José Pascual de Zayas y Chacón

José Pascual de Zayas y Chacón was born in La Habana and entered the Spanish Army as a cadet in the Regimiento de Asturias (1783). He gained early service experience in North Africa with the Orán garrison, including the period of the 1790 earthquake and the subsequent operations that culminated in Spain’s withdrawal from Orán (1792). During the War of the Pyrenees, he served with Spanish forces opposing Revolutionary France; he was captured in 1793 and released in 1794, continuing in service through the end of the campaign. ([The Napoleon Series][2])

After 1795, Zayas served in garrison and in assignments connected with maritime transport, including voyages linked to Spain’s transatlantic commitments. In 1800 he participated in the defence of Ferrol during the British attack and was again wounded; he held company-grade command thereafter and continued in line-infantry postings. In 1805 he was appointed aide-de-camp to Lieutenant-General Gonzalo O’Farrill and accompanied the Spanish mission connected with the Kingdom of Etruria, remaining in Italy until 1807 before returning to duties associated with the Northern theatre. ([The Napoleon Series][2])

In 1808, amid the collapse of Bourbon authority and the French intervention, Zayas became involved in attempted contacts with the captive Spanish court at Bayonne and was detained before being returned to Spain. He joined the field forces forming under Gregorio García de la Cuesta and served in senior staff and command capacities during the early campaigns, including the defeat at Cabezón (June 1808) and subsequent operations with the improvised Spanish armies. In 1809 he was engaged in the Extremaduran theatre, including the defeat at Medellín (March 1809), after which he received promotion to brigadier and held divisional responsibilities.

From 1810 he was employed in the southern theatre connected with Cádiz and the Isla de León, including amphibious and raiding operations intended to disrupt French dispositions in Andalusia. In 1811 he commanded a Spanish division within the allied forces and fought at Albuera (May 1811), where his division formed part of the allied right and sustained the main weight of the French attack. Later in 1811 he served in the Valencian theatre under Joaquín Blake, participating in operations around Sagunto (October 1811) and the subsequent fighting that preceded the siege. With the capitulation of Valencia in January 1812, Zayas was taken prisoner and interned at Vincennes. He was released late in 1813, returned to Spain during the Bourbon restoration, and in March 1814 was promoted teniente general. In 1815 he held field command during Spain’s brief incursion into southern France in the final phase of the Napoleonic Wars.

During the constitutional period of the Trienio Liberal, Zayas was elected deputy for La Habana (1820) and received senior appointments, including capitán general of Extremadura. He took part in the defence of the Royal Palace in Madrid on 7 July 1822 during the crisis surrounding the royal guard, and in 1823 he commanded troops aligned with the constitutional government during the French intervention of the “Hundred Thousand Sons of Saint Louis.” After the collapse of the constitutional regime he was removed from posts and honours, and later formally denounced as a liberal and freemason. He died at Chiclana de la Frontera in 1827.

Sources

• Real Academia de la Historia: Historia Hispánica – José Pascual de Zayas Chacón
• The Napoleon Series: José de Zayas
• Wikipedia (English): José Pascual de Zayas y Chacón
• Wikipedia (Spanish): José Pascual de Zayas y Chacón
• Revista de Indias (CSIC): “Ciudadanía, elecciones y movilización política en Cuba …”