Battle of Arroyo dos Molinos

Battle of Arroyo dos Molinos
Part of Peninsular War
Date 28 October 1811 Location Arroyo dos Molinos, Extremadura, Spain Result Allied victory
Belligerents
Britain Portugal Spain	France
Commanders and leaders
Rowland Hill	Jean-Baptiste Girard
Strength
9,000 British, Portuguese and Spanish	6,000
Casualties and losses
80 dead or wounded	1,000 dead or wounded 1,400 and 3 guns captured

The Battle of Arroyo dos Molinos took place on 28 October 1811 during the Peninsular War. An allied force under General Rowland Hill trapped and defeated a French force under General Jean-Baptiste Girard, forcing the latter's dismissal by the Emperor Napoleon. A whole French infantry division and a brigade of cavalry were destroyed as viable fighting formations.

Background

In the middle of October, 1811 a French division under the command of Jean-Baptiste Girard crossed the River Guardiana at Mérida and campaigned in Northern Extremadura.^[1] Major-General Rowland Hill consulted with General Wellington and received permission to pursue Girard with his Second Division. Upon learning that the French had halted at the village of Arroyo dos Molinos, near Alcuéscar, Hill force-marched his troops for three days in poor weather so as to catch the French before they moved on.

By the evening of the 27 October, Hill's forces had reached a point four miles from the French at Arroyo dos Molinos, and had the area around the enemy surrounded. The 71st (Highland) Regiment of Foot was ordered to occupy the village of Alcuéscar, three miles from Arroyo. During the night there was a violent hail-storm, and on the following morning the weather was still so foul that the French pickets on duty had their backs turned so as to gain some reprieve from the wind and rain - it was from this direction that Hill's forces attacked at dawn on the 28th.^[2]

Rowland Hill

The French 34th and 40th Regiments suffered extremely heavy losses during the battle, although to Marshal Soult's relief the eagle standards of the two regiments were not lost to the British. He wrote to Napoleon: L'honneur des armes est sauvé; les Aigles ne sont pas tombés au pouvoir de l'ennemi. [The honour of the army is saved; the Eagles did not fall into the hands of the enemy.]^[3]

Long's cavalry charged, the 2nd Hussars King's German Legion particularly distinguishing themselves, and broke the French cavalry. Over 200 of them were captured plus three pieces of artillery.^[4]

On 5 November a jubilant Hill (who would be made a Knight of the Bath for Arroyo dos Molinos) wrote to his sister;

The French eagles may "not have fallen into the hands of the enemy", however, the 34th [Cumberland] Regiment captured six side-drums of the 34e Régiment d'Infanterie together with the Drum-Major’s staff, which seized by Sergeant Moses Simpson of the 34th’s Grenadier Company. Included in the haul was the French grenadier company drum, the shell of which was emblazoned with three 'flaming grenade' emblems. The drums and drum majors staff are on display in The Border Regiment museum, Carlisle Castle.

Order of battle

Citations

References