I am still transcribing the intelligence reports of John Grant. In September 1811 he wrote "Le Foas artillery and cavalry have passed to the right of the Tagus, and he has again returned to Truxillo from Caceres, which he occupied for a few days, for the purpose of exacting contributions, and opening the communications with the 5th Corps, which had been partially surrounded by Spanish troops under the Count de Penin, Murcello, Downie"
Murcello is General Pablo Morillo y Morillo.
Downie is Colonel John Downie, a British adventurer serving in th Spanish Army.
I have no idea who the Count de Penin is. I am not sure the spelling is correct. Below is an image of the three names taken from John Grant's report.
Any help is appreciated!
Bob
Rob, Garry, and Antonio -
Thanks!
Bob
Hi Bob,
A brief biog on Penne de Villmur from my book on Arroyomolinos/Almaraz:
The commander of the cavalry was Mariscal de Campo Conde Louis de Penne Villemur, a nobleman from the Hautes-Pyrenees region of France. He had served with one of the foreign regiments of the Spanish Army from 1778, campaigning in Africa, before joining the French army and becoming a lieutenant in the Hussards d’Esterhazy in 1786. He left France in 1791 and became a major in Rohan’s Hussars in British service, and fought in the campaigns against the revolutionary army. In 1809 he returned to Spain to fight the French occupation.
A. Mazaz, Histoire de l’ordre Royal et militaire de Saint-Louis, Vol.III (Paris, Firmin Didot,
1861), p.28.
You need this book by Martinez, invaluable;
https://dbe.rah.es/biografias/28319/luis-penne-de-villemur