Major Archibald H. Gillespie (October 10, 1812 – August 16, 1873) was an officer in the

United States Marine Corps The United States Marine Corps (USMC), also referred to as the United States Marines, is the maritime land force service branch of the United States Armed Forces responsible for conducting expeditionary and amphibious operations through combi ...

during the

Mexican–American War The Mexican–American War, also known in the United States as the Mexican War and in Mexico as the (''United States intervention in Mexico''), was an armed conflict between the United States and Mexico from 1846 to 1848. It followed the 1 ...

Biography

Born in New York City, Gillespie was commissioned in the Marine Corps in 1832. He commanded the Marine Guard on board the USS ''Fairfield'', USS ''Vincennes'', USS ''North Carolina'', and USS ''Brandywine''. On October 30, 1845, Lt. Gillespie was sent by President

James Polk James is a common English language surname and given name: *James (name), the typically masculine first name James * James (surname), various people with the last name James James or James City may also refer to: People * King James (disambiguat ...

with secret messages to the U.S. Consul

Thomas O. Larkin Thomas Oliver Larkin (September 16, 1802 – October 27, 1858), known in Spanish as Don Tomás Larkin, was an American diplomat and businessman. Larkin served as the only U.S. consul to Alta California during the Mexican era and was covertly in ...

Monterey, California Monterey (; es, Monterrey; Ohlone: ) is a city located in Monterey County on the southern edge of Monterey Bay on the U.S. state of California's Central Coast. Founded on June 3, 1770, it functioned as the capital of Alta California under bo ...

, Commodore

John D. Sloat John Drake Sloat (July 26, 1781 – November 28, 1867) was a commodore in the United States Navy who, in 1846, claimed California for the United States. Life He was born at the family home of Sloat House in Sloatsburg, New York, of Dutch ancestr ...

in command of the

Pacific Squadron The Pacific Squadron was part of the United States Navy squadron stationed in the Pacific Ocean in the 19th and early 20th centuries. Initially with no United States ports in the Pacific, they operated out of storeships which provided naval s ...

, and

John C. Frémont John Charles Frémont or Fremont (January 21, 1813July 13, 1890) was an American explorer, military officer, and politician. He was a U.S. Senator from California and was the first Republican nominee for president of the United States in 1856 ...

. Traveling across Mexico, he caught a ship to California, where he delivered his messages to Larkin and Sloat. Finding that Frémont was on his way to Oregon, he borrowed a horse and hurried north, where he caught up with him near the Oregon border. After delivering his messages, Gillespie turned around and headed back to California, where he helped Frémont take over the

Bear Flag revolt The California Republic ( es, La República de California), or Bear Flag Republic, was an unrecognized breakaway state from Mexico, that for 25 days in 1846 militarily controlled an area north of San Francisco, in and around what is now Son ...

of June 14, 1846, in California. He joined the Frémont volunteers in the

California Battalion The California Battalion (also called the first California Volunteer Militia and U.S. Mounted Rifles) was formed during the Mexican–American War (1846–1848) in present-day California, United States. It was led by U.S. Army Brevet Lieutenant Co ...

as its second in command after it was formed under Commodore

Robert F. Stockton Robert Field Stockton (August 20, 1795 – October 7, 1866) was a United States Navy commodore, notable in the capture of California during the Mexican–American War. He was a naval innovator and an early advocate for a propeller-driven, steam-p ...

on July 18, 1846. Gillespie accompanied Frémont and Stockton to San Diego on board the USS ''Cyane'' where he participated in the peaceful occupation of San Diego and Los Angeles. Captain Gillespie, Frémont's second in command of the

, was left with from 30 to 40 men to occupy Los Angeles after it had surrendered to Frémont and Stockton's men on August 13, 1846. Frémont was sent back north to recruit more men and Stockton, with his Marines and blue coats returned to their ships of the

. In Los Angeles, the largest city in California with about 3,000 residents, things might have remained peaceful, except that Capt. Gillespie had placed the town under

martial law Martial law is the imposition of direct military control of normal civil functions or suspension of civil law by a government, especially in response to an emergency where civil forces are overwhelmed, or in an occupied territory. Use Marti ...

