Capture of Monterey facts for kids

Quick facts for kids Capture of Monterey
Commodore Jones' flagship USS United States
Date October 19–20, 1842 Location Monterey, Alta California, Mexico (now Monterey, California, United States) Result American victory
Belligerents
United States	Mexico
Commanders and leaders
Thomas Jones	Unknown
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

The Capture of Monterey happened in 1842. It was when the United States Navy and Marines took control of the city of Monterey, California. This event happened because a U.S. Navy commander, Thomas ap Catesby Jones, heard some false news. He thought that war had started between the United States and Mexico.

Commander Jones was in charge of the Pacific Squadron, a group of warships. He sailed from Lima, Peru with three ships towards Monterey. His goal was to capture the city. Monterey was the capital of Alta California, a Mexican territory. Jones wanted to take control before the British could possibly claim it.

How Monterey Was Captured

The American forces had three warships. These included the large ship USS United States, which was a frigate. They also had two smaller ships called sloops-of-war, named USS Dale and USS Cyane.

Arriving in Monterey Bay

On October 19, 1842, the ships arrived in Monterey Bay and dropped anchor. Commodore Jones sent his second-in-command, Captain James Armstrong, to the shore. Captain Armstrong delivered a message to the Mexican leaders. He demanded that they surrender by 9:00 a.m. the next morning.

Taking the City

The Mexican forces in Monterey were very small. There were only 58 soldiers guarding an old fort. When 9:00 a.m. arrived, the Mexican soldiers chose not to fight. So, 50 American Marines and 100 sailors landed from their ships. They marched into the city and captured it without any fighting or injuries.

What Happened Next

The day after the city was captured, Commodore Jones learned the truth. He found out that war had not actually started between the United States and Mexico. He also discovered that the British were not planning to take over California.

Returning Control

Because there was no war, the Mexican troops were set free. The American landing party went back to their ships. As they sailed out of the harbor, they saluted the Mexican flag. This showed respect for Mexico.

Later Events

After leaving Monterey, Jones sailed to Hawaii. At that time, the British had recently taken control of Hawaii. Jones helped to bring back the Kingdom of Hawaii's independence.

The incident in Monterey made Mexico very unhappy. In response, the city of Monterey built new shore batteries and other defenses. These were meant to protect the city from future attacks. An attack did come later, in 1846, during the Mexican–American War. This later event is known as the Battle of Monterey.

Commodore Jones was removed from his command for a short time. However, he later served again in the war with Mexico.