A conservative victory during Mexico's War of Reform that forced liberal forces to retreat from Guanajuato to Guadalajara.
Key Facts
- Date
- 9–10 March 1858
- Conservative force size
- 5,000 men
- Coalition artillery
- 30 pieces
- Coalition force size
- 7,000 men
- Liberal retreat destination
- Guadalajara
- Conflict
- War of Reform (1858–1860)
By the Numbers
Location
Cause → Event → Consequence
During Mexico's War of Reform, a coalition of six liberal states—Guanajuato, Jalisco, Zacatecas, San Luis Potosí, Michoacán, and Aguascalientes—formed to oppose the conservative Plan of Tacubaya. This coalition assembled roughly 7,000 men and 30 artillery pieces, many of whom had previously fought at Celaya, and advanced toward Salamanca under General Anastasio Parrodi alongside Generals Valle, Degollado, and Moret.
Between 9 and 10 March 1858, liberal and conservative forces clashed near Salamanca, Guanajuato. The conservative army of approximately 5,000 men, led by General Luis G. Osollo and including Generals Miguel Miramón, Tomás Mejía, and Francisco García Casanova, engaged and defeated the liberal coalition. Parrodi later attributed the defeat to General Mariano Moret's failure to order a cavalry charge and to Manuel Doubled's inactivity during the battle.
The conservative victory at Salamanca handed the liberals their second consecutive defeat in the War of Reform. Liberal forces were compelled to abandon Guanajuato and retreat to Guadalajara, weakening their strategic position in central Mexico and consolidating conservative control over the contested region during this phase of the conflict.
Belligerents & Mobilization Analysis
Side A
1 belligerent
Anastasio Parrodi, Leandro Valle, Santos Degollado, Mariano Moret.
Side B
1 belligerent
Luis G. Osollo, Miguel Miramón.