The revolt began with the assault on the Moncada Barracks on July 26, 1953. It ended on December 31st, 1958, when Batista was forced to leave the country and Santa Clara and Santiago de Cuba were taken by rebels. Che Guevara and Fidel Castro, Raúl Castro and Huber Matos led the rebels. Guevara led the group at Santa Clara. Raúl Castro and Matos led the rebels at Santiago de Cuba. Castro used guerilla warfare methods. 