Sorauren

Having decided he had delayed long enough Marshal Soult ordered General Foy to pin down the enemy near Huarte and General Conroux was to intercept and contain the Sixth division as it approached Sorauren. Foy was soon engaged in petty bickering with Picton's troops above Huarte. Conroux advanced along the Ostiz Pamplona road and was soon engaged in a escalating struggle with Pack's battalions and was soon forced back into Sorauren. The Anglo-Portuguese troops attempted to enter the village; however, they found the undertaking too difficult with Pack amongst the wounded command devolved to Packenham who called off the assault to regroup his units. Meanwhile Clausel and Reille were locked in a confrontation with Wellington's center, and many a veteran of Busacco was reminded of that battle by the scene in front of him. As solid columns of French infantry slowly panted their way up the towering 1000-foot-high hills of the allied position, the long, thin lines, ofAnglo-Portuguese made ready to receive them. Advancing behind dense screens of Voltigeurs Taupin's and Vandermaesen's divisions attacked the Cole's Fourth division above Sorauren and slowly pushed back Coles right hand units. Still further to the east above Zabaldica the French were not faring so well, Maucune having deployed insufficient Skimishers staggered up the slopes to be greeted by a crushing salvo from units of th Stewart's Second Brigade the French fled down the hill in great disorder, allowing the Allied troops to sweep diagonally down the hill into Vandermaesen's Flank who was forced to fall back just when he was about to finish off the Second division. Above Zabaldica the fighting was bitter and prolonged. Lamartinere's division also advancing behind a powerful skirmisher screen and soon crested the hill and was stopped by the 40th regiment of foot who lost 130 men in a few moments but the Somersets held their ground and eventually threw back the assault, Lamartinere made a third attempt, but his troops weary from the previous two attacks were easily repelled and the battle petered out. The Spanish played no part in the battle and suffered accordingly, the Anglo-Portuguese lost about 2600 men the French lost over 3000 and were stopped short of their objective. During the night the Allied Seventh Division arrived at Sorauren and which convinced Soult that the majority of the Allied armies were at or near Sorauren. Soult came up a new plan, since the bulk of the Allied army was south, he could move to the north-west along the Ostiz road past Lizaso and fall upon Graham's small force besieging the city of San Sebastian relieve it instead.