The Siege of Puebla began the same day Mexico City

Mexico City

Mexico City is the Federal District , capital of Mexico and seat of the federal powers of the Mexican Union. It is a federal entity within Mexico which is not part of any one of the 31 Mexican states but belongs to the federation as a whole...

 fell to Winfield Scott

Winfield Scott

Winfield Scott was a United States Army general, and unsuccessful presidential candidate of the Whig Party in 1852....

 and lasted for 28 days when a relief force was able to fight its way into the city and lift the siege

Siege

A siege is a military blockade of a city or fortress with the intent of conquering by attrition or assault. The term derives from sedere, Latin for "to sit". Generally speaking, siege warfare is a form of constant, low intensity conflict characterized by one party holding a strong, static...

.

Background

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

Veracruz, Veracruz

Veracruz, officially known as Heroica Veracruz, is a major port city and municipality on the Gulf of Mexico in the Mexican state of Veracruz. The city is located in the central part of the state. It is located along Federal Highway 140 from the state capital Xalapa, and is the state's most...

 to Mexico City to protect his supply lines. One of these garrisons was posted at the city of Puebla, roughly two-thirds of the way to Mexico City from the coast. The garrison was commanded Lieutenant Colonel Thomas Childs

Thomas Childs

Thomas Childs was a U.S. soldier who served with distinction during the Mexican-American War.Childs was born on March 16, 1796, in Pittsfield, Massachusetts, the son and grandson of Revolutionary War veterans...

, serving as a brevet colonel. Childs had 500 soldiers to guard the city. After the fall of Mexico City, General Antonio López de Santa Anna

Antonio López de Santa Anna

Antonio de Padua María Severino López de Santa Anna y Pérez de Lebrón , often known as Santa Anna or López de Santa Anna, known as "the Napoleon of the West," was a Mexican political leader, general, and president who greatly influenced early Mexican and Spanish politics and government...

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

Joaquín Rea

Joaquín Rea Mexican general in the Mexican American War.Geneal Rea led guerrilla forces of the Light Corps in harassing American convoys on the National Road between Vera Cruz and Puebla from May 1847...

 commanded the Mexican guerrilla

Guerrilla warfare

Guerrilla warfare is a form of irregular warfare and refers to conflicts in which a small group of combatants including, but not limited to, armed civilians use military tactics, such as ambushes, sabotage, raids, the element of surprise, and extraordinary mobility to harass a larger and...

forces in the area around Puebla.

Siege

On September 14, 1847 — the same day that Mexico City fell — Rea's forces worked their way into the city and began the siege. The U.S. forces held three strongpoints within the city: a convent, Fort Loretto and the citadel of San José. 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 September 16, but Childs refused. Rea attacked San José and was repulsed. Santa Anna arrived at Puebla on September 22 and officially called for Childs to surrender. Once again Childs refused. The Mexicans then attempted to storm the convent and were repulsed. At the end of September, Santa Anna departed with a little less than half the besieging forces and headed east to confront an expected relief column advancing from Veracruz. With the Mexican force somewhat reduced, the defenders took the opportunity to pick off a few Mexican strongpoints.

Aftermath

The siege was the last significant threat to U.S. forces in central Mexico. Guerrilla raids continued, and the supply route was a prime target. General Lane continued to direct operations against these raids through 1847 and into 1848.