Joaquín Ibáñez Cuevas y de Valonga,ínIbáñ 3rd Baron de Eroles and Marquis of Cañada Ibáñez (Kingdom of the Two Sicilies) (6 January 1785 – 25 August 1825) was a Spanish nobleman and soldier, active in Catalonia during the Peninsular War. Shortly before his death, he was promoted to Captain general of the Army, Spain's highest military rank.
Early life
Born into a noble family, he enrolled as a cadet at the Real Colegio de Artillería, in Segovia, though he did not graduate as an officer.
He later studied Law at University of Cervera and after graduating, set up his own law firm.
Peninsular War (1807–1814)
Eroles was present at the defeat at Molíns de Rey (21 December 1808), and by the end of that year he had raised, armed and financed his own unit of 1,600 volunteers, the 2nd Tercio of Talarn Volunteers.
1809
With his tercio he fought skirmishes at Igualada (11 January 1809), putting General Chabran’s troops to flight, and at Maizneja (17 January 1809) where, with 300 men, he spearheaded the attack on the enemy. This latter incident led to the Captain General of Catalonia, General Reding, promoting him to lieutenant colonel and giving him the command of the tercio.
That same year, he was active at several armed conficts; at Capellades (17 February); at Igualada (9 March) and at which his battalion was surrounded by a force twice the size, plus 200 cavalry troops, and from which his unit was able to escape at bayonet-point; Castel Bisbal (19 March); Tarrasa (2 April); Coll de Soras (13–16 April). He then fought at San Hipólito, at Serratosa (23 May), at Uxay (24 June); captured a French convoy at La Junquera (10 July). On 1 September he was able to breach the siege of Gerona at the head of a convoy. For this latter achievement he was promoted to Colonel. Strongly opposed to the terms of capitulation, he was taken prisoner at the end of the siege but managed to escape while being taken to Perpignan.
1810
On returning to Spain, by the end of two months he had recruited 1,500 troops and he was appointed Colonel-in-chief of the 2nd Platoon of the Catalonia Light Infantry, based at Montserrat. Shortly thereafter he was promoted to brigadier (May 1810).
He led the Spanish forces at Viladecans (19 August 1810), and at Castellolid he stopped Marshal MacDonald’s advancing forces, thereby allowing the Captain general of Catalonia, O’Donnell, to take La Bisbal (September 1810), San Feliú de Guixols and Palamós.
Appointed General-in-chief of the Ampurdán, he directed the action at La Junquera (19 October) where, despite being wounded by a bayonet, he went on to kill the seven enemy combatants that had surrounded him. At La Junquera, he captured a convoy and took 174 prisoners. (According to the Gazeta de Valencia, 6 noviembre 1810, he took 75 prisoners, including two officers, leaving more than 255 dead on the battlefield, including five officers.) Two days later, and despite his still-open wound, he led the action at Lladó (21 October), where he defeated an enemy force four times greater than his own. At La Plana (5 & 8 December), he defeated Clément’s division and pursued it from Olot to Bañolas.
1811
At the beginning of 1811 he was given the command of the Llobregat Line, and took part in several skirmishes on the plains of Barcelona. On 16 April, in the mountains of Puigventós, accompanied by the Alcántara Cavalry Regiment, they defeated an entire battalion, excepting five officers and 30 soldiers that were taken prisoners.
On 19 May, when together with the flankers of the Numancia Regiment and 80 horse of the Alcántara Regiment, they were able to cover the retreat of the troops that had been repelled in their assault on Montjuic, by defeating the French column that had attempted to cut off said retreat.