ABSTRACT
Immediately after his victory in the Sierra Maestra, Fidel Castro assigned Major Camilo Cienfuegos a major mission—leading a rebel army column from the Sierra Maestra to Pinar del Río province. Column No. 2, known as “Antonio Maceo,” was to leave from E1 Salto on Wednesday, August 20, 1958. Cienfuegos was granted powers to organize rebel units throughout the territory: to apply the rebel penal code and the agrarian measures of the rebel army; to collect established contributions; and to combine operations with other forces operating against the dictatorship. He was also to establish a permanent guerrilla front in Pinar del Río province and to appoint officers up to the rank of major. The invasion column was to fight the enemy at every opportunity, although its main objective was to reach the westernmost province of Cuba. All weapons captured during engagements with the army were to be used to arm new guerrilla units. 1
