Battle of Buena Vista 1847
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Recorded location from Wikidata; battle sites are often approximate.
Key facts
| Year | 1847 | Wikidata P585 (point in time) |
|---|---|---|
| Era | 19th century (1800–1913) | derived from year |
| Location | Mexico | Natural Earth (modern borders) |
| Continent | North America | Natural Earth |
| War / conflict | Mexican-American War | Wikidata P361 |
| Participants | Mexico, United States | Wikidata P710 |
| Coordinates | 25.3370, -101.0464 | Wikidata P625 |
About the battle
The Battle of Buena Vista (February 22–23, 1847), known as the Battle of La Angostura in Mexico, and sometimes as Battle of Buena Vista/La Angostura, was a battle of the Mexican–American War. It was fought between U.S. forces, largely volunteers, under General Zachary Taylor, and the much larger Mexican Army under General Antonio López de Santa Anna. It took place near Buena Vista, a village in the state of Coahuila, about 12 km (7.5 mi) south of Saltillo, Mexico. La Angostura ("the narrow place") was the local name for the site. The outcome of this battle was unforeseeable: there were factors that could grant Mexicans a proper victory on the battlefield, despite the US overall superiority. After the first day "many Americans … believed that the American army would soon collapse when the fighting began the next day" .
The outcome of the battle was ambiguous, with both sides claiming victory. Santa Anna's forces withdrew with war trophies of cannons and flags and left the field to the surprised U.S. forces, who had expected there to be another day of hard fighting. Yet the Mexican retreat was perceived in Mexico largely as an American victory, weakening Santa Anna politically and contributing to subsequent political turmoil between the conservative elites and the liberals.
Text adapted from the Wikipedia article Battle of Buena Vista (revision 1378434013), licensed under CC BY-SA 4.0. Changes: excerpted from the article lead section; formatting and citations removed. No text added.
Nearby battles
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- First Battle of Torreón 1913 · 241 km
- Third Battle of Torreón 1916 · 241 km
- Battle of Rio Grande City 1859 · 251 km
- Battle of Laredo 1864 · 286 km
Other battles of the Mexican-American War
- Capture of Santa Fe 1846
- First Battle of Tabasco 1846
- Siege of Fort Texas 1846
- Siege of Los Angeles 1846
- Thornton Affair 1846
- Battle of Cerro Gordo 1847
- Battle of Chapultepec 1847
- Battle of Churubusco 1847
- Battle of Huamantla 1847
- Battle of La Mesa 1847
All 28 battles of the Mexican-American War →
Browse more: battles in Mexico · North America · 19th century battles