Pedro Caro Sureda, 3rd Marquis of La Romana (1761–1811) was a Spanish

military officer An officer is a person who holds a position of authority as a member of an armed force or uniformed service. Broadly speaking, "officer" means a commissioned officer, a non-commissioned officer, or a warrant officer. However, absent context ...

who served with distinction in the French Revolutionary and Peninsular wars. His two younger brothers, José Caro Sureda (1764–1813),. Martín-Lanuza, Alberto
"José Caro Sureda".

Real Academia de la Historia The Real Academia de la Historia (RAH, 'Royal Academy of History') is a Spanish institution in Madrid that studies history "ancient and modern, political, civil, ecclesiastical, military, scientific, of letters and arts, that is to say, the diff ...

. Retrieved 4 August 2023. and Juan Caro Sureda (1775–1820). Isabel Sánchez, José Luis
"Juan Caro Sureda". ''Diccionario Biográfico electrónico'' (''DB~e'').

. Retrieved 4 August 2023. were also military commanders during the Peninsular war.

Biography

Early career

Born at

Palma de Mallorca Palma (; ; also known as ''Palma de Mallorca'', officially between 1983–88, 2006–08, and 2012–16) is the capital and largest city of the Autonomous communities of Spain, autonomous community of the Balearic Islands in Spain. It is situate ...

to a family of Balearic nobility, La Romana was educated in Lyon, France. His education was classical; he read Greek and Latin, as well as speaking French and English. He entered the

Seminario de Nobles Seminario is a surname. Notable people with the surname include: *Diego Seminario (born 1989), Peruvian actor and industrial designer *Juan Seminario (born 1936), Peruvian footballer *Miguel Grau Seminario Miguel María Grau Seminario (27 Jul ...

in Madrid and later studied at the University of Salamanca.. Casinello Pérez, Andrés
"Pedro Caro Sureda". ''Diccionario Biográfico electrónico'' (''DB~e'').

. Retrieved 28 April 2023. Like many Spanish officers of the Napoleonic Wars, La Romana served in the American Revolutionary War in his youth. After entering the military academy in 1775, he reached the rank of frigate captain in 1791. He saw action at Minorca (1781) and at Gibraltar (1782). In 1793, La Romana transferred to the Infantry Regiment "Inmemorial del Rey" No. 1, serving under his uncle, General Ventura Caro. He saw action in the War of the Pyrenees, part of the War of the First Coalition and was promoted to field marshal in 1794. He then transferred to the Army of Catalonia, serving first under the orders of

Luis Firmín de Carvajal, Conde de la Unión Luis Fermín de Carvajal, 1st Count of la Unión (1752 – 20 November 1794) became a general officer in the army of the Kingdom of Spain. In 1794 during the French Revolutionary Wars, he commanded the Spanish Army in a mostly unsuccessful effor ...

and, following Carvajal's death at Black Mountain (1794), under

Urrutia Urrutia, meaning "distant, far away" in Basque (also known as Euskera) is the name of a family that originated in Zumárraga in the province of Gipuzkoa, and then spread out throughout the Basque country, and eventually throughout the Americas (S ...

. Following the signing of the Peace of Basel (1795) he was promoted to lieutenant general for his services during that campaign. In 1800 he was appointed Captain General of Catalonia. King Charles IV, bullied and pressured by

Napoleon Napoleon Bonaparte ; it, Napoleone Bonaparte, ; co, Napulione Buonaparte. (born Napoleone Buonaparte; 15 August 1769 – 5 May 1821), later known by his regnal name Napoleon I, was a French military commander and political leader who ...

, agreed in 1807 to provide a veteran infantry division to bolster the French army in Germany. La Romana was made commander of this Division of the North and spent 1807 and 1808 performing garrison duties in Hamburg and later Denmark under Marshal Bernadotte.

Peninsular War

El juramento de las tropas del Marqués de la Romana

When the Peninsular War broke out, La Romana made plans with the British to repatriate his men to Spain. The success of the

evacuation of the La Romana Division Evacuation or Evacuate may refer to: * Casualty evacuation (CASEVAC), patient evacuation in combat situations * Casualty movement, the procedure for moving a casualty from its initial location to an ambulance * Emergency evacuation, removal of pers ...

was chiefly credited to his subterfuge and resourcefulness. At least 9,000 men of the 15,000-strong division were immediately able to board British ships on 27 August and escape to Spain. Their defection reduced Bernadotte's Hanseatic Army to a string of glorified coastal garrisons, severely sapping Napoleon's left (north) wing in the contest with Austria for mastery over central Europe in 1809. La Romana arrived at Santander on the Cantabrian front and received command of the

Army of Galicia The Army of Galicia (in Spanish, Ejército de Galicia) was a Spanish military unit that took part in the Peninsular War against Napoleon’s French Grande Armée. Created by the Supreme Junta towards the end of June 1808 to hold the Spanish left wi ...

on 11 November. This army, under General Blake, was destroyed in battle that same day. On 26 November, La Romana assumed effective command of what remained of the army – 6,000 men all told. With this force, he fought some rearguard actions for General Moore's retreat westwards to Corunna. Using his limited means, La Romana conducted small-scale attacks against the French in 1809. These met with success and his men were able to distract the French and overwhelm isolated garrisons such as Villafranca. Following the French defeat at Puente Sanpayo on 6 June, Marshal Soult abandoned his attempts to reestablish French rule in Galicia. When Soult moved against the British on the Portuguese frontier, La Romana drove the French from Asturias as well. La Romana was appointed to the Central Junta on 29 August and served until 1810. He then returned to military operations under Wellington but died suddenly on 23 January 1811 while preparing the relief of Badajoz. With Castaños, La Romana was the Spanish general most trusted and respected by Wellington. At news of his death, Wellington wrote, "his loss is the greatest which the cause could sustain."Longford, p. 309. He is credited as being the force behind the construction of the castle at

Bendinat Bendinat is a seaside village in the municipality of Calvià on the west coast of the island of Majorca, part of the Spanish autonomous community of the Balearic Islands. It is located at the foot of the Serra de Na Burguesa. Much of Bendinat is ...

Notes

References

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