Battle of Oriamendi
The Battle of Oriamendi was a battle fought on 16 March 1837 during the First Carlist War.
The battle was part of a campaign in spring 1837 when the liberal Army tried to chase the Carlists from the Basque Country. They attacked from three points: General Pedro Sarsfield from Pamplona, General Espartero from Bilbao and a British-Spanish force under George de Lacy Evans from San Sebastián.
On March 15 the British Legion conquered a fortification known as Oriamendi on a strategic hill near San Sebastián.
The next day the Carlists under Sebastian de Borbón counterattacked and, after a long battle, drove the British-liberal army back to their trenches outside San Sebastian. This force had suffered between 1,000 and 1,500 casualties and covering fire from the Royal Navy prevented the withdrawal from becoming a disaster. The success of the Carlist troops laid in a defence-in-depth and their infantry's high mobility.
After the battle the Carlists tightened their grip around San Sebastián, but never succeeded in taking the city.
The defeat caused an outrage at the British parliament. The battle was a great boost in morale for the Carlists, and lives on in the Marcha de Oriamendi, which became the anthem of the Carlist movement.
