# What battle did the British empire fight in California? **URL:** \ **Category:** Factual Questions\ **Created:** [March 24, 2025, 2:17pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-battle-did-the-british-empire-fight-in-california/1016035 "2025-03-24T14:17:30Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 9\ **Page:** 2
**Author:** ![Elmer\_J.Fudd](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/elmer_j.fudd/32/1211_2.png) [@Elmer\_J.Fudd](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Elmer_J.Fudd)\ **Post date:** [March 24, 2025, 10:04pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-battle-did-the-british-empire-fight-in-california/1016035/21 "2025-03-24T22:04:14Z")
> [@Skywatcher](#): > > Probably a mistake involving three British warships which visited Monterey harbor in 1846 The Royal Navy and Marines were rattling their sword all up and down the west coast of Mexico during the Intervention in 1861, yet there are no red dots there. My vote is for “stupid map”. ---
**Author:** ![Northern\_Piper](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/northern_piper/32/5304_2.png) [@Northern\_Piper](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Northern_Piper)\ **Post date:** [March 24, 2025, 10:32pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-battle-did-the-british-empire-fight-in-california/1016035/22 "2025-03-24T22:32:37Z")
> [@griffin1977](#): > > I’ve never heard of the British being involved in North America anywhere other than the east coast. Wikipedia doesn’t mention anything either. \< cough \> British Columbia \< cough \> ---
**Author:** ![Skywatcher](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/skywatcher/32/254_2.png) [@Skywatcher](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Skywatcher)\ **Post date:** [March 24, 2025, 10:39pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-battle-did-the-british-empire-fight-in-california/1016035/23 "2025-03-24T22:39:33Z")
> [@Elmer\_J.Fudd](#): > > The Royal Navy and Marines were rattling their sword all up and down the west coast of Mexico during the Intervention in 1861, yet there are no red dots there. My vote is for “stupid map”. There are a couple of red dots on the coast of Mexico. The map is supposedly based on information gleaned from Wikipedia, which specifically mentions those three warships in the [history of California.](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/History_of_California#Conquest_of_California_(1846%E2%80%931847)) ---
**Author:** ![Elmer\_J.Fudd](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/elmer_j.fudd/32/1211_2.png) [@Elmer\_J.Fudd](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Elmer_J.Fudd)\ **Post date:** [March 24, 2025, 10:48pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-battle-did-the-british-empire-fight-in-california/1016035/24 "2025-03-24T22:48:02Z")
> [@Skywatcher](#): > > The map is supposedly based on information gleaned from Wikipedia, which specifically mentions those three warships in the [history of California.](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/History_of_California#Conquest_of_California_(1846%E2%80%931847)) It’s still wrong. The RN in no way engaged in combat during the Battle of Monterey. For that matter, neither did the Americans, Mexicans, or Californios. ---
**Author:** ![Skywatcher](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/skywatcher/32/254_2.png) [@Skywatcher](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Skywatcher)\ **Post date:** [March 24, 2025, 10:57pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-battle-did-the-british-empire-fight-in-california/1016035/25 "2025-03-24T22:57:29Z")
> [@Elmer\_J.Fudd](#): > > It’s still wrong. Yeah, I know. > [@Skywatcher](#): > > Probably a mistake 🙂 ---
**Author:** ![Elmer\_J.Fudd](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/elmer_j.fudd/32/1211_2.png) [@Elmer\_J.Fudd](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Elmer_J.Fudd)\ **Post date:** [March 24, 2025, 11:01pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-battle-did-the-british-empire-fight-in-california/1016035/26 "2025-03-24T23:01:40Z")
I wonder what qualifies as a “colonial” battle. At the time of the Mexican American War, California wasn’t a colony anymore than, say, Kansas. ---
**Author:** ![griffin1977](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/g/977dab/32.png) [@griffin1977](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/griffin1977)\ **Post date:** [March 25, 2025, 12:33am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-battle-did-the-british-empire-fight-in-california/1016035/27 "2025-03-25T00:33:37Z")
> [@Elmer\_J.Fudd](#): > > The RN in no way engaged in combat during the Baattle of Monterey. For that matter, neither did the Americans, Mexicans, or Californios In defense of the anonymous click baiter they never said anything about combat, the Battle of Monterey is known as a battle and the British Navy ships were involved (by the loosest definition of involved, they were visible during the “battle”). I’d say that _just_ qualifies. ---
**Author:** ![Elmer\_J.Fudd](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/elmer_j.fudd/32/1211_2.png) [@Elmer\_J.Fudd](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Elmer_J.Fudd)\ **Post date:** [March 25, 2025, 12:54am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-battle-did-the-british-empire-fight-in-california/1016035/28 "2025-03-25T00:54:22Z")
> [@griffin1977](#): > > I’d say that _just_ > qualifies. If so, there aren’t nearly enough red dots on that map. ---
**Author:** ![dtilque](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/d6d6ee/32.png) [@dtilque](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/dtilque)\ **Post date:** [March 25, 2025, 5:24am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-battle-did-the-british-empire-fight-in-california/1016035/29 "2025-03-25T05:24:15Z")
> [@Limmin](#): > > Agreed, the dot near the San Juans has got to be the Pig War! The dot is on the west coast of Vancouver Island, which is not where the San Juans are. Also, there was no battle in the Pig War, just a lot of posturing. I’d say the Nooka Crisis is most likely, as @Marvin_the_Martian suggested way upthread. [Previous page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-battle-did-the-british-empire-fight-in-california/1016035.md?page=1)