In the Battle of La Bisbal on 14 September 1810 a Spanish division led by Henry O'Donnell (also known as Enrique José O'Donnell) and supported by an Anglo-Spanish naval squadron led by Francis William Fane and Charles William Doyle surprised an Imperial French brigade commanded by François Xavier de Schwarz.

Part of a division led by Marie François Rouyer, Schwarz's brigade was almost completely wiped out, most of its soldiers being taken prisoner along with its commander.

As Louis Gabriel Suchet prepared to attack Tortosa, Marshal Jacques MacDonald was ordered to support him.

MacDonald was instructed to drive toward Tarragona while his colleague General of Division Louis Gabriel Suchet was to lead the III Corps to capture Tortosa.

Seeing that MacDonald was too strong to directly confront, O'Donnell resolved to operate against the unsuspecting Imperial forces in the north.

In early September, O'Donnell managed to elude the garrisons of Barcelona, Hostalric, and Girona without being noticed.

Alerted by this raid, General of Brigade François Xavier de Schwarz ordered his coastal units to beef up their defenses.

[9] Schwarz posted 800 men and his headquarters at La Bisbal d'Empordà while the remainder of the brigade was spread out to defend Begur, Calonge, Palamós, and Sant Feliu de Guíxols.

[7] Another authority counted 6,600 men in the Spanish force, including the Kayser Swiss Regiment, Numancia Dragoons, and miquelets.

The Spanish general and the German prisoners were taken aboard Fane's squadron before it sailed back to Tarragona.

[10] A number of German prisoners were transported to Edinburgh,[11] with the officers being paroled to various towns in the Scottish Borders,[12] including some who joined the Masonic lodge in Hawick.

Until his injury healed, the high command in Catalonia passed into the less capable hands of Lieutenant General Miguel Iranzo.

[16] Campoverde took command of the land force and headed north past Girona before Rouyer or Baraguey d'Hilliers could react.

Recrossing the border, Campoverde's division moved down the Segre River valley and took position at Calaf and Cardona.