Carlos Roloff

Karol Rolow-Miałowski or Carlos Roloff Mialofsky, better known simply as Carlos Roloff, (4 November 1842 – 17 May 1907) was a Polish-born Cuban general and liberation activist, who fought against Spain in the Ten Years' War and the Cuban War of Independence in the Las Villas Province.

Early life and American Civil War

Roloff was born in Warsaw on 4 November 1842 to a Polish family. He was the second of three children had by Karol Rolow and Loisa Miałowska, having an older brother and younger sister. As a child, his family moved to Königsberg, Kingdom of Prussia, where he learned German, business, and military strategy in school. After his father's death in 1862, he and his brother immigrated to the United States. They briefly stayed in New York before moving to Cincinnati, Ohio.

Roloff served in the Union Army during the American Civil War in the 9th Ohio Infantry Regiment, working under the command of August Willich. He obtained the rank of captain before being discharged when the unit disbanded in June 1864.

Ten Years' War

Las Villas campaign

That same year he traveled to Cuba after being hired by Bishop and Company, an American sugar-exporting firm in Caibarién, Las Villas Province, as a bookkeeper. In Caibarién he became known as Carlos Roloff Mialofsky. He was a founder of the San Juan Masonic Lodge in 1866 and was treasurer of the El Progreso Social Club, gaining a local reputation for his success in the position.

In 1868, the struggle for Cuban independence culminated in the Ten Years' War. The conflict began with Carlos Manuel de Céspedes and Ignacio Agramonte's uprisings in the east, with many being motivated to join due to dissatisfaction with the policies of Captain-General Francisco de Lersundi. The revolution spread to Las Villas in February 1869 with patriots from Santa Clara, Sagua La Grande, Remedios, Cienfuegos, Trinidad, and Sancti Spíritus meeting to form the Las Villas Junta at the El Cafetal González coffee plantation. They planned for their uprising to commence on 7 February. As the majority of members were strictly civilian they sought out a military leader and when confronted, Roloff accepted, joining on the evening of 6 February.

Roloff's grandson, Felipe Roloff, claimed that Carlos had already been conspiring to launch an uprising, being that he was close to patriots Emilio Núñez, Serafín Sánchez, and Pancho Carrillo, all of whom felt revolutionary fervor during the eastern uprisings. Miguel Jerónimo Gutiérrez named sugar mill owner Joaquín Morales as commander-in-chief and Roloff as major-general and chief-of-staff in Las Villas. Morales admitted that he was reliant on the latter, as he himself had no military experience.

On 7 February, carrying a Cuban flag, around 5,000 poorly equipped Villareños traveled from the coffee plantation to Manicaragua. On 17 February, Roloff led 100 men in an attempt to take Santo Domingo, failing due to low ammunition. Two days after, he won at San Gil leading 300 men with rudimentary wooden cannons against 700 Spaniards. On 6 March, three regiments totaling 800 men led by provincial governor, Trillo Figueroa, lost at Santa Cruz del Líbano. A week later, a Spanish regiment attacked the Villareños while they rested, killing 14 men.

The Junta discussed future plans as they were low on munitions. Roloff suggested a scorched earth campaign in the sugar-rich west to gain freedmen volunteers and to harm the colonial economy. The proposal was rejected citing a lack of resources; it was decided they move to the Oriente Province to receive supplies from Céspedes. During their march, Roloff's forces sabotaged bridges, telegraph poles, railways, and burned sugar plantations.

Collaboration with Céspedes

In early April, the Villareños arrived in Camagüey Province and on 10 April met with Céspedes and other mambises to draft the Guáimaro Constitution. Established was the House of Representatives, which held the responsibility of delegating positions, including president, and named Céspedes the President of the Republic in Arms, with him being sworn in with the flag carried by Roloff.

Ultimately the Villareños did not acquire arms and returned to their home province. They engaged in guerrilla warfare, now assaulting in machete-wielding cavalry charges.

