A decisive Dominican victory near the end of the Restoration War, inflicting heavy Spanish casualties with minimal losses.
Key Facts
- Date
- December 4, 1864
- Dominican force size
- 600 troops
- Spanish force size
- 111 total (80 Spanish, 31 local)
- Spanish killed
- 72
- Spanish prisoners taken
- 11
- Dominican casualties
- 1 killed
By the Numbers
Location
Cause → Event → Consequence
The Dominican Restoration War (1863–1865) was fought to end Spanish re-annexation of the Dominican Republic. By late 1864, Dominican forces had gained momentum, and Spanish columns still operating in the southwest remained vulnerable to attack.
On December 4, 1864, near La Canela (modern Galván), General José María Cabral led 600 Dominican troops positioned on elevated ground against a Spanish convoy of 111 men in open-field combat. The Dominicans overwhelmed the smaller force, killing 72, capturing 11 prisoners, and seizing weapons, munitions, and 40 mules.
The battle resulted in a near-total destruction of the Spanish convoy with only one Dominican fatality. As one of the final engagements of the Restoration War, it reflected the declining Spanish military position in Hispaniola; Spain formally withdrew from the Dominican Republic in 1865.
Belligerents & Mobilization Analysis
Side A
1 belligerent
José María Cabral.
Side B
1 belligerent