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Battle of Orange Walk
From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
The Battle of Orange Walk took place on 1 September 1872 when a force of Icaiche Maya led by Marcus Canul attacked the town of Orange Walk in Belize. Canul had previously been involved in conflict with the British authorities over infringements of his people's land rights and non-payment of rent and one motive for the raid may have been to seize the district magistrate for ransom. Canul and his men crossed the border from Mexico the day before the battle and were able to reach the town undetected by the British. They launched a surprise attack that caught the small garrison unaware – the British commanders were in the bath at the time the battle started. The British forces – a small detachment of the West India Regiment – successfully defended their barracks building for a number of hours, inflicting heavy casualties on the Maya and fatally wounding Canul. The Maya then withdrew into Mexico.
Battle of Orange Walk | |||||||
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Part of the Caste War of Yucatán | |||||||
![]() Soldiers of the British West India Regiment. | |||||||
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Belligerents | |||||||
Icaiche Maya people | |||||||
Commanders and leaders | |||||||
Lieutenant Joseph Graham Smith (WIA) Assistant Surgeon John Dallas Edge | Marcus Canul † | ||||||
Strength | |||||||
39 men of the West India Regiment | 150–180 men | ||||||
Casualties and losses | |||||||
reportedly 2 killed, 14 severely wounded | reportedly 30–50 killed |