Which French general commanded the troops defeated by Mexico at the Battle of Puebla in 1862?

Charles de Lorencez commanded the French troops defeated by Mexico at the Battle of Puebla in 1862.

Lorencez led the French expedition after France, Britain, and Spain had intervened in Mexico over unpaid debts. Britain and Spain eventually withdrew, but France continued its campaign and sought to impose a more favorable political order in Mexico.

His army advanced from Veracruz toward Mexico City and reached the Puebla area. On May 5, 1862, Mexican troops under Ignacio Zaragoza defeated the French assault. Lorencez then withdrew toward Orizaba, and Napoleon III later replaced him with Élie-Frédéric Forey.

The defeat was temporary rather than decisive. France returned with a much larger force, captured Puebla in 1863, and eventually occupied Mexico City. Lorencez’s name therefore belongs to the first major French defeat, not the later occupation.