The Battle of Boca Teacapan was the result of a United States Navy expedition to destroy a

Mexican Mexican may refer to: Mexico and its culture *Being related to, from, or connected to the country of Mexico, in North America ** People *** Mexicans, inhabitants of the country Mexico and their descendants *** Mexica, ancient indigenous people ...

pirate ship which was attacking targets in the Pacific Ocean. United States sailors and marines in several small boats pursued the pirates to the

Boca Teacapan Boca Teacapan (Tecapan Mouth) is the outlet of the Estero de Teacapán (Tecapan Estuary) that drains two large coastal lagoons, Agua Grande Lagoon in Sinaloa and Agua Brava Lagoon in Nayarit to the Pacific Ocean. It forms part of the border between ...

, in

Sinaloa Sinaloa (), officially the Estado Libre y Soberano de Sinaloa ( en, Free and Sovereign State of Sinaloa), is one of the 31 states which, along with Mexico City, comprise the Administrative divisions of Mexico, Federal Entities of Mexico. It is d ...

, and up the

Teacapan Estuary Teacapan Estuary (Estero de Teacapán) is an estuary in Mexico, within the two provinces of Sinaloa and Nayarit. This long outlet drains two large coastal lagoons, Agua Grande Lagoon in Sinaloa on its northern end and Agua Brava Lagoon in Nayarit ...

for over several days in 1870 before defeating them at their hideout. The battle ended with the destruction of the pirate ship.

Background

In the Pacific Ocean, piracy continued into the 1870s off the coasts of both Asia and

North America North America is a continent in the Northern Hemisphere and almost entirely within the Western Hemisphere. It is bordered to the north by the Arctic Ocean, to the east by the Atlantic Ocean, to the southeast by South America and the Car ...

. In the summer of 1870, the Mexican pirate gunboat ''Forward'', with about 120 to 200 men of several nationalities, was attacking primarily Mexican and American shipping off Sinaloa. Pirates of ''Forward'' had also attacked Guaymas in June 1870. They occupied the customs house and then robbed the foreign residents. The pirates then forced the United States consulate in Guaymas to supply the steamer with 200 pounds of coal. These attacks led to the involvement of the Pacific Squadron. In May 1870 USS ''Mohican'' was newly assigned to the station and sent to destroy the pirate threat off Mazatlan. On June 15 about seventy-five United States marines and sailors in one launch armed with a

howitzer A howitzer () is a long- ranged weapon, falling between a cannon (also known as an artillery gun in the United States), which fires shells at flat trajectories, and a mortar, which fires at high angles of ascent and descent. Howitzers, like ot ...

and five boats rigged as

cutters Cutter may refer to: Tools * Bolt cutter * Box cutter, aka Stanley knife, a form of utility knife * Cigar cutter * Cookie cutter * Glass cutter * Meat cutter * Milling cutter * Paper cutter * Side cutter * Cutter, a type of hydraulic rescue to ...

were sent on an expedition to find the ''Forward''. American forces under

Executive Officer An executive officer is a person who is principally responsible for leading all or part of an organization, although the exact nature of the role varies depending on the organization. In many militaries and police forces, an executive officer, o ...

Lieutenant

Willard H. Brownson Rear-Admiral Willard Herbert Brownson (July 8, 1845 – March 16, 1935), was a United States Navy officer whose career included service against pirates in Mexico and service during the Spanish–American War. He also served a term as Superintende ...

proceeded along the coast from Mazatlan to San Blas and arrived the following day. There the force discovered that the pirates had steamed a day or so earlier into the Teacapan River (Teacapan Estuary) for the village of Boca Teacapan; the Americans sailed further in pursuit. When the Americans reached the river, they stopped their boats at the mouth and prepared for battle. Master Jonathan Mayhew Wainwright III was a professional sailor among the party, whose father Jonathan Mayhew Wainwright II and brother Robert Powell Page Wainwright both served the United States military with distinction. Lieutenant Brownson commanded the launch, while Wainwright and four other masters commanded the other boats.

