The Battle of Azua (Battle of March 19), was the first major battle of the Dominican War of Independence and was fought on March 19, 1844, at Azua de Compostela, Azua Province. A force of some 2,200 Dominican troops, a portion of the Army of The South, led by General Pedro Santana, defeated an outnumbering force of 10,000 troops of the Haitian Army led by General Souffrand.