The successful Liberals were commanded by Baldomero Espartero, the Carlists by Rafael Maroto.

This resulted from the fact that Maroto kept eight of his seventeen battalions in reserve and had ordered the defenders of the fortification of Guardamino to abandon this post.

Ramales was battered by the Isabeline artillery, but the Liberals were only able to take this town after annihilating a Carlist force of 27 men entrenched in a nearby cave.

Ramales was ultimately conquered but was destroyed both by the Carlist forces in retreat and by the Liberal occupiers.

For the Carlists, the loss of Ramales meant that they had to evacuate the valley of Carranza, lost the metal foundry at Guriezo, and had to abandon the chance to operate from Cantabrian lands and potentially invade Asturias and Galicia.