Battle of La Carbonera
Encyclopedia
The Battle of La Carbonera was fought on 18 October 1866 during the French intervention in Mexico
.
, the Republican General Porfirio Díaz
besieged the city of Oaxaca
, defended by the conservative General Carlos Oroñez.
The siege lasted about 11 days until Díaz learned that a column of 1,500 Mexican, French and Austrian soldiers were approaching from the north.
On 16 October Díaz broke off the siege of Oaxaca and marched to fight the relieving Imperial army.
The next day he was reinforced at San Juan del Estado
by General Luis Pérez Figueroa
's brigade.
Díaz's army then marched northeast to the town of Etla
, arriving at a hilltop area known as La Carbonara.
Figueroa's brigade was deployed on the right, the Chiautla and Cazadores Battalions under Colonel Juan Espinosa in the center and González's brigade on the left.
The cavalry were held in reserve in the rear, along with the Tlaxiaco militia and some artillery.
The two forces made contact around noon on 18 October.
After marshaling on a nearby hill, the enemy attacked in two columns despite being outnumbered by two to one.
The attacks were repulsed, and the two armies closed into general combat.
After a relatively short struggle, the Austro-Imperial right was outflanked and their army disintegrated.
By late afternoon, the enemy had been routed.
Republican casualties were 78 killed and 153 wounded.
Díaz took 500 Austrian prisoners in this battle.
The battle was decisive, opening the way to Puebla
and Mexico City
.
French intervention in Mexico
The French intervention in Mexico , also known as The Maximilian Affair, War of the French Intervention, and The Franco-Mexican War, was an invasion of Mexico by an expeditionary force sent by the Second French Empire, supported in the beginning by the United Kingdom and the Kingdom of Spain...
.
Background
Having triumphed over the Imperial forces in the Battle of MiahuatlánBattle of Miahuatlán
The Battle of Miahuatlán took place on 3 October 1866 in the vicinity of the current municipality of Miahuatlán de Porfirio Díaz in the state of Oaxaca, Mexico...
, the Republican General Porfirio Díaz
Porfirio Díaz
José de la Cruz Porfirio Díaz Mori was a Mexican-American War volunteer and French intervention hero, an accomplished general and the President of Mexico continuously from 1876 to 1911, with the exception of a brief term in 1876 when he left Juan N...
besieged the city of Oaxaca
Oaxaca, Oaxaca
The city and municipality of Oaxaca de Juárez, or simply Oaxaca, is the capital and largest city of the Mexican state of the same name . It is located in the Centro District in the Central Valleys region of the state, in the foothills of the Sierra Madre at the base of the Cerro del Fortín...
, defended by the conservative General Carlos Oroñez.
The siege lasted about 11 days until Díaz learned that a column of 1,500 Mexican, French and Austrian soldiers were approaching from the north.
On 16 October Díaz broke off the siege of Oaxaca and marched to fight the relieving Imperial army.
The next day he was reinforced at San Juan del Estado
San Juan del Estado
San Juan del Estado is a town and municipality in Oaxaca in south-western Mexico. The municipality covers an area of 94.42 km².It is part of the Etla District in the Valles Centrales region.As of 2005, the municipality had a total population of 2200....
by General Luis Pérez Figueroa
Luis Pérez Figueroa
Luis Pérez Figueroa was a Mexican general who fought in the war of independence that followed the French intervention in Mexico.-Military career:Luis Pérez Figueroa was born on 22 March 1833 in Salvatierra, Guanajuato....
's brigade.
Díaz's army then marched northeast to the town of Etla
Villa de Etla
Villa de Etla is a town and municipality located in the Mexican state of Oaxaca. It is located in the far northwestern part of the Central Valley of Oaxaca, about seventeen km from the capital. The town is centered on the church and former monastery of San Pedro y San Pablo, and as municipal seat...
, arriving at a hilltop area known as La Carbonara.
Battle
Díaz placed his younger brother Felix in command of the Ixtlan National Guard, which fought in the vanguard.Figueroa's brigade was deployed on the right, the Chiautla and Cazadores Battalions under Colonel Juan Espinosa in the center and González's brigade on the left.
The cavalry were held in reserve in the rear, along with the Tlaxiaco militia and some artillery.
The two forces made contact around noon on 18 October.
After marshaling on a nearby hill, the enemy attacked in two columns despite being outnumbered by two to one.
The attacks were repulsed, and the two armies closed into general combat.
After a relatively short struggle, the Austro-Imperial right was outflanked and their army disintegrated.
By late afternoon, the enemy had been routed.
Republican casualties were 78 killed and 153 wounded.
Díaz took 500 Austrian prisoners in this battle.
Results
In addition to total victory, the troops of General Porfirio Díaz won a major prize in arms, ammunition and horses, which allowed them to completely rearm.The battle was decisive, opening the way to Puebla
Puebla
Puebla officially Estado Libre y Soberano de Puebla is one of the 31 states which, with the Federal District, comprise the 32 Federal Entities of Mexico. It is divided in 217 municipalities and its capital city is Puebla....
and Mexico City
Mexico City
Mexico City is the Federal District , capital of Mexico and seat of the federal powers of the Mexican Union. It is a federal entity within Mexico which is not part of any one of the 31 Mexican states but belongs to the federation as a whole...
.