Battle of San José del Cabo
Encyclopedia
The Battle of San José del Cabo was a military engagement of the Mexican-American War which took place on two November days in 1847, after the fall
of Mexico
City
.
, a volunteer force from New York
, landed peacefully on the beaches of La Paz. Soon after they captured San José del Cabo
, another coastal town nearby. Commodore William Shubrick
of the United States Navy
left Lieutenant
Charles Heywood
, four sailors and twenty marines, along with a 9-pound carronade
to garrison
the town at the southern tip of the Baja California Peninsula
.
The small force was armed with a stock of seventy-five carbine
s, twenty of which were used to equip Californio
militia
men, fighting for rights promised to them by Lieutenant Colonel
Henry S. Burton and the United States Government. The garrison's only objective; hold onto San José. The small contingent occupied the town's barracks
in an old church on a hill at the north end of town which featured unintentionally good defenses.
La Paz on November 16, during which he dispatched three of his lieutenants and a force of around 150 militiamen, mainly peasant
s from the suburbs. Their orders were to march on San José to the south. Reaching the town three days later on November 19, apparently in the evening, the force did not attack but offered terms of surrender to the commanding American lieutenant.
Heywood refused so the next day, the Mexicans launched their assault on the town. The American force occupied their chapel barracks where they had placed the cannon at the doorway during the ensuing engagement. The Mexicans charged for the chapel in an attempt to capture the American's 9-pounder. The United States fighting men and the Californio militia put up stiff resistance.
The attack left Lieutenant José Antonio Mijares, possibly the Mexican commander, and a disputed six to twelve killed. The Mexicans claimed six deaths and Lieutenant Heywood claimed twice the number. Many others were wounded, mostly from artillery
shells bursting in front of them. The Americans suffered no casualties. The Mexican forces retreated for the day. On November 21, two American whaler
s appeared off the coast. The Mexicans feared the vessels to be enemy warship
s so they decided to abandon their attempt to capture San José del Cabo.
and the first-class sloop-of-war
to reinforce Heywood's men. The Southampton arrived on November 26 and the Portsmouth on December 3.
Captain Pineda, facing two defeats, one at La Paz where he personally commanded the battle, recalled his company from San José and decided to escalate his attack strength, first at the Siege of La Paz
and then again at the Siege of San José del Cabo
. For his brave action, the Mexicans consider the death of Lieutenant Mijares as heroic and have placed a monument to honor him on the main street of San José del Cabo, which is called Calle Mijares.
Battle for Mexico City
The Battle for Mexico City refers to the series of engagements from September 8 to September 15, 1847, in the general vicinity of Mexico City during the Mexican-American War...
of Mexico
Mexico
The United Mexican States , commonly known as Mexico , is a federal constitutional republic in North America. It is bordered on the north by the United States; on the south and west by the Pacific Ocean; on the southeast by Guatemala, Belize, and the Caribbean Sea; and on the east by the Gulf of...
City
Mexico City
Mexico City is the Federal District , capital of Mexico and seat of the federal powers of the Mexican Union. It is a federal entity within Mexico which is not part of any one of the 31 Mexican states but belongs to the federation as a whole...
.
Background
On July 21, 1847, American forces occupied La Paz for a second time. The New York VolunteersNew York Volunteers
The New York Volunteers was a American Loyalist provincial regiment which was served in the British Army during American War of Independence.It was raised in Halifax, January 1776. Two companies were in the 1776 New York campaign. It was at the raids on Fort Clinton and Fort Montgomery...
, a volunteer force from New York
New York
New York is a state in the Northeastern region of the United States. It is the nation's third most populous state. New York is bordered by New Jersey and Pennsylvania to the south, and by Connecticut, Massachusetts and Vermont to the east...
, landed peacefully on the beaches of La Paz. Soon after they captured San José del Cabo
San José del Cabo
The city of San José del Cabo is located in Baja California Sur Mexico and is the seat of the municipality of Los Cabos at the south end of the Baja California peninsula. In the 2010 census it had a population of 69,788. Together with neighboring Cabo San Lucas it forms a major tourist destination...
, another coastal town nearby. Commodore William Shubrick
William Shubrick
William Branford Shubrick was an officer in the United States Navy. His active-duty career extended from 1806 to 1861, including service in the War of 1812 and the Mexican-American War; he retired in the early months of the Civil War.-Biography:Born at "Belvedere," Bull's Island, South Carolina,...
of the United States Navy
United States Navy
The United States Navy is the naval warfare service branch of the United States Armed Forces and one of the seven uniformed services of the United States. The U.S. Navy is the largest in the world; its battle fleet tonnage is greater than that of the next 13 largest navies combined. The U.S...
left Lieutenant
Lieutenant
A lieutenant is a junior commissioned officer in many nations' armed forces. Typically, the rank of lieutenant in naval usage, while still a junior officer rank, is senior to the army rank...
Charles Heywood
Charles Heywood
Major General Charles Heywood was the ninth Commandant of the Marine Corps. He served as an officer for over 45 years and was the first Marine to reach the rank of major general...
, four sailors and twenty marines, along with a 9-pound carronade
Carronade
The carronade was a short smoothbore, cast iron cannon, developed for the Royal Navy by the Carron Company, an ironworks in Falkirk, Scotland, UK. It was used from the 1770s to the 1850s. Its main function was to serve as a powerful, short-range anti-ship and anti-crew weapon...
to garrison
Garrison
Garrison is the collective term for a body of troops stationed in a particular location, originally to guard it, but now often simply using it as a home base....
the town at the southern tip of the Baja California Peninsula
Baja California Peninsula
The Baja California peninsula , is a peninsula in northwestern Mexico. Its land mass separates the Pacific Ocean from the Gulf of California. The Peninsula extends from Mexicali, Baja California in the north to Cabo San Lucas, Baja California Sur in the south.The total area of the Baja California...
