Second Battle of Tabasco The Second Battle of Tabasco , also known as the Battle of Villahermosa , was a battle fought in June 1847 during the Mexican - American War as part of the U . S . blockade of Mexican Gulf ports . Background . Commodore Matthew C . Perry , commander of the U . S . Home Squadron had recently captured the port cities of Tuxpan and Carmen . He next decided to move against the city of San Juan Bautista ( present day Villahermosa ) , the capital of the state of Tabasco . Perry had received reports that the Mexican commander in Tabasco was strengthening the city ' s defenses and building obstructions in the Tabasco River ( present day Grijalva River ) . Perry assembled the Mosquito Fleet in June and began moving towards the Grijalva towing 47 boats carrying 1 , 173 strong landing force . Battle . The fleet moved slowly up the river and was initially picked at by Mexican sniper s along the riverbank . On June 15 , 12 miles ( 19 km ) below San Juan Bautista , the fleet ran through an ambush with little difficulty . Again at an " s " curve in the river known as the " Devil ' s Bend " , Perry encountered Mexican fire from a river fortification known as the Colmena redoubt . The heavy naval guns quickly dispersed the Mexican force , but the fleet , blocked by river obstructions , anchored in the bend . While investigating the obstructions , one of Perry ' s lieutenants was fired upon and wounded . It was then decided to land the troops at Devil ' s Bend and march against the city over land . On June 16 , Perry opened a brief bombardment of the shore before leading the landing party and 4 artillery pieces ashore , leaving Lieutenant David D . Porter in command of the vessels . The overland route bypassed the Colmena redoubt , and before long they encountered a stronger defensive fortification known as Fort Acachapan manned by 600 troops under the command of Colonel Claro Hidalgo . Perry unlimbered his artillery and shelled the position then ordered a charge . With his sword in had , Perry personally led the charge which drove the Mexicans back so quickly that breakfasts were left uneaten . In the meantime Lieutenant Porter had managed to destroy the river obstructions and move up the river . At one point just as Perry was approaching the Mexican defenses , Porter opened fire on them mistaking the Americans for the Mexicans . The mistake was quickly remedied , and Porter kept on moving upriver , soon reaching Fort Iturbide guarding the city from the riverbank . Two ships ran past the fort and began shelling it from the rear . Porter led 60 sailors ashore and seized the fort , raising the U . S . flag over the works . Perry and the landing force arrived and took control of the city around 2 p . m . Aftermath . The last Mexican port on the Gulf coast had been captured . Colonel Echagaray withdrew further upstream , but guerrilla bands lingered behind . Perry left a garrison in Tabasco , but yellow fever and the constant presence of guerrillas persuaded Perry to withdraw the garrison but maintain the blockade of the city . In the aftermath of the U . S . victory , a movement in the states of Tabasco and Chiapas arose which sought to break the two states from Mexico and join with Guatemala . Perry gave no support for the proposal , remaining neutral , and the movement eventually died off .