Following the

Battle of Chapultepec The Battle of Chapultepec was a battle between American forces and Mexican forces holding the strategically located Chapultepec Castle just outside Mexico City, fought 13 September 1847 during the Mexican–American War. The building, sitting ...

, Santa Anna withdrew his forces from Mexico City, leading a portion in an attempt to take Puebla and cut off Scott's supply route from Veracruz. The

Siege A siege is a military blockade of a city, or fortress, with the intent of conquering by attrition warfare, attrition, or a well-prepared assault. This derives from la, sedere, lit=to sit. Siege warfare is a form of constant, low-intensity con ...

of Puebla began the same day

Mexico City Mexico City ( es, link=no, Ciudad de México, ; abbr.: CDMX; Nahuatl: ''Altepetl Mexico'') is the capital and largest city of Mexico, and the most populous city in North America. One of the world's alpha cities, it is located in the Valley o ...

fell to

Winfield Scott Winfield Scott (June 13, 1786May 29, 1866) was an American military commander and political candidate. He served as a general in the United States Army from 1814 to 1861, taking part in the War of 1812, the Mexican–American War, the early s ...

and lasted for 28 days before a relief force fought its way into the city.

Background

General Winfield Scott had a series of garrisons posted along the route from

Veracruz Veracruz (), formally Veracruz de Ignacio de la Llave (), officially the Free and Sovereign State of Veracruz de Ignacio de la Llave ( es, Estado Libre y Soberano de Veracruz de Ignacio de la Llave), is one of the 31 states which, along with Me ...

to Mexico City to protect his supply lines. One of these garrisons was posted at the city of

Puebla Puebla ( en, colony, settlement), officially Free and Sovereign State of Puebla ( es, Estado Libre y Soberano de Puebla), is one of the 32 states which comprise the Federal Entities of Mexico. It is divided into 217 municipalities and its cap ...

, roughly two-thirds of the way to Mexico City from the coast. The garrison was commanded by Major

Thomas Childs Thomas Childs (16 March 1796 – 8 October 1855) was a U.S. soldier who served with distinction during the Mexican–American War. Childs was born in Pittsfield, Massachusetts, the son and grandson of Revolutionary War veterans. He graduated f ...

, serving as a brevet colonel.Bauer, K.J., 1974, ''The Mexican War, 1846-1848'', New York: Macmillan, Childs had 500 soldiers to guard the city. After the fall of Mexico City, General

Antonio López de Santa Anna Antonio de Padua María Severino López de Santa Anna y Pérez de Lebrón (; 21 February 1794 – 21 June 1876),Callcott, Wilfred H., "Santa Anna, Antonio Lopez De,''Handbook of Texas Online'' Retrieved 18 April 2017. usually known as Santa Ann ...

renounced his presidency and split his forces, taking half of them to try to retake Puebla. General

Joaquín Rea Joaquín Rea (?–1850) was a Mexican general in the Mexican–American War. General Rea led guerrilla forces of the Light Corps in harassing American convoys on the National Road between Vera Cruz and Puebla from May 1847. Due to this harassment ...

commanded the Mexican guerrilla forces in the area around Puebla.

Siege

On the night of 13–14 September 1847, Rea's forces entered the city with 4,000 men. The U.S. forces held the convent, Fort Loretto, and the citadel of San José. Lieutenant-Colonel Samuel W. Black, commander of the First Pennsylvania, was put in command of the citadel, which also served as a hospital for 1,800 sick and wounded soldiers. The Mexicans drove off most of the city's cattle, but Childs was able to save enough to keep from starvation. Rea demanded the garrison's surrender on 16 September, but Childs refused, leading Rea to attack San José, unsuccessfully. Childs repulsed a second attack on 18 Sept. Santa Anna arrived on 22 September, launched a 500-man attack on the convent, once again unsuccessfully, yet called for Childs to surrender, which he refused. The attacks continued from 27 Sept. until 1 Oct. At the end of September, Santa Anna departed with most of the Mexican forces to confront General

Joseph Lane Joseph "Joe" Lane (December 14, 1801 – April 19, 1881) was an American politician and soldier. He was a state legislator representing Evansville, Indiana, and then served in the Mexican–American War, becoming a general. President James K. ...

's relief column. Santa Anna was defeated at the

Battle of Huamantla The Battle of Huamantla was a U.S. victory late in the Mexican–American War that forced the Mexican Army to lift the siege of Puebla.Bauer, K.J., 1974, ''The Mexican War, 1846–1848'', New York: Macmillan, Background Santa Anna left Puebl ...

, allowing Lane to raise the siege on 12 Oct.

Background

Siege

See also

References

Further reading