Combat· Mexican-American War
Siege of San Jose del Cabo
The most extended small-unit Marine action of the war, a stubborn defense in a remote corner of the peninsula.
By the new year the Mexican resistance in Baja had closed in on Lieutenant Charles Heywood's tiny garrison at San José del Cabo, a force of only a few dozen Marines, seamen, and California volunteers. Through January and into February 1848 the Mexicans pressed the post, the siege rising to a sustained assault over the final stretch of about ten days, during which several of the defenders were wounded. Heywood held the town against far greater numbers until the arrival of the sloop USS Cyane on 15 February broke the siege and relieved the garrison. The defense became a celebrated example of a small, isolated Marine-led command standing firm under prolonged pressure, and it confirmed Heywood, who had first raised the flag there, as a steady and capable officer.
Podcast episodes on Mexican-American War
Record no. 344