Spanish Army of Galicia turns back Soult's offensive at San Marcial

Background. The Peninsular War (1808–1814) was fought in the Iberian Peninsula by Spain, Portugal, and the United Kingdom against the forces of the First French Empire. In 1813, following the allied victory at Vitoria, Lord Wellington besieged San Sebastián. The French army, led by Marshal Soult, attempted to relieve the city, leading to the engagement at San Marcial near Irún.

French Command. Marshal Jean-de-Dieu Soult assumed command of the IV Corps in March 1813 and was sent to the South of France to repair the damage from the defeat at Vitoria. He led exhausted and demoralized French forces in a fighting withdrawal across the Pyrenees during the winter of 1813–1814, though he conducted a clever defence against Wellington.

Allied Context. In 1813, Wellington marched 121,000 troops from northern Portugal across the mountains of northern Spain. British headquarters had misgivings about the eastern powers moving into France in August 1813. The war overlapped with the War of the Sixth Coalition, and the conflict led to the Spanish Constitution of 1812.