At the Battle of Barrosa, Spain, in 1811, a single British division defeated two French divisions, and the Irish Fusiliers had the distinction of capturing the first French Eagle of the war.
The Irish Fusiliers were opposed to the 8th French, whom they drove back by a ferocious bayonet charge. In the charge, a young ensign noticed the French Eagle, and cried aloud to Sergeant Patrick Masterman, "Do you see that, sergeant?" He then rushed forward to seize it, but was shot in the attempt. Masterman avenged the death of the ensign by running his antagonist through the body, and, afterwards cutting down the standard bearer, took the Eagle and carried it safely out of the fight. For this, the Irish Fusiliers were called "The Eagle Takers".
一八一一年西班牙巴羅塞之役，一師英軍擊敗兩師法軍，愛爾蘭燧發槍團更奪得是次戰爭之中第一面法國天鷹軍旗，表現不凡。
愛爾蘭燧發槍團和法國第八軍團對圓，以刺刀猛烈衝殺，擊退法軍。衝鋒時，一個年輕掌旗官看到法軍的天鷹旗，向中尉派屈克．馬斯特曼高聲說：「中尉，看到那面軍旗嗎？」說罷，就衝前搶奪，却遭開槍射殺。馬斯特曼上前，把開槍者捅死，為掌旗官報了仇，再砍死法軍旗手，奪得天鷹旗，順利帶到戰場之外。愛爾蘭燧發槍團因此獲得「奪鷹者」稱號。