John Berrien Montgomery (1794 – March 25, 1872) was an officer in the

United States Navy The United States Navy (USN) is the maritime service branch of the United States Armed Forces and one of the eight uniformed services of the United States. It is the largest and most powerful navy in the world, with the estimated tonnage of ...

who rose up through the ranks, serving in the

War of 1812 The War of 1812 (18 June 1812 – 17 February 1815) was fought by the United States, United States of America and its Indigenous peoples of the Americas, indigenous allies against the United Kingdom of Great Britain and Ireland, United Kingdom ...

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 ...

and the American Civil War, performing in various capacities including the commanding of several different vessels.

Biography

Montgomery was born in

Allentown, New Jersey Allentown is a borough, located in western Monmouth County, in the U.S. state of New Jersey, bordering nearby Mercer County. As of the 2010 United States census, the borough's population was 1,828,War of 1812 The War of 1812 (18 June 1812 – 17 February 1815) was fought by the United States, United States of America and its Indigenous peoples of the Americas, indigenous allies against the United Kingdom of Great Britain and Ireland, United Kingdom ...

, serving in the attack on Kingston, Upper Canada, in November 1812, and in the capture of

York York is a cathedral city with Roman origins, sited at the confluence of the rivers Ouse and Foss in North Yorkshire, England. It is the historic county town of Yorkshire. The city has many historic buildings and other structures, such as a ...

in April of the following year; and for gallantly on board the in Perry's victory on Lake Erie, September 10, 1813. For his distinguished service he received a vote of thanks and a sword from

Congress A congress is a formal meeting of the representatives of different countries, constituent states, organizations, trade unions, political parties, or other groups. The term originated in Late Middle English to denote an encounter (meeting of ...

. In 1815 he served in Decatur's squadron in the war with

Algiers Algiers ( ; ar, الجزائر, al-Jazāʾir; ber, Dzayer, script=Latn; french: Alger, ) is the capital and largest city of Algeria. The city's population at the 2008 Census was 2,988,145Census 14 April 2008: Office National des Statistiques d ...

, was made a lieutenant in 1818, and commander in 1839. His commands included the

sloop-of-war In the 18th century and most of the 19th, a sloop-of-war in the Royal Navy was a warship with a single gun deck that carried up to eighteen guns. The rating system covered all vessels with 20 guns and above; thus, the term ''sloop-of-war'' enc ...

in 1844, and the

steam frigate Steam frigates (including screw frigates) and the smaller steam corvettes, steam sloops, steam gunboats and steam schooners, were steam-powered warships that were not meant to stand in the line of battle. There were some exceptions like for exam ...

in 1857. He served as Commandant of the Boston Navy Yard from June 1862 to December 1863, and then of the

Washington Navy Yard The Washington Navy Yard (WNY) is the former shipyard and ordnance plant of the United States Navy in Southeast Washington, D.C. It is the oldest shore establishment of the U.S. Navy. The Yard currently serves as a ceremonial and administrativ ...

in 1865. During the

, in early June 1846, Montgomery and the ship he commanded, the ''USS Portsmouth'', arrived in San Francisco Bay, then part of the Mexican department of The Californias (''Las Californias''). As a result, Montgomery was involved, albeit as a witness only and from a distance, in the events of 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 So ...

in which foreign residents, mostly American, revolted against the Mexican authorities in Sonoma. As a naval representative of the U.S. Government, he was deferred to by representatives of the Revolt, by representatives of the Alta California government and by other representatives of the U.S. On June 16, 1846, Montgomery sent a mission to Sonoma to investigate the conditions there, following the Revolt. On July 9, 1846, Montgomery and his detachment from the ''Portsmouth'' raised the American flag over the plaza in the town of

Yerba Buena Yerba buena or hierba buena is the Spanish name for a number of aromatic plants, most of which belong to the mint family. ''Yerba buena'' translates as "good herb". The specific plant species regarded as ''yerba buena'' varies from region to reg ...

(today's

San Francisco San Francisco (; Spanish for " Saint Francis"), officially the City and County of San Francisco, is the commercial, financial, and cultural center of Northern California. The city proper is the fourth most populous in California and 17th ...

). The name of the plaza was later changed to

Portsmouth Square Portsmouth ( ) is a port and city in the ceremonial county of Hampshire in southern England. The city of Portsmouth has been a unitary authority since 1 April 1997 and is administered by Portsmouth City Council. Portsmouth is the most dense ...

, commemorating Montgomery's ship. At his direction, Lt. Joseph W. Revere also lowered the

Bear Flag The Bear Flag is the official flag of the U.S. state of California. The precursor of the flag was first flown during the 1846 Bear Flag Revolt and was also known as the Bear Flag. A predecessor, called the Lone Star Flag, was used in an 183 ...

flying at

Sonoma, California Sonoma is a city in Sonoma County, California, United States, located in the North Bay region of the San Francisco Bay Area. Sonoma is one of the principal cities of California's Wine Country and the center of the Sonoma Valley AVA. Sonoma's ...

, north of San Francisco Bay and raised the U.S. Flag. The lowered Bear Flag ended up in Montgomery's possession and, in 1848, he delivered it to Naval authorities in Boston. Ultimately, in 1855, the flag was returned to California, where it was destroyed in the fires caused by the 1906 earthquake. In other action of the Mexican–American War, Montgomery blockaded Mazatlan for some months, and, with the assistance of Captain Lavalette in the , captured Guaymas. He was made a captain in 1853. In 1859, Montgomery commanded 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 ...

until relieved on January 2, 1862. Montgomery died at

Carlisle, Pennsylvania Carlisle is a borough in and the county seat of Cumberland County, Pennsylvania, United States. Carlisle is located within the Cumberland Valley, a highly productive agricultural region. As of the 2020 census, the borough population was 20,118 ...

in March 1872. His remains were interred at Oak Hill Cemetery,

Washington, D.C. ) , image_skyline = , image_caption = Clockwise from top left: the Washington Monument and Lincoln Memorial on the National Mall, United States Capitol, Logan Circle, Jefferson Memorial, White House, Adams Morgan, Na ...

Namesakes

Montgomery Street Montgomery Street is a north-south thoroughfare in San Francisco, California, in the United States. It runs about 16 blocks from the Telegraph Hill neighborhood south through downtown, terminating at Market Street. South of Columbus Avenue ...

, a notable street in downtown San Francisco. * USS ''Montgomery'', a naval destroyer launched in 1918 and scrapped in 1946.DANFS, Montgomery V (Destroyer No. 121), US Naval History and Heritage Command
accessed December 24, 2019

Sources

Notes

References

*Rogers, Fred Blackburn, ''Montgomery and the Portsmouth'' (The Portsmouth Marine Society, 1990).

External links

* {{DEFAULTSORT:Montgomery, John Berrien American people of the Bear Flag Revolt United States Navy personnel of the War of 1812 Commanders of the California Republic People of New Jersey in the American Civil War United States Navy admirals United States Navy personnel of the Mexican–American War 1794 births 1872 deaths People from Allentown, New Jersey Burials at Oak Hill Cemetery (Washington, D.C.)