A Message to Garcia is a widely distributed essay written by Elbert Hubbard in 1899. Hubbard was inspired by a daring escapade performed by an American soldier, 1st Lt. Andrew S. Rowan, just prior to the SpanishAmerican War. According to Hubbard, Rowan carried a message from President William McKinley to "Gen. Calixto GarcĂa, a leader of the Cuban insurgents somewhere in the mountain fastness of Cubano one knew where." Hubbard compared Rowan's heroic effort to "the imbecility of the average manthe inability or unwillingness to concentrate on a thing and do it."