At the time of the Battle of Miahuatlán, General Porfirio Díaz had escaped French captivity and was advancing from the south towards the city of Oaxaca, his hometown, and former headquarters .

[2] He took a defensive position facing northwest, where he was found and attacked by 1,100 Imperial troops under General Carlos Oronoz assisted by a French officer, Enrique Testard.

While Díaz launched a frontal assault led by Manuel González (later to become President of the Republic) on the imperial forces, the surprise cavalry attack from rear decided the day.

[2] As a result of the battle, Díaz's forces were replenished with about 1,000 captured rifles, two field pieces and over 50 mules loaded with ammunition.

This victory, and that of the Battle of La Carbonera, gave Díaz national fame and would solidify him as a hero of the war for many decades.