Sacking of San Sebastian and Wellington
I have questions regarding the sacking of San Sebastian and Wellington:
Did both British and Portuguese troops indulge in the sacking after the assault?
Was Wellington's conduct in the aftermath of the sacking reasonable? I'm specifically referring to the statements Wellington made. Is it true that he tried to justify the sacking by saying that the populace was pro french? Is this a case of a lapse in Wellington's character or is it a case of Wellington poorly trying to firefight the political fallout the sacking caused?
@Zack White , @Rui Moura and anyone else who is knowledgeable on this subject I would love your input. Thanks in advance! 👍
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@Daniel Ross On Badajoz, it was in fact sending in Portuguese troops (who were supposed to quell the looting) which actually extended it, much to Wellington's fury. On San Sebastian, I'd need to check the details of who was sent through the breach. Odds are if they were involved in the storming, they'll have looted, but no units of either nationality are mentioned by name. What I can confirm is that there was quite a problem with Spanish civilians trying to loot the town as well, which exacerbated the situation. Most of the controversy centres on the fire though, and the ludicrous notion that it was burnt down deliberately. Sorry, I know that's not hugely helpful. In terms of punishment (I touched on this in a podcast episode on Badajoz), nobody was explicity punished at RCM, GRCM or GCM level for their actions during the siege, but a drum-head court martial did sit for the 48 hours after the storming, and a handful of individuals were punished.