Battle of Camarón

Battle of Camarón
	Part of the Second French intervention in Mexico
	; Du combat le Camerone, Unknown author
Date	30 April 1863
Location	Camarón de Tejeda, Veracruz, Mexico
Result	See aftermath
Belligerents
Mexico	France
Commanders and leaders
Francisco Milán	Jean Danjou †
Strength
3,300	65
Casualties and losses
300 killed ; 500 wounded	41 killed ; 17 wounded ; 24 captured

The Battle of Camarón (French: Bataille de Camerone) which occurred over ten hours^: 21 on 30 April 1863 between the Foreign Legion of the French Army and the Mexican Army, is regarded as a defining moment in the Foreign Legion's history.

A small infantry patrol, led by Captain Jean Danjou and Lieutenants Clément Maudet and Jean Vilain, numbering just 65 men^: 5 was attacked and besieged by a force that may have eventually reached 3,000 Mexican infantry and cavalry, and was forced to make a defensive stand at the nearby Hacienda Camarón, in Camarón de Tejeda, Veracruz, Mexico.

The conduct of the Légionnaires who, overwhelmingly outnumbered, refused to surrender, killing and injuring hundreds of enemy troops before finally succumbing, led to a certain mystique, and the battle of Camarón became synonymous with bravery and a fight-to-the-death attitude.

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