# Honorato Andrés del Castillo Cancio

**Date of birth:** November 30, 1838

**Date of death:** July 20, 1869

**Categories:** Society, Patriot, Doctor, military

Cuban military officer. Division General in the Ten Years' War against Spanish colonialism.

He was born in the city of Sancti Spíritus. He completed his primary studies in schools in his native city, but was forced to abandon them at seventeen years of age for health reasons.

To recover, he traveled to a farm where his brother worked. There he adapted to the rigors of life in the mountains, which would prove useful in his work during the war.

In 1857 he resumed his studies and enrolled as an apprentice at the El Salvador school, run by José de la Luz y Caballero, where he formed relationships with young people who would later be part of the Cuban independence movement, such as Julio Sanguily and his brother.

In 1862 he began studying medicine at the Royal and Literary University of La Habana. There he became associated with Rafael Morales y González, "Moralitos". With him and other students, he was part of the "Vientre Libre" society, created by them to combat the heinous institution of slavery. Upon completing his university studies, he returned to Sancti Spiritus, dedicating himself to teaching.

In 1866 he traveled to the United States. Upon his return to La Habana, he graduated as a doctor. When the Ten Years' War began, on October tenth, 1868, he set out on a boat with Luis Ayestarán, heading to Sancti Spíritus, to prepare the insurrection in that region.

In January 1869 he moved to Camagüey, where he established contacts with Major Ignacio Agramonte y Loynaz.
As the revolution was about to break out in Las Villas, on February 6, 1869, he returned to Sancti Spíritus, joining alongside Serafín Sánchez, Marcos García and other figures, in the armed uprising led by Federico Cavada.

The most serious difficulty he had to face at the beginning of the war was the shortage of weapons, which is why he was among those who supported the decision by Miguel Jerónimo Gutiérrez to go to Camagüey to obtain arms and war supplies.
With Eduardo Machado Gómez, Miguel Jerónimo Gutiérrez and Antonio Lorda, he represented Las Villas at the Assembly of Guáimaro, on April 10, 1869. He defended alongside Ignacio Agramonte the idea of official recognition of the flag of Narciso López, raised for the first time in Cuba on May 19, 1850.

He was part of the commission established by the newly created Chamber of Representatives to evaluate the petition of several citizens directed at requesting the United States government for the annexation of Cuba.

When the debate opened, deputy Eduardo Machado spoke against the annexationist request. For his part, the spokesman from Camagüey, Antonio Zambrana, defended the idea, arguing that it would prevent Cubans from the devastation of a war. The leader from Sancti Spíritus was among those who voted in favor of the initiative, which was ultimately approved.

With the Republic of Cuba in Arms proclaimed, he returned to his military camps as Division General and first chief of the district of Sancti Spíritus.

In mid-1869, he moved with his troops to the eastern region in search of reinforcements. After a first confrontation with the enemy, he decided to march again toward his previous camp in Sancti Spíritus. On that journey he was intercepted by Spanish forces between Ciego de Ávila and Las Coloradas, and fell in combat on July 20 of that same year.

Source: EnCaribe.org