. Californians "...could not walk two together down the street, nor gather together in their houses under any pretext..." greatly angering many of the Californios. On September 23, 1846, about 200–300 Californios staged a revolt, under Captain José Maria Flores, and exchanged shots with the Americans in their quarters at the Government House. Gillespie and his men withdrew from their headquarters in town to

Fort Moore Hill A fortification is a military construction or building designed for the defense of territories in warfare, and is also used to establish rule in a region during peacetime. The term is derived from Latin ''fortis'' ("strong") and ''facere'' ...

which, unfortunately, had no water. Gillespie was caught in a trap, outnumbered more than ten to one by the besiegers. John Brown, an American, called by the Californios Juan Flaco, meaning "Lean John," succeeded in breaking through the Californio lines and riding to Yerba Buena, where he delivered to Stockton a dispatch from Gillespie notifying him of the situation. Gillespie, on September 30, finally accepted the terms of capitulation and departed for San Pedro with his forces, weapons and flags plus two cannon (the others were spiked and left behind), accompanied by the exchanged American prisoners and several American residents. Denger, "Los Angeles in the War with Mexico". Later, Gillespie's forces fought in the

Battle of San Pasqual The Battle of San Pasqual, also spelled San Pascual, was a military encounter that occurred during the Mexican–American War in what is now the San Pasqual Valley community of the city of San Diego, California. The series of military skirmishes ...

, the

Battle of Dominguez Rancho The Battle of Dominguez Rancho or The Battle of the Old Woman's Gun or The Battle of Dominguez Hills took place on October 8th and October 9th, 1846, was a military engagement of the Mexican–American War that took place within Manuel Domin ...

, and the

Battle of Rio San Gabriel A battle is an occurrence of combat in warfare between opposing military units of any number or size. A war usually consists of multiple battles. In general, a battle is a military engagement that is well defined in duration, area, and force ...

with

U.S. Marines The United States Marine Corps (USMC), also referred to as the United States Marines, is the Marines, maritime land force military branch, service branch of the United States Armed Forces responsible for conducting expeditionary warfare, exped ...

and

members successfully ending the abortive four-month battle for Los Angeles and southern California. The

Treaty of Cahuenga The Treaty of Cahuenga ( es, Tratado de Cahuenga), also called the Capitulation of Cahuenga (''Capitulación de Cahuenga''), was an 1847 agreement that ended the Conquest of California, resulting in a ceasefire between Californios and Americans. T ...

in January 1847 ended all hostilities in California. Returning to Washington, D.C., in 1847, he subsequently served there and at

Pensacola, Florida Pensacola () is the westernmost city in the Florida Panhandle, and the county seat and only incorporated city of Escambia County, Florida, United States. As of the 2020 United States census, the population was 54,312. Pensacola is the principal ...

, until resigning from the Marine Corps October 14, 1854. For his distinguished service in California, he was promoted to captain, and then major, by

brevet Brevet may refer to: Military * Brevet (military), higher rank that rewards merit or gallantry, but without higher pay * Brevet d'état-major, a military distinction in France and Belgium awarded to officers passing military staff college * Aircre ...

. He died August 16, 1873, in San Francisco, California.

Namesake

USS ''Gillespie'' (DD-609) was named for him, "Gillespie", ''DANFS''. as was

Gillespie Field Gillespie Field is a county-owned public towered airport northeast of downtown San Diego, in El Cajon, San Diego County, California, United States. History : ''Section reference dates.'' In 1942 the United States Marine Corps chose a site wi ...

airport in

El Cajon, California El Cajon ( , ; Spanish: El Cajón, meaning "the box") is a city in San Diego County, California, United States, east of downtown San Diego. The city takes its name from Rancho El Cajón, which was in turn named for the box-like shape of the va ...

Notes

References

*Coronel, Antonio, edited by Doyce B. Nunis, Jr. (1994), "Tales of Mexican California." Bellerophon Books, 122 Helena St., Santa Barbara, CA 93101. : * * *

Biography

Namesake

Notes

References

Further reading