Dissension spurred within patriot ranks. Roloff, being involved, labeled Céspedes a dictator and was arrested for it by the president in mid-July 1872. He retracted the comment and apologized, allowing for his release on 25 July. Commander-in-chief Ignacio Agromente's death on 11 May 1873, vitalized a power vacuum and greater division between the House of Representatives and Céspedes. Militarily-experienced Máximo Gómez was promoted to the position by the president. Upon an appeal for more powers Céspedes was deposed on 17 October 1873.

Final years

Gómez with 2,000 men joined the Villareños after crossing the Trocha from Júcaro to Morón on 6 January 1875. He gave Roloff command of the Second Division and ordered him to attack Sagua La Grande, falsely claimed to be holding a Spanish garrison. Roloff refused and was promptly relieved of command and assigned chief-of-intelligence with the objective of gathering information on western Cuba for a patriot assault; he was dissatisfied with the change as he wanted to retain command on the battlefield. The regionalist Villareños disagreed with Gómez's vision for an invasion west. They formed the Unión Repúblicana with Roloff leading them. Gómez attempted to quell the group by returning Roloff to military command, this time of the First Division, but on 1 October was demanded to step down and allow for Roloff to become commander-in-chief. Gómez without fight transferred the role.

The war turned against the patriots due to infighting and the arrival of a new well supported captain-general in late 1876. On 11 February 1878, the Pact of Zanjón was signed, recognizing the war was to come to an end. Roloff was among a number of patriots that disagreed with the action and continued to fight along with the Villareños. In the following months, Villareño forces gradually surrendered as they faced against the Spanish commander in the region who received 60,000 pesos until ordered to stop by the Cuban Patriotic Junta in April.

External support for Cuban independence

Little War and Marriage

Prior to leaving Cuba, he had a son named Gerardo with Benita Alvarez. He was born in Remedios in 1877. In July, Roloff left to New York and in August was in Cincinnati with his relatives.

In New York City during March 1879, he became secretary-treasurer of the Cuban Revolutionary Committee led by Calixto García, an organization dedicated to achieving Cuban independence. To support García and other patriots participating in the Little War, Roloff went to the Colony of Jamaica in March 1880 to raise funds, though the conflict ended in failure by August. Roloff remained in Jamaica with fellow veterans of the Ten Years' War, Antonio Maceo and Máximo Gómez, until late 1881, before he left to Amapala, Honduras to work at the town's central bank. He was designated vice consul by the United States government and entered the country with Dr. Eusebio Hernández Pérez at Puerto Cortés.

On 24 December, he arrived in Amapala. On 3 February 1883, he married Galatea Guardiola, daughter of former Honduran President Santos Guardiola, at Tegucigalpa Cathedral. They had 4 children, Carlos, Ana Luisa, Julio, and María Francisca, born in 1886, 1890, 1892, and 1894, respectively.

Activism in the United States

In 1892, he returned to the United States answering, along with other veterans of the Ten Years' War, José Martí for a new plan to achieve Cuban independence. Roloff met Martí in New York City, moving to Tampa, Florida afterward in June, and joined Martí's pro-independence Cuban Revolutionary Party. Martí was leader and Máximo Gómez, then residing in the Second Dominican Republic, was commander-in-chief. After Martí funded newspaper, ''Patria'', reported:

He responded with a speech advocating for the party:

Throughout June he sought donations from cigar workers and created Patriotic Clubs. Cuban émigrés were meant to enroll and pay a membership fee. In July, he continued in Key West, where he also received a warm welcome. Roloff spent 3 years traveling across the United States with Martí to fundraise. By 1894 the clubs totaled to 126 in 18 cities; Key West had 62. He also led the Lotería de la Patria, which ran from August 1894 to March 1895 and raised thousands of dollars for the party.

