Capture of Monterey, California was a Mexican-American War engagement fought in California, 1846. It was a United States victory.
The Battle of Monterey, at Monterey, California, occurred on 7 July 1846, during the Mexican-American War. The United States captured the town unopposed.
In February 1845, at the Battle of Providencia, the Californio forces had ousted the Mexican-appointed non-Californio governor, Manuel Micheltorena, and most of his forces from Alta California. The central government in Mexico City cancelled an attempt to reassert authority and grudgingly recognized the regime of the succeeding Californio governor, Pio Pico, who remained nominally in charge in Alta California.
The main forces available to the United States in California were the about 400-500 bluejacket sailors and U.S. Marines on board the five ships of the Navy's Pacific Squadron. In November 1845, Commodore John D. Sloat, commander of the Pacific Squadron, then at Mazatlán, Mexico, was joined by the USS Cyane, which carried orders that if Sloat learned "beyond a doubt" that war between the U.S. and Mexico had begun, he was to seize San Francisco Bay and blockade the other California ports.
On 17 May 1846, Commodore Sloat received word of the first open hostilities on the Rio Grande. On 26 May, Sloat received word of the Battle of Palo Alto and the Battle of Resaca de la Palma, upon which he sent a coded message to Secretary of the Navy George Bancroft that he was leaving for California. After delaying his departure, Sloat received news on 7 June that an American squadron had blockaded Vera Cruz. Sloat sailed on the frigate Savannah on 8 June, arriving at Monterey on 1 July.
They joined the sloop Cyane, which had sailed on 19 June and was already there. The Americans suspected without evidence that the British were interested in annexing California, which was exacerbated by their knowledge that the Royal Navy's Pacific Station was stronger than American naval forces in the area. On 5 July, Sloat received a message from Capt. John B. Montgomery of the Portsmouth in San Francisco Bay reporting the events of the Bear Flag Revolt in Sonoma and its open support by Brevet Capt. John C. Frémont.
On 6 July, believing Frémont to be acting either on orders from Washington or information that war had been declared, Sloat therefore began to carry out his orders. In a message to Montgomery, Sloat relayed his decision to seize Monterey and ordered the commander to take possession of Yerba Buena (modern-day San Francisco), adding, "I am very anxious to know if Captain Frémont will cooperate with us."
Early on 7 July 1846, the frigate USS Savannah and the two sloops, USS Cyane and USS Levant of the United States Navy, commanded by Commodore John D. Sloat, captured Monterey and raised the flag of the United States.
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