Domingo Agripino Goicuría Cabrera

In 1850 he facilitated financial aid to Narciso López for the expedition of the steamship Creole, for which he was detained and deported to Seville, Spain.

In 1854, from the United States, he organized two expeditions that were thwarted by the intervention of the North American government. In January 1855 he made contact with the American adventurer William Walker, whom he joined for the invasion of Nicaragua in exchange for later receiving his help to invade Cuba.

Goicuría received the rank of brigadier general and came to engage in combat operations on Nicaraguan soil. He was designated Walker's representative to the British court, but, while in transit in the United States, he broke all relations with Walker upon learning that he had decided to reinstate slavery in that country.

The beginning of the war of '68 found him in Brazil, from where he departed to the United States to organize an expedition. On June 1st, '69, President Carlos Manuel de Céspedes appointed him general and chief of operations of Pinar del Río, the place where he was to go when the expedition was ready. That month he failed in his attempt to make the trip at the head of the steamship Catherine Whiting expedition. For that reason he was tried in New York, but was acquitted.

On October 4th, 1869 he departed from Cedar Key, United States, on the steamship Lilliam, at the head of more than 400 expeditioners. During the journey, by common agreement with the officers accompanying him, he decided not to land in Vuelta Abajo and set course toward the eastern province. To resupply themselves they were forced to head to Nurse Key Cay, in the Bahamas where they were arrested by English authorities. Released, he prepared a new expedition that successfully landed on February 10th, 1870 at Playa Caletones, 15 km from Gibara in Oriente, on the schooner Herald of Nassau, at the head of 32 men. It became known as the expedition of "Goicuría's 33". The following day he engaged the enemy at the La Resbalosa estate.

Due to his good relations abroad, Céspedes entrusted him to travel to Mexico in search of aid. To carry out that mission he departed along the northern coast of Camaguey. Bad weather forced him to take refuge in Cabo Guajaba, where he fell prisoner to the Spanish on May 2nd, 1870. Brought to Havana, he was executed by garrote vil at El Príncipe castle on May 7th, 1870.