By: HISTORY.com Editors
Outnumbered Mexican army defeats French at Battle of Puebla
During the French-Mexican War (1861-1867), an outnumbered Mexican army defeats a powerful invading French force at Puebla on May 5, 1862. The retreat of the French troops at the Battle of Puebla represents a great moral victory for the people of Mexico, symbolizing the country’s ability to defend its sovereignty against a powerful foreign nation.
In 1861, Benito Juarez had become president of Mexico, a country in financial ruin, and he was forced to default on his debts to European governments. In response, France, Britain and Spain sent naval forces to Veracruz to demand reimbursement.
Britain and Spain negotiated with Mexico and withdrew, but France, ruled by Napoleon III, decided to use the opportunity to carve a dependent empire out of Mexican territory. Late in 1861, a well-armed French fleet stormed Veracruz, landing a large French force and driving President Juarez and his government into retreat.
Certain that French victory would come swiftly in Mexico, roughly 6,000 French troops under General Charles de Lorencez set out in May 1862 to attack Puebla de Los Angeles. From his new headquarters in the north, Juarez rounded up a ragtag force of loyal men and sent them to Puebla. Meanwhile, Mexican General Ignacio Zaragoza led an estimated 2,000 to 5,000 Mexicans as they fortified the town and prepared for the assault by the well-equipped French force.
Cinco De Mayo
Cinco De Mayo commemorates the Mexican Army's successful defense of the city of Puebla against invading French forces in 1862.
On the fifth of May, or Cinco de Mayo, Lorencez gathered his army and began an attack from the north side of Puebla. The battle lasted from daybreak to early evening. After Lorencez realized his superior French force was losing far more troops than the Mexicans, he completely withdrew his defeated army.
Although not a major strategic victory in the overall war against the French, Zaragoza’s victory at Puebla galvanized Mexican resistance, and five years later, France withdrew. Also in 1867, Austrian Archduke Ferdinand Maximilian, who Napoleon had installed as emperor of Mexico in 1864, was captured and executed by a firing squad.
Puebla de Los Angeles, the site of Zaragoza’s historic victory, was renamed Puebla de Zaragoza in honor of the general. Today, Mexicans celebrate the anniversary of the Battle of Puebla as Cinco de Mayo, a holiday in the state of Puebla. Cinco de Mayo is also observed in Mexican American communities throughout the United States.
How Cinco de Mayo Helped Prevent a Confederate Victory in the Civil War
When a small, scrappy Mexican force handed the French army a surprise defeat in 1862, the Confederacy was denied a potential ally.
When a small, scrappy Mexican force handed the French army a surprise defeat in 1862, the Confederacy was denied a potential ally.
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Citation Information
- Article Title
- Outnumbered Mexican army defeats French at Battle of Puebla
- Author
- HISTORY.com Editors
- Website Name
- History
- Date Accessed
- October 29, 2026
- Publisher
- A&E Television Networks
- Last Updated
- May 04, 2026
- Original Published Date
- October 23, 2009
