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 British Navy prevented the withdrawal from becoming a disaster.

After the battle the Carlists besieged San Sebastián, but never succeeded in taking the city.

The defeat caused an outrage in 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.