3rd Marquis de La Romana, wearing the uniform of a captain general,[1] with the Grand Cross and band of Order of Charles III and an unidentified decoration (possibly foreign)[note 1]
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.[4]
General Romana (centre) with the Spanish Division of the North, sent to Denmark to fight against the British, pledging to turn against France and side with Britain, 1808Spanish troops under General de La Romana embarking for Spain, 1808
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 was chiefly credited to his subterfuge and resourcefulness. At least 9,000 men of the 15,000-strong division were immediately able to board Royal Navy 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 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.[citation needed]
With this force, he fought some rearguard actions for General John 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.[6] At news of his death, Wellington wrote, "his loss is the greatest which the cause could sustain."[7]
He is credited as being the force behind the construction of the castle at Bendinat.[citation needed]
11 paintings owned by the Marquis of La Romana by Goya of which nine survive
^This portrait, by Eduardo Carrió is a copy (c. 1878) of an original by Vicente López (c. 1815). As La Romana died in 1811, López's portrait must have been painted from an effigy. (Museo del Prado.)
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