On February 27 Captain Creagh’s company was ordered to reconnoitre the village of Barba del Puerco, which he found occupied by a strong detachment of French cavalry; and after a skirmish with them fell back, according to his orders, to Escarigo, where he was joined by Captain Leach’s company, while a third was moved in support from Villar Torpim to Vermiosa. On the 28th Leach[73] made a fresh reconnaissance; and finding that the enemy had left Barba del Puerco, occupied it, sending a party to the bridge which spanned the Agueda at the foot of the pass. It was ascertained that the French occupied St. Felices with about 3,000 men of all arms, under General Ferey, having a picquet of cavalry and infantry at their side of the bridge. Thus it continued, three companies being posted in the village, and one on picquet at the bridge, on which were double sentries. At the same time the whole of the Battalion was pushed up to the Agueda, the whole line of which they (with the German hussars) occupied, with four companies at Villa de Ciervo on the left, one company at Almofela, and another at Escalhao on the right of the position of Barba del Puerco. On March 19 the French General Ferey attempted to surprise the post of Barba del Puerco. About midnight, leaving a strong force in support, at the head of six hundred grenadiers, chosen for this service, he approached the bridge, as the moon, rising behind him, threw a shadow from the high ground and made his approach invisible. The roaring torrent of the Agueda, swollen by recent rains and melting snow, overpowered the tread of the advancing column. Thus he came, unperceived, on the double sentries on the bridge. They had just time to fire their rifles, when they were both wounded and made prisoners. Ferey at once dashed across the bridge with his grenadiers, sweeping before him a sergeant’s party at the bridge, and made for the pass. Here he was met and checked by O’Hare,[74] whose company happened to be on picquet, who defended the face of the hill, step by step and muzzle to muzzle, as overpowering numbers forced him up it. Meanwhile the three companies in the village sprung from their sleep, seized their arms, and without waiting for regular formation, fought hand to hand with their enemies as they met them. One company, Colonel Sidney Beckwith, who was in command of the post, immediately sent away to the right, thinking that the enemy might attempt to climb the hill by a pathway there and turn his flank; with the other two he reinforced O’Hare’s picquet; and so they fought for half an hour, with such daring and such fury that the French turned and fled across the bridge, leaving 2 officers and 7 men killed, 6 prisoners and 30 muskets in the hands of their opponents.