Battle of Puebla

Not to be confused with Siege of Puebla (1847) or Siege of Puebla (1863).
Battle of Puebla
Part of the Second French intervention in Mexico

Batalla del 5 de mayo de 1862
Date5 May 1862
Location
Puebla, Puebla, Mexico
Result Mexican victory[1][2]
Belligerents
Mexico France
Commanders and leaders
Ignacio Zaragoza
Porfirio Díaz
Miguel Negrete
Felipe Berriozábal		 Charles de Lorencez
Strength
3,791[3] 5,730[3]
Casualties and losses
87 killed[3]
252 wounded[3]
12 missing
Total: 351 men		 131 killed[3]
345 wounded[3]
Total: 476 men

The Battle of Puebla (Spanish: Batalla de Puebla; French: Bataille de Puebla), also known as the Battle of May 5 (Spanish: Batalla del 5 de Mayo) took place on 5 May 1862, near Puebla de los Ángeles, during the second French intervention in Mexico. French troops under the command of Charles de Lorencez repeatedly failed to storm the forts of Loreto and Guadalupe situated on top of the hills overlooking the city of Puebla, and eventually retreated to Orizaba in order to await reinforcements. Lorencez was dismissed from his command, and French troops under Élie Frédéric Forey would eventually take the city, but the Mexican victory at Puebla against a better equipped[4] force provided patriotic inspiration to the Mexicans.

The anniversary of the victory is primarily celebrated in the Mexican state of Puebla,[5][6][7][8] where the holiday is celebrated as El Día de la Batalla de Puebla (English: The Day of the Battle of Puebla).[9][10][11] There is some limited recognition of the holiday in other parts of the country. In the United States, Cinco de Mayo has evolved into a holiday celebration of Mexican heritage.

  1. ^ Christopher Minster (2011). "Latin American history: Cinco de Mayo/The Battle of Puebla". About.com. Archived from the original on 4 March 2016. Retrieved 17 November 2017.
  2. ^ Booth, William (5 May 2011). "In Mexico, Cinco de Mayo a more sober affair". The Washington Post. Retrieved 17 November 2011.
  3. ^ a b c d e f Clodfelter, M. (2017). Warfare and Armed Conflicts: A Statistical Encyclopedia of Casualty and Other Figures, 1492–2015 (4th ed.). Jefferson, North Carolina: McFarland. p. 304. ISBN 978-0-7864-7470-7.
  4. ^ The following sources are mentioning that Zaragoza was heading 12,000 troops : see The Cinco de Mayo and French Imperialism – Hicks, Peter, Fondation Napoléon, and General Gustave Léon Niox book, Expédition du Mexique : 1861–1867, published in 1874 by Librairie militaire de J. Dumaine, p. 162 Read online
  5. ^ "Cinco de Mayo". Mexico Online: The Oldest and most trusted online guide to Mexico.
  6. ^ Lovgren, Stefan (2006-05-05). "Cinco de Mayo, From Mexican Fiesta to Popular U.S. Holiday". National Geographic News. Archived from the original on September 8, 2006.
  7. ^ List of Public and Bank Holidays in Mexico Archived 2009-04-16 at the Wayback Machine April 14, 2008. This list indicates that Cinco de Mayo is not a día feriado obligatorio ("obligatory holiday"), but is instead a holiday that can be voluntarily observed.
  8. ^ Cinco de Mayo is not a federal holiday in México Accessed May 5, 2009
  9. ^ Día de la Batalla de Puebla. 5 May 2011. "Dia de la Batalla de Puebla: 5 de Mayo de 1862." Archived 24 March 2012 at the Wayback Machine Colegio Rex: Marina, Mazatlan. Retrieved 25 May 2011.
  10. ^ Día de la Batalla de Puebla (5 de Mayo). Guia de San Miguel. Archived 2012-05-12 at the Wayback Machine Retrieved 25 May 2011.
  11. ^ Happy “Battle of Puebla” Day. Retrieved 25 May 2011.