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 Inconclusive 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: 50Marines 100Sailors Sea: 1frigate 2sloops-of-war	58Soldiers 1fort
Casualties and losses
None	None 1 fort captured

TheCapture of Monterey by theUnited States Navy andMarine Corps occurred in 1842. After hearing false news that war had broken out between the United States andMexico, the commander of the United States NavyPacific SquadronThomas ap Catesby Jones sailed fromLima, Peru with three warships toMonterey, California, the capital of Alta California. The Americans' objective was to take control of the capital city before a suspectedBritish cession could be achieved.

American forces included thefrigateUSSUnited States and the twosloops-of-warUSSDale andUSSCyane. The squadron arrived inMonterey Bay on October 19 and anchored.Commodore Jones sent his second-in-command,CaptainJames Armstrong, ashore to demand a Mexican surrender by 9:00 a.m. the following morning. The Mexicangarrison consisted of only 58 men in an oldfort. 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.

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 theHawaiian Kingdom, which had just beenunofficially occupied byRoyal Navy officerLord George Paulet, and helped to restore the kingdom's independence. The incident proved unpopular in Mexico, and in response, Monterey's garrison constructedshore batteries and other defenses to guard its city from futureattack, which came in 1846, during theMexican–American War. Jones was relieved of duty but eventually served in the war with Mexico.

36°35′47″N121°53′19″W / 36.59639°N 121.88861°W /36.59639; -121.88861

• 1842 in Alta California
• Conflicts in 1842
• Modern Mexico
• Military history of California
• Monterey, California
• Naval battles involving the United States
• Punitive expeditions of the United States
• History of Monterey County, California
• October 1842

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