Fernandina Plan

The Fernandina Plan was devised by the party, planning for the Revolution to commence in January 1895. Roloff, among other generals, was involved in organizing the military effort. In cooperation with businessman Nathaniel Borden, 3 ships were chartered, the ''Lagonda'', ''Amadís'', and ''Baracoa''. Roloff and Serafín Sánchez were to board the ''Lagonda'' in Key West with 150 men after it was loaded with munitions in Fernandina. Colonel Fernando López de Queralta disobeyed Martí's orders of maintaining secrecy regarding the contents of ''Lagonda'' while it was in Fernandina; he properly labeled said contents and freely stated to others that military equipment was aboard. The New York World reported that Martí was seen in Fernandina, which prompted Spanish ambassador Emilio de Muruaga to claim U.S. violation of national neutrality laws and requested an investigation. On 14 January, American officials detained the vessels. The ''Lagonda'' was seized and 800 rifles and 600,000 rounds of ammunition found in a warehouse were confiscated. The ''Amadís'' and ''Baracoa'' were released back to their owners after no military equipment was found. The party was left with $3,000 after the fiasco's expense of $25,000 to $40,000. The party afterword resorted to more contributions from Cuban cigar manufacturers, workers, and Patriotic Clubs.

Cuban War of Independence

On 24 February 1895, the Cuban War of Independence began. Martí and Gómez initiated the revolution while Roloff was organizing his expedition. He was watched by Spanish consul Pedro Solís and American authorities in Key West. To avert the watchers the expeditionary force moved camp to Big Pine Key to await a vessel. The men were restless due to the inhospitable environment and lacking provisions but on 18 July the ''James Woodall'' picked up the force and landed them at Tayabacoa, Las Villas Province at 9:30 A.M. on 24 July. Reports of the expedition's supplies vary.

He was in command of the Fourth Corps. He demanded payment from sugar planters and if they refused, promptly burned their fields. On 18 September, upon the creation of a new constitution he was elected to the cabinet of President Salvador Cisneros Betancourt as Secretary of War. In this position he gathered weapons and organized expeditions, creating the Department of Expeditions. To supply offensives he was asked to return to the United States. There he successfully organized expeditions but was arrested in New York City, being charged with violating American laws against filibustering. He was taken to Ludlow Street Jail but later had the charges dropped.

After the death of Antonio Maceo, Roloff vowed to avenge him. He organized an expedition with 2,050 rifles, 300 machetes, and 2 small cannons, landing on 21 March 1897. He lost the position of Secretary of War in September and was officially replaced upon the drafting of the La Yaya Constitution.

He with Sánchez led the capture of Las Varas against 2,000 Spaniards commanded by Colonel Rubin. Meanwhile, the Spanish–American War sparked. The efforts of the Cubans and Americans ended with the Treaty of Paris on 10 December 1898. The result of the war was the United States Military Government in Cuba governing until 1902.

Post-war

In 1901, he was granted Cuban citizenship and nominated state-treasurer of the independent republic. He retained the role until his death, upon which he was succeeded by . He compiled the ''Indice alfabético y defunciones del Ejército Libertador de Cuba, guerra de independencia, iniciada el 24 de febrero de 1895 y terminada oficialmente el 24 de agosto de 1898'' with his son, Gerardo. The work contains the names of deceased and living patriot veterans.

He lived the remainder of his life with his family in Guanabacoa. In 1905, he began to suffer from congestive heart failure and with increasingly deteriorating health died on 17 May 1907. His body was laid in state at Havana City Hall with thousands visiting.

Notes

References

Bibliography

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External links

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essay on Polish Embassy in Havana site (pl.)

{{DEFAULTSORT:Roloff, Carlos
People from Congress Poland
Immigrants to the Kingdom of Prussia
Immigrants to the United States
19th-century Cuban military personnel
Polish people of the American Civil War
People of the Ten Years' War
People of the Cuban War of Independence
Cuban activists
Cuban soldiers
Military personnel from Warsaw
Treasurers
1842 births
1907 deaths