Siege of San Sebastián

Battle context

The Siege of San Sebastián, concluded in September 1813, secured a strategically significant port town for Allied forces during the later stages of the Peninsular War. The capture came after a failed earlier attempt, making Graham's successful assault a correction of a prior Allied setback. The surrender of Rey's French garrison removed a defended position on the northern Spanish coast, supporting Wellington's broader campaign to press French forces back toward the Pyrenees. The fall of the city was, however, accompanied by severe violence against the civilian population: Allied soldiers rampaged through San Sebastián, killing and abusing inhabitants and burning large parts of the town. This conduct left a lasting mark on the siege's reputation and complicated the Allied relationship with the Spanish population they nominally sought to liberate.