Zumala-Carregny

Zumala-Carregny, TOMAS, the greatest of the generals of Don Carlos during the civil war of 1833-40, was born in 1789 at Ornaiztegua, in the Biscayan province of Guipuzcoa. He left his studies at Pampeluna to fight under Mina against Napoleon, and afterwards served under Quesada in the 'Army of the Faith;' and on the re-establishment of absolutism he was raised to the rank of colonel, and appointed governor of Ferrol. For his leaning to the party of the Carlists he was tried by court-martial but acquitted; in 1832 with other Carlists he was dismissed the army. But in 1833 the rising of the Basque population called him to head the Carlist insurrection. His motley army was without uniform, ill-fed, and ill-paid, yet the vigour and personality of 'el Tío Tomas' were such that he was able to maintain effective discipline. He kept his opponents at bay, defeated Rodil in the valley of Amescoas, routed another force of Christinos at Viana, gained a second victory in the Amescoas valley, completely defeating Valdez, after a battle of four days, and routed Iriarte near Guernica. These brilliant successes turned the weak head of Don Carlos, and led him to interfere with the plans of his daring and devoted general, who was anxious to strike for Madrid when the Christinos were paralysed with terror. Zumala-Carregny was ordered to lay siege to Bilbao, but was mortally wounded by a musket-ball, and died ten days later, June 15, 1835. See CARLISTS; Henningsen's Twelve Months' Campaign (1836), and the Cornhill Magazine for January 1871.