The Battle of Lajes occurred on 13 June 1873 when the Argentine general Felix Sarmiento attacked a smaller French army led by General Etienne Hamelin as it liberated the Brazilian town of Lages in Santa Catarina, resulting in a catastrophic defeat for the Argentines.
General Hamelin's expedition landed in Santa Catalina in May 1873 and immediately set about occupying the province. The Argentine general Sarmiento led Argentina's entire army, nearly 41,000 troops, to confront the French before they could descend on Montevideo or Buenos Aires. On 13 June 1873, the Argentines assaulted the entrenched French army at Lajes. Despite enjoying numerical superiority, the Argentines suffered catastrophic losses while launching frontal assaults against the French defenders. 22,137 Argentines were killed or wounded, while the French suffered nearly 10,000 losses. The Argentines drew off and refused to attack the French again, but the French decided against pursuing their defeated foes due to their own considerable losses. Faced with the threat of war with Germany, France ultimately withdrew their expedition on 29 June.