Calixto García

Calixto García Íñiguez was born on August 4, 1839, in Holguín. Rising rapidly through the rebel ranks in the Ten Years' War (1868–1878), García proved a brilliant strategist who introduced heavy artillery and coordinated siege operations against Spanish imperial strongholds.

Surrounded by Spanish troops in September 1874, he placed his pistol under his chin and pulled the trigger; the bullet miraculously exited his forehead, leaving him severely scarred but alive. Returning in 1895 to command the Eastern Department, his military coordination with American forces broke Spanish defense in 1898.