Cerro Gordo, Battle

Cerro Gordo, Battle of

Confrontation between U.S. and Mexican troops in April 1847 when U.S. forces under Winfield Scott first met serious resistance in the Mexican War. As Scott's army marched from Veracruz to Mexico City, it attacked an entrenched Mexican force of 12,000 under Antonio Santa Anna at a mountain pass near Cerro Gordo. Scott's troops routed the Mexicans, who left 1,130 casualties; the U.S. lost 63 men.