Battle of Puebla

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The Battle of Puebla took place on May 5, 1862 near the city of Puebla, Mexico, during the French intervention in Mexico. It was a major Mexican victory, and is commemorated every year as Cinco de Mayo.

[edit] Background

In late 1861, Napoleon III of France sent his troops to Mexico, supposedly to collect debts owed by a previous Mexican government. President Benito Juárez had agreed to pay these debts, but only in installments. The true goal of Napoleon III was to depose the Mexican Constitutional Government, set up a monarchy favorable to France, and then expand control to Central and South America.

Napoleon III's troops occupied the port city of Veracruz on December 8, 1861. The expedition's true goal soon became apparent.

[edit] The battle

The Battle of Puebla marked one of the most significant episodes in Mexican military history.

The Battle of Puebla, Mexico on May 5, 1862 was one of the few conquests of the Mexican people over the occupying French Army. The battle has become legendary and has been susceptible to many variations in the telling.

This is what seems to be consistent and factual:

The French Army at the time was led by General Charles Ferdinand Latrille de Lorencez. He held great contempt for the Mexican people, so much so that he believed he could control the whole country like puppets with his massive army of 6,000 men. What led up to the battle was a misunderstanding, fired by infuriation, of the French forces’ agreement to withdraw to the coast before resuming hostilities. The French left some of their sicker men in the highlands. When the Mexican people saw these men walking around with rifles, they took it that hostilities were rekindling. There were not supposed to be any able-bodied men left behind. Add to that the fact that negotiations for the withdrawal were breaking down.

A vehement complaint was lodged with General Lorencez who took the effrontery as a plan to murder his ailing forces. Lorencez decided to hold up his withdrawal to the coast by instead occupying Orizaba, which prevented the Mexicans from defending the passes between Orizaba and the landing port of Veracruz. The 33 year old Mexican Commander General, Ignacio Zaragoza Seguin, fell back to Alcuzingo Pass, where he and his army were badly beaten in a skirmish with Lorencez’s aggressive forces on April 28. Zaragosa 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 joining the forts via the saddle.

Depictions of the battle showing Mexican cavalry overwhelming the French troops below the fort at Loreto. Note there are no machete wielding civilians, as some accounts have it.

Lorencez heard 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 sore miscalculation on Lorencez's part. On May 5th, against all advice, Lorencez decided to attack Puebla from the north. Unfortunately, he started the battle a little too late in the day, using his artillery just before noon and by noon advancing his infantry, which by the third attack needed the full engagement of all its reserves. French artillery had run out of ammunition, so the third attack went unsupported. The Mexican forces and the Republican Garrison both put up a great 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 on the right and left while the troops concealed along the road pivoted out to flank them badly. By 3 p.m. the daily rains had started, making a slippery mess 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. The political repercussions were overwhelming, as the outnumbered Mexicans used what courage and determination they could to repel the ominous French Army. When news of the defeat reached France, Napoleon III sent 29,000 additional troops to Mexico. Suffice it to say they eventually overran Puebla, but the legendary battle had created a Mexican moral victory which is celebrated today as Cinco de Mayo.

[edit] Unsubstantiated accounts

Stories that many of the Mexican fighters were simple folks armed with nothing more than machetes are unsubstantiated. The Mexican Army under Zaragoza were legitimate military units, such as artillery, infantry and cavalry using real muskets and recognized military tactics that in this one instance overcame an overconfident French army.

A story of the French being deliberately trampled by a herd of cattle is unsubstantiated. The fight was strictly military and did not require mythical, romantic screenplay scenarios.

Accounts have had French losses in the thousands. The French at this time had sent 7,000 men to Mexico, almost 1,000 of whom had become ill, most likely from New World diseases. Though Lorencez had 6,040 men, he only lost 462 with 8 captured.

[edit] Aftermath

Fort Guadalupe today

On September 16, 1862, President Juárez declared that the anniversary of the Battle of Puebla would be a national holiday, regarded as "Battle of Puebla Day" or just Cinco de Mayo. Although it is recognized as a day of celebration, nowadays it is not a federal holiday in Mexico, and whether or not people take time off school or work depends on the particular situation.

Realizing their expeditionary force was understrength for its intended task, the French reinforced it with an additional 29,000 troops. In 1863, the French again marched towards Mexico City, this time bypassing Puebla. Following their success in capturing the capital, they installed the puppet regime of Emperor Maximilian.

While the Battle of Puebla did not prevent the French takeover of Mexico, it was nonetheless an important victory for the Mexicans. It raised their morale and strengthened their determination to resist the invasion. It gave the Juárez government much needed time. While they were forced to abandon Mexico City and retreat to the north, they maintained a working government that many nations recognized as legitimate. In 1867, they defeated Maximilian and his allies.

The Battle of Puebla was also of historic importance in that it squashed Napoleon III's hopes of a quick takeover of Mexico, which he was planning to use as a base to aid the Confederates in the American Civil War

[edit] See also

• History of Mexico
• Ignacio Zaragoza
• Cinco de mayo
• Battle of Camarón

[edit] Notes

1. ^ Charles Ferdinand Latrille de Lorencez on famousamericans.net