Battle of San Pasqual

On 30 June 1846, just after the outbreak of the war, Colonel Stephen W. Kearny was promoted to brigadier general in command of the Army of the West at Fort Leavenworth in Kansas. Kearny mustered 300 US Army regulars, 1,000 volunteers from Missouri, and the Mormon Battalion of 550 men. His orders were to conquer New Mexico and California, establish civilian governments there, and to "act in such a manner as best to conciliate the inhabitants, and render them friendly to the United States". From Fort Leavenworth, Kearny moved via Bent's Fort to New Mexico, which submitted without fighting. Kearny established Fort Marcy at Santa Fe. They had just completed a 2,000 mile march; the longest march in U.S. Army history. Needing remounts, Kearny's men rounded up mules and half-broken horses around Warner's Ranch, most of them belonging to José María Flores, comandante general of the Californios. • Captain Abraham Robinson Johnston – regimental adjutant, Company K, 12 mounted dragoons • Captain Benjamin (Ben) Daviess Moore – Company C, 60 dismounted dragoons, some mounted on mules • Captain Henry Smith Turner – Kearny's Army of the West Adjutant general • Lieutenant William H. Emory – Chief Topographical Engineer, Corps of Topographical Engineers • Lieutenant William H. Warner – Corps of Topographical Engineers, commanding four topographical engineering "mountainmen" Peterson, Londeau, Perrot, and Private Francois Menard • Lieutenant John W. Davidson – commanded two howitzers and six dragoons placed at the rear of the advance • Second Lieutenant Thomas (Tom) C. Hammond – aide-de-camp • Major Swords – assistant quartermaster – rear guard for baggage train, officers' personal slaves, and civilians • U.S. Army Surgeon (Captain) Dr. John S. Griffin • Enlisted men: Sergeant Falls, Private George Ashmead, and Turner kept journals during their journey from Santa Fe. Lieutenant W. H. Emory of the Topographical Engineers kept the official designated U.S. Government diary, or "Military Reconnoissance" from Ft. Leavenworth to California which was published in 1848. After turning back the Americans trying to recapture Los Angeles in the Battle of Dominguez Rancho, Capt. Jose Maria Flores sent about 100 men to San Luis Obispo to confront Lt. Col. John C. Fremont's 300 men moving south from Monterey, and sent another 100 men to watch Stockton's base at San Diego, but Flores kept the bulk of his men at Los Angeles. met Kearny on December 5 with a message from Stockton requesting Kearny confront Flores' men outside San Diego. The total American force now amounted to 179 men. USMC Acting-Captain (Lt.) Gillespie's Mounted Rifle Volunteers 'detachment' of the California Battalion: aboard the commanded by Acting-Lieutenant Edward Fitzgerald Beale and Passed-Midshipman James M. Duncan (later commanded ) • Sutter Fort's Russian brass 4-pounder cannon, which had been hidden after Mexican authorities tried to use the cannon against Californios at the Battle of Cahuenga Pass during the 1831 tax revolt. Charles Weber disclosed its location to Gillespie. • 26 Mounted Rifle Company, commanded by Acting-Captain (Sgt.) Samual Gibson (later commanded company B of 26th Arkansas Infantry Regiment) and longtime Kit Carson and John Fremont associate, Acting-Lieutenant Alexis Godey: including Antoine Robidoux (interpreter), Philip Crosthwaite, Beatitude Patitoux, Daniel Sexton, Capt. Enrique Abilia (Los Angeles), Capt. Ramon Carillo (Los Angeles), Capt. Jose Maria Cota (Los Angeles), Capt. Carlos Dominguez (Los Angeles), Capt. Nicolas Hermosillo (Los Angeles), Capt. Jose Alipaz (San Juan Capistrano), Capt. Ramon O. Suna (San Diego) • General Andres Pico: Capt. Pablo Vejar, Capt. Manuel Vejar On the night of December 5, a Native American informed the Californio forces of the presence of Kearny's forces. ==Prelude==

A dragoon patrol under Lieutenant Thomas C. Hammond, guided by Rafael Machado, the son of Don José Manuel Machado (grantee of Rancho El Rosario and sent by the Machado family to assist Kearny), reconnoitered Capt. Andres Pico's force along the road at San Pasqual. Pico was alerted, and the Californio camp prepared for the U.S. Army dragoons and marines to attack. Kearny had planned a surprise attack at daylight, despite the damp weather wetting down their powder and the extremely poor state of the soldiers' equipment and mounts – mostly mules, as the horses had died on the preceding march. ==Battle==

lancers at the Battle of San Pasqual. Having lost the element of surprise, at midnight Kearny ordered an immediate advance from his camp nine miles away. a San Pasqual Indian who witnessed the battle. The Californios were armed with long lances and reatas (braided rawhide lariat), which they used with great effect. As a consequence, Johnston's charge was unsupported and his dragoons were forced to withdraw. The location of this camp is within the modern day San Diego Zoo Safari Park. Summarizing the battle, historian Owen Coy writes: Coy goes on to write: ==After the battle==

