Battle of Miahuatlán
Encyclopedia
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. It was fought between elements of the Mexican republican army under General Porfirio Díaz
and troops of the Second Mexican Empire
during the French intervention
in Mexico.
The Imperial troops were defeated, opening the way for Díaz to advance on the city of Oaxaca
.
invaded Mexico in 1862, and entered Mexico City
on 7 June 1863. In July 1863, supported by many conservative Mexicans, they proclaimed a Catholic Empire. The throne was given to an Austrian Archduke who became Maximilian I of Mexico
.
The republicans resisted, but with limited success.
However, with the ending of the American Civil War
in 1865 the United States began to actively assist the republicans and to put pressure on the French to withdraw, which began in May 1866.
Without French support, the tide turned against the Imperial forces, who lost several battles to the republican forces.
At the time of the Battle of Miahuatlán, Díaz was advancing from the south towards the city of Oaxaca.
He took a defensive position facing northwest, where he was found and attacked by 1,100 Imperial troops under General Carlos Oroñez assisted by a French officer, Enrique Testard. The attackers bombarded the republican positions from long range, then closed in on them with a skirmishing line followed by three columns. Díaz skillfully held off the attackers, then sent his cavalry across the Miahuatlán river to unexpectedly attack the right rear of the Imperial troops. Facing certain defeat, General Oroñez fled the battle. His forces lost 70 dead and 400 prisoners, against Republican losses of 59 killed and 14 wounded.
The victory was due to Díaz's imaginative use of terrain and deception. He placed riflemen in the Nogales Ravine, and a group of armed peasants in a maguey field field opposite them, hidden from view. Díaz then made himself conspicuous on the crest of a hill behind them. His cavalry retreated towards Díaz pursued by the imperial forces, who were caught in a lethal cross-fire from the concealed republican troops.
While Díaz launched a frontal assault led by Manuel González (later to become President of the Republic) on the imperial forces, the surprise cavalry attack from rear decided the day.
In his memoirs, Díaz described the battle as the most strategic and brilliantly fought action during the second French Intervention in Mexico. This victory, and that of the Battle of La Carbonera
, gave Díaz national fame.
Miahuatlán de Porfirio Díaz
Miahuatlán de Porfirio Díaz is a town and municipality in Oaxaca in south-eastern Mexico. The municipality covers an area of 326.6 km², and is at an average elevation of 1,600 meters.It is part of the Miahuatlán District in the south of the Sierra Sur Region....
in the state of Oaxaca
Oaxaca
Oaxaca , , officially Estado Libre y Soberano de Oaxaca is one of the 31 states which, along with the Federal District, comprise the 32 federative entities of Mexico. It is divided into 571 municipalities; of which 418 are governed by the system of customs and traditions...
, Mexico. It was fought between elements of the Mexican republican army under 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...
and troops of the Second Mexican Empire
Second Mexican Empire
The Second Mexican Empire was the name of Mexico under the regime established from 1864 to 1867. It was created by Napoleon III of France, who attempted to use the Mexican adventure to recapture some of the grandeur of earlier Napoleonic times...
during the French intervention
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...
in Mexico.
The Imperial troops were defeated, opening the way for Díaz to advance on 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...
.
Background
French forces of the Second French EmpireSecond French Empire
The Second French Empire or French Empire was the Imperial Bonapartist regime of Napoleon III from 1852 to 1870, between the Second Republic and the Third Republic, in France.-Rule of Napoleon III:...
invaded Mexico in 1862, and entered 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...
on 7 June 1863. In July 1863, supported by many conservative Mexicans, they proclaimed a Catholic Empire. The throne was given to an Austrian Archduke who became Maximilian I of Mexico
Maximilian I of Mexico
Maximilian I was the only monarch of the Second Mexican Empire.After a distinguished career in the Austrian Navy, he was proclaimed Emperor of Mexico on April 10, 1864, with the backing of Napoleon III of France and a group of Mexican monarchists who sought to revive the Mexican monarchy...
.
The republicans resisted, but with limited success.
However, with the ending of the American Civil War
American Civil War
The American Civil War was a civil war fought in the United States of America. In response to the election of Abraham Lincoln as President of the United States, 11 southern slave states declared their secession from the United States and formed the Confederate States of America ; the other 25...
in 1865 the United States began to actively assist the republicans and to put pressure on the French to withdraw, which began in May 1866.
Without French support, the tide turned against the Imperial forces, who lost several battles to the republican forces.
At the time of the Battle of Miahuatlán, Díaz was advancing from the south towards the city of Oaxaca.
Battle
Díaz's forces at Miahuatlán were almost out of food and ammunition, drenched by rain and demoralized.He took a defensive position facing northwest, where he was found and attacked by 1,100 Imperial troops under General Carlos Oroñez assisted by a French officer, Enrique Testard. The attackers bombarded the republican positions from long range, then closed in on them with a skirmishing line followed by three columns. Díaz skillfully held off the attackers, then sent his cavalry across the Miahuatlán river to unexpectedly attack the right rear of the Imperial troops. Facing certain defeat, General Oroñez fled the battle. His forces lost 70 dead and 400 prisoners, against Republican losses of 59 killed and 14 wounded.
The victory was due to Díaz's imaginative use of terrain and deception. He placed riflemen in the Nogales Ravine, and a group of armed peasants in a maguey field field opposite them, hidden from view. Díaz then made himself conspicuous on the crest of a hill behind them. His cavalry retreated towards Díaz pursued by the imperial forces, who were caught in a lethal cross-fire from the concealed republican troops.
While Díaz launched a frontal assault led by Manuel González (later to become President of the Republic) on the imperial forces, the surprise cavalry attack from rear decided the day.
Aftermath
As a result of the battle, Díaz's forces were replenished with about 1,000 captured rifles, two field pieces and over 50 mules loaded with ammunition. He was able to continue his advance with little opposition, reaching Oaxaca on 8 October 1866.In his memoirs, Díaz described the battle as the most strategic and brilliantly fought action during the second French Intervention in Mexico. This victory, and that of the Battle of La Carbonera
Battle of La Carbonera
The Battle of La Carbonera was fought on 18 October 1866 during the French intervention in Mexico.-Background:Having triumphed over the Imperial forces in the Battle of Miahuatlán, the Republican General Porfirio Díaz besieged the city of Oaxaca, defended by the conservative General Carlos...
, gave Díaz national fame.