A Spanish column of more than 700 men commanded by Colonel Demetrio Quirós Weyler was en route to Bayamo from Manzanillo[1] or Santiago de Cuba[2] to recapture the city from Carlos Manuel de Céspedes when ambushed by Máximo Gómez's forces, who were under the command of Donato Mármol, at Baire [es],[3] near Contramaestre.

The column was armed with swords and bayonets while the mambises carried mostly machetes, pitchforks, and other farming tools.

[4] Due to the superior quality of Spanish equipment, Gómez decided to engage in close combat with machetes, a weapon he was familiar with from his service in the Dominican Republic.

The battle was disastrous for the Spanish column, who disorderly retreated after suffering numerous casualties.

The battle was depicted in the 1969 black and white film La primera carga al machete directed by Manuel Octavio Gómez.