Arsenio Linares y Pombo

Arsenio Linares
Born	22 October 1848 Valencia, Province of Valencia
Died	7 August 1914 (aged 65) Madrid, Community of Madrid
Allegiance	Spain
Service / branch	Spanish Army
Years of service	1868–1909
Rank	General de ejército
Battles / wars	Third Carlist War Spanish–American War Santiago campaign Battle of San Juan Hill
Minister of War of Spain
In office 18 October 1900 – 6 March 1901
Monarch	Alfonso XIII
Prime Minister	Francisco Silvela Marcelo Azcárraga Palmero
Regent	Maria Christina of Austria
Preceded by	Marcelo Azcárraga Palmero
Succeeded by	Valeriano Weyler
In office 6 December 1902 – 20 July 1903
Monarch	Alfonso XIII
Prime Minister	Francisco Silvela
Preceded by	Valeriano Weyler
Succeeded by	Vicente Martitegui
In office 5 December 1903 – 16 December 1904
Monarch	Alfonso XIII
Prime Minister	Antonio Maura
Preceded by	Vicente Martitegui
Succeeded by	César del Villar y Villate
In office 1 March – 21 October 1909
Monarch	Alfonso XIII
Prime Minister	Antonio Maura
Preceded by	Fernando Primo de Rivera
Succeeded by	Agustín de Luque y Coca
Director general of the Civil Guard of Spain
In office 23 November – 6 December 1903
Monarch	Alfonso XIII
Prime Minister	Raimundo Fernández Villaverde Antonio Maura
Minister of Governance	Antonio García Alix Manuel Allendesalazar
Preceded by	Camilo García de Polavieja
Succeeded by	Vicente Martitegui
Captain General of Catalonia
In office 22 March 1906 – 1 March 1909
Monarch	Alfonso XIII
Preceded by	Vicente Martitegui
Succeeded by	Luis de Santiago Manescau
Captain General of Aragon
In office 20 October 1899 – 15 October 1900
Monarch	Alfonso XIII
Regent	Maria Christina of Austria
Preceded by	Francisco Javier Girón y Aragón
Succeeded by	Francisco Borrero

Arsenio Linares y Pombo (22 October 1848 – 7 August 1914) was a Spanish Army officer and politician. Born in Valencia, he earned the rank of lieutenant in 1868 and participated in operations against rebellions in Cuba, and in the Carlist Wars on mainland Spain putting down rebellions by Basque separatists.^[1] He occupied posts in the Philippines, Madrid, and Melilla, and later returned to Cuba. Linares described himself as passionately loyal to King Alfonso XIII. He was an antisemite and a white supremacist, in his memoirs (published 1906) he made numerous disparaging remarks about Jewish people as well as people of African descent.^[2] Ideologically Linares said he was opposed to democracy, which he believed was a "flawed idea." On this basis he supported the coup d'état led by Arsenio Martínez Campos to overthrow the First Spanish Republic and restore the monarchy.^[2]

He organized the defense of Santiago de Cuba during the Battle of San Juan Hill. Linares failed to reinforce this position, choosing to hold nearly 10,000 Spanish reserves in the city of Santiago. Spanish entrenchments, crucial to the defense of the city, had been poorly constructed. Rather than being on the forward or military crest of the San Juan Height where they could have a clear field of fire all the way down the hill, they were constructed on the hilltop, itself allowing the Americans to escape even near point-blank rifle volleying when they went below the Spanish soldiers lines of observation.

After the Battle of San Juan Hill Pombo wrote to his commander: "The situation is fatal; surrender inevitable; we are only prolonging the agony; the sacrifice is useless."^[3]

He was named Minister of War in 1900 by Prime Minister Francisco Silvela, and occupied this post under subsequent governments. He was appointed senator for life in 1900. In 1909, his call-up of troops from Catalonia to be sent to Morocco led to the Tragic Week in Barcelona. He died in Madrid in 1914.

• (in Spanish) Arsenio Linares y Pombo