As it had been in the Basque Provinces and Navarre, 1874 would be the turning point of the war. It began with a small Carlist defeat in Caspe, Aragon, where a government force under Colonel Eulogio Despujol surprised Manuel Marco de Bello's forces in the town of Caspe, defeating them and forcing to flee in disorder. 200 Carlists were taken prisoner during this surprise attack. However, Carlists, strengthened by reinforcements sent by the Infante Alfonso from Vallès in Tarragona, were able to establish a small state in the Maestrat, centered around the town of Cantavieja. They repelled several attacks on Cantavieja but finally capitulated after a siege.