At the age of 19, he began his military career in the Ten Years' War, rising from soldier to colonel, a rank that was awarded to him after the Baraguá Protest.

People who knew him or fought under his command described him as stocky and slim, with a hard look and a stern frown, with great poise, a sweet smile and very concerned for the last of his soldiers.

The use of the rifle, the handling of the machete as a weapon to defend himself, the agility and dexterity as a horseman, and the maturity of his thought were influential factors for him to become a true warrior very soon.

His revolutionary battle did not even rest during the so-called "Fertile Truce", since it was one of the Cubans who did not stop conspiring for independence abroad and thus he was seen actively participating in the Plan of San Pedro Sula, from 1884 to 1886 .

Separated from his companions after the Alto de Palmarito fight, he crossed maniguas and streams until he managed to contact the Guantanamo Mambises; then he met Martí , Gómez, and the brave men who had landed at Playitas.