Battle of San Pasqual

Mexican-American War battle

Battle of San Pasqual

Part of the Conquest of California
Mexican–American War

Battle of San Pasqual, Charles Waterhouse
| Date| December 6–7, 1846

|

Location|

San Pasqual Pueblo, Alta California
Modern Day: San Pasqual Valley, San Diego, California

33°5′10″N 116°59′24″W﻿ / ﻿33.08611°N 116.99000°W﻿ / 33.08611; -116.99000[1]
Result|  See assessment[2][3][4][5][6]
Belligerents
United States|  Mexico
Commanders and leaders

Stephen Kearny

Archibald H. Gillespie|  Andrés Pico
Strength
150[7]|  75[7]
Casualties and losses
18 killed
13 wounded[7]: 188 |  12 wounded
1 captured[7]

class=notpageimage|

Location within modern-day United States

* v
* t
* e

Conquest of California

* Bear Flag Revolt
* Olómpali
* Monterey
* Yerba Buena
* San Diego
* Santa Barbara
* Los Angeles
* Chino
* Rancho Domínguez
* Natividad
* San Pasqual
* Santa Clara
* Río San Gabriel
* La Mesa
* Treaty of Cahuenga

* v
* t
* e

Battles of the
Mexican–American War

Texas Campaign

* Thornton Affair
* Fort Texas
* Palo Alto
* Resaca de la Palma

California Campaign

* Monterey
* Los Angeles
* