Battle of Puebla
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| Battle of Puebla | |||||||
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| Part of the French intervention in Mexico | |||||||
 Depictions of the battle showing Mexican cavalry taking over the French troops below the fort at Loreto. | |||||||
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| Belligerents | |||||||
 Mexican republicans |  France | ||||||
| Commanders and leaders | |||||||
| Ignacio Zaragoza | Charles de Lorencez | ||||||
| Strength | |||||||
| 4,000 soldiers[1] | 8,000 soldiers[2] | ||||||
| Casualties and losses | |||||||
| 83 killed, 131 wounded, 12 missing | 462 killed, ~300 wounded, 8 captured | ||||||
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Contents[show] |
[edit] Background
The 1857-60 civil war in Mexico had disorganised the country's finances and the new President, Benito Juárez, was forced to suspend payments of foreign debts in 1861. In late 1861 Napoleon III, Emperor of the French, under the Treaty of London (1861) sent a joint expeditionary force to Mexico, alongside Spanish and English forces, to protect their interests and collect the debts owed by the previous Mexican government. The allied troops occupied the port city of Veracruz on December 8, 1861 and advanced to Orizaba. Napoleon III wanted to seize the opportunity presented by the U.S. involvement in the Civil War to set up a puppet Mexican regime. Napoleon's intrigues led to the withdrawal of the Spanish and British troops in April 1862. At the same time French reinforcements arrived.[edit] The battle
The French Army at the time was led by General Charles de Lorencez. The battle came about by a misunderstanding of the French forces’ agreement to withdraw to the coast. When the Mexican people saw these French soldiers wandering about with rifles, they took it that hostilities had recommenced and felt threatened. To add to the mounting concerns, it was discovered that political negotiations for the withdrawal had broken down. A vehement complaint was lodged by the Mexicans to General Lorencez who took the effrontery as a plan to assail his forces. Lorencez decided to hold up his withdrawal to the coast by occupying Orizaba instead, which prevented the Mexicans from being able to defend the passes between Orizaba and the landing port of Veracruz. The 33 year old Mexican Commander General, Ignacio Zaragoza Seguín, fell back to Alcuzingo Pass, where he and his army were badly beaten in a skirmish with Lorencez's forces on April 28. Zaragoza retreated to Puebla, which was heavily fortified. Puebla had been held by the Mexican government since the Wars of Reform in 1860. To its north lie the forts Loreto and Guadalupe on opposite hilltops. Zaragoza had a trench dug to join the forts via the saddle.
Lorencez was led to believe that the people of Puebla were friendly to the French, and that the Mexican Republican garrison which kept the people in line would be overrun by the population once he made a show of force. This would prove to be a serious miscalculation on Lorencez's part. On May 5, against all advice, Lorencez decided to attack Puebla from the north. However, he started his attack a little too late in the day, using his artillery just before noon and by noon advancing his infantry. By the third attack the French required the full engagement of all their reserves. The French artillery had run out of ammunition, so the third infantry attack went unsupported. The Mexican forces and the Republican Garrison both put up a stout defense and even took to the field to defend the positions between the hilltop forts.
As the French retreated from their final assault, Zaragoza had his cavalry attack them from the right and left while troops concealed along the road pivoted out to flank them badly. By 3 p.m. the daily rains had started, making a slippery quagmire of the battlefield. Lorencez withdrew to distant positions, counting 462 of his men killed against only 83 of the Mexicans. He waited a couple of days for Zaragoza to attack again, but Zaragoza held his ground. Lorencez then completely withdrew to Orizaba.
[edit] Follow up
Although the French intervention was slowed by their loss at Puebla, the invasion continued. In September 1862 an additional 30,000 French troops arrived in Mexico under General Elie F. Forey. The following year, the French captured Puebla (May 17) and the capital of Mexico City (June 7), forcing Juárez's government into exile in northern Mexico, and the Austrian Archduke Maximilian became ruler of the short-lived Second Mexican Empire. "Some have argued that the true French occupation was a response to growing American power and to the Monroe Doctrine (America for the Americans). Napoleon III believed that if the United States was allowed to prosper indiscriminately, it would eventually become a power in and of itself."[3]
[edit] See also
[edit] References
- ^ Cinco De Mayo: Join In The Celebration On The Fifth Of May. The Bulletin. Philadelphia, Pennsylvania. By Cheryl VanBuskirk. May 7, 2009.
- ^ Cinco De Mayo: Join In The Celebration On The Fifth Of May. The Bulletin. Philadelphia, Pennsylvania. By Cheryl VanBuskirk. May 7, 2009.
- ^ Cinco de Mayo. Calendar Updates.
- ^ Statement by Mexican Consular official Accessed May 8, 2007.
- ^ Adam Brooks. "Is Cinco De Mayo Really Mexico's Independence Day?". NBC 11 News. http://www.nbc11.com/cincodemayo/2990178/detail.html. Retrieved 2008-09-18.
- ^ [1] Retrieved February 6, 2009.
- ^ [2] Retrieved February 6, 2009.
[edit] External links
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