José Mariá Flores
Encyclopedia
General José María Flores (1818, New Spain
1866) was an officer in the Mexican Army
and was a member of la otra banda. He was appointed Governor and Comandante General pro tem of Alta California
from 1846 to 1847.
had accepted José Castro’s peaceful surrender during the Mexican-American War. However, Stockton did not trust the Californios and placed Archibald Gillespie in charge of Los Angeles
. This decision would bring about a rebellion led by General José María Flores.
Captain José María Flores arrived in California in 1842. He was a secretary for Governor Manuel Micheltorena
. He was a captain in Comandante General José Castro's military army. Castro sent Flores to deliver a message to Stockton stating that Castro was going to accede to the wishes of the United States. Stockton did not recognize Castro’s authority and rejected it. Castro, seeing no alternative, fled California. Governor Pío Pico
followed shortly thereafter. Flores and other military officers were left behind in Los Angeles.
Stockton placed Lieutenant Archibald Gillespie in charge of Los Angeles. Unfavorable rumors spread against the U.S. forces. Gillespie heard the rumors. He overreacted and arrested twenty Californian men. Californios, upset by Gillespie’s tactics, assembled a force to retake Los Angeles. Captain José María Flores, one of the officers, was chosen to act as comandante general. Captain José Antonio Carrillo
was made second in command, while Captain Andrés Pico
, as comandante de escuadrón, ranked third.
area to bring a force of American sympathizers to aid in securing Los Angeles. Word reached José del Carmen Lugo
that Wilson was looking for Lugo to arrest him. Lugo put together a Californio Militia and went after Wilson. The two forces met at the Battle of Chino
. Afterward Lugo took forty prisoners and turned them over to Flores. Flores asked Lugo to join forces with him, but Lugo declined. Flores wanted to send the prisoners to Mexico City
, but many people opposed the idea. Benjamin Wilson sent a message to Gillespie asking him to leave California completely. On October 4, 1846 Gillespie left San Pedro
. A few Chino prisoners were exchanged for Californio prisoners.
Flores began reclaiming California. Flores dispatched Manuel Garfias to retake Santa Barbara
. Garfias accomplished his mission without a fight. Manuel Castro was sent to secure the north. He occupied San Luis Obispo. Francisco Rico was sent south to retake San Diego. He did not make it there, because he was recalled back to Los Angeles. Rico sent a few Californios to watch over San Diego and to keep the Americans at bay.
Flores now had control of California from Santa Luis Obispo to San Diego, but his army had few arms and little ammunition. All male inhabitants of Southern California were asked to become soldiers. However, only about 200 men were kept in active service.
On October 6, 1846, 420 Americans, including 203 United States Marines, led by Captain William Mervine
landed at San Pedro. Flores dispatched José Antonio Carrillo
with fifty Californio Lancers to meet the advancing American forces, while remaining regular military forces remained to secure Los Angeles.
. Flores ordered Carrillo's forces, mostly local Spanish cattle ranchers, to engage Mervine's forces and they defeated the Marines, killing 14 while suffering zero casualties, while driving the Americans back to San Pedro Bay. This was the Battle of Dominguez Rancho
, and in history, one of the few times US Marines have ever been defeated in battle. This victory was also a high water mark for the Californios' control of their territory.
revolted against Flores. Flores was placed under arrest for his alleged scheme against the Chino prisoners and for allegedly stealing war funds. Flores decided not to send the Chino prisoners to Mexico City and no evidence was found in regards to the missing funds. On December 5 he was restored to power. Rico and Carrillo were jailed for the revolt, but released shortly afterward.
’s advance. A messenger was sent to Flores. Flores sent Andrés Pico to encounter the Americans. The Battle of San Pasqual
soon followed.
After the victorious battle, Flores requested that Pico return to Los Angeles, but to leave men in the south to watch the American movements. After the battle a few Californios were killed at the Pauma Massacre
. Flores sent José del Carmen Lugo and his militia to Temecula to avenge the killings. The Temecula Massacre
soon followed.
By January 4, 1847 Stockton and Kearny had joined forces (totalling 660 men) and were marching towards the Los Angeles area. In the north, John Charles Fremont was advancing with 320 men south towards Los Angeles. Flores sent messengers requesting a truce until word was received from Mexico City about the end of the war. It was a delay tactic. Stockton refused. He requested unconditional surrender
. He stated that all would be given amnesty
except Flores, who would be shot or taken prisoner.
. The Americans won a hard fought battle and Flores regrouped.
. By January 12, Flores’s troops offered a flag of truce.
On January 10, 1847, Flores left Los Angeles and stayed at Los Verdugos. He held a final council, in which he decided to leave California. He transferred command to Andrés Pico and departed that night, the 11th, for Sonora
. Before leaving Los Angeles he released all of the prisoners.
New Spain
New Spain, formally called the Viceroyalty of New Spain , was a viceroyalty of the Spanish colonial empire, comprising primarily territories in what was known then as 'América Septentrional' or North America. Its capital was Mexico City, formerly Tenochtitlan, capital of the Aztec Empire...
1866) was an officer in the Mexican Army
Mexican Army
The Mexican Army is the combined land and air branch and largest of the Mexican Military services; it also is known as the National Defense Army. It is famous for having been the first army to adopt and use an automatic rifle, , in 1899, and the first to issue automatic weapons as standard issue...
and was a member of la otra banda. He was appointed Governor and Comandante General pro tem of Alta California
Alta California
Alta California was a province and territory in the Viceroyalty of New Spain and later a territory and department in independent Mexico. The territory was created in 1769 out of the northern part of the former province of Las Californias, and consisted of the modern American states of California,...
from 1846 to 1847.
Mexican-America War
The American occupation would have gone smoothly if Commodore Robert F. StocktonRobert F. Stockton
Robert Field Stockton was a United States naval commodore, notable in the capture of California during the Mexican-American War. He was a naval innovator and an early advocate for a propeller-driven, steam-powered navy. Stockton was from a notable political family and also served as a U.S...
had accepted José Castro’s peaceful surrender during the Mexican-American War. However, Stockton did not trust the Californios and placed Archibald Gillespie in charge of Los Angeles
Los Ángeles
Los Ángeles is the capital of the province of Biobío, in the commune of the same name, in Region VIII , in the center-south of Chile. It is located between the Laja and Biobío rivers. The population is 123,445 inhabitants...
. This decision would bring about a rebellion led by General José María Flores.
Captain José María Flores arrived in California in 1842. He was a secretary for Governor Manuel Micheltorena
Manuel Micheltorena
Manuel Micheltorena was a Brigadier General of the Mexican Army, Adjutant-General of the same, Governor, Commandant-General and Inspector of the Department of the California...
. He was a captain in Comandante General José Castro's military army. Castro sent Flores to deliver a message to Stockton stating that Castro was going to accede to the wishes of the United States. Stockton did not recognize Castro’s authority and rejected it. Castro, seeing no alternative, fled California. Governor Pío Pico
Pío Pico
Pío de Jesús Pico was the last Governor of Alta California under Mexican rule.-Origins:...
followed shortly thereafter. Flores and other military officers were left behind in Los Angeles.
Stockton placed Lieutenant Archibald Gillespie in charge of Los Angeles. Unfavorable rumors spread against the U.S. forces. Gillespie heard the rumors. He overreacted and arrested twenty Californian men. Californios, upset by Gillespie’s tactics, assembled a force to retake Los Angeles. Captain José María Flores, one of the officers, was chosen to act as comandante general. Captain José Antonio Carrillo
José Antonio Carrillo
Captain José Antonio Ezequiel Carrillo was a Californio rancher, officer, and politician in the early years of Mexican Alta California and U.S...
was made second in command, while Captain Andrés Pico
Andrés Pico
Andrés Pico was a Californio who became a successful rancher, served as a military commander during the Mexican-American War; and was elected to the state assembly and senate after California became a state, when he was also commissioned as a brigadier general in the state militia.-Early...
, as comandante de escuadrón, ranked third.
Battle of Chino
Flores’s troops outnumbered Gillespie’s. Flores demanded that the Americans leave. February 13, 1846 Gillespie agreed to leave Los Angeles. Gillespie sent for Benjamin Wilson in the San BernardinoSan Bernardino, California
San Bernardino is a city located in the Riverside-San Bernardino metropolitan area , and serves as the county seat of San Bernardino County, California, United States...
area to bring a force of American sympathizers to aid in securing Los Angeles. Word reached José del Carmen Lugo
José del Carmen Lugo
José del Carmen Lugo was a major Californio landowner in the Los Angeles area, who worked beginning in 1839 to develop the San Bernardino and Yucaipa valleys, an area of more than . He made an alliance with the regional Cahuilla Indians....
that Wilson was looking for Lugo to arrest him. Lugo put together a Californio Militia and went after Wilson. The two forces met at the Battle of Chino
Battle of Chino
The Battle of Chino, a skirmish of the Mexican-American War occurred on September 26–27, 1846, during which 24 Americans led by Benjamin D. Wilson, who were hiding in the adobe house of Rancho Santa Ana del Chino, were captured by a group of about 50 Californios.-Background:In late September 1846,...
. Afterward Lugo took forty prisoners and turned them over to Flores. Flores asked Lugo to join forces with him, but Lugo declined. Flores wanted to send the prisoners to Mexico 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...
, but many people opposed the idea. Benjamin Wilson sent a message to Gillespie asking him to leave California completely. On October 4, 1846 Gillespie left San Pedro
San Pedro, Los Angeles, California
San Pedro is a port district of the city of Los Angeles, California, United States. It was annexed in 1909 and is a major seaport of the area...
. A few Chino prisoners were exchanged for Californio prisoners.
Flores began reclaiming California. Flores dispatched Manuel Garfias to retake Santa Barbara
Santa Barbara, California
Santa Barbara is the county seat of Santa Barbara County, California, United States. Situated on an east-west trending section of coastline, the longest such section on the West Coast of the United States, the city lies between the steeply-rising Santa Ynez Mountains and the Pacific Ocean...
. Garfias accomplished his mission without a fight. Manuel Castro was sent to secure the north. He occupied San Luis Obispo. Francisco Rico was sent south to retake San Diego. He did not make it there, because he was recalled back to Los Angeles. Rico sent a few Californios to watch over San Diego and to keep the Americans at bay.
Flores now had control of California from Santa Luis Obispo to San Diego, but his army had few arms and little ammunition. All male inhabitants of Southern California were asked to become soldiers. However, only about 200 men were kept in active service.
On October 6, 1846, 420 Americans, including 203 United States Marines, led by Captain William Mervine
William Mervine
William Mervine was a Rear Admiral in the United States Navy, whose career included service in the War of 1812, the Mexican-American War and the American Civil War.-Biography:...
landed at San Pedro. Flores dispatched José Antonio Carrillo
José Antonio Carrillo
Captain José Antonio Ezequiel Carrillo was a Californio rancher, officer, and politician in the early years of Mexican Alta California and U.S...
with fifty Californio Lancers to meet the advancing American forces, while remaining regular military forces remained to secure Los Angeles.
Battle of Dominguez Rancho
On October 7, 1846, the American forces advanced to the Spanish adobe buildings of the Dominguez RanchoDominguez Rancho Adobe
The Dominguez Rancho Adobe is California Historical Landmark Number 152, and in 1976 was placed on the National Register of Historic Places by the United States Department of the Interior....
. Flores ordered Carrillo's forces, mostly local Spanish cattle ranchers, to engage Mervine's forces and they defeated the Marines, killing 14 while suffering zero casualties, while driving the Americans back to San Pedro Bay. This was the Battle of Dominguez Rancho
Battle of Dominguez Rancho
The Battle of Dominguez Rancho or The Battle of the Old Woman's Gun was a military engagement of the Mexican-American War...
, and in history, one of the few times US Marines have ever been defeated in battle. This victory was also a high water mark for the Californios' control of their territory.
Comandante general
On October 26, 1846 Flores called the Departmental Assembly of California into session and reorganized the remaining California government. On November 1 Flores became the temporary governor and comandante general. On December 3, Francisco Rico and José Antonio CarrilloJosé Antonio Carrillo
Captain José Antonio Ezequiel Carrillo was a Californio rancher, officer, and politician in the early years of Mexican Alta California and U.S...
revolted against Flores. Flores was placed under arrest for his alleged scheme against the Chino prisoners and for allegedly stealing war funds. Flores decided not to send the Chino prisoners to Mexico City and no evidence was found in regards to the missing funds. On December 5 he was restored to power. Rico and Carrillo were jailed for the revolt, but released shortly afterward.
Battle of San Pasqual
Flores needed help from the national Mexican government. He sent Captain Antonio Coronel and a few men to Sonora to get reinforcements. In route the men learned of General Stephen W. KearnyStephen W. Kearny
Stephen Watts Kearny surname also appears as Kearney in some historic sources; August 30, 1794 October 31, 1848), was one of the foremost antebellum frontier officers of the United States Army. He is remembered for his significant contributions in the Mexican-American War, especially the conquest...
’s advance. A messenger was sent to Flores. Flores sent Andrés Pico to encounter the Americans. The Battle of San Pasqual
Battle of San Pasqual
The Battle of San Pasqual, also spelled San Pascual, was a military encounter that occurred during the Mexican-American War in what is now the San Pasqual Valley community of the city of San Diego, California. On December 6 and December 7, 1846, General Stephen W...
soon followed.
After the victorious battle, Flores requested that Pico return to Los Angeles, but to leave men in the south to watch the American movements. After the battle a few Californios were killed at the Pauma Massacre
Pauma Massacre
The Pauma Massacre occurred in December 1846, north of Escondido, California. Luiseño Indians killed eleven Mexicans, Californio lancers who had stolen horses from them...
. Flores sent José del Carmen Lugo and his militia to Temecula to avenge the killings. The Temecula Massacre
Temecula Massacre
The Temecula Massacre took place in December 1846 east of present-day Temecula, California. It was part of a series of related events in the Mexican-American War. A combined force of Californio militia and Cahuilla Indians attacked and killed an estimated 33-40 Luiseño Indians...
soon followed.
By January 4, 1847 Stockton and Kearny had joined forces (totalling 660 men) and were marching towards the Los Angeles area. In the north, John Charles Fremont was advancing with 320 men south towards Los Angeles. Flores sent messengers requesting a truce until word was received from Mexico City about the end of the war. It was a delay tactic. Stockton refused. He requested unconditional surrender
Unconditional surrender
Unconditional surrender is a surrender without conditions, in which no guarantees are given to the surrendering party. In modern times unconditional surrenders most often include guarantees provided by international law. Announcing that only unconditional surrender is acceptable puts psychological...
. He stated that all would be given amnesty
Amnesty
Amnesty is a legislative or executive act by which a state restores those who may have been guilty of an offense against it to the positions of innocent people, without changing the laws defining the offense. It includes more than pardon, in as much as it obliterates all legal remembrance of the...
except Flores, who would be shot or taken prisoner.
Battle of Rio San Gabriel
On January 8, 1847 Stockton's army encountered Flores’s Californios at the Battle of Rio San GabrielBattle of Rio San Gabriel
The Battle of Rio San Gabriel fought on January 8, 1847 was a decisive action of the California campaign of the Mexican-American War and occurred at a ford of the San Gabriel River, at what are today parts of the cities of Whittier, Pico Rivera and Montebello, about ten miles south-east of downtown...
. The Americans won a hard fought battle and Flores regrouped.
Battle of La Mesa
On January 9, 1847 Flores’s troops encountered Stockton’s forces one last time at the Battle of La MesaBattle of La Mesa
The Battle of La Mesa of the Mexican-American War occurred on January 9, 1847, in present-day Vernon, California, the day after the Battle of Rio San Gabriel during the California Campaign.-Background:...
. By January 12, Flores’s troops offered a flag of truce.
On January 10, 1847, Flores left Los Angeles and stayed at Los Verdugos. He held a final council, in which he decided to leave California. He transferred command to Andrés Pico and departed that night, the 11th, for Sonora
Sonora
Sonora officially Estado Libre y Soberano de Sonora is one of the 31 states which, with the Federal District, comprise the 32 Federal Entities of Mexico. It is divided into 72 municipalities; the capital city is Hermosillo....
. Before leaving Los Angeles he released all of the prisoners.