Battle of Chinchilla explained

Conflict:Battle of Chinchilla
Date:August 10, 1873
Place:Chinchilla
Result:Republican victory
Combatant1:First Spanish Republic
Combatant2:Canton of Cartagena
Commander1:Arsenio Martínez Campos
Partof:Cantonal rebellion
Casualties1:unknown
Casualties2:500 infantry
4 canons
Strength1:8,000 infantry
10 canons
Strength2:3,000 infantry
6 canons

The Battle of Chinchilla took place on August 10, 1873, in the context of the Cantonal rebellion, between the Canton of Cartagena and the First Spanish Republic. The result was a heavy defeat for the cantonalists.

The battle

At the beginning of August 1873, and General led a third land expedition in the direction of Chinchilla made up of 3,000 men distributed in three trains. The purpose of this expedition was to cut off the railway communication with Madrid of the army of General Arsenio Martínez Campos, who had surrounded Valencia, capital of the Valencian Canton. The first combats took place at the Chinchilla railway station, where the cantonalists managed to oust the troops sent by Martínez Campos upon learning their plans. But when the cantonalists received news that the Valencian Canton had fallen, they started withdrawing. The government forces took advantage of the cantonalists retreat and counterattacked supported by the artillery, causing panic and the disbandment of their enemies' forces. Finally Gálvez and Contreras managed to reorganize their forces, receiving the help of the reserve column that had remained in Hellín. Thus they were able to return to Murcia, arriving there on August 10, at night. The battle of Chinchilla was a disaster for the cantonalists who lost nearly 500 men, including 28 chiefs and officers, as well as 51 wagons, four cannons and 250 rifles, and above all because it left Martínez Campos with an open path to occupy Murcia.[1]

Notes and References

  1. Book: Barón Fernández, José . El movimiento cantonal de 1873: Ia̲ República . 1998 . Edicios do Castro . 978-84-7492-896-9 . Historia . A Coruña . 207-209.