First Battle of Las Tunas
| Battle of Las Tunas | |||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Part of Ten Years' War | |||||||
| |||||||
| Belligerents | |||||||
| Cuban rebels | Spain | ||||||
| Commanders and leaders | |||||||
|
Gen. Manuel de Quesada Brig. Gen. Bernabé Varona Col. Enrique Loynaz Col. Eduardo Montejo |
Col. Enrique Boniche Col. José Vincente de Valera Col. Jose Del la Torre Capt. Martín Abranco Col. Méndez Benegasi | ||||||
| Strength | |||||||
| 630+ mambises | 450–800 soldiers | ||||||
| Casualties and losses | |||||||
| 40 killed, 85 wounded | 100+ killed, 78 wounded | ||||||
The Battle of Las Tunas was a military engagement of the Ten Years' War. It took place on August 16, 1869, in the city of Las Tunas, Oriente in Cuba. It was organized to rescue families of Cubans that were held in the town.
Four brigades of 140 men each formed the Cuban force, bolstered by Gen. Manuel de Quesada's 30-man personal escort led by Brig. Gen. Bernabé Varona and President Carlos Manuel de Céspedes's 40-man guard. The Spanish garrison under the leadership of Col. Enrique Boniche y Taengua reportedly consisted of 450 troops.