| Battle of Arroyo dos Molinos | |||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Part of thePeninsular War | |||||||
.jpg) "Sketch of the disposition of the allies, under the command of Lieut. Genl. Hill to surprize the enemy...", byWilliam Faden, 1812 | |||||||
| |||||||
| Belligerents | |||||||
 France | |||||||
| Commanders and leaders | |||||||
| Jean-Baptiste Girard |  Rowland Hill | ||||||
| Strength | |||||||
| 3,000[1] | 5,000[1] | ||||||
| Casualties and losses | |||||||
| 2,000[1] 3 guns lost[1] | 100[1] | ||||||
 | |||||||
TheBattle of Arroyo dos Molinos took place on 28 October 1811 during thePeninsular War. An allied force under GeneralRowland Hill trapped and defeated a French force under GeneralJean-Baptiste Girard, forcing the latter's dismissal by the EmperorNapoleon. A whole French infantry division and a brigade of cavalry were destroyed as viable fighting formations.
In the middle of October, 1811 aFrench division under the command ofJean-Baptiste Girard crossed theRiver Guadiana atMérida and campaigned in NorthernExtremadura.[2] Major-GeneralRowland Hill consulted with Lieutenant-GeneralWellington and received permission to use his2nd Division to pursue Girard. Upon learning that the French had halted at the village ofArroyo dos Molinos, nearAlcuéscar, 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. The71st (Highland) Regiment of Foot was ordered to occupy the village ofAlcuéscar, 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.[3]
The French 34th and 40th Regiments suffered extremely heavy losses during the battle, although toMarshal 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".][4]
Long's cavalry charged, the 2nd HussarsKing's German Legion particularly distinguishing themselves, and broke the French cavalry. Over 200 of them were captured plus three pieces of artillery.[5]
On 5 November a jubilant Hill (who would be made aKnight of the Bath for Arroyo dos Molinos) wrote to his sister:
I have time merely to inform you that on the morning of the 28th at daybreak I succeeded in surprising, attacking, and annihilating the French corps under General Girard at Arroyo dos Molinos. The enemy's force, when attacked, consisted of about 3,000 infantry, 1,600 cavalry and artillery. The result is the capture of one general (Bron), one colonel (the Prince d'Aremberg commander of the 27th Chasseurs), 35 lieutenant-colonels and inferior officers, 1,400 prisoners, and probably 500 killed. The others dispersed, having thrown away their arms; we have also got all the enemy's artillery, baggage, and magazines—in short, everything that belonged to the corps.[6]
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 was 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-major's staff are on display in Cumbria's Museum of Military Life at Carlisle Castle.
In no order;
Spanish (2600)[8]
Artillery: one 8-pdr, one 4-pdr, one Lgt Howitzer.
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Media related toBattle of Arroyo dos Molinos at Wikimedia Commons| Preceded by Battle of Saguntum | Napoleonic Wars Battle of Arroyo dos Molinos | Succeeded by Siege of Valencia (1812) |