Battle of Puebla

Battle of Puebla
Part of the Second French intervention in Mexico
Battle of May 5, 1862
Date May 5, 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.