The 95th Rifles at the Battle of the Pyrenees, 1813

Watercolour by Richard Simkin, 1813.

The Battle of the Pyrenees was actually a series of engagements fought during the Peninsular War (1808-1814), during a French offensive that was launched by Marshal Soult on 25 July 1813. It aimed to relieve the French garrisons that were under siege at Pamplona and San Sebastián. After initial success the offensive stalled in the face of determined Allied resistance under the command of Sir Arthur Wellesley. Soult abandoned the offensive on 30 July and retreated back to France.