Background
The Battle of Rio San Gabriel was a part of the California campaign of the Mexican-American War and occurred at the sites of present-day Montebello and Pico Rivera on January 8, 1847. The local Mexicans militia, commanded by General José Mariá Flores , made their final serious attempt to stop U.S. troops, led by U.S. Army General Stephen Watts Kearny, from capturing Los Angeles and, in fact, all of California. Outgunned, the Mexicans were forced to withdraw.
The Battle of La Mesa occurred the next day in present-day Vernon, in which the Mexican Army almost gained the advantage, but they fell back into a full retreat and camped at present-day Pasadena, giving up Los Angeles. General Flores fled back to Mexico. The campaign for California ended with the signing of the Treaty of Cahuenga by General John C. Frémont and General Andres Pico on January 13, 1847.
Some historians believe that the Battle of Rio San Gabriel was under-reported due to the influence of the politically-ambitious General Frémont, and his ally Senator Thomas Hart Benton, in order to make Frémont look better at the expense of Kearny.
A memorial located at the corner of Washington Blvd. and Bluff Rd. in Montebello is marked by a plaque flanked by two cannons. The battle is re-enacted annually by volunteers in costume.
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