Battle

When the preparations for combat were completed, Lieutenant Brownson ordered his men up the river at around 9:00 AM on June 17. After another forty-two miles, the Americans came within sight of a small boat and the ''Forward'', which had run aground on a shoal at the left bank of the river. The small boat was apparently being used for scouting as it immediately began to flee upon sighting the approaching Americans. Before the boat got far, the United States Navy cutters captured her, with six to eight pirates. With only a few minutes of daylight left, Brownson ordered an attack on the ''Forward''. Master Wainwright's boat and another were ordered to capture the steamer while Brownson in the launch provided covering fire with the howitzer. One other boat was used for the wounded and the two remaining were left as reserves. The armed launch opened fire on the ''Forward'', and the boarding party advanced. It was around 9:00 PM and dark by the time Master Wainwright and his men reached the sides of the steamer. Armed with cutlasses,

rifle A rifle is a long-barreled firearm designed for accurate shooting, with a barrel that has a helical pattern of grooves ( rifling) cut into the bore wall. In keeping with their focus on accuracy, rifles are typically designed to be held with ...

s and pistols, the Americans boarded the vessel without resistance. Half of the boarding party was on ''Forward''s deck when the pirates fired their first shots. Three volleys from the left side of the river were let loose at a range of fifty yards, then rifle and

musket A musket is a muzzle-loaded long gun that appeared as a smoothbore weapon in the early 16th century, at first as a heavier variant of the arquebus, capable of penetrating plate armour. By the mid-16th century, this type of musket gradually d ...

fire from the right bank began. Initially shocked, the Americans aboard the pirate steamer scrambled and then an

artillery battery In military organizations, an artillery battery is a unit or multiple systems of artillery, mortar systems, rocket artillery, multiple rocket launchers, surface-to-surface missiles, ballistic missiles, cruise missiles, etc., so grouped to fac ...

of four field pieces opened up. Cannon shot hit Wainwright's boat first which hurt the master and severely damaged the craft. Wainwright was badly wounded in the chest and the right arm but continued to direct his men to fire on the left bank where sniper fire had originated from. A coxwain of the same boat was lost as well when he was hit in the head with shrapnel, killing him instantly. Three other men of Wainwright's cutter were wounded. The boarding party returned fire and Lieutenant Brownson maneuvered his launch upstream and redirected his shot on the battery 150 yards up the river. Brownson started his bombardment of the battery while the men of the other boats sailed around the river, shooting at the Mexicans on shore. Over the course of the next few minutes, the fire from the pirates gradually reduced until the battery was silenced and the sniping had ceased. It was about 9:00 pm when the fighting stopped so Brownson ordered some men ashore to secure the area while another group attempted to refloat the ''Forward''.

Aftermath

After some thirty-five minutes of combat and several hours of trying to salvage the grounded pirate steamer, the Americans decided it was best to burn her to prevent her from being retaken. Turpentine was used to saturate the vessel, then she was lit and burnt. Three howitzer rounds were also fired into ''Forward''s hull, to help her sink. At 2:00 pm on June 18, Brownson and his men returned to the ''Mohican''. From there they sailed to Panama. Accounts of the Mexican forces involved differ: official reports say about 120 men crewed the ''Forward'' which opposed the Americans along the Teacapan, though some of the United States sailors and marines claimed that over fifty troops under a rebel Mexican general were involved. Mexicans, Spaniards and a few Americans were found to have made up the pirate crew, of which the first and second mate were captured. ''Forward'' had on board a

San Salvador San Salvador (; ) is the capital and the largest city of El Salvador and its eponymous department. It is the country's political, cultural, educational and financial center. The Metropolitan Area of San Salvador, which comprises the capital i ...

flag when taken. Master Wainwright died of his wounds received in battle on June 18, 1870. Eight Americans were wounded in total and three boats damaged. Casualties of the pirates are unknown. Jonathan Mayhew Wainwright IV was named after Master Wainwright and later became a four-star general during World War II. Lieutenant Brownson later became an

admiral Admiral is one of the highest ranks in some navies. In the Commonwealth nations and the United States, a "full" admiral is equivalent to a "full" general in the army or the air force, and is above vice admiral and below admiral of the fleet, ...

in the United States Navy and fought in the Spanish–American War.

References

*
Sinaloa
Enciclopedia de los Municipios de México * Asociacion de Gestores del Patrimonio Historico y Cultural de Mazatlán. 2009
''The Mesoamerican Ballgame-Ulama''
* {{DEFAULTSORT:Battle of Boca Teacapan 1870 in Mexico 1870 in the United States Conflicts in 1870 United States Navy in the 19th century United States Marine Corps in the 18th and 19th centuries History of Sinaloa

Piracy in the Pacific Ocean June 1870 events

Background

Battle

Aftermath

See also

References