José de Jesús Pérez de la Guardia

Brigadier General of the Cuban Liberation Army.

He was born in Jiguaní, Oriente. Other details of his childhood are unknown.

He was one of the participants in the uprising of October 10, 1868 at La Demajagua, alongside Carlos Manuel de Céspedes. In December 1868 he seized six enemy cannons, which he transferred to El Cobre. Although by July 1869 he already held the rank of Colonel in the Liberation Army roster, he appears promoted to that rank as of February 24, 1870. He was subordinate to Major General Donato Mármol, chief of the Cuba Division.

At the beginning of 1870 he had approximately 300 men under his command. When Major General Máximo Gómez reorganized this division in July of that year, Jesús Pérez became chief of the 1st Battalion and shortly thereafter was appointed chief of the Cambute Brigade, a town that he attacked on August 7, 1870.

On September 26, 1870 he fought against a Spanish column that attacked his camp. At the end of that year he led the action at Charco Azul and participated in the combat of La Socapa on December 18. On January 26, 1872 he was promoted to Brigadier General. On July 26, 1872 he attacked Baire Abajo, together with then Brigadier General Manuel de Jesús Calvar. The following month he repelled an attack on his Tempú encampment. In October 1873 he was chief of the Jiguaní district.

When the Chamber of Representatives deposed President Céspedes on October 27, 1873, Pérez offered him his troops to confront the conspiracy, but Céspedes refused. His command encompassed the area where the San Lorenzo estate was located, in the Sierra Maestra, a place where the deposed president spent the last days of his life, although before that outcome occurred, on February 27, 1874, Pérez had already been removed from office as well and was wandering through the Sierra Maestra.

He died in the combat of Palenque de Río Bayazo on February 8, 1878.