ARROYO DRUMS

Capturing these instruments during the Peninsula War secured 'The Cumberland Gentleman' a unique battle honour

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On 28 October 1811, Major General Rowland Hill launched an unexpected dawn attack at Arroyomolinos during the Peninsula War. His 5,000-strong combined British, Spanish and Portuguese forces took on General Jean-Baptiste Girard's 3,000 men. The coalition's attack came as a surprise, as the French pickets on duty had their backs turned against the poor weather. The clash became known as the Battle of Arroyo dos Molinos. The French force collapsed and retreated up the rocks of the Sierra de Montánchez, abandoning their kit as they ran. Hill's men pursued, looking to capture prisoners and loot, and vicious hand-to-hand combat broke out among the boulders.