O'DONNELL, LEOPOLD. 



belonged. They lost their possessions from 

 continued hostilities with the 0'ISTeals ; but 

 upon the destruction of their enemies, under 

 Queen Elizabeth, they received them back 

 again. Upon the expulsion of James II. from 

 the English throne and his attempt to defend 

 Ireland, the O'Donnells rallied under the stand- 

 ard of the Stuarts, and after the disastrous 

 battle of the Boyne they were, in consequence, 

 obliged to leave the country. A portion of 

 them, under the title of Counts of Tyrconnell, 

 settled in Austria, where they attained to high 

 posts of state. The O'Donnells who settled in 

 Spain also distinguished themselves. Joseph 

 Henry O'Donnell, Count of Abispal, entered 

 the Spanish Guards, and engaged in the cam- 

 paign of 1795 against the French. In the Span- 

 ish war of insurrection against Napoleon he 

 rose to the rank of general, and obtained the 

 title of count by the victory of La Bispal. 

 Marshal O'Donnell was the youngest son of 

 Joseph Henry, Count of Abispal, a lieutenant- 

 general in the Spanish army, who was dis- 

 charging the duties of Viceroy of the Island of 

 Teneriffe at the time of his birth. The father 

 seems to have impressed his own character upon 

 the son, who, when a mere child, exhibited a 

 remarkable fondness for military aifairs, and 

 gave evidence of such genius as to attract the 

 attention of the authorities. Before he was 

 eleven years old he was appointed a sub-lieu- 

 tenant, and a few months later accompanied 

 Count de la Bispal, who proclaimed the Con- 

 stitution of 1812. He was, however, aware 

 that his father was not favorable to the move- 

 ment, and resolved to remain neutral, limiting 

 himself to compliance with the duties of dis- 

 cipline. He accompanied his mother to France 

 without having obtained the leave of absence 

 which he had solicited, on which account he 

 was placed under arrest and tried by court- 

 martial ; but he obtained a full acquittal, and 

 no stain was left on his name and reputation. 

 In Valladolid he was on service at the time of 

 the entry of the French army of the Due d'An- 

 gouleme, in 1823; he then joined the staff of the 

 Castile division as aide to the commander-in- 

 chief, in which position he remained throughout 

 the campaign, being present at the siege and sur- 

 render of Oiudad Eodrigo, where lie gained the 

 rank of lieutenant. When only fifteen years of 

 age he was appointed aide-de-camp to the gener- 

 al-in-chief of the division of Castile. At a later 

 period, when Ferdinand VII., in person, visited 

 Catalonia for the purpose of suppressing the 

 first outbreak of the Carlists, Q'Donnell was 

 one of the most distinguished of the officers 

 composing the Eoyal Guards. The political 

 state of the country, and the contests of the 

 different factions, presented a good opportunity 

 for gaining distinction and promotion, and no 

 man was better fitted for improving his oppor- 

 tunities. He continued to rise rapidly in his pro- 

 fession. In the first encounters with the Car- 

 lists O'Donnell's company was distinguished by 

 its bravery and heroism. Shortly after, at the 



head of a company of grenadiers, he formed 

 part of a brigade organized to protect the five 

 principal cities of Arragou from the incursions 

 of the Navarre factions, and so distinguished 

 himself in the celebrated battle of Lumbier that 

 he was promoted to the rank of colonel. He 

 subsequently gave proofs of his decision and 

 daring in the defile of Erice, Mendigorria, Arcos, 

 Guevarra, and Echevarri, and received his bap- 

 tism of blood in the first of these actions, being 

 seriously wounded in a courageous charge. Ap- 

 pointed colonel of the regiment of the line of 

 Gerona, of which he took the command on the 

 1st of January, 1836, he was also placed at the 

 head of the brigade of which the said regiment 

 formed part, with that of Mallorca, and received 

 orders to occupy the valleys of Err and Eon- 

 ccsvalles, from which he succeeded in dislodg- 

 ing the Carlists. Some days after, O'Dounell, 

 with his brigade and a regiment of cavalry, was 

 sent to the confines of Navarre to protect the 

 line of the army from the onslaught of the 

 enemy in that quarter. He greatly distin- 

 guished himself in the affray at Unza, and was 

 proposed by the general for the rank of briga- 

 dier, which proposition, conferring upon O'Don- 

 nell the commission referred to, dating from 

 the conflict at Unza, which took place on the 

 19th of March, 1836, was approved by the gov- 

 ernment. During these troublous times, not a 

 year passed without bearing witness to the 

 prowess of the dashing general, and his military 

 fame extended so rapidly, that in 1839 he was 

 appointed general-in-chief of the central army. 

 O'Donnell began the campaign with a glorious 

 deed of arras; he relieved Lucena, vigorously 

 attacked by the enemy in great numbers, and 

 only defended by 2,000 men, which might have 

 surrendered but for the efficacious aid of the 

 commander-in-chief. He went thither with 

 eleven battalions and 900 horse, gave battle to 

 and completely routed Cabrera, thus not only 

 saving the besieged town, but probably prevent- 

 ing the Carlist general making himself master 

 of the whole of Valencia. O'Donnell was re- 

 warded for this good service by the rank of 

 lieutenant-general, and subsequently, in 1837, 

 the title of nobility of Castile was conferred 

 upon him as Count of Lucena. General O'Don- 

 nell was one of the principal promoters of the 

 insurrection which broke out in Madrid, in 

 1841, and, espousing the cause of Queen Chris- 

 tina, was compelled to retire to France. Upon 

 his taking the oath of allegiance to the govern- 

 ment, he was permitted to return to Spain, but 

 it was not long before he again engaged in 

 a revolution to overthrow Espartero, and, upon 

 being defeated at Pampeluna, was once more 

 compelled to seek refuge in France. In 1843 

 Espartero fell, and he then returned again to 

 Spain, when his rank and honors were restored 

 to him and he went to Cuba as Governor and 

 Captain-General of that island, where he re- 

 mained until the end of February, 1848. On 

 his return to the Peninsula he took his seat in 

 the House of Nobles, where he distinguished 



