Narrative of Don Juan Van Halen's Imprisonment in the Dungeons of the Inquisition At Madrid, and His Escape in 1817 and 1818; to Which Are Added, His Journey to Russia, His Campaign with the Army of the Caucasus, and His Return to Spain in 1821

New York, J.J. Harper, 1828-01-01. Hardcover. Very Good. 388 p. 1st American Edition. Bound in modern full leather. Gilt lettering on spine. Fine binding and cover. Clean, unmarked pages with tanning. Minimal foxing throughout. Abbey, Travel, 24 (citing 1827 London ed); Palau 351701. <br><br> Don Juan Van Halen y Sarti, was a military adventurer throughout Europe for the majority of his life. During the Peninsula War, Van Halen decided to change sides: he forged the signature of Marshal Louis-Gabriel Suchet in documents advising the French commanders of various fortresses to surrender because the war was over. Fooled by the trick, the French garrisons of Lleida, Mequinenza and Monzon marched out and laid down their arms. A total of 1,900 men surrendered. Only Louis Benoit Robert, commanding at Tortosa, was not fooled by the forged papers. Upon his return to Spain, his activities during the Spanish War of Independence were investigated. The result was his imprisonment first in Murcia and later in Madrid, because of his connections with a Masonic Lodge in Granada. Van Halen soon escaped from prison, Van Halen traveled to Saint Petersburg, Russia, around the beginning of 1819. He met various Russian dignitaries including Prince Pyotr Mikhailovich Volkonsky, close advisor to Tsar Alexander I and chief of the general staff from 1815 to 1823. Supported by Betancourt, who was trusted by other Russian military leaders, Van Halen was appointed colonel of the Caucasus Dragoon Regiment. His liberal convictions proved his undoing, as the Tsar's secret police informed the Tsar and put him on the Austrian frontier, and prompted his return to Spain the next year.