Manuel Fernández Silvestre
Encyclopedia
Manuel Fernández Silvestre y Patinga and Pantiga (El Caney
, Cuba
, December 16, 1871 - Annual, Morocco, July 22, 1921) was a Spanish military general
.
He was the son of the lieutenant colonel
of artillery
Victor Fernandez and of Doña Eleuteria Silvestre. In 1889 he enrolled in the Military school of Toledo, where he met with the future high commissioner
of Spanish Morocco
, Dámaso Berenguer
.
s, he was dispatched to the Spanish exclave of Melilla
on the Mediterranean Rif
coast of North Africa
, where he proved to be an excellent negotiator, although also a fierce and an unpredictable man. In 1912 he occupied Larache
and in 1918 he become the Commandant-General
of Ceuta
. As such he reported to the High Commissioner
, a position that was fulfilled by Dámaso Berenguer
.
Silvestre led several campaigns against Mulai Ahmed er Raisuni, a notorious Riffian brigand, from 1913 through 1920. Though he never outright defeated Raisuni, his men inflicted such high casualties on him that Raisuni ceased to be threat to Spanish authority.
After stopping in Ceuta, he marched in 1920 to take command of the Command
of Melilla, from where, in January 1921 he led the Rif invasion
in order to stop the local resistance led by the guerrilla leader Abd el-Krim. The operation was risky and dangerous, since the Spanish soldiers were very poorly trained and scared of the Rifians. The local resistance began to believe that they were able to defeat the Spanish when on June 1 of 1921, they took the position from Abarrán, killing in combat many Spanish soldiers.
After the fall of Igueriben in July 22, the rebels attacked a Spanish military camp
. The garrison of 5,000 soldiers run away instead of fighting. There were at least 1,000 casualties among the Spanish. Silvestre reportedly further demoralized his men by yelling at them, "Run, run, the bogeyman is coming!" as they attempted to rally following their initial defeat.
by shooting a bullet into his head. Others have claimed that he was taken prison by the Rifs and personally executed by Abd el-Krim. A total of 15,000 Spanish soldiers fell in those days from the July 22 to the August 9, most died during the infamous battle called battle of Annual (Disaster of Annual according to Spanish historians). That day, Silvestre's deputy, general Navarro surrendered with his men in Arruit mountain.
El Caney
El Caney is a small village 4 miles to the northeast of Santiago, Cuba. "Caney" means longhouse in Taíno.It was known in centuries past as the site where Hernán Cortés received a vision supposedly ordering him to Christianize Mexico. The settlement was host to the Battle of El Caney on July 1,...
, Cuba
Cuba
The Republic of Cuba is an island nation in the Caribbean. The nation of Cuba consists of the main island of Cuba, the Isla de la Juventud, and several archipelagos. Havana is the largest city in Cuba and the country's capital. Santiago de Cuba is the second largest city...
, December 16, 1871 - Annual, Morocco, July 22, 1921) was a Spanish military general
General
A general officer is an officer of high military rank, usually in the army, and in some nations, the air force. The term is widely used by many nations of the world, and when a country uses a different term, there is an equivalent title given....
.
He was the son of the lieutenant colonel
Lieutenant colonel
Lieutenant colonel is a rank of commissioned officer in the armies and most marine forces and some air forces of the world, typically ranking above a major and below a colonel. The rank of lieutenant colonel is often shortened to simply "colonel" in conversation and in unofficial correspondence...
of artillery
Artillery
Originally applied to any group of infantry primarily armed with projectile weapons, artillery has over time become limited in meaning to refer only to those engines of war that operate by projection of munitions far beyond the range of effect of personal weapons...
Victor Fernandez and of Doña Eleuteria Silvestre. In 1889 he enrolled in the Military school of Toledo, where he met with the future high commissioner
High Commissioner
High Commissioner is the title of various high-ranking, special executive positions held by a commission of appointment.The English term is also used to render various equivalent titles in other languages.-Bilateral diplomacy:...
of Spanish Morocco
Spanish Morocco
The Spanish protectorate of Morocco was the area of Morocco under colonial rule by the Spanish Empire, established by the Treaty of Fez in 1912 and ending in 1956, when both France and Spain recognized Moroccan independence.-Territorial borders:...
, Dámaso Berenguer
Dámaso Berenguer
Dámaso Berenguer y Fusté, Count of Xauen was a Spanish soldier and politician.Berenguer was born in San Juan de los Remedios, Cuba, while that island nation was still a Spanish province....
.
