Clearing Confusion: A Note on Two Military Engineers Named Manuel Caballero (18th – 19th Centuries)

Abstract

Two Spanish engineers of the Royal Corps named Manuel Caballero were born in the 18th century, but only the youngest of them, Manuel Caballero y Zamorategui, appears usually in the literature and does so not only with some of his own deeds but also with some of those pertaining to his comrade and relative, Manuel Caballero y Alborá, who is rarely mentioned. This confusion is likely due to the predominant use in those days of only the paternal surname, the practice of following it with the maternal surname not yet being extensive. An added reason may be the scarcity of documentation in the military archives in this particular case. Hoping to clarify the matter this note shows the family ties and presents short biographies of both officers.