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

United States Navy The United States Navy (USN) is the naval warfare, maritime military branch, service branch of the United States Department of Defense. It is the world's most powerful navy with the largest Displacement (ship), displacement, at 4.5 millio ...

who rose up through the ranks, serving in the

War of 1812 The War of 1812 was fought by the United States and its allies against the United Kingdom of Great Britain and Ireland, United Kingdom and its allies in North America. It began when the United States United States declaration of war on the Uni ...

Mexican–American War The Mexican–American War (Spanish language, Spanish: ''guerra de Estados Unidos-México, guerra mexicano-estadounidense''), also known in the United States as the Mexican War, and in Mexico as the United States intervention in Mexico, ...

and the

American Civil War The American Civil War (April 12, 1861May 26, 1865; also known by Names of the American Civil War, other names) was a civil war in the United States between the Union (American Civil War), Union ("the North") and the Confederate States of A ...

, performing in various capacities including the commanding of several different vessels.

Biography

Montgomery was born in Allentown, New Jersey. He entered the Navy as a midshipman during the

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

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

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 Second Barbary War against

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

sloop-of-war During the 18th and 19th centuries, a sloop-of-war was a warship of the Royal Navy with a single gun deck that carried up to 18 guns. The rating system of the Royal Navy covered all vessels with 20 or more guns; thus, the term encompassed all u ...

in 1844, and the steam frigate in 1857. He served as Commandant of the Boston Navy Yard from June 1862 to December 1863, and then of the Washington Navy Yard 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, or Bear Flag Republic, was an List of historical unrecognized states#Americas, unrecognized breakaway state from Second Federal Republic of Mexico, Mexico, that existed from June 14, 1846 to July 9, 1846. It milita ...

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 (today's

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). The name of the plaza was later changed to Portsmouth Square, commemorating Montgomery's ship. At his direction, Lt. Joseph W. Revere also lowered the Bear Flag flying at Sonoma, California, 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 until relieved on January 2, 1862. Montgomery died at Carlisle, Pennsylvania in March 1872. His remains were interred at Oak Hill Cemetery, Washington, D.C.

Namesakes

* Montgomery Street, 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 1794 births 1872 deaths 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 People from Allentown, New Jersey Burials at Oak Hill Cemetery (Washington, D.C.)