Calixto García Calixto García Iñiguez ( August 4 , 1839 – December 11 , 1898 ) was a general in three Cuban uprisings , part of the Cuban War for Independence : Ten Years ' War , the Little War and the War of 1895 , itself sometimes called the Cuban War for Independence , which bled into the Spanish - American War , ultimately resulting in national independence for Cuba . Ancestry and progeny . García was born in Holguín to parents of Cuban " Criollo " descent ; his maternal surname Iñíguez , indicates descendence from Iñigo Arista , Basque King whose forces are referred to as demons in the Song of Roland . He was a large , strong , educated man with a short fuse . García was the grandson of Calixto García de Luna e Izquierdo , who had fought in the Battle of Carabobo in what is now called Venezuela . His grandmother was Maria de los Angeles Gonzalez , said to be the daughter of a Cacique Chief from Valencia Venezuela . His grandfather ( who had dropped the aristocratic " de Luna " upon taking refuge in Cuba ) had been jailed on March 18 , 1837 for demanding emancipation of slaves , constitutional freedom for all , and allegedly trying to hang a priest who opposed him . As befitted a man of importance of that time , Calixto had a wife , Isabel Velez Cabrera , and a good number of mistresses ; these women gave birth to many children both legitimate ( about 7 ) and illegitimate ( at least six , each to a different woman ) . A number of his sons , most notable Carlos García Velez and Calixto Enamorado , fought in his armies . War record . Around the age of 18 , taking after his grandfather , García joined with a Cuban uprising which became the first war of independence Ten Years ' War . García fought against Spanish colonial rule for five years until his capture . Far from his troops , protected only by a small detail who soon lay dead or dying around him , Garcia in an attempt to avoid giving the Spanish the satisfaction of his seizure shot himself under the chin with a . 45 caliber pistol . Although the bullet went out of his forehead and knocked him unconscious , he survived ; the wound , which left a great scar , gave him headaches for the rest of his life . When the Spanish authorities came to Holguín to inform Calixto ' s mother , Lucía Iñíguez , she said that wasn ' t her son , when the officials explained to her Calixto tried to commit suicide she replied that was her son , " " first dead than captured ! " " He was imprisoned until the Pact of Zanjón and the end of the Ten Years ' War , was signed in 1878 . García travelled to Paris and New York between imprisonments . In keeping to his quest , García joined with Maceo in the Little War from 1879 to 1880 as well as the 1895 War for Independence . He , and separately at least three sons , escaped Spain and arrived with a well supplied expedition in 1896 . In that last conflict he succeeded Maceo , once his subordinate in the Ten Years ' War , as the second in command in the Cuban Army . This General had a long string of victories in this war including the taking of Tunas and Guisa , and the emotionally significant re - occupation of Bayamo . García made liberal use of spies to prepare his attack , these include Dominador de la Guardia father of Ángel de la Guardia and María Machado , illegitimate daughter of Spanish General Emilio March who helped prepare the taking of Tunas ; Frederick Funston later US Major General and José Martí y Zayas Bazán son of José Martí the major Cuban National Hero directed artillery ; Mario García Menocal a to be president of Cuba was wounded in a principal assault . Angel de la Guardia , also a major Cuban national hero died in this battle on August 30 , 1897 . At the time of the U . S . landings , García , with skilled use of mobile artillery , controlled the interior of old Oriente Province , and prepared the landing places for the U . S . Army near Santiago . His troops effectively supported the Marine forces at Guantanamo who , once out of range of the guns of the , had difficulty dealing with Spanish " guerrilla " tactics . He was the general who dealt with the American troops and joined them in military actions , only to be denied entrance into Santiago de Cuba when the Spaniards surrendered . Death . García died of pneumonia on December 11 , 1898 , at the age of 59 , while on a diplomatic mission in Washington , D . C . He was buried temporarily in Arlington National Cemetery in the U . S . , then transported on the heavily armed seagoing war ship to Cuba . His final burial in Cuba was preceded by a number of emotional incidents , and his statues and busts are found throughout Cuba . A major statue is found on the Malecon near the US Interests Section in Havana . After his death , a large bronze tablet prominently inscribed with the phrase " Dulce et decorum est pro patria mori " was erected by the Masons at the place of his demise — the Raleigh Hotel in Washington , D . C . Today , this tablet resides at the private residence of one of Gen . García ' s direct descendants . The essay " A Message to Garcia " by Elbert Hubbard was written in reference to U . S . intelligence officer Andrew Rowan ' s successful mission , against great odds , to establish contact with García early in the Spanish - American War . According to language expert Charles Earle Funk , " to take a message to Garcia " , meaning to accept an extremely difficult challenge , was a popular U . S . slang expression for years . The essay was made into two American films , the 1916 silent " A Message to Garcia " with Garcia played by Charles Sutton and the 1936 film " A Message to Garcia " featuring Enrique Acosta . In 1976 , a municipality in Holguín Province was named Calixto Garcia for him . His portrait is on the 50 Cuban peso banknote .