Siege customs, war-crime language, and presentism

Present-day war-crime terminology can obscure the rules and expectations under which earlier armies operated. Under the siege custom described here, a commander was expected to offer terms before assaulting a practicable breach. Refusal could expose the defenders and town to a sack once the attackers broke in, although the resulting violence is abhorrent by modern standards. Wellington's conduct after such an assault shows that contemporary commanders could accept the siege convention and still punish soldiers afterward to restore discipline. Explaining the historical norm does not endorse it.