Six messengers The next day, December 7, 1846, after assurances by Dr. Griffin that the worst of the injured could be moved, Captain Turner, now in command of the Dragoons, since Kearny was wounded, marched the column toward San Diego. Californio lancers established a blocking position near what is now known as "Mule Hill". Captain Turner ordered Lieutenant William H. Emory and a squad of dragoons to engage and drive off the menacing lancers. With dry powder in their carbines, the dragoons easily forced the lancers away, while inflicting five dead among the fleeing Californios. On December 8, there still had been no word from the three messengers, when suddenly there appeared a white flag from the Californios. The Lancers wished to trade "four Americans whom [they] wished to exchange for four Californians. This was embarrassing, because the Americans had but one man, Pablo Vejar, as a prisoner." With the trade completed, it was learned from the returned men that Stockton had no horses and therefore could not send a relief party. Prior to capture by the Californios on their return trip, they had hid Stockton's message under a tree, "but when this cache was examined the letters were missing." With Kearny somewhat recovering from his wounds, he regained the command from Turner, and Kearny determined to dispatch another detail to San Diego. On the evening of the 8th, Beale and Carson volunteered for the mission, however General Kearny wanted to retain Carson with the command in case he was needed. Lieut. Beale explained to Kearny that the dispatches might not make it through to San Diego without Kit Carson's experience. under cover of darkness, taking different routes to the commodore's headquarters at San Diego, 28 miles (45 km) to the south-southwest. For Kit Carson and Pontho (or Panto) the foot journey to San Diego was "a matter of routine." But "to the young naval officer it was pure torture, and upon his arrival at old town [San Diego], being unable to stand because of his lacerated feet, he had to be carried into Commodore Stockton's headquarters." To insure that at least one messenger would make it through, the three men had separated a few miles from San Diego, Pontho (Panto) was the first to make it, then followed Carson, then later the much suffering naval officer Lieut. Beale. ==Reinforcement and casualties==

Stockton quickly dispatched a unit of over 200 sailors and marines, whose arrival caused the Californios to disperse. Kearny had already determined the night before (December 9) to continue the march the next morning. Stockton's unit then escorted Kearny's battered troops to San Diego, where they arrived December 12. Dr. John S. Griffin, Kearny's surgeon, reported that the Americans had lost 17 killed and 18 wounded out of the 50 officers and men who engaged Pico's lancers. When they arrived in San Diego, the wounded survivors were treated by their Californio guide's sister, Nurse Juanita Machado Alipas de Wrightington, known as the Florence Nightingale of San Diego for her charity work for the oppressed native peoples camped outside San Diego. Killed/Missing in action of U.S. 1st Dragoon & attached forces • Company C: • Sgt. Cox, John (Died of Wounds December 10, 1846) • Cpl. West, William • Pvt. Ashmead, George • Pvt. Campbell, Joseph, T. • Pvt. Dalton, William • Pvt. Dunlap, John • Pvt. Kennedy, Joseph, B. (Died of Wounds December 21, 1846) • Pvt. Leckey, William, B. • Pvt. Repose, Samuel, T. • Company K: • 1SG. Moore, Otis, L. • Sgt. Whitress, William • Cpl. Ramsdale, George • Farrier. Johnson, David, W. • Pvt. Fiel, William, H. • Pvt. Gholston, William, C. • Pvt. Gregory, Robert, S. • Pvt. McCaffrey, Hugh (Missing In Action) 1st U.S. Dragoon Officers: • CPT. Johnston, Abraham-1st Dragoon Staff officer • CPT. Moore, Benjamin-'C' Company commander • 2LT. Hammond, Thomas-'K' Company commander • Attached: • California Volunteer. Baker, Henry • Mountain man. Menard, Francois (Listed as Topographical Engineer in some listings) California Lancers at San Pasqual Battle Reference: • Aguilar, Jose • Alipas, Dionisio • Alipas, Jose • Alvarado, Jose, Maria • Apis, Pablo, Alvarado, Juan • Canedo, Salvador (or Felipe) • Carrillo, Ramon • Casimiro, Rubio • Cota, Leonardo (Lieutenant) • Duarte, Jose • Garcia, Gabriel • Gregorio, Santiago • Higuera, Francisco • Ibarra, Jose, Maria • Lara, Francisco, Dorio • Lobo, Santiago • Lopez, Cristobal • Machado, Jesus • Manriquez, Juan • Mariano, Juan, Lobo • Moreno, Juan, Bautista (Listed as a Captain in some reports) • Olivares, Isidoro • Osuna, Leandro • Osuna, Ramon • Peralta, Rafael (or Felipe) • Perez, Pedro • Pico, Andres (General) • Rios, Silverio • Sanchez, Tomas (Lieutenant) • Serrano, Jose, Antonio • Valenzuela, Joaquin • Vejar, Pablo (Captured during the battle; prisoner exchanged for: Burgess, Godey, and Delaware Indian Scout) • Verdugo, Pedro (or Miguel) • Yorba, Domingo • Yorba, Jose Antonio III • Young, Romualdo Assessment General Kearny's official report states: "On the morning of the 7th, having made ambulances for our wounded . . . we proceeded on our march, when the enemy showed himself, occupying the hills in our front, which they left as we approached, till reaching San Bernardo a party of them took possession of a hill near to it and maintained their position until attacked by our advance, who quickly drove them from it, killing and wounding five of their number with no loss on our part." Some time after the battle, General Kearny wrote that the U.S. had achieved victory since the Californios had "fled the field," but the Californios saw the engagement as their victory. With the conclusion of the fight at San Pasqual, San Diego and "all of California north of Santa Barbara were in American hands. Only Los Angeles and its immediate environs were still under control of the Californios." The battle is unique, as it was one of the few military battles in the United States that involved elements of the Army, Navy, Marines, and civilian volunteers, all in the same skirmish. During the late 19th and early 20th centuries, historians debated which force won or lost the battle. Clearly, Kearny retained the battle area, the ability to operate and maneuver, and also the initiative, though his losses were significantly higher; however, he did not implement his battle plan, his ammunition was compromised, and he outran his artillery and support. According to Geoffrey Regan: Historian Lt. Colonel Cory Hollon cited Kearny's misjudgments: the battle was arguably unnecessary; the operating environment disadvantaged Kearny; he was unaware, or possibly misinformed, about the character of the threat; Kearny overestimated or misused his friendly forces; and Kearny culminated at San Pasqual because he had overextended his supply chain, resulting in a poorly prepared force facing an underestimated enemy. Hollon states that Kearny's misjudgments resulted in nearly disastrous consequences for the Army of the West and put the United States’ plans for conquest and empire in peril. In late December 1846, Kearny's force began its march to Los Angeles. It consisted of a mixed force of Army dragoons, Navy sailors, Marines, volunteers and artillery. Although there was contention on leadership of U.S. forces in California, this and Stockton's combined forces went on to engage the Californios at the Battle of Rio San Gabriel, resulting in a Californio retreat. The following day the Battle of La Mesa resulted in another Californio defeat, leading to the surrender of the Pueblo de Los Ángeles and later the signing of the Treaty of Cahuenga. Historian Hollon wrote: ==Legacy==

, sculpted in 1910 by Isidore Konti. • Fort Moore was constructed on North Hill Street in downtown Los Angeles, California, originally as an improvised defensive position used by Lt. Gillespie, in honor of Captain Benjamin D. Moore. The Fort Moore Hill Pioneer Memorial further honors Moore and other American pioneers. • Kearny Mesa, an area of San Diego, was named after Camp Kearny; Camp Kearny was named for Stephen W. Kearny. • Kit Carson Park, in Escondido, was named for Kit Carson. • Beale Air Force Base in Marysville, California, was named after Edward Beale, keeping the name of its World War II era army base Camp Beale. • Camp Gillespie, completed in 1942 during World War II, was named in honor of Lieutenant Archibald Gillespie. In 1944 the federal government transferred the property to the County of San Diego. It rechristened the facility as Gillespie Field, since used as a municipal airport. • The site of the battle is commemorated as San Pasqual Battlefield State Historic Park. • A cross was placed on Battle Mountain in Rancho Bernardo, which has been incorrectly identified as Mule Hill, commemorating the battle. Raised in Easter 1966, it was later dedicated to local residents who died during the Tenerife airport disaster. • A bronze relief of Beale and Carson contacting Stockton was unveiled at the National Museum in 1910. • The battle was dramatized in the 1927 film California, which starred Tim McCoy as Captain Gillespie. • In 1931, Joseph Leland Roop created a diorama depicting the battle for the Los Angeles Natural History Museum. File:Memorial marker for American dead from Battle of San Pasqual.jpg|Marker of reburied U.S. servicemen who died during the Battle of San Pasqual File:Diorama depicting the 1846 Battle of San Pasqual, by artist Joseph Leeland Roop in 1931, at the Natural History Museum, Los Angeles.jpg|Diorama depicting the 1846 Battle of San Pasqual, by artist Joseph Leland Roop in 1931, at the Natural History Museum, Los Angeles ==See also==