Engagement at Chino was a Mexican-American War engagement fought in California, 1846. It was a Mexico victory.
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.
Years of political unease preceded the battle. Tensions arose between the native Californios and the arriving American settlers, as well as within the Californio community itself. Divided loyalties fractured the region; some Californios maintained allegiance to the central Mexican authority, while others began to sympathize with the idea of American annexation out of frustration with the status quo. The San Bernardino Valley was highly susceptible to these divisions. Furthermore, the arrival of American settlers further exacerbated concerns over land seizure, cultural displacement, and legal authority. In late September 1846, as war between Mexico and the United States was declared, about 20 Americans led by Benjamin Davis Wilson assembled at Isaac Williams' Rancho Santa Ana del Chino. Williams, originally from Pennsylvania, had become a Mexican citizen - a prerequisite for owning land - and married Maria de Jesus Lugo, daughter of Antonio Maria Lugo. The Californios doubted the loyalty of Wilson's men and set out to arrest them.
Serbulo Varela, Diego Sepulveda and Ramon Carrillo left Los Angeles with about fifty men, while José del Carmen Lugo with another fifteen to twenty men left from San Bernardino to converge upon Rancho del Chino. On the night of September 26, 1846, the adobe ranch house was surrounded by the Californios. At dawn, the following day, gunfire was exchanged resulting in one Californio (Carlos Ballesteros, son of the grantee of Rancho Rosa Castilla) dead with two wounded and three Americans wounded. American fighters were anticipating reinforcements from nearby forces, but they never came because of failed communication. They fortified the ranch house but were quickly overwhelmed. The Californios attempted to set fire to the roof of the house. Suffocation and limited ammunition forced Wilson to surrender to Varela. This brief engagement became known as the Battle of Chino.
Wilson mentions in his memoirs that he gathered his group of soldiers at the Isaac Williams' ranch after hearing rumors of a Californio's revolt against American forces. After he and his men were defeated, they surrendered and were captured. While a prisoner, he observed high tensions amongst the Californio men - many advocating for the execution of the prisoners in retaliation for the death of their comrade. Wilson also notes that Serbulo Varela halted their intentions, threatening to defend the prisoners with force if necessary, to prevent their execution.
Approximate location. The nearest recorded settlement is shown; the exact site is unrecorded.
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