Battle of Barranca Seca
Battle of Barranca Seca | |||||||
---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
Part of the Second French intervention in Mexico | |||||||
![]() Contemporary illustration of the Battle of Barranca Seca by Hesiquio Iriarte | |||||||
| |||||||
Belligerents | |||||||
![]() ![]() |
![]() | ||||||
Commanders and leaders | |||||||
Leonardo Márquez José Domingo Herran Juan Vicario José G. Campos Eugène Lefèvre[1]: 116–117 |
Santiago Tapia Antonio Álvarez José Mariano Rojo | ||||||
Units involved | |||||||
Marquéz Brigade 2nd Battalion of the 99th Infantry of the Line[1]: 116–117 |
Eastern Army (See details) | ||||||
Strength | |||||||
2500[2]: 171 450[2]: 172 |
500 1400[3]: 554 | ||||||
Casualties and losses | |||||||
212 Mexicans dead 2 French dead 26 injured[3]: 554 |
100 Republicans dead 200 wounded 1,200 POWs[3]: 554 |
18°48′46″N 97°10′40″W / 18.812845°N 97.17765°W The Battle of Barranca Seca was a battle of the Second French intervention in Mexico and took place right after the Battle of Puebla on 18 May 1862. Contrary to the latter it was won by the unified reactionist Mexican-French forces.[3]: 554 The battle was preceded by a coup de chef of the reactionist forces, which was heated by the intrigue of the Spanish high command against Almonte and Márquez[4]: 79 and French pressure towards the replacement of Zuloaga. After the battle Almonte remained the only contender for the Commander-in-Chief office within the reactionist party and Márquez as acting General; both of them serving French interests.[5]
Preparation for the battle
On 5 May General
On the night of May 8, reactionist General D. Florentino Lopez arrived in
The French Army led by
Márquez headed his troops for Rancho del Potrero on the 17th, from where he continued his trip alone to Tecamalaca to personally meet the French officers leaving his command to José Domingo Herran, who was about to join him the next day with the army.
While negotiating with the French high command on the day of 18th Márquez was informed that at the road crossing at Barranca Seca the Republicans and the reactionists were facing each other already in battle order and within firing range of each other. He immediately rode back to take charge of his forces and start the battle.[7]: 136
Battle
![](http://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/thumb/b/b5/Leonardo_Marquez.jpg/200px-Leonardo_Marquez.jpg)
The Republicans were divided into four columns covering the road between the flanks of two opposite hills of the valley. The center was defended by the infantry,[7]: 136 which numbered 662 men and the dismounted Carabinier Corps of the "Álvárez" Brigade. General Márquez's units were split in two divisions; one, made of the combined brigades of Ponciano Castro and Juan Vicario commanded by and named after the latter as Division "Vicario" and the second, also a joint division of "Márquez" was put together of the brigades of Herrán and José G. Campos (although the troops were tired after a four-day 150 km march to Potrero.[6]: 474–475 Herrán held the bridge on the Rio Blanco on the right flank with 50 fusiliers and had two columns as rear guard. The center was the same riflemen as the Republicans had led by Vicario covered by two columns of skirmishers and Campos guarded the left wing with one line of backup. The battle started slowly with none of the parties taking any risk and pushing back-and-forth within the firing range until finally at 5 p.m. the Republicans received major support from the main Eastern Army.[7]: 136 Infantry Colonel José Mariano Rojo reached the battlefield with 1,100 fresh soldiers[6]: 475 and launched a mixed frontal assault breaking the center of Márquez[7]: 136 involving the "Hidalgo Battalion" and the Sappers Bataillon of San Luis.[6]: 476 Herrán on the right was able to hold his position against a smaller mixed division[7]: 136 of the Morelia pickets[6]: 476 and repulse the attack.[7]: 136 At this moment Eugène Lefèvre and his 99th Regiment from Ingenio ran 20 km within four hours in a hurry to intervene just in time. The French plunged into the Republican left wing and crushed it.[6]: 476 General Vicario had already been wounded in the struggle and Herran was reinvigorated by the presence of the 99th Regiment that helped to hold the bridge.