Pedro Betancourt Dávalos
Pedro Betancourt Dávalos was born on August 6, 1858, in La Palma near the town of Sabanilla del Encomendador, Matanzas Province.
After that term he studied at the Sorbonne in Paris, during which time he was painted in evening dress by Cuban portraitist Armando Menocal.
Betancourt went to New York City, where he made contact with Tomás Estrada Palma and integrated into a group of revolutionaries organized to go to fight in Cuba.
After other failed attempts, Betancourt and others organized an expedition departing from New York on March 24, 1896, and landed in Maravi near Baracoa Oriente province.
According to the unedited diary La Brigada de Cárdenas, the insurgent fight against the government of Spain in the province of Matanzas was extremely difficult and demanding.
Matanzas has a flat terrain and was crisscrossed by railroad lines facilitating effective movements of Spanish troops from the main garrisons in Havana.
He received orders from General Lacret Morlot, head of the division of Matanzas, to organized and lead a brigade in the northwest region of the province.
After that General Lacret ordered the transfer of the regiments led by Colonels Sanguily and Dantin, of the southern brigade, to be incorporated under his command.
On November 17, 1896, The Roanoke Times reported in Wilmington, Delaware that Betancourt was killed with a machete by Spanish troops who attacked a field hospital.
The newspaper reported that on the morning of the interview held at the camp of Gomes in Salado, Las Villas Province, a Mass was officiated by Father Arteaga and attended by General Betancourt, Colonel Menocal, and Dr. Agramonte.
After, Betancourt moved some of his troops to the Zapata swamps to rest his cavalry, he was ambushed by a Spanish regiment under the command of Colonel Pavia near Oito.
On May 29, 1897, The San Francisco Call reported an assassination attempt on Betancourt by a traitor named Andricain, in the service of the Spanish governor of Matanzas, at Gral.
On September 17, 1897, The Times of Washington DC reported that near the city of Matanzas a battle that lasted more than six hours took place between troops of General Betancourt and Spanish forces.
On November 19, 1897, the Dalles, Oregon newspaper reported that General Betancourt opposed the offers for a Cuban autonomous state made by the Spanish Governor Blanco.
On April 20, 1898, the North Platte newspaper reported that General Betancourt had communicated to the troops under his command an immediate cessation of hostilities in the Matanzas province.
On July 3, 1898, the Salt Lake Herald newspaper reported, among other incidents, that Betancourt's regimental flag was sent to a lady in Key West, as it had been used in different battles and had been damaged subsequently by Spanish Mauser bullets.
On March 7, 1899, The San Francisco Call reported on a meeting between Generals Wilson and Betancourt to coordinate the imminent withdrawal of American troops from the national territory.
On April 29, 1901, The New York Tribune reported that five commissioners of the Cuban Constitutional Commission would go to Washington to meet with President McKinley on the future of Cuba and the proposed Platt Amendment.
Don Tomas Estrada Palma, the first president-elect chose to be re-elected after finishing his first period as president, causing riots and unrest in the country.
On September 28, 1906, The Minneapolis Journal reported a statement by General Betancourt referring to a possible American invasion which stated that he was ready to gather his troops and return to fight in the province of Matanzas.
On October 10, 1922, The Maui News reported that Secretary Betancourt promised to remedy the appalling conditions of Spanish workers who were hired as temporary employees in the sugar industry.
In 1932, Betancourt participated in several meetings with important political figures to discuss the resignation of President Gerardo Machado during his imposed second term in office.