.
The small force was armed with a stock of seventy-five carbine
Carbine
A carbine , from French carabine, is a longarm similar to but shorter than a rifle or musket. Many carbines are shortened versions of full rifles, firing the same ammunition at a lower velocity due to a shorter barrel length....
s, twenty of which were used to equip Californio
Californio
Californio is a term used to identify a Spanish-speaking Catholic people, regardless of race, born in California before 1848...
militia
Militia
The term militia is commonly used today to refer to a military force composed of ordinary citizens to provide defense, emergency law enforcement, or paramilitary service, in times of emergency without being paid a regular salary or committed to a fixed term of service. It is a polyseme with...
men, fighting for rights promised to them by Lieutenant Colonel
Lieutenant colonel
Lieutenant colonel is a rank of commissioned officer in the armies and most marine forces and some air forces of the world, typically ranking above a major and below a colonel. The rank of lieutenant colonel is often shortened to simply "colonel" in conversation and in unofficial correspondence...
Henry S. Burton and the United States Government. The garrison's only objective; hold onto San José. The small contingent occupied the town's barracks
Barracks
Barracks are specialised buildings for permanent military accommodation; the word may apply to separate housing blocks or to complete complexes. Their main object is to separate soldiers from the civilian population and reinforce discipline, training and esprit de corps. They were sometimes called...
in an old church on a hill at the north end of town which featured unintentionally good defenses.
Battle
Captain Manuel Pineda, the commander of the Mexican forces during this campaign, had attackedBattle of La Paz
The Battle of La Paz was an engagement of the Pacific Coast Campaign during the Mexican-American War. The belligerents were United States Army troops against Mexican militia, commanded by Mexican Army officers...
La Paz on November 16, during which he dispatched three of his lieutenants and a force of around 150 militiamen, mainly peasant
Peasant
A peasant is an agricultural worker who generally tend to be poor and homeless-Etymology:The word is derived from 15th century French païsant meaning one from the pays, or countryside, ultimately from the Latin pagus, or outlying administrative district.- Position in society :Peasants typically...
s from the suburbs. Their orders were to march on San José to the south. Reaching the town three days later on November 19, apparently in the evening, the force did not attack but offered terms of surrender to the commanding American lieutenant.
Heywood refused so the next day, the Mexicans launched their assault on the town. The American force occupied their chapel barracks where they had placed the cannon at the doorway during the ensuing engagement. The Mexicans charged for the chapel in an attempt to capture the American's 9-pounder. The United States fighting men and the Californio militia put up stiff resistance.
The attack left Lieutenant José Antonio Mijares, possibly the Mexican commander, and a disputed six to twelve killed. The Mexicans claimed six deaths and Lieutenant Heywood claimed twice the number. Many others were wounded, mostly from artillery
Artillery
Originally applied to any group of infantry primarily armed with projectile weapons, artillery has over time become limited in meaning to refer only to those engines of war that operate by projection of munitions far beyond the range of effect of personal weapons...
shells bursting in front of them. The Americans suffered no casualties. The Mexican forces retreated for the day. On November 21, two American whaler
Whaler
A whaler is a specialized ship, designed for whaling, the catching and/or processing of whales. The former included the whale catcher, a steam or diesel-driven vessel with a harpoon gun mounted at its bows. The latter included such vessels as the sail or steam-driven whaleship of the 16th to early...
s appeared off the coast. The Mexicans feared the vessels to be enemy warship
Warship
A warship is a ship that is built and primarily intended for combat. Warships are usually built in a completely different way from merchant ships. As well as being armed, warships are designed to withstand damage and are usually faster and more maneuvrable than merchant ships...
s so they decided to abandon their attempt to capture San José del Cabo.
Aftermath
Upon hearing of the attack at San José del Cabo, Commodore Shubrick, sent the storeship USS SouthamptonUSS Southampton
USS Southampton has been the name of two ships of the United States Navy.*USS Southampton , a side wheel steamer, laid down in 1841, which served from 1845 until 1855...
and the first-class sloop-of-war
Sloop-of-war
In the 18th and most of the 19th centuries, a sloop-of-war was a warship with a single gun deck that carried up to eighteen guns. As the rating system covered all vessels with 20 guns and above, this meant that the term sloop-of-war actually encompassed all the unrated combat vessels including the...
to reinforce Heywood's men. The Southampton arrived on November 26 and the Portsmouth on December 3.
Captain Pineda, facing two defeats, one at La Paz where he personally commanded the battle, recalled his company from San José and decided to escalate his attack strength, first at the Siege of La Paz
Siege of La Paz
The Siege of La Paz was a Mexican siege of their own city of La Paz in Baja California Sur. Mexican militia forces attempted to destroy the United States Army garrison, occupying the peninsular town...
and then again at the Siege of San José del Cabo
Siege of San José del Cabo
The Siege of San José del Cabo, from January to February 1848, was a prolonged battle of the Mexican-American War in which Mexican militia besieged a smaller force of American marines, sailors and Californio militia...
. For his brave action, the Mexicans consider the death of Lieutenant Mijares as heroic and have placed a monument to honor him on the main street of San José del Cabo, which is called Calle Mijares.