[7]: 136 The three companies on the right, preceded by skirmishers pushed the center and left of the enemy vigorously with a bayonet charge and drove away his cavalry while the three companies heading to the left flank climbed the slopes despite the brisk fire. This momentum relieved the cavalry of General Marquez, who passed behind the French infantry and charged vigorously the enemy's left. The success of the fight was already assured, but this maneuver did fall into hands of the French and their auxiliaries a considerable number of prisoners.[2]: 172 The pursuit of the withdrawing Republicans distracted by an unexpected infantry offense from the left. Afraid of being cut off and surrounded the French coloumn stopped and initiated a bayonet raid. Captain Herran and his French brigades passed the bridge and chased the Republicans to their camp. They reunited with the reactionist left wing who also pursued the remnants of the Eastern Army and taking the place of the center only stopped at Venta of San Diego[7]: 137 when the night came.[6]: 476 After one hour of fight hostilities were terminated at 6:15, the Mexicans were in full retreat,[2]: 172 along with the main Republican Army, with whom they retired to San Agustín del Palmar.[7]: 137
Mexican battle of order
The Mexican National Eastern Army counted 7,500[6]: 470 but only 2,000 participated in the battle.[3]: 554
First Command
- Commander-in-chief, Brigadier General Ignacio Zaragoza
- Quartermaster, Brigadier General Francisco Mejía
- Commander of the Artillery, Coronel Zeferino Rodríguez
- Commander of the Engineers, Coronel Joaquín Colombres
Général de Division "Berriozábal"
- 1st Division d'Infanterie (Felipe B. Berriozábal)
- 1st Brigade "Antillón" (Florencio Antillón)
- 1st Light Infantry Battalion of Guanajuato
- 3rd Light Infantry Battalion of Guanajuato
- 6th Light Infantry Battalion of Guanajuato
- 2nd Brigade "O'Horán" (Tomás O'Horán)
- 1st Light Infantry Battalion of Toluca
- 2nd Light Infantry Battalion of Toluca
- 3rd Light Infantry Battalion of Toluca
- Bataillon of fixed infantry of Veracruz
- 3rd Brigade "Díaz" (Porfirio Díaz)
- "Guerrero" Battalion of Oaxaca
- "Morelos" Battalion of Oaxaca
- 1st Battalion of the National Guard of Oaxaca
- 6th Battalion of the National Guard of Oaxaca
- 2x Marine artillery batteries
- 1st Brigade "Antillón" (Florencio Antillón)
- 2nd Infantry Division (Miguel Negrete)
- 1st Brigade "Lamadrid" (Francisco Lamadrid)
- Riflemen Bataillon of San Luis
- "Réforma" Bataillon
- Sappers Bataillon of San Luis
- 1st Light Battalion of San Luis
- 2nd Light Battalion of San Luis
- 2nd Brigade "Rojo" (José Mariano Rojo)
- 3rd Brigade "Alatorre" (Francisco Alatorre)
- Picket of the Battalion of Morelia
- Mixed Battalion of Querétaro
- Picket of the JägerBattalion of Morelia
- 6th Battalion of the line
- 2nd Battalion of the National Guard of Puebla
- 6th Battalion of the National Guard of Puebla
- 1st Brigade "Lamadrid" (Francisco Lamadrid)
- 1st Cavalry Brigade "Álvarez" (Antonio Álvarez)
- Carabinier Corps
- Lancer Squadron of Toluca
- Lancer Squadron of Oaxaca
- 2nd Cavalry Brigade "Carbajal" (Antonio Carbajal)
- 1st Lancer Corps of Morelia
- Lancer Squadron of Quezada
- 5th Police Corps
- 1st Carabinier Corps
- Scout Corps
[6]: 470–471
- Bolded units actually participated in the battle [6]: 474–475
See also
- List of battles of the French intervention in Mexico
References
- ^ ISBN 9788311115200. Retrieved 12 July 2012.
- ^ ASIN B004IL4IB4. Retrieved 12 June 2012.
- ^ ISBN 9780874368376. Retrieved 11 June 2012.
- ^ ISBN 978-1421246161. Retrieved 11 July 2012.
- ^ a b c Raymond, Henry Jarvis, ed. (14 June 1862). "our Vera Cruz correspondence.; Banishment of Zuoaga and Cobos by Almonte Departure of Padre Miranda for Europe Protest to the Emperor, by Gen. Lorencez and his Officers. Against Saligny Marquez Named Commander-in-Chief by Almonte Departure of Gen. Donai for Orizaba Marquez About to Impose a Forced Loan on Vera Cruz". The New York Times. New York, United States: The Times. Retrieved 13 July 2012.
- ^ ISSN 0185-0172. Archived from the original(PDF) on 28 June 2014. Retrieved 11 July 2012.
- ^ ISSN 1931-2822. Retrieved 12 July 2012.