Combat· Mexican-American War
Battle of La Mesa
The final stand of Californio resistance in the south, fought the day after San Gabriel.
On 9 January 1847, as the American column pressed on toward Los Angeles, the Californio forces under Andrés Pico made a last effort to halt the advance on the plain at La Mesa. The Americans again carried the field; the Californios were driven off, several Americans were wounded, including Captain Gillespie of the Marines, slightly, and no Americans were killed. The defeat ended organized Californio armed resistance, and the following day, 10 January, the Americans reentered Los Angeles, restoring the occupation that Gillespie had been forced to surrender the previous autumn. La Mesa closed the active fighting of the California campaign in the south; within days the Californio leaders capitulated, and the conquest of the province was, in the main, complete.
Podcast episodes on Mexican-American War
Record no. 336