The purpose of this expedition was to cut off the railway communication with Madrid of the army of General Arsenio Martínez Campos, who had surrounded Valencia, capital of the Valencian Canton.

The first combats took place at the Chinchilla railway station, where the cantonalists managed to oust the troops sent by Martínez Campos upon learning their plans.

But when the cantonalists received news that the Valencian Canton had fallen, they started withdrawing.

Finally Gálvez and Contreras managed to reorganize their forces, receiving the help of the reserve column that had remained in Hellín.

The battle of Chinchilla was a disaster for the cantonalists who lost nearly 500 men, including 28 chiefs and officers, as well as 51 wagons, four cannons and 250 rifles, and above all because it left Martínez Campos with an open path to occupy Murcia.