The First Battle of Tuxpan was the only major battle fought 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 ...
at
Tuxpan, Mexico.
Background
Commodore
Matthew C. Perry
Matthew Calbraith Perry (April 10, 1794 – March 4, 1858) was a commodore of the United States Navy who commanded ships in several wars, including the War of 1812 and the Mexican–American War (1846–1848). He played a leading role in the op ...
's
Home Squadron extended its
blockade of Mexico's eastern ports to include
Tuxpan
Tuxpan (or Túxpam, fully Túxpam de Rodríguez Cano) is both a municipality and city located in the Mexican state of Veracruz. The population of the city was 78,523 and of the municipality was 134,394 inhabitants, according to the INEGI census o ...
and Tabasco, more commonly known as
Villahermosa
Villahermosa ( , ; "Beautiful Village") is the capital and largest city of the Mexican state of Tabasco, and serves as the Municipalities of Mexico, municipal seat (governing county) of the state. Located in Southeast Mexico, Villahermosa is an ...
.
Perry's
Mosquito Fleet
The term Mosquito Fleet has had a variety of naval and commercial uses around the world.
United States
In United States, U.S. naval and maritime history, the term has had ten main meanings:
#The United States Navy's fleet of small gunboats, lead ...
carrying a landing force of 1,519 men and four pieces of artillery, reached the mouth of the
Tuxpan River on 17 April. The Mexicans had five batteries with eight guns each, and about 400 men under the command of General
Martin Perfecto de Cos Martin may refer to:
Places
* Martin City (disambiguation)
* Martin County (disambiguation)
* Martin Township (disambiguation)
Antarctica
* Martin Peninsula, Marie Byrd Land
* Port Martin, Adelie Land
* Point Martin, South Orkney Islands
Austral ...
, along the six mile approach to the town.
Battle
On 18 April, Perry's crafts towed 30 barges upriver, and secured two downriver fortifications and those at the edge of town by 3 PM.
[Bauer, K.J., 1974, ''The Mexican War, 1846–1848'', New York: Macmillan, ] The town surrendered by 4 PM, when Perry removed the guns and destroyed the fortifications before evacuating the town on 22 April, keeping a pair of craft to blockade the river.
References
Further reading
* Nevin, David; editor, ''The Mexican War'' (1978)
External links
Roll of Honor - U.S. Casualties of Naval Actions in the War with Mexico
{{DEFAULTSORT:Tuxpan, 01 Battle of
Mosquito Fleet Campaign
United States Marine Corps in the 18th and 19th centuries
Naval battles of the Mexican–American War
April 1847 events