Jaime García Conde

Jaime García Conde (1767–1820) was a Spanish military commander.

In this Spanish name, the first or paternal surname is García and the second or maternal family name is Conde.
Jaime García Conde
Born4 January 1767
Barcelona, Spain
Died27 May 1820
Madrid, Spain
RankField marshal
Battles/wars

Early career

García Conde joined the Regiment of the Spanish Royal Guard as a cadet in July 1779, and participated at the Great Siege of Gibraltar.[1]

He was promoted to alférez in September 1787 and to second lieutenant of Fusiliers in June 1791. At the outbreak of the War of the Pyrenees he was sent to the Army of Rosellón, where he distinguished himself at the attack on the battery at Banyuls-dels-Aspres (December 1793), for which he was promoted to lieutenant colonel a few days later.[1]

In October 1802, García Conde was promoted to colonel and appointed captain of Fusiliers of the 1st Battalion early the following year.[1]

Peninsular War
Main article: Peninsular War

Shortly after the oubreak of the war, the Junta de Extremadura promoted García Conde to Infantry brigadier, in July 1808 and to field marshal the following September. In November 1808, he was transferred to the Army of Catalonia, and promoted to major general.[1][2]

There, he was given command of the Reserve division, based at the recently appointed captain-general of Catalonia, Juan Miguel de Vives's newly established headquarters at Martorell, and which comprised 777 line infantry, 80 hussars and four cannon.[2]

On 25 February 1809, García Conde fought at the Battle of Valls and on 1 September that year, at the head of 4,000 troops and 500 horse, he successfully escorted a convoy of over a thousand mules laden with provisions, as well as a herd of cattle[3] into a besieged Gerona.[2] To do so, his column had routed Lecchi's Italian division, that day commanded by Brigadier Milosewitz, that was besieging the garrison.[3]

On 14 May 1810, García Conde, then commanding officer of the garrison at Lérida, surrendered the citadel, with 7,700 troops, to the French force under Suchet.[1]

He was interned in France, returning to Spain in 1814. At his own request, and in response to the accusations made against him by the Capitain General of Catalonia, General O'Donnell, he was court-martialled for having surrendered at Lerida. The sentence, absolving him, was given a month after he had died.[1]

References
  1. (in Spanish) Martín-Lanuza Martínez, Alberto. "Jaime García Conde". Diccionario Biográfico electrónico. Real Academia de la Historia. Retrieved 5 February 2023.
  2. (in Spanish) Blanch, Adolfo (1861). Cataluña: historia de la guerra de la independencia en el antiguo principado, Volume 1, pp. 212-213, 424-428. Barcelona: Imprenta y Librería Politécnica de Tomás Gorchs. Google Books. Retrieved 5 February 2023.
  3. Oman, Charles (1908). A History of the Peninsular War, Vol. III, pp. 43–44. Project Gutenberg. Retrieved 2 May 2023.


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