Combat· Mexican-American War
Bombardment and capture of Guaymas
The first major American blow against the Mexican mainland Pacific coast.
The frigate USS Congress, under Captain Mervine, anchored in the harbor of Guaymas, on the Sonora coast, in mid-October 1847 and threatened the port with bombardment. Faced with the guns of the squadron, the Mexican garrison secretly evacuated the town and its artillery by night, and when the Americans opened fire and then landed, they found Guaymas largely abandoned by its defenders and much of its population. A Marine and sailor landing force took possession. The capture gave the squadron a forward base on the mainland coast and a stepping stone toward the larger prize of Mazatlán, taken the following month. No American casualties resulted from the bloodless occupation, though the town would see further skirmishing with Mexican forces nearby through the rest of the war. Guaymas opened the mainland phase of the Pacific coast operations.
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Record no. 341