Demetrio Quirós Weyler was a Spanish military officer notable for his service during the Ten Years' War in Cuba, where he later served as the governor of Matanzas.
Early life Demetrio Quirós y Weyler was born in the 19th century in Spain. His cousin was Spanish General Valeriano Weyler.Weyler, V., Weyler, M. T. (2004). Memorias de un general: de caballero cadete a general en jefe. Spain: Ediciones Destino.
Demetrio Quirós Weyler graduated from the Infantry School of Toledo in the mid-1850s after deciding to join the Spanish Army.
In 1856 he served as Second Commander in the 35th Infantry Regiment of Toledo's Second Battalion.Guía de forasteros en Madrid. (1856). Spain: Imprenta Nacional. On August 1, 1856, he was appointed Lieutenant colonel.Boletin oficial: Año I-III (1862–1864).. (1863). Cuba: (n.p.).
By 1866 he was transferred to the island of Cuba where he led the 7th Infantry Regiment of Cuba ().Guia de forasteros de la siempre fiel isla de Cuba. (1867). Cuba: Imprenta del Gobierno y capitanía general por S.M..Guía de forasteros en Madrid [para el año de 1866]. (1866). Spain: En la Imprenta Nacional.
Ten Years' War He served as a colonel during Cuba's Ten Years' War that began in October 1868. After the uprising, Quirós was dispatched to recapture Bayamo.
Battle of Baire On October 25, 1868, he was involved in the Battle of Pino de Baire in the eastern province of Oriente. A 700-soldier force under his command was attacked by the mambises of Gen. Donato Mármol and Maximo Gomez.Walker, J. M. (1875). Life of Capt. Joseph Fry, the Cuban Martyr: Being a Faithful Record of His Remarkable Career from Childhood to the Time of His Heroic Death at the Hands of Spanish Executioners; Recounting His Experience as an Officer in the U. S. and Confederate Navies, and Revealing Much of the Inner History and Secret Marine Service of the Late Civil War in America. United States: J. B. Burr publishing Company. In the face of mounting challenges, Quirós was eventually compelled to retreat to Santiago de Cuba, where he regrouped.Carbonell, J. M. (1928). Evolución de la cultura cubana (1608–1927): La prosa en Cuba. United States: El Siglo XX.
In 1872 Quirós led the 4th Infantry Regiment of Nápoles.Guía de forasteros: año económico de 1872–1873. (1872). Spain: En la Imprenta Nacional.
On May 5, 1873, he was appointed Military Governor of Matanzas in Cuba, succeeding Juan Nepomuceno Burriel.Figarola-Caneda, D. (1881). Guía oficial de la Exposición de Matanzas. Cuba: Impr. La Nacional.
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