A skirmish during the Second French Intervention in Mexico in which French forces dislodged Mexican republican troops from a strategic hilltop position near Orizaba.
Key Facts
- Date
- 13–14 June 1862
- Location
- Cerro del Borrego, near Orizaba, Veracruz, Mexico
- Conflict
- Second French Intervention in Mexico
- Mexican commander
- General Jesús González Ortega
- Mexican division
- Zacatecas division
Location
Cause → Event → Consequence
During the Second French Intervention in Mexico, General Jesús González Ortega received orders to march his troops through Perote toward the northern part of Orizaba, occupy Cerro del Borrego, and then join General Zaragoza's forces at San Andrés Chalchicomula. The strategic hilltop position near Orizaba was considered important for controlling the surrounding region.
On the night of 14 June 1862, French troops of the Second Mexican Empire discovered the Mexican republican Zacatecas division at its position on Cerro del Borrego, near Orizaba, Veracruz. The French forces engaged and dislodged Ortega's troops, forcing the Mexican republicans to abandon the hilltop and retreat from the position.
The Mexican republican Zacatecas division was forced to withdraw from Cerro del Borrego, ceding the strategic high ground near Orizaba to French-aligned forces. This setback disrupted Ortega's planned junction with General Zaragoza's army and reinforced French military momentum during their broader intervention campaign in central Mexico.
Belligerents & Mobilization Analysis
Side A
1 belligerent
Jesús González Ortega.
Side B
1 belligerent