Cuba Silvestre first saw military action in 1890 at the age of 19 in a skirmish as a cadet against the
Mambises guerrillas which were seeking independence for Cuba. After he graduated from the academy, Silvestre returned to Cuba in 1895 to fight against the
Mambises, until the Spanish lost the 1898
Spanish–American War in which he suffered 16 wounds, including a severe wound that led to an incapacity of the left arm, which, in the future, he disguised very well. During his time in Cuba, the aggressive Silvestre had a marked preference for cavalry charges and fighting hand to hand against the
Mambises. He was widely liked and respected by the men under his command. As a militarist educated by army officers and an
africanista, Alfonso favoured
swashbuckling, macho generals whom he saw as potential conquerors of Africa, leading to Silvestre's position as a royal favourite . Between 1913 and 120 Silvestre led several campaigns against
Mulai Ahmed er Raisuni, a notorious North Moroccan
brigand. Silvestre defeated Raisuni in October 1919 in the Battle of Fondak Pass. Although Raisuni and most of his followers managed to slip away, they eventually joined forces with the Spanish army against rival rebel leader
Abd el-Krim. Raisuni's warriors played a key role in the Spanish capture of
Larache and
Arcila and in containing Abd El-Krim's offensives in 1923 and 1924, but he was taken prisoner by Abd El-Krim, who had him executed in 1925. in his office in 1913 After stopping in
Ceuta, Silvestre travelled to Meilila in 1920 to take up the position as
Commandant-General of the city. From Meilila, in January 1921, he led the
Riff invasion to destroy the local resistance, now led by Abd el-Krim. Berenguer commanded from his headquarters at
Tétouan, south of Ceuta, and Silvestre was based at Meilila, 130 miles away, which adversely affected the quality of communication between them. The average Spanish soldier in Morocco in 1921 was paid the equivalent of
US$0.34 per day and lived on a simple diet of coffee, bread, beans, rice and meat offcuts. Krim had sent Silvestre a letter warning him not to cross the Amekran River, as he would likely die. Silvestre commented to the Spanish press about the letter: "This man Abd el-Krim is crazy. I'm not going to take seriously the threats of a little Berber
caid [judge] whom I had at my mercy a short time ago. His insolence merits a new punishment". The Riffians now surrounded the new Spanish base at Igueriben and used captured Spanish artillery to bring down fire on the Spanish. At that point, Silvestre, who having previously underestimated Krim now swung to the other extreme and called a council of his senior officers to announce he was ordering a general retreat back to the coast. Soon, the Riffians had entered the perimeter of the Spanish camp at Annual, killing every Spaniard they encountered. The Riffians had no mercy and cut down not only the Spanish soldiers but also the Spanish prostitutes, which had followed the troops up into the Riff. While that was happening, Silvestre reportedly stood on the parapet of the Annual encampment, watching his army being destroyed. With the exception of one cavalry unit, the Cazadores de Alcántara, the entire garrison of about 5,000 men were lost. Silvestre allegedly further demoralized his men by yelling at them, "Run, run, the
bogeyman is coming!" as they attempted to rally following their initial defeat. Silvestre's comments about the "bogeyman" was his only recorded contribution to the command of his army during the Annual rout. Of the 570 Spaniards who survived the "
Disaster of Annual", the 326 who were taken prisoner were released in January 1923 after the Spanish state paid a ransom of four million
pesetas. The survivors consisted of 44 officers, 236 soldiers, 10 civilians and 33 prostitutes and their children. ==Death==