The Naval Expedition Under Commodore Perry Ascending the Tabasco River at the Devil’s Bend.
From a lithograph designed and drawn on stone by Lieutenant H. Walke, U. S. N.
At the San Gabriel River a decided stand was made against the Americans, but the sailors crossed over and carried the enemy’s works by assault on January 8, 1847. That being the anniversary of the battle of New Orleans, the Yankees celebrated their triumph. They had lost two killed and nine wounded, while the Mexicans lost seventy killed and one hundred and fifty wounded. Los Angeles was retaken on January 15th.
Then Stockton left for the East and Commodore William Bradford Shubrick came to the coast with the liner Independence and the brig Preble.
Commodore Biddle also came to the coast at that time, and there was some little difficulty (not personal) over the question of which one was to have command, but it was settled by both doing the best they could for the Government while awaiting word from the Navy Department. Every Mexican port north of Acapulco was blockaded, and at Mazatlan the custom-house was administered by the Americans and some $300,000 collected on imports.
S. F. Dupont.
From a photograph.
From a naval man’s point of view the most interesting deeds on this coast were a few cutting-out expeditions. The Cyane, under Commander Dupont, after landing and spiking all the guns at San Blas, went up the Gulf of California to Guaymas. There Dupont found two Mexican gun-boats and a brig. On seeing the Cyane the Mexicans burned their gun-boats but hauled their brig in close to the beach, where several hundred soldiers were able to cover her from the houses along shore. There were also a number of cannon to keep off invaders.
Captain Dupont, however, ordered out his launch and a cutter under Lieutenant G. W. Harrison, Lieutenant Higginson, and Midshipman Lewis. These, under cover of a fire from the Cyane, rowed in, cut the moorings and began towing the brig out unmolested. At that the Cyane stopped firing for a few moments, but the instant the Cyane stopped the Mexicans began. Then the Cyane opened again, when the Mexicans fled; but when the Cyane had to stop on account of the line of fire endangering her own men the Mexicans returned and began again. However, the Cyane finally drove them away by firing over her own boats, and the brig was towed out of the Mexican range and burned.