Capture of Monterey

For the 1846 capture of Monterey, see Battle of Monterey.

The Capture of Monterey by the United States Navy and Marine Corps occurred in 1842. After hearing false news that war had broken out between the United States and Mexico, the commander of the United States Navy Pacific Squadron Thomas ap Catesby Jones sailed from Lima, Peru with three warships to Monterey, California, the capital of Alta California. The Americans' objective was to take control of the capital city before a suspected British cession could be achieved.

Capture of Monterey
Commodore Jones' flagship USS United States
Date October 19–20, 1842 Location Monterey, Alta California, Centralist Mexico (now Monterey, California, U.S.) Result Mexican victory Status quo ante bellum Americans leave the city after hearing war did not break out
Belligerents
United States	Mexico
Commanders and leaders
Thomas Jones	Manuel Micheltorena
Strength
Land: 50 Marines 100 Sailors Sea: 1 frigate 2 sloops-of-war	58 Soldiers 1 fort
Casualties and losses
None	None 1 fort captured

Capture

American forces included the frigate USS United States and the two sloops-of-war USS Dale and USS Cyane. The squadron arrived in Monterey Bay on October 19 and anchored. Commodore Jones sent his second-in-command, Captain James Armstrong, ashore to demand a Mexican surrender by 9:00 a.m. the following morning. The Mexican garrison consisted of only 58 men in an old fort. Since they chose not to resist when 9:00 a.m. came, 50 American marines and 100 sailors landed and captured the city without incident.

Aftermath

It was only the next day that Jones learned that war had not begun between the United States and Mexico and that the British were not preparing to take control of California. The Mexican troops were freed and, the landing party boarded their ships and set sail, saluting the Mexican flag as it exited the harbor.

Jones headed for the Hawaiian Kingdom, which had just been unofficially occupied by Royal Navy officer Lord George Paulet, and helped to restore the kingdom's independence. The incident proved unpopular in Mexico, and in response, Monterey's garrison constructed shore batteries and other defenses to guard its city from future attack, which came in 1846, during the Mexican–American War. Jones was relieved of duty but eventually served in the war with Mexico.

References

• Smith, Gene A., Thomas ap Catesby Jones, Commodore of Manifest Destiny, Annapolis Maryland: Naval Institute Press (2000) ISBN 1-55750-848-8 retrieved 8/27/10

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