perico (aka.  Ratón), between one volley and the next, yelled from the Market Plaza: “Artillery, move forward!” and when they heard this, the soldiers abandoned their trenches and went inside and the insurgents took advantage of that and retreated. Besides Pendás, there were two other dead, somebody named Torres and the owner of a kiosk.

[Signed] R.G.