Captain-General Tomás Bruno de Morla Pacheco (9 July 1747 – 6 December 1812) was a

Spanish Army The Spanish Army () is the terrestrial army of the Spanish Armed Forces responsible for land-based military operations. It is one of the oldest Standing army, active armies – dating back to the late 15th century. The Spanish Army has existed ...

officer who served in the

French Revolutionary and Napoleonic Wars The French Revolutionary and Napoleonic Wars (sometimes called the Great French War or the Wars of the Revolution and the Empire) were a series of conflicts between the French and several European monarchies between 1792 and 1815. They encompas ...

Early life

Tomás was born in

Jerez de la Frontera Jerez de la Frontera () or simply Jerez, also cited in old English-language sources as , is a city and Municipalities of Spain, municipality in the province of Cádiz in the Autonomous communities of Spain, autonomous community of Andalusia, Sp ...

in 1747. He was the son of Tomas de Morla and Maria Pacheco. He entered the Artillery Academy at

Segovia Segovia ( , , ) is a city in the autonomous communities of Spain, autonomous community of Castile and León, Spain. It is the capital and most populated municipality of the Province of Segovia. Segovia is located in the Meseta central, Inner Pl ...

in 1764, graduating the following year as a sub-lieutenant in that institution's first graduating class.

Career

In 1780, during the

American Revolutionary War The American Revolutionary War (April 19, 1775 – September 3, 1783), also known as the Revolutionary War or American War of Independence, was the armed conflict that comprised the final eight years of the broader American Revolution, in which Am ...

, as a lieutenant of artillery, Morla took part in the

Great Siege of Gibraltar The Great Siege of Gibraltar was an unsuccessful attempt by Enlightenment in Spain, Spain and Kingdom of France, France to capture Gibraltar from the Kingdom of Great Britain, British during the American Revolutionary War. It was the largest ba ...

, where he was wounded. In 1792, during the

French Revolutionary Wars The French Revolutionary Wars () were a series of sweeping military conflicts resulting from the French Revolution that lasted from 1792 until 1802. They pitted French First Republic, France against Kingdom of Great Britain, Great Britain, Habsb ...

he served in the Army of Rousillon as quartermaster general, serving later in various posts until in 1800 he was appointed governor of

Cádiz Cádiz ( , , ) is a city in Spain and the capital of the Province of Cádiz in the Autonomous communities of Spain, autonomous community of Andalusia. It is located in the southwest of the Iberian Peninsula off the Atlantic Ocean separated fr ...

and captain general of

Andalusia Andalusia ( , ; , ) is the southernmost autonomous communities of Spain, autonomous community in Peninsular Spain, located in the south of the Iberian Peninsula, in southwestern Europe. It is the most populous and the second-largest autonomou ...

. In 1808, following the

Dos de Mayo Uprising The ''Dos de Mayo'' or Second of May Uprising took place in Madrid, Spain, on 2–3 May 1808. The rebellion, mainly by civilians, with some isolated military action by junior officers, was against the occupation of the city by French troops, ...

against the French, Morla took action against a French naval squadron in Cádiz Bay, forcing its surrender in June. The following month he led forces from Cádiz at the

Battle of Bailén The Battle of Bailén was fought in 1808 between the Spanish Army's Army of Andalusia, under General Francisco Javier Castaños and the French Imperial Army's 2nd Gironde Observational Corps under Divisional-General Pierre Dupont de l'Étan ...

, when the Spanish army defeated a French advance into Andalusia. In September 1808, Morla was sent to Madrid as director-general of artillery and a member of the Supreme War Junta. There, he started preparing the fortifications of the city, including the mountain passes on its approaches. Together with the captain general of New Castile, Marquis of Castelar, Morla was in charge of defending the capital. However, with Napoleon rapidly approaching with a large force, the Marquis abandoned the city, taking some five thousand troops and sixteen cannon with him to join General José Heredia y Velarde and retreat to Talavera de la Reina.. Martín-Lanuza, Alberto
"José Heredia y Velarde". ''Diccionario Biográfico electrónico'' (''DB~e'').

Real Academia de la Historia The Royal Academy of History (, RAH) 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 different branches of life, of c ...

. Retrieved 23 January 2025. Following orders from the Junta of Defence, Morla was left to capitulate to Napoleon on 4 December 1808. While held by the French Morla decided to enter the service of King

Joseph Bonaparte Joseph Bonaparte (born Giuseppe di Buonaparte, ; ; ; 7 January 176828 July 1844) was a French statesman, lawyer, diplomat and older brother of Napoleon Bonaparte. During the Napoleonic Wars, the latter made him King of Naples (1806–1808), an ...

, Napoleon's brother,Vega Viguera p. 208. but clashed with the French general

Pierre Dupont de l'Étang Divisional-General Pierre-Antoine, comte Dupont de l'Étang (4 July 1765 – 9 March 1840) was a French army officer and politician who served in the French Revolutionary and Napoleonic Wars. Life Revolutionary Wars Born in Chabanais, Charent ...

and later retired from public life. Meanwhile the Junta Suprema had branded him a traitor and stripped him of his awards and appointments. Morla died in Madrid in 1812.

Writings and scientific studies

In the period 1780 to 1792 Morla taught at the Artillery Academy at Segovia ( es), and published several works on artillery, fortification, various campaigns. His most notable works were published in 1800 as ''El arte de fabricar pólvora'', a compendium of all aspects of artillery, logistics, tactics, the manufacture and use of gunpowder, which became a textbook at the Segovia Academy.. Herrero Fernández-Quesada, María Dolores
"Tomás Bruno de Morla Pacheco". ''Diccionario Biográfico electrónico'' (''DB~e'').

. Retrieved 23 January 2025.

References

Sources

* Vega Viguera, Enrique de la. ''La Singular Vida de Tomas de Morla y Pacheco Militar y Politico Jerezano''
pdf
(Spanish) {{DEFAULTSORT:Morla y Pacheco, Tomas 1747 births 1812 deaths People from Jerez de la Frontera Spanish generals Spanish military personnel of the French Revolutionary Wars Spanish commanders of the Napoleonic Wars