Joaquín Blake

Joaquín Blake y Joyes
Joaquín Blake y Joyes
Born	19 August 1759; Vélez-Málaga, Spain
Died	27 April 1827 (aged 67); Valladolid, Spain
Allegiance	Spain
Commands held	Army of Galicia
Battles/wars	American Revolutionary War Great Siege of Gibraltar; Invasion of Minorca; ; War of the Pyrenees Battle of Sant Llorenç de la Muga; ; Peninsular War Battle of Medina de Rioseco; Battle of Zornoza; Battle of Valmaseda; Battle of Espinosa de los Monteros; Battle of Albuera; ;

Joaquín Blake y Joyes (19 August 1759 – 27 April 1827) was a Spanish

military officer who served with distinction in the French Revolutionary and Peninsular

wars.

Early military career

Partially of

reconquest of Minorca and the failed siege of Gibraltar

against the British.

At the outbreak of

San-Lorenzo-de-la-Muga

in 1794.

In 1802 he was promoted to brigadier in the same promotion as the Count of Caldagues and two of the Palafox brothers, Luis Palafox, Marquis of Lazán and Francisco Palafox.^[1]

Peninsular War

Exploits in the field led to further promotions, and by the start of the Peninsular War in 1808, Blake held the rank of

Napoleon's Grande Armée

despite the heavy odds against him.

Blake and

Medina del Rio Seco on 14 July. Following the general French retreat prompted by the disaster at Bailén, Blake took up positions opposite the enemy on the banks of the Ebro. On 31 October Marshal Lefebvre's IV Corps fell upon Blake's 19,000 men at Battle of Zornoza

, turning back the hesitant Spanish advance. To his credit, Blake retreated swiftly and in good order, preventing Napoleon's planned envelopment and annihilation of the Spanish flank.

Furious, the

Valmaseda, he suddenly turned about and attacked the French vanguard with seasoned troops, inflicting a stinging defeat on General Vilatte's leading division. However, another French corps

then joined the chase, and Blake raced west once more to evade encirclement.

Blake chose to make another stand at

Espinosa

on 10 November. Victor, intent on avenging himself for his earlier humiliations at the hands of Blake, spent the day recklessly flinging his divisions against the Spaniards without success. The next day, however, a well-coordinated French attack shattered Blake's center and drove his army from the field in rout.

Blake lost 3,001 men on the battlefield, and many thousands more were dispersed in the confusion of retreat as the Spanish front disintegrated. Knowing the Army of Galicia to be irreparably shattered, Blake embarked on a grueling march west into the hills, outdistancing his pursuers under

Pedro Caro y Sureda, 3rd marquis de La Romana

.

Battle of Albuera

In 1810, Blake participated in the creation of a Spanish

General Staff

which, in the final years of the war began to restore coherence to the country's military enterprises. Poor battlefield performance had in large part been caused by the lethargy, mismanagement, and miscoordination of Spain's fragmented military administration.

On 16 May 1811 Blake fought the French at Albuera alongside

William Beresford's Anglo–Portuguese army. The Spaniards under Blake's command successfully held the allied flank against a strong French infantry, earning him promotion to captain general

.

Siege of Valencia (1812)

Blake was then transferred to eastern Spain to combat

Valencia

. Blake, after several defeats, ended up trapped in the city with his army, eventually surrendering on 8 January 1812 with his 16,000 troops, marking the high point of the French Army's successes in eastern Spain.

Blake was sent to the

donjon at Vincennes, where he was kept captive until April 1814.^[2]