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 Spanish–American War. According to Hubbard, Rowan carried a message from President William McKinley to "Gen. Calixto García, a leader of the Cuban insurgents somewhere in the mountain fastness of Cuba—no one knew where." Hubbard compared Rowan's heroic effort to "the imbecility of the average man—the inability or unwillingness to concentrate on a thing and do it."