Gregorio García de la Cuesta [SEP] conflict
Gregorio García de la Cuesta
Gregorio García de la Cuesta y Fernández de Celis (9 May 1741 – 1811) was a prominent Spanish general of the Peninsular War.
Early career.
Born in La Lastra, Cantabria, to a family of petty nobles, Cuesta entered military service in 1758 as a member of the Spanish Royal Guards Regiment. He saw several successes as a Lieutenant General during the War of the Pyrenees in the years 1793 to 1795. On 20 December 1795, he led 8,000 Spanish and Portuguese in
. The French army crossed the Tagus River on several points and converged on Almaraz, defended by the Spanish Army of Extremadura led by Captain-General Gregorio García de la Cuesta. Duke del Parque's forces were drubbed at Mesas de Ibor by Leval's German division. These defeat forced la Cuesta to withdraw on the line of the Guadiana. During the retreat, the Spanish cavalry under General Juan de Henestrosa was assigned to the rearguard. On the other side, General Lasalle led the French pursuit ahead of his cavalry division,