Cuba
After the Academy, he headed to Cuba in 1895 to fight there until the Spanish withdrawal in 1898. There he received 22 wounds altogether, and had a severe incapacity of the left arm which he disguised very well.Spanish Morocco
In 1904, after many postings to peninsular regimentRegiment
A regiment is a major tactical military unit, composed of variable numbers of batteries, squadrons or battalions, commanded by a colonel or lieutenant colonel...
s, he was dispatched to the Spanish exclave of Melilla
Melilla
Melilla is a autonomous city of Spain and an exclave on the north coast of Morocco. Melilla, along with the Spanish exclave Ceuta, is one of the two Spanish territories located in mainland Africa...
on the Mediterranean Rif
Rif
The Rif or Riff is a mainly mountainous region of northern Morocco, with some fertile plains, stretching from Cape Spartel and Tangier in the west to Ras Kebdana and the Melwiyya River in the east, and from the Mediterranean Sea in the north to the river of Wergha in the south.It is part of the...
coast of North Africa
North Africa
North Africa or Northern Africa is the northernmost region of the African continent, linked by the Sahara to Sub-Saharan Africa. Geopolitically, the United Nations definition of Northern Africa includes eight countries or territories; Algeria, Egypt, Libya, Morocco, South Sudan, Sudan, Tunisia, and...
, where he proved to be an excellent negotiator, although also a fierce and an unpredictable man. In 1912 he occupied Larache
Larache
Larache is an important harbour town in the region Tanger-Tétouan in northern Morocco. It was founded in the 7th century when a group of Muslim soldiers from Arabia extended their camp at Lixus onto the south bank of the Loukkos River.In 1471, the Portuguese settlers from Asilah and Tangier drove...
and in 1918 he become the Commandant-General
Commandant-General
Commandant-General is a rank in several counties and is generally equivalent to that of Commandant.-Italy:Comandante generale , in Fascist Italy's MVSN, was the title of the head of the Blackshirts, held by Benito Mussolini from 1922 to 1943.Nowadays, is the title held by the commander of the...
of Ceuta
Ceuta
Ceuta is an autonomous city of Spain and an exclave located on the north coast of North Africa surrounded by Morocco. Separated from the Iberian peninsula by the Strait of Gibraltar, Ceuta lies on the border of the Mediterranean Sea and the Atlantic Ocean. Ceuta along with the other Spanish...
. As such he reported to the High Commissioner
High Commissioner
High Commissioner is the title of various high-ranking, special executive positions held by a commission of appointment.The English term is also used to render various equivalent titles in other languages.-Bilateral diplomacy:...
, a position that was fulfilled by Dámaso Berenguer
Dámaso Berenguer
Dámaso Berenguer y Fusté, Count of Xauen was a Spanish soldier and politician.Berenguer was born in San Juan de los Remedios, Cuba, while that island nation was still a Spanish province....
.
Silvestre led several campaigns against Mulai Ahmed er Raisuni, a notorious Riffian brigand, from 1913 through 1920. Though he never outright defeated Raisuni, his men inflicted such high casualties on him that Raisuni ceased to be threat to Spanish authority.
After stopping in Ceuta, he marched in 1920 to take command of the Command
Commandant-General
Commandant-General is a rank in several counties and is generally equivalent to that of Commandant.-Italy:Comandante generale , in Fascist Italy's MVSN, was the title of the head of the Blackshirts, held by Benito Mussolini from 1922 to 1943.Nowadays, is the title held by the commander of the...
of Melilla, from where, in January 1921 he led the Rif invasion
Rif War (1920)
The Rif War, also called the Second Moroccan War, was fought between Spain and the Moroccan Rif Berbers.-Rifian forces:...
in order to stop the local resistance led by the guerrilla leader Abd el-Krim. The operation was risky and dangerous, since the Spanish soldiers were very poorly trained and scared of the Rifians. The local resistance began to believe that they were able to defeat the Spanish when on June 1 of 1921, they took the position from Abarrán, killing in combat many Spanish soldiers.
After the fall of Igueriben in July 22, the rebels attacked a Spanish military camp
Military camp
A military camp or bivouac is a semi-permanent facility for the lodging of an army. Camps are erected when a military force travels away from a major installation or fort during training or operations, and often have the form of large campsites. In the Roman era the military camp had highly...
. The garrison of 5,000 soldiers run away instead of fighting. There were at least 1,000 casualties among the Spanish. Silvestre reportedly further demoralized his men by yelling at them, "Run, run, the bogeyman is coming!" as they attempted to rally following their initial defeat.
Death
According to many witnesses, Silvestre, when seeing the disaster, got into his tent and committed suicideSuicide
Suicide is the act of intentionally causing one's own death. Suicide is often committed out of despair or attributed to some underlying mental disorder, such as depression, bipolar disorder, schizophrenia, alcoholism, or drug abuse...
by shooting a bullet into his head. Others have claimed that he was taken prison by the Rifs and personally executed by Abd el-Krim. A total of 15,000 Spanish soldiers fell in those days from the July 22 to the August 9, most died during the infamous battle called battle of Annual (Disaster of Annual according to Spanish historians). That day, Silvestre's deputy, general Navarro surrendered with his men in Arruit mountain.