soldier," took the field in
person. Of this there was need, for Maceo was besieging Bayamo,
capturing all supplies which were sent thither, and threatening the
Spanish garrison with starvation. Campos hastened to the relief of that
place with General Santocildes and a strong force. But Maceo did not
hesitate to measure strength with Campos. He attacked him openly at
Peralejo, out-manoeuvered him and out-fought him and came very near to
capturing him with his whole headquarters staff. Campos was indeed saved
from capture only by the desperate valor of Santocildes, who lost his
life in defending him: but he did lose his entire ammunition train and
was compelled to retreat with the remnant of his shattered forces into
Bayamo and there undergo the humiliation of being besieged by the
"rebels" whom he had affected to despise. There he remained for a week,
until General Suarez Valdez could come with an army, not to defeat the
Cubans but to help Campos to flee in safety over the road by which he
had come. Then, when the Spaniards had concentrated more than 10,000
troops at Bayamo for a supreme struggle the wily Maceo quietly and
swiftly removed his forces to another scene of action.

Meantime in the far east of the province the patriots besieged the fort
in Sabana and would have forced its surrender had not Spanish
reenforcements arrived from Baracoa for its relief. The fort was
destroyed, however, and the place had to be abandoned by the Spanish.
Also at Baire, where the revolution began, Jesus Rabi captured a Spanish
fort and its garrison. Everywhere throughout Oriente the Spaniards were
on the defensive, while in every other province, even in Pinar del Rio,
the revolution was ominously gaining strength.

CHAPTER IV

It now seemed opportune to effect a more complete organization of the
civil government of the Cuban Republic, and for that purpose a
convention was held in the Valley of the Yara, at which on July 15 a
Declaration of Cuban Independence was proclaimed, and on August 7, near
Camaguey the action of May 18 was confirmed and amplified, Bartolome
Maso being retained as President; Maximo Gomez as Vice-President and
Minister of War; Salvador Cisneros as Minister of the Interior; Gonzalo
Quesada as Secretary for Foreign Affairs, with residence in the United
States; Antonio Maceo as General in Chief of the Army; and Jose Maceo as
Commander of the Army of Oriente.

This was not, however, a finality. A national