Battle of Arroyo dos Molinos

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Battle of Arroyo dos Molinos
Part of Peninsular War
Date 28 October 1811
Location Arroyo dos Molinos, near Alcuéscar, Spain
Result Anglo-Portuguese victory
Belligerents
Flag of the United Kingdom Britain
Flag of Portugal Portugal
Flag of Spain Spain		 Flag of France France
Commanders
Flag of the United Kingdom 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 captured
v • d • e
Peninsular War

Portugal, 1810–1811

The Battle of Arroyo dos Molinos took place on 28 October 1811 during the Peninsula War. An allied force under General Rowland Hill defeated and forced the withdrawal of a French force under General Jean-Baptiste Girard, forcing the latter's dismissal by the Emperor Napoleon.

Contents

[edit] 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]

The French 34th and 40th Regiments suffered extremely heavy losses during the battle, and 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.[3] ”

On 5 November a jubilant Hill (who would be made a Knight 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), 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.[4] ”

[edit] Order of Battle

[edit] British

In no particular order;


  • Cavalry: 'D Brigade' (Long's)
    • 9th Light Dragoons
    • 13th Light Dragoons
    • 2nd Hussars King's German Legion

[edit] Citations

  1. ^ Robinson. Wellington's Campaign, p. 201. 
  2. ^ a b c Robinson. Wellington's Campaign, p. 202. 
  3. ^ Fraser. The War Drama of the Eagles, p. 262. 
  4. ^ Stanley. The Life of Lord Hill, p. 172. 
  5. ^ Cannon. Historical Record of the Ninth, p. 134. 

[edit] References

  • Cannon, Richard (1848). Historical Record of the Ninth, or East Norfolk, Regiment of Foot. London: Parker, Furnivall, & Parker. 
  • Fraser, Edward (1912). The War Drama of the Eagles. London: John Murray. 
  • Gardyne, Lt.-Col. C. Greenhill (1901). The Life of a Regiment: the History of the Gordon Highlanders from its Formation in 1794 to 1816. Edinburgh: David Douglas. 
  • Robinson, Charles Walker (1907). Wellington's Campaigns, Peninsula-Waterloo, 1808-15: Also Moore's Campaign of Corunna. London: Hugh Rees, Ltd.. 
  • Stanley, Rev. Edwin (1845). The Life of Lord Hill. London: John Murray.