In February the TWELFTH Light Dragoons marched to Thomar, where they remained until the siege of _Badajoz_ was undertaken, when they proceeded to the Alentejo. On the approach of the French army, they crossed the Guadiana and advanced to Los Santos, where they took the outpost duty, and Badajoz was captured by storm on the 6th of April. The covering army afterwards advanced towards the enemy, who fell back, and on the 10th of April the TWELFTH Light Dragoons drove the enemy's posts from the vicinity of _Usagre_, and occupied the town. On the following day the brigade, commanded on this occasion by Lieut.-Colonel the Honorable Frederick Ponsonby of the TWELFTH Light Dragoons, moved towards _Llerena_, and kept the attention of a large body of French cavalry engaged by skirmishing, while the Fifth Dragoon Guards, and Third and Fourth Dragoons, commanded by Major-General Le Marchant, passed secretly at the back of some heights, and gained the enemy's flank. Everything succeeded according to expectation; as three squadrons under Lieut.-Colonel Ponsonby skirmished, the Fifth Dragoon Guards issued from a grove of olive-trees and charged the enemy's flank; and in the next moment the light brigade charged the front of the French line, which was instantly broken and pursued for several miles. A hundred Frenchmen were killed and wounded in the field, and a much greater number, including one lieut.-colonel, two captains, and a lieutenant, were made prisoners. The loss of the TWELFTH Light Dragoons was limited to one serjeant, two private soldiers, and one horse killed; one serjeant, four private soldiers, and three horses wounded. A cavalry order was issued on the following day, from which the following is an extract:-- "Lieut.-General Sir Stapleton Cotton begs Major-General Le Marchant and the Honorable Lieut.-Colonel Ponsonby will accept his best thanks for the gallant and judicious manner in which they commanded their brigades yesterday, and he requests they will make known to the officers commanding regiments the lieut.-general's high approbation of their conduct, as well as of the zeal and attention displayed by all ranks. The order which was observed by the troops in pursuing the enemy, and the quickness with which they formed after every attack, does infinite credit to the commanding officers, and is a convincing proof of the good discipline of the several regiments." The French army under Marshal Soult retired; but another army under Marshal Marmont had entered Portugal, and Major-General Anson's brigade left Spanish Estremadura, and marched for the province of Beira. Marshal Marmont retired; and the TWELFTH Light Dragoons, having halted a short period at Castello-Branco, were afterwards removed to Cano.