In the middle of October, 1811 a French division under the command of Jean-Baptiste Girard crossed the River Guadiana at Mérida and campaigned in Northern Extremadura.

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.

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.

He wrote to Napoleon: "L'honneur des armes est sauvé; les Aigles ne sont pas tombés au pouvoir de l'ennemi".

[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.