page_title: Capture of Mazatlán
section_title: Surrender
hierarchical_section_title: Capture of Mazatlán / Surrender
caption_attribution_description: English: General Ramón Corona, Mexican liberal. Español: General Ramón Corona, liberal mexicano.
context_page_description: The Capture of Mazatlán was a Mexican victory during the Maximilian Affair. Mazatlán was a key port of the Pacific trade routes yielding between $4 and $5 million a year.
context_section_description: The takeover of the city was preceded by a naval blockade dating from mid-April 1864 and a four-way oligarchy regarding the control of the city within the Juarista party. In May Plácido Vega, 3rd division central army general and his volunteer garrison guarded Mazatlán. In October 1864 Jesus García Morales the liberal governor of Nuevo León and one of his officers Ramón Corona both decided to take supreme control of Mazatlán and engaged in internal disputes that resulted in Morales placing an arrest warrant on his officer for misappropriation. On 10 October Ramón Corona was residing in the Presidio some miles away south-east of the city. He emptied the fort the next day and moved in the direction of Los Urias halfway to Mazatlán and asked Morales to officially surrender to him on the 15th. Morales declined and issued immediate war preparations against his fellow rebel officer. He mounted all the guns of the port (48 pieces) on the land passage into the city. His 500-strong garrison faced 600 infantry and 200 cavalry. Corona also had 1,000 reinforcements put on reserve. At 2 a.m., Corona launched an assault from the south 1.5 miles far from the city center. His army easily broke through the first line of defense of the artillery. After a very short close combat Morales' soldiers retreated in disorder. Corona claimed the city for himself and arrested Morales personally. Altogether 18 Republicans were killed and 15 more were wounded just before the arrival of the French forces.Antonio Rosales governor of Sinaloa arrived on the scene in late October and subdued the city for himself, overthrowing the sovereignty of the previous pretenders. Seeing this situation, the inhabitants favored a French occupation. On 24 October three French warships, the Victoire, D'Assas, and the Diamant departed from Acapulco with two Zouave companies (250 riflemen) led by Gustave-Joseph Munier, 150 marins, and 70 Egyptians on board. under the command of Captain Thomas Louis Le Normant de Kergrist. Manuel Lozada, an Imperialist officer, approached the vicinity of the town from inland and waited for the enclosure by the French navy. The city began its evacuation and the population fled from the coastline. On 12 November the Pacific Naval Division reached the port and was greeted by Commander Rosales under the flag of truce. Negotiations started on that very day and an ultimatum was handed over by the French with a deadline of 13 November. A second written notice was then sent, further threatening the Mexican command that any resistance would result in immediate hostilities which would also affect the neutral (mostly American) ships in the harbor. Rosales replied by putting the coastal batteries on alert, which gave them the ability to fire on any ship coming within their range. The next day at six o'clock the frigates started shelling the houses, damaging several of them. The Republican commander, escorted by the local consuls, sailed to the flagship on a boat to inform the French high command that they had fulfilled the criteria for surrender the previous night and thus evacuated Corona's garrison as requested. French troops landed, and Lozada's men (a force of 5000 soldiers) seized the city. One American citizen was shot on sight. A connection with San Blas and Zacatecas was established and the weapons trade as well as carrying of any arms were prohibited.
  The advocate for surrender General Corona tried to retake the city three times unsuccessfully in 1866. Only after Lozada's defection and disbanding due to lack of payment could the liberal forces regain possession of the city on 13 November 1866.
caption: Ramón Corona, controversial defender of the city
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