Battle of Veracruz ( 1838 ) The Battle of Veracruz , or the Battle of San Juan de Ulúa , is a naval battle that opposed a French frigate squadron under Contre - amiral Charles Baudin to the Mexican citadel of San Juan de Ulúa that defended the city of Veracruz between the 27 November 1838 to 5 December . Having crossed the Atlantic to settle a dispute between France and Mexico , the squadron anchored off Veracruz and negotiated until all diplomatic means to solve the dispute appeared exhausted . After announcing that hostilities would begin , Baudin had his squadron bombard the fort . French fire , particularly heavy mortars mounted on Bomb vessel s and Paixhans gun s on frigates , silenced the citadel and forced it to surrender on 28 November , a remarkable feat for the time . Mexican authorities , however , refused to cave in to French demands , forcing Baudin to mount a raid against the city itself on 5 December . Despite its limited ground forces , the French squadron succeeded in capturing Mariano Arista and in wounding General Antonio López de Santa Anna . The swift capture of the citadel at the hands of a limited squadron of relatively light warships stunned military observers who had gathered to watch the scene , and marked the beginning of the era of shell artillery and the modernisation of navies across the world . Politically , the attack undermined the Mexican regime while bolstering the prestige of Santa Anna , contributing to further the political instability of Mexico . In France , the battle yielded considerable public attention at the moment , but was later overshadowed by the much more considerable French intervention in Mexico in the 1860s . Background . The Mexican War of Independence concluded with the country of Mexico gaining independence from Spain , and a flourishing of different factions attempting to seize power . Several generals disputed authority over the country through the force of arms , resulting in 20 different Presidents of Mexico in 20 years . Civilian populations suffered from these struggles for power , as well as foreign expatriates , as the country had attracted considerable investments , notably in the mining industry . In particular , the 6000 French that had settled in Mexico periodically requested intervention on their behalf from the French government , and their allies were becoming more numerous and urgent . Between 1828 and 1838 , a wealth of killings , expropriations , forced borrowings , arbitrary arrests and other abuses were committed . The French government made several attempts at settling the matter by commercial agreements , demands for compensations and even threats of armed interventions , but to no avail . In 1837 , a French pastry cook named Remontel , established in Tacubaya , had his stocks pillaged by drunken Mexican soldiers . The French government decided to settle the matter once for all by sending a military expedition to Mexico , tasked with demanding punishment for the culprits , guarantees for the security of French interests in the future , that French citizens in the country be exempted from forced war contributions and borrowings , and 600 000 Piastre s , equivalent to three million francs . The Mexican government refused , and because of the triggering incident , the conflict was nicknamed " Pastry War " . A first French frigate squadron under Captain Charles Louis Joseph Bazoche , comprising the 60 - gun frigate " Herminie " and three brigs , was sent to Mexico in late 1837 in order to demonstrate French resolve off Vera Cruz . As Mexico did not possess any warship capable of challenging the squadron , the frigates blockaded the city unopposed , seizing a 36 merchantmen in the process , but President Anastasio Bustamante refused to satisfy the demands . On 16 April 1838 , diplomatic relations between France and Mexico broke down , leaving armed action as a last recourse . However , the fortress of San Juan de Ulua was much too strong for Bazoche ' s forces , who were furthermore exhausted by months of campaign , and suffered from Yellow fever . As stronger second squadron , under Counter admiral Charles Baudin , was then sent the next year . The backbone of this squadron was constituted by four powerful frigates : the 60 - gun " Iphigénie " , the 50 - gun " Néréide " , " Gloire " and " Médée " ; Bazoche ' s " Herminie " was supposed to reinforce the squadron , but she was wrecked in Bermuda . Frigates were chosen because they were deemed strong enough to carry out a serious military mission , but sufficiently light to avoid challenging the British naval supremacy . The squadron also comprised the 24 - gun corvettes " Créole " and " Naïade " ; the brigs " Alcibiade " , " Lapérouse " , " Voltigeur " , " Cuirassier " , " Eclipse " , " Dupetit - Thouars " , " Dunois " and " Zèbre " ( a ninth brig , the 10 - gun " Laurier " , had to reroute to Havana after sustaining damage in a storm ) , and two bomb ships , " Vulcain " and " Cyclope " . Furthermore , the squadron had two steamers , " Météore " and " Phaéton " , to facilitate maneuvers in the harbour , and two corvettes armed en flûte , " Fortune " and " Caravane " , for logistics . Baudin had his flag on " Néréide " . The squadron sported 380 guns , some of them heavy mortars mounted on the Bomb vessels and newly introduced Paixhans gun s on the frigates . It also transported three artillery companies and one engineering company , but no naval infantry . With the nearest French stations in Martinique and Guadeloupe , at the other end of the Gulf of Mexico , the squadron had to use Havana as a base , and thus leave itself dependent to the good will of Spanish authorities . The brunt of the squadron left Toulon in the summer of 1838 , stopping in Cadix to rendezvous with the ships inbound from Brest , and sailed for the Caribbean . A storm partially scattered the fleet en route , whose main forces reached Vera Cruz on 29 October , to be rejoined by later ships around mid - November . The city of Vera Cruz was defended by the fort of San Juan de Ulúa , a strong fortress located about a kilometre off the city , and protected by a reef . The citadel was deemed invulnerable to naval attacks and thought of highly enough to be nicknamed " the Gibraltar of the Indies " , However , many of these guns were by then obsolete , and with the civil turmoil endured by the country , many of the soldiers were badly equipped and armed , famished and ill . Battle . Bombing and capture of San Juan de Ulua . After his arrival , Baudin opened negotiations with Bustamante ' s government , but to no avail . The French blockade did hinder the Mexican economy , but it did not have a crucial impact , as the country was largely self - sufficient and other needed goods could be imported from Corpus Christi harbour , in Texas , and across the Rio Bravo . The Mexicans were in fact trying the wear down Baudin ' s forces until the blockade would have to be lifted to replenish the ships and rest the crews . The French , on the other hand , were taking opportunity to reconnoiter the coast , measure the depth of water , and observe the Mexican forces ; they had noticed that the artillery of the fort was in a certain state of disrepair and that a naval bombardment could be carried out . Eventually , Baudin thus gave an ultimatum for the 27th of November at noon , and readied for combat . In the afternoon of 26 , the French formed a line of battle with the frigates " Gloire " , " Néréide " and " Iphigénie " , two of them helped by the steamers . In the morning of 27 , the two bomb ships were towed behind the frigates , close to the reef . The corvette " Créole " stayed off the scene as an observer , while the other ships anchored near Blanquila island . A number of neutral ships , including several naval ships from nations not part to the conflict but interested in its outcome , anchored off the scene to observe the events . The maneuvers were observed by the Mexicans , who sent two officers over to further negotiate . At 14 : 00 , Baudin sent them away with a message for General Manuel Rincón : " I have lost all hopes to obtain through pacific means the honourable settlement that I was in charge of proposing to the Mexican cabinet : I find myself in the necessity to open hostilities " . At 14 : 30 , the three frigates opens fire , soon followed by the two bomb ships . Baudin later stated : Around 15 : 30 , the " Créole " , having cruised off the fort by the North , requested authorisation to join the fight , which was granted . She positioned herself in front of the frigates and started a well - directed fire , which Joinville commanded from the poop deck . At some point , a cannon shot penetrated the prince ' s cabin and shattered his dish ; Joinville then took off his hat and saluted the Mexicans . Soon afterwards , two powder depots were hit and exploded ; they were followed by the signaling tower of the fort , which exploded in an impressive mushroom cloud of smoke and debris , later represented in many depictions of the battle . A fourth explosion occurred around 17 : 10 . Fire from the Mexican batteries then greatly diminished . Baudin ordered " Gloire " and " Iphigénie " to retreat , and they were taken away in tow by the steamers , the flagship " Néréide " remained along with the bomb ships . At sunset , only a few of the French guns were still firing , and Baudin ordered a cease - fire at 20 : 00 to save ammunition . At 20 : 30 , a Mexican boat sailed to the French squadron to parley and request a suspension of hostilities so that the fort could request orders from General Rincón . Baudin granted a truce until the 28th at 2 : 00 in the morning , and personally wrote a letter , threatening to annihilate the fortress and offering a " honourable capitulation " . The defenders had over 220 killed already , and had expended almost all the ammunition not destroyed in the explosion of the powder depot . One of the upper batteries was entirely destroyed , and most of the outer defences were demolished . At 3 : 00 , the governor had still not answered ; Baudin then threatened to bombard the city itself if the fort did not surrender immediately . In the early hours of the morning , Rincón caved and signed the capitulation of the fort and of the city . Commanding General Antonio Gaona surrendered the fort to the French that very day ; the three artillery companies landed and took position there . Baudin accepted that 1000 Mexican soldiers stay in Vera Cruz , as the French did not have sufficient troops to formally occupy the city . The ships then retreated from the reef , as the strengthening sea rendered the anchorage dangerous . The French had 4 killed and 29 wounded . Raid on Vera Cruz . The capture of San Juan de Ulua came as a surprise to the Mexican government , which declared war on France , expelled all French citizens established in Mexico , relieved general Rincón from command , and sent an army of 3200 men , under generals Santa Anna and Arista , to retake Vera Cruz . This army reached Vera Cruz shortly , prompting French residents to flee to the fortress . Baudin , who expected negotiations to start again , found himself with further military operations to perform . Baudin decided to answer the challenge by a raid on Vera Cruz . In addition to the garrison and the army freshly arrived , the city was protected by a belt of fortifications ; it was , however , a small city , and its layout was well known to the French . Baudin thus decided to attempt a swift surprise strike to " disarm the forts and kidnap general Santa Anna " . To strengthen the sparse forces available , the soldiers of the artillery and engineering were reinforced by sailors from the crews of the ships . On 5 December , at 5 : 00 in the morning , boats from the squadron landed 1500 men on the beaches before Vera Cruz ; they split into three columns : the two wings escalated the city walls near the strongholds of Santiago and Conception . The Mexicans were taken by surprise , to the point that no shot was fired . The two groups sabotaged the cannons and ran on the wall to reach the opposite side of the city . The central column , under François de Joinville , was tasked with blowing up the door commanding access to the harbour , storm the city and attack the buildings where the Mexican generals were supposedly hosted . This largely succeeded , as the door was destroyed as planned and the column reached the Mexican headquarter almost unopposed ; however , Mexican soldiers then started to react , and Santa Anna managed escape , while Arista was captured . The French retreated with their prisoner , fighting on the way with a group of soldiers stationed in a monastery used as barracks . Baudin , who had disembarked , declared the mission accomplished and ordered his men to reembark . The two wing columns retreated without difficulties , but as the central column completed its reembarkment , a counter - attack led by Santa Anna struck . The French then opened fire with captured cannons and with the light carronade s of the boats , firing grapeshot that killed and maimed the Mexicans ; Santa Anna himself had his horse killed under him and was very severely wounded . The French had sustained 8 killed and 56 wounded , mostly from friendly fire in the confusion of the Mexican counter - attack ; the Mexicans had 31 killed and 26 wounded , according to the account of Santa Anna . Five bullet impacts were found on Baudin ' s own boat . Aftermath . The double defeat in San Juan de Ulua and Vera Cruz itself induced the Mexican government to reopen negotiations to settle the conflict , especially since the French had not increased their demands as their position grew stronger . The Mexican Army evacuated Vera Cruz , but it remained under the authority of the Bustamante government , while the French Army remained stationed in the fort . The British offered their mediation to ease the process , dispatching their Northern American squadron in the Gulf of Mexico , along with Ambassador Richard Pakenham with a fleet . The peace treaty was eventually signed on 9 March 1839 , whereby the Mexican government relented . The 600 000 pesos were paid , and French residents of Mexico enjoyed better protection . The squadron returned to Brest on 15 August 1839 , after losing 24 men to yellow fever . Baudin was promoted to Vice - amiral . The fall of San Juan de Ulua came as a surprise to the world . Neutral observers , notably from , under Captain Robb , and USS " Levant " , reported the effect of the French bombardment . Lord Wellington is often reported to have stated in the House that the incident was the only recorded example of a strong fort overwhelmed entirely by a naval squadron . The French success was in part due to the use of newly introduced Paixhans guns , even though the frigates had fired 7771 round shots and only 177 Paixhans shells ; the bomb ships had themselves fired 302 mortar bombs , and were credited with the destruction of the Mexican ammunition depots . The US observer , David Farragut , reported the effects of the shells in the fort . The fight also served as a confirmation as to the usefulness of steamers to assist traditional warships in their maneuvers . Even though they were fitted only with 100HP engines and paddles , they had efficiently positioned the frigates to their optimum firing positions . the French Navy had already used a steamer in this role during the Invasion of Algiers in 1830 . In Mexico , the war shook the political landscape . General Santa Anna , who previously had been discredited by the Texas Revolution , was made a hero by his failed attempt at a counter - attack ; severely wounded , he had a leg amputated on 6 December , and battled death for days . His narration of the battle made him very popular , to the point that his leg was buried in Mexico with military honours . Santa Anna seized power on 20 March 1839 in a coup d ' État , furthering the political instability that had been the cause of the conflict . In France , the expedition elevated two officers to prominence : Baudin , an elderly veteran of the Napoleonic era ; and the 20 - year old Prince of Joinville , third son of the ruling Louis - Philippe , who had commanded the " Créole " during the bombardment and the main column during the raid . Joinville became a hero , and used his prestige to promote technical innovations like steam power . Joinville was promoted to capitaine de vaisseau , and to Knight in the Order of the Legion of Honour . The tactics used by the French squadron , and its use of steam power and shell artillery , were a prelude of the events of the Crimean War .