Benito de San Juan

Benito de San Juan (1727 – 7 January 1809) was a Spanish military officer and a notable commander of the Spanish forces during the Peninsular War. He was commanding officer of the Spanish forces at the Battle of Somosierra. Knowing the weakness of his forces, much inferior to the French army (considered the best fighting force of its time), he prepared a plan of indirect defence of the Spanish capital by defending the road leading to the Somosierra Pass, some 100 kilometres to the north of the capital. At the resulting battle, he lost most of his artillery and his force was dispersed. San Juan himself was wounded several times during the charge of the Polish cavalry and was forced to escape to Segovia, On 7 January 1809, the mutineers (apparently led by a local fray) captured San Juan who attempted to reason with them and to fight them only to be forcefully disarmed, shot him three times as he tried to jump out of a window; after which his corpse was hung from a tree and shot several more times.