The Spanish had detained the American brig Lelia Byrd in San Diego Harbor for smuggling otter skins.

[7] The ship's crew overpowered their Spanish captors and were headed out of the harbor when the guns of the fort sought to prevent her escape.

The marines took abandoned guns from Fort Guijarros and used them to lay siege to Old Town San Diego.

[5] In 1873 the United States Army took over Ballast Point and built gun batteries for the defense of San Diego as Fort Rosecrans.

The Fort Guijarros Museum Foundation conducts archeological digs and historical research into the history of Ballast Point.