The
Ten Years' War (1868–1878), also known as the
Great War (
Guerra Grande) and the
War of '68, was part of
Cuba's fight for independence from
Spain. The uprising was led by Cuban-born planters and other wealthy natives. On October 10, 1868 sugar mill owner
Carlos Manuel de Céspedes and his followers proclaimed independence, beginning the conflict. This was the first of three liberation wars that Cuba fought against Spain, the other two being the
Little War (1879–1880) and the
Cuban War of Independence (1895–1898). The final three months of the last conflict escalated with United States involvement and has become known also as the
Spanish–American War.