Guillermo Pintos facts for kids

Quick facts for kids Guillermo Pintos
Birth name	Guillermo Pintos Ledesma
Born	26 January 1856 Chafarinas Islands, Spain
Died	29 July 1909(1909-07-29) (aged 53) Mount Gurugu, Morocco
Allegiance	Spain
Service/branch	Spanish Army
Years of service	1872–1909
Rank	Brigadier general
Battles/wars	3rd Carlist War (1874–1876) Ten Years' War (1876–1878) Moro conflict (1891) Cuban War (1896–1897) 2nd Melillan campaign (1909)
Alma mater	Infantry Academy

Guillermo Pintos Ledesma (born January 26, 1856 – died July 27, 1909) was a brave officer in the Spanish Army. He fought in several important wars, like the Third Carlist War, the Ten Years' War, and the Cuban War. In 1905, he became a brigadier general. General Pintos was sadly killed during a battle in 1909. This happened in a place called Barranco del Lobo (Wolf's Ravine) near Mount Gurugu in Morocco. He was leading his soldiers when they were attacked by local fighters called Riffians.

Early Life and Military Training

Guillermo Pintos Ledesma was born on January 26, 1856. His birthplace was the Chafarinas Islands, which are small Spanish islands near Morocco. Spain had taken control of these islands less than ten years before he was born.

In 1872, when he was 16, Guillermo joined the Valencia regiment as a cadet. A cadet is a student training to become an officer. Just one year later, in July 1873, he moved to the Toledo Infantry Academy. This was a special school for training army officers.

Fighting in Wars

The Carlist War

In April 1874, Guillermo Pintos became an Alférez, which is a junior officer rank. He was sent to the Zamora regiment. This group was part of the Army of the North during the Third Carlist War. This war was a fight within Spain.

Guillermo took part in many battles during this conflict. These included the Battle of Monte Muru [es] in June 1874. He also fought in the Battle of Oteiza [es] in August 1874. He helped lift the Carlist siege on Pamplona [es] in February 1875. He stayed in the war until it ended in 1876.

Service in Cuba and the Philippines

Later in 1876, Guillermo Pintos joined the Army of Cuba. He became part of the Expeditionary Battalion 32. Here, he fought against Cuban separatists. These were people who wanted Cuba to be independent from Spain. He stayed on the island until June 1878, then returned to Spain.

In May 1888, he was sent to the Philippines. There, he became an aide-de-camp for Valeriano Weyler. An aide-de-camp is like a personal assistant to a high-ranking officer. In Manila, the capital city, he also worked as the governor of the city prison.

In 1891, he went to Mindanao, another part of the Philippines. He took part in battles against Moro fighters. These battles happened in places like Bara, Malalí, Malabang, and Laguna de Lanao. Because of his bravery, he earned the rank of commander. He returned to Manila in October 1891 and soon after, sailed back to Spain.

Guillermo Pintos later returned to Cuba with General Weyler. He fought in many battles during the Cuban War. He became ill and had to return to Spain in 1897. Even after returning, he continued to work as an aide for General Weyler in different roles. In July 1901, he was chosen to lead the 31st Infantry Regiment "Asturias". On June 30, 1905, he was promoted to Brigadier General.

The Melilla Campaign and Final Battle

In 1909, General José Marina Vega gave General Pintos an important job. He and his brigade were to watch over the area of the Wolf and Alfer Ravines. These ravines were at the foot of Mount Gurugu, south of Melilla. It was believed that many Riffian fighters were hiding there.

On July 27, General Pintos's column, made up of six battalions, set out. His main task was to keep the Riffians away. However, he decided to lead his entire brigade deeper into the ravine known as Barranco del Lobo.

During their advance, the left side of his column was ambushed. The enemy Riffians fired at them from higher ground. The Spanish commanders did not realize how strong the enemy was or how good their position was. The Spanish soldiers tried many times to push the Riffians back but could not succeed.

Later, a difficult retreat was attempted without the help of artillery. This led to many losses for the Spanish army. General Pintos himself died early in the operation. He had gotten off his horse to rest after moving forward with his soldiers. A Riffian sniper shot him in the head, killing him.

This operation became known as the Disaster of the Barranco del Lobo [es]. It was a terrible defeat for the Spanish army during the Second Melillan campaign. About 750 Spanish soldiers were either wounded or killed.

Images for kids

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  Generals Marina and Pintos

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  Light infantry departing Melilla on 27 July

See also

In Spanish: Guillermo Pintos Ledesma para niños