Death of Miguel Mendoza, a Soldier of the Fixed Regiment of Louisiana, Native of Bayamo, Cuba (1799).

On December 22nd, 1799– Miguel Mendoza – A Soldier of the 7^th Company, 1^st Battalion, Fixed Regiment of Louisiana, on detached duty, from the Regiment of Cuba. A Native of Bayamo, Oriente, Cuba, son of Pedro Mendoza and Juana. Died at the Hospital in Mobile, Alabama without receiving last rites or writing a final testament. Signed Father Constantino McKenna, Parish Priest.

15th Cavalry Battalion, Tennessee, Field and Staff Officer's.

Lt. Colonel - Alfred A. Russell

Maney's Battery, Tennessee Artillery, Field and Staff Officer's.

Captain - Frank Maney

Jose Marti, Quote.

"If I survive, I will spend my whole life at the oven door seeing that no one is denied bread, so as to give a lesson of charity, especially to those who did not bring any flour". - Jose Marti
 

Brookhaven Light Artllery, Mississippi, Field and Staff Officer's.

Captain- James A. Hoskins
1st Lt.- John C. Hardy
 Jr. 1st Lt.- Benjamin T. Atkins
2nd Lt.- Daniel H. Mitchell

Major General Patrick R. Cleburne, Quote.

"Every man should endeavor to understand the meaning of subjugation before it is too late... It means the history of this heroic struggle will be written by the enemy; that our youth will be trained by Northern schoolteachers; will learn from Northern school books their version of the war; will be impressed by the influences of history and education to regard our gallant dead as traitors, and our maimed veterans as fit objects for derision... It is said slavery is all we are fighting for, and if we give it up we give up all. Even if this were true, which we
deny, slavery is not all our enemies are fighting for. It is merely the pretense to establish sectional superiority and a more centralized form of government, and to deprive us of our rights and liberties."
-- Major General Patrick R. Cleburne, CSA, January 1864

Cuba Declares War Against Germany and Italy, 1941.

Cuba declared War against Germany and Italy, on December 11th, 1941. Germany and Italy had both declared War on the United States a few days earlier and Cuba declared War due to Treaty Obligations with the United States. There were no Cuban Troops sent to fight in Europe BUT numerous Cuban Volunteers (including my Uncles) came to the United States and joined the United States Military, fighting both in the Pacific and in Europe.  The Cuban Navy aided in Coastal Defense and acted as Escorts and three Cuban Sub-Chasers were able to sink at least one confirmed German U-Boat (U-176) on May 15th, 1943. There were four Cuban Cargo Ships that were sunk by German U-Boats during the War.

Cuba Declares War Against Japan, 1941.

Cuba declared War against the Empire of Japan two day after the Pearl Harbor Attack, on December 9th, 1941. The Cuban Government put out this statement after declaring War :  "We consider that this aggression by a non‑American state against the integrity and inviolability of an American State is such a case as is contemplated in declaration No. 15 of the Conference of Habana (June 1940), by virtue of which all the nations of this continent should likewise consider themselves attacked in the same way and should act jointly."

15th Heavy Artillery Battalion, South Carolina, Field and Staff Officer's.

Major - James Jonathan Lucas (born 1831, died 1914)

Federico Garcia Lorca, Quote.

"New York is something awful, something monstrous. I like to walk the streets, lost, but I recognize that New York is the world's greatest lie. New York is Senegal with machines." - Federico Garcia Lorca

1st Artillery Company (Confederate Maryland), Field and Staff Officer's.

Captains - R. Snowden and William F. Dement

Reinaldo Arenas, Quote.

"As a country Cuba has produced scoundrels, criminals, demagogues and cowards in numbers dispropotionate to its population" - Reinaldo Arenas, from "Before Night Falls"

10th Louisiana Infantry, Field and Staff Officer's.

Colonels - Mandeville De Marigny, Henry D. Monier and Eugene Waggaman
Lt. Colonels - Jules C. Denis and J.M. Legett
Majors - Felix Dumonteil, Thomas N. Powell and William H. Spencer

Benton's Battery, Louisiana, Field and Staff Officer's.

Captain - Thomas O. Benton

Charleston Infantry Battalion, South Carolina, Field and Staff Officer's.

Lt. Colonel - Peter Charles Gaillard (born 1812, died November 11th, 1889, he is buried at Magnolia Cemetery, Charleston, South Carolina)

Fort Sumter, Charleston, South Carolina, April 12th, 1861.

The War Between The States began today April 12th, 1861 when Confederate Forces fired on Union held Ft. Sumter, in Charleston Harbor, South Carolina.

Carlos Eire, Quote "Waiting for Snow in Havana".

“The world changed while I slept, and much to my surprise, no one had consulted me. That’s how it would always be from that day forward. Of course, that’s the way it had been all along. I just didn’t know it until morning. Surprise upon surprise : some good, some evil, most somewhere in between. And always without my consent." - Carlos Eire, “Waiting for Snow in Havana”

44th Virginia Infantry Battalion, Field and Staff Officer's.

This unit was also known as the Petersburg City Battalion.

Major - Peter V. Batte (born 1841 ?, died November 21st, 1893). He is buried at "Stockton Rural Cemetery" in Stockton, California.

8th Texas Infantry, Field and Staff Officer's.

Colonel - Alfred M. Hobby
Lt. Colonels - John Ireland and Daniel D. Shea
Major - John A. Vernon

The Catcher In The Rye, Quote.

"I was half in love with her by the time we sat down. That's the thing about girls. Every time they do something pretty, even if they're not much to look at, or even if they're sort of stupid, you fall half in love with them, and then you never know where the hell you are. Girls. Jesus Christ. They can drive you crazy. They really can." - Holden Caulfield, Chapter 10, The Catcher in the Rye, by J.D. Salinger

General Robert E. Lee, Quote.

"I like whiskey. I always did, and that is why I never drink it.” - General Robert E. Lee

Reinaldo Arenas, Quote.

"The difference between the Communist system and the Capitalist system, is that although both give you a kick in the ass, in the Communist, they kick you and you have to applaud, and in the Capitalist they kick you and you can scream, and I came here to scream". -- Reinaldo Arenas

Corporal Frank Buckles, Last American World War One Veteran, Passes Away.

Frank Woodruff Buckles (born February 1, 1901, died February 27, 2011) was the last surviving United States World War I Veteran. He was born in Bethany, Missouri, in 1901 and enlisted in the United States Army, in August 1917, at the age of 16. He was sent to Europe aboard the R.M.S. Carpathia (which was the ship which rescued the survivors of the Titanic, in 1912) and spent the War as a Motorcycle and Ambulance Driver. He served in the Army until January 1920. He was once again caught in war when Japan invaded the U.S. Territory of The Philippines, where he worked for a shipping company, in Manila. He was detained by the Japanese and held as a prisoner at Los Banos Prison Camp, from 1942 to 1945. He returned to the United States and married Audrey Mayo, in 1946. He lived at Gap View Farm, in Charles Town, West Virginia, and was the Honorary Chairman of the World War I Memorial Foundation. Frank Buckles reached the rank of Corporal during World War One and for his service was awarded the World War I Victory Medal, the Army of Occupation of Germany Medal and he was also awarded by French President Jacques, the French Legion of Honor. His death signifies the true end of an era. May He Rest In Peace / Que En Paz Descanse.

Captain William M. Walker, Confederate States Army, Buried in Church Street Cemetery, Mobile, Alabama, 1863.

Captain William M. Walker, of the Confederate States Army, was buried in Church Street Cemetery, in downtown Mobile, Alabama, on September 10th, 1863. (He was born in Huntsville, Alabama on July 21st, 1821).

Jefferson Davis named Provisional President of The Confederacy, 1861.

Jefferson Davis was named "Provisional President" of the Confederate States of America, on this date (February 9th, 1861), in 1861. He was Officially Inaugurated on February 18th, 1861, in Montgomery, Alabama.

State of Texas Secedes from Union, 1861.

The State of Texas seceded from the Union, on February 1st, 1861.

Jose Marti, Quote

Jose Julian Marti-Perez was born on January 28th, 1853, died May 19th, 1895. This quote of his is so sadly true, "Our Wine is Bitter, But It Is Our Wine".

State of Louisiana secedes from Union, 1861.

The State of Louisiana seceded from the Union on January 26th, 1861. The Flag on the left is the Independent State of Louisiana Flag. The Flag was adopted after it was bought to vote by Secession Convention Delegates John Kingsberry Elgee, André Bienvenu Roman and Claiborne C. Briscoe.

State of Georgia secedes from Union, 1861.

The State of Georgia seceded from the Union, on January 19th, 1861. It was the 5th State to secede.

State of Alabama secedes from the Union, in 1861.

The State of Alabama seceded from the Union, on January 11th, 1861. Alabama was the fourth state to secede.

State of Florida secedes from the Union, in 1861.

The State of Florida seceded from the Union on January 10th, 1861. It was the third State to secede after South Carolina, on December 20th, 1860 and Mississippi, on January 9th, 1861.

State of Mississippi Secedes from the Union, in 1861.

The State of Mississippi seceded from the Union on January 9th, 1861. Mississippi was the second State to secede, South Carolina being the first on December 20th, 1860.

Fort Marion (Castillo De San Marcos), St. Augustine, Florida occupied by Confederate Forces, in 1861.

Confederate Florida State Troops occupied Fort Marion at St. Augustine, Florida on this date in 1861.

Fort Marion was the name which at the time was given to "Castillo De San Marcos", built by the Spanish during the Spanish Colonial Era, in Florida.

Confederate forces seize Fort Pulaski, Georgia on this day, in 1861.

On January 3rd, 1861 Fort Pulaski near Savannah, Georgia was seized by forces of the Georgia State Troops.