John Forbes

General John Forbes (1719 He began his military career at the age of 15 as a volunteer at the siege of Maestricht, He took part in the defense of Portugal during the failed Franco-Spanish invasions of Portugal in 1762.

When Portugal decided to join the French Revolutionary Wars, Forbes was given command, replacing the Marquis de Minas, his old commander in the 1762 campaigns, who had fallen ill of the 5,000-strong division which, together with a 22-gun brigade of Artillery, was sent as an expeditionary force to assist the Spanish army in the War of the Pyrenees (1793–1795). Setting sail from the estuary of the Tagus towards the end of September 1793, the expedition, accompanied by several high-ranking volunteers, including Admiral Domingos Xavier de Lima, 7th Marquis of Nice; Hugh Percy, 2nd Duke of Northumberland and the Prince de Montmorency, arrived at Roses on 9 November. From 27 to 29 November 1807, Forbes accompanied Queen Mary I, the prince regent, and the court when they fled from the forces led by Jean-Andoche Junot which entered Lisbon. On arrival in Brazil, he was appointed military governor of Rio de Janeiro on 2 April 1808, two days before he died on 8 April.