Battle of Mulegé
Part ofMexican–American War
American forces after capturing the hill at Mulege.
Date 2 October 1847 Location Mulegé,Baja California Sur Result Mexican victory
Belligerents
United States	Mexico
Commanders and leaders
Thomas O. Selfridge Tunis Craven	Manuel Pineda Muñoz
Strength
17 marines 54 seaman Dale[1]: 153	100militia[1]: 33
Casualties and losses
2 wounded[1]: 32	None[1]: 33

TheBattle of Mulegé was an American attack onMulegé,Baja California Sur, during theMexican–American War. On 2 October 1847,United States Marines and sailors fought with Mexicanmilitia.

On August 10, 1847,United States NavyCommodoreWilliam Shubrick had resumed command of thePacific Squadron. His first orders upon retaking command was the sending ofsloops-of-warUSSDale andUSSPortsmouth along with thefrigateCongress to commence a new blockade ofMazatlán,Guaymas andSan Blas.

When theDale arrived alone atLa Paz in mid-September, the commander of the U.S. occupation force there,Lieutenant ColonelHenry S. Burton, persuaded theDale's commander,Thomas O. Selfridge, to sail forLoreto and Mulegé to prevent the landing of supplies from Guaymas and to secure a pledge of neutrality from the Mexican inhabitants.^{[1]: 28–39}

On September 30, the Dale entered the port of Mulegé underBritish colors. AfterDale was anchored, it lowered the British flag and raised theStars and Stripes.^[1]: 31 Lieutenant Tunis Augustus Macdonough Craven ofDale, went ashore under a flag of truce and delivered to the Mexican emissary, Sub-Lt. Jesus Avilez, a message that Californias was American territory, which prompted Avilez's request for time to consider.^[1]: 30 Craven then seized theMexican NavyschoonerMagdalena, which had brought Capt. Manuel Pineda days before from Guaymas.^[1]: 30

On October 1, Commander Selfridge sent a letter ashore warning the Mexican authorities to lay down their arms, to preserve neutrality and to abstain from contact with the mainland within three hours.^[1]: 30 Returning again after three hours, Craven received Pineda's refusal of the ultimatum.^[1]: 30 Returning again the next morning, Craven received Pineda's written rejection, CaptainManuel Pineda Muñoz stating that he refused to be neutral and is in protest against theDale's use of British flag to enter the port.^[1]: 31

Pineda's defiance did not go unanswered. At 2 PM on 2 Oct. 1847, Lieutenant Craven with seventeen marines and fifty-seven sailors landed at the entrance to Muleje Creek (El Sombrerito) and proceeded up the right bank.^[2]: 153 Just after landing, USSDale began her bombardment which reportedly had little effect.

Now on shore, the American marines and sailors proceeded to a nearby hill, occupied by a strong Mexican force commanding the town.^[2]: 153 Before reaching the hill, however, a shot was fired from a window of a nearby house and from athicket to the Americans' left.^[2]: 153

Immediately, Craven dispatched a small force to attack and burn the house while he attacked the thicket.^[2]: 153 The house was burned and Lieutenant Craven encountered no one in the thicket or additional houses.^[2]: 153

The Americans took the hill, the Mexicans retreating beyond the stream, and from severalambuscades, fired upon the Americans' left flank.^[2]: 154 The American forces responded with several volleys of return fire which forced the Mexicans to flee up the creek.^[2]: 153 Marching to the village at the foot of the hill, they found it deserted before proceeding to the River Road.^[2]: 154 Lieutenant Craven's men were again attacked by Mexican insurgents firing from the jungle on the opposite bank, but his fire along with The Boat Gun, drove them off. The farthest Craven took his force was three miles from the mouth of the river.^[2]: 154

With the approach of night, Craven then proceeded to take his men back aboard theDale.^[2]: 154

Craven thought he had inflicted "Chastisement",^[2]: 155 while Manuel Pineda reported "the enemy made off shamefully ... having inflicted exemplary punishment."^[3]: 153

After the battle at Mulegé, theDale sailed for La Paz, with theMagdalena in tow, reaching it on 8 Oct.^[1]: 32

Commander Selfridge chartered a small schooner from an American citizen living at La Paz, christened itLibertad, and armed it with a 9-pounder on a pivot.^[1]: 33 Assigned to Lt. Craven, his mission was to sever communication between Mulege and Guaymas.^[1]: 33 On 2 Nov., Craven captured thesloopAlerta, before heading to Guaymas on 19 Nov.^[1]: 34

• Nathan Covington Brooks,A Complete History of the Mexican War (The Rio Grande Press, Inc., 1965).
• Justin H. Smith,The War With Mexico, Vols. I and II. (Peter Smith, Gloucester, Mass., 1963).
• John R. Spears,The History of the Navy, Vol. III (Charles Scribner's Sons, New York, 1897), pp. 401–409.
• K. Jack Bauer,Surfboats and Horse Marines (U.S. Naval Institute, Annapolis, Md., 1969).
• President James K. Polk's Message on War with Mexico, May 11, 1846, inDocuments of American History, 9th edition, Vol. I (Prentice Hall, Inc., 1979), p. 311.
•  This article incorporates text from thepublic domainDictionary of American Naval Fighting Ships. The entry can be foundhere.

• A Continent Divided: The U.S. - Mexico War, Center for Greater Southwestern Studies, the University of Texas at Arlington

• Battles involving the United States
• Battles and conflicts without fatalities
• Naval battles of the Mexican–American War
• Pacific Coast Campaign
• United States Marine Corps in the 18th and 19th centuries
• October 1847

• Wikipedia articles incorporating text from the Dictionary of American Naval Fighting Ships
• Baja California Sur articles missing geocoordinate data
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