Atlas of Battles

battle, notable, nineteenth century

Battle of Cerro Gordo

Battle of Cerro Gordo was a battle fought on 18 April 1847 in what is now Mexico. It was part of the Mexican-American War, which ran from 1846 to 1848. The recorded result: American victory. Recorded strength: 8,700 – 12,000 against 9,000 – 12,000.

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Battle of Cerro Gordo during the Mexican-American War, painting by Carl Nebel.
Battle of Cerro Gordo during the Mexican-American War, painting by Carl Nebel.. Adolphe Jean-Baptiste Bayot / Carl Nebel, Public domain, via Wikimedia Commons.
Fought18 April 1847
WhereMexico19.530N, 96.910W
OutcomeAmerican victory
BelligerentsUnited StatesagainstMexico
Casualties and losses63 killed; 368 woundedand1,000+ killed and wounded; 3,036 captured
Part ofMexican-American War1846 to 1848

Where it sits in the Mexican-American War

Battle of Monterrey, 1846Siege of Fort Texas, 1846Battle of San Pasqual, 1846Capture of Santa Fe, 1846First Battle of Tabasco, 1846Siege of Los Angeles, 1846Blockade of Veracruz, 1846Thornton Affair, 1846Battle of Palo Alto, 1846Battle of Resaca de la Palma, 1846Battle of Monterey, 1846Battle of Yerba Buena, 1846Battle of Dominguez Rancho, 1846Battle of Natividad, 1846Capture of Tucson, 1846Battle of Chapultepec, 1847Siege of Veracruz, 1847Battle of Buena Vista, 1847Battle of Mexico-city, 1847Battle of La Paz, 1847Battle of San José del Cabo, 1847Second Battle of Tabasco, 1847Battle of Rio San Gabriel, 1847Battle of La Mesa, 1847Second Battle of Mora, 1847Battle of the Sacramento River, 1847Battle of Cerro Gordo, 1847First Battle of Tuxpan, 1847Second Battle of Tuxpan, 1847Third Battle of Tuxpan, 1847Battle of Churubusco, 1847Battle of Contreras, 1847Battle of Molino del Rey, 1847Siege of Puebla, 1847Battle of Mulege, 1847Battle of Huamantla, 1847Skirmish at Matamoros, 1847Siege of La Paz, 1847Siege of San José del Cabo, 1848Battle of Santa Cruz de Rosales, 1848Skirmish of Todos Santos, 184818461848Battle of Cerro Gordo, 1847
41 placed engagements of the Mexican-American War in time order; taller ticks are more widely documented. Each tick is a link.

Record

Date18 April 1847
PlaceMexico
19.530N, 96.910W
KindBattle, nineteenth century
Strength8,700 – 12,0009,000 – 12,000
Casualties and losses63 killed; 368 wounded1,000+ killed and wounded; 3,036 captured
Commanders
  • Winfield Scott
  • David E. Twiggs
  • William S. Harney
  • James Shields (politician, born 1806)
Battle of Cerro GordoBattle of Cerro GordoBattle of CamarónBattle of FortínBattle of Cerro del BorregoBattle of Barranca SecaSiege of VeracruzBattle of CamarónBattle of Barranca SecaSiege of VeracruzPueblaPoza Rica de HidalgoTehuacanTeziutlánSantiago TuxtlaTlaxcalaNautla100 km19.530N, 96.910W
The recorded site, with the nearest other engagements in the atlas. Present-day coastlines, rivers and borders; towns from Natural Earth.

Nearest engagements

In the same war

Elsewhere in 1847

Combat data (CDB90)

Attacker: US ARMYDefender: MEX ARMY
Strength8,50012,000
Casualties431 (5.1%)4,000 (33.3%)
Mission accomplishment, 1 to 1081
Outcomeattacker won
Duration1.8 days
Front width2.4 km4 km
Attacker advanced6 km

From the US Army Concepts Analysis Agency Database of Battles (CDB90, battle 160), public domain, in the CC0 tidy edition by Jeffrey B. Arnold. Figures are the database's estimates, compiled in 1990 from published histories, and may differ from the Wikipedia infobox above.

Battle of Cerro Gordo is one of 3,507 engagements of the 19th century in the atlas and one of 160 in present-day Mexico.

Sources

Identity, coordinates, dates and the war from Wikidata Q2888281, released under CC0. Result, belligerents, commanders, strength and casualties from the infobox of the English Wikipedia article Battle of Cerro Gordo, revision 1376435267, read 2026-11-14, licensed CC BY-SA 4.0; the article's text is not reproduced here. Present-day country and state from Natural Earth. Dates before 1582 follow the Julian calendar as recorded.