[Congressional Record (Bound Edition), Volume 148 (2002), Part 14]
[Extensions of Remarks]
[Page 19418]
[From the U.S. Government Publishing Office, www.gpo.gov]




                     MULEGE AND THE FIGHT OF PINEDA

                                 ______
                                 

                         HON. MICHAEL M. HONDA

                             of california

                    in the house of representatives

                        Monday, October 7, 2002

  Mr. HONDA. Mr. Speaker, the relationship between Mexico and the 
United States of America is stronger than ever before. This 
relationship has been tested and strengthened throughout their shared 
history, a history typical of two close neighbors. There have been 
disputes and agreements, conflicts and truces, all of which have led 
the two countries to where they stand today: united, both in their 
diplomatic relations, and in their efforts to improve the lives of all 
their citizens.
  Fortunately, recent history between our two countries has been 
resoundingly positive. But in the decades following our countries' 
declarations of independence, disagreements and conflict were far more 
commonplace than the diplomacy and cooperation we are accustomed to 
today. One of these disagreements led to full-scale war, the effects of 
which have influenced the geography and culture of North America to 
this day. This war, the Mexican-American War of 1846-48, was 
characterized by fierce battles, tense stand-offs, and from both 
countries, overwhelming national pride.
  In 1847, in Mulege, there was one such conflict that today is honored 
as the embodiment of Mexican national pride. Shortly after the 
beginning of the war, United States forces set out to isolate Baja 
Mexico from the mainland and to make the pueblos neutral in order to 
pacify the populace and prepare them for eventual U.S. rule. Mulege was 
one such targeted pueblo. When hearing of the U.S. encroachment into 
the Baja, government officials in Mexico City dispatched a group of 
officers led by Captain Manuel Pineda to establish a military presence 
in the region. Captain Pineda arrived in Mulege by September of 1847, 
and set to work assembling a group of Baja locals to help him resist 
the advancing U.S. forces. In response to Pineda's mobilization, the 
U.S. military officials sent the sloop Dale to Mulege, under the 
command of Thomas Selfridge. Once arrived, Selfridge sent ashore a 
letter to Pineda and his men warning against any agitation. Pineda, 
undeterred, responded that he would defend his country to the end.
  On October 2nd, 1847, Commander Selfridge sent some 75 sailors and 
marines ashore to attack the defenders of Mulege. Outnumbered and 
outgunned, Pineda and his men exchanged fire with the advancing 
Americans from opposite banks of the creek leading up to the pueblo. 
Although neither side suffered casualties, the intensity of the 
firefight was enough to repel Selfridge's men, marking the first 
military success for the Mexican Army in the war. Pineda's success 
began a swelling of public support, and he and his men would go on to 
fight many more battles until his capture in March of 1848, at the very 
end of the war. Pineda had many successes during his military career, 
but none were as courageous and inspiring as his stand at Mulege.
  Mr. Speaker, I rise today to acknowledge not only this historical 
event, but also the shared history of the United States of America and 
Mexico. Many good men from both countries have fought and died in the 
name of patriotism, and today, both countries are stronger for it. 
Through times of peace and war, our countries now find themselves more 
closely allied than ever before. I am sure the future will serve to 
strengthen that bond.

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