Background
Earlier in the month, an amphibious assault from sea by the Cuban army Battalion 18, was crushed by Castro's forces at the Battle of La Plata. Battalion 18 was surrounded and sniped at by the rebel forces. General Cantillo ordered Battalion 17 to cross over the Sierra Maestra to come to the aid of Battalion 18. However, Castro's troops were able to block the road and prevent any relief for the surrounded soldiers. After 10 days of fighting, Battalion 18 surrendered.
This left Battalion 17 in an exposed position on the road south of Las Mercedes lake. General Cantillo thought that since he was going to pull Battalion 17 back in any event, he might try to trap any guerrillas which chased the ineffective battalion. Castro did try to ambush the retreat of Battalion 17, just as General Cantillo expected.
Read more about this topic: Battle Of Las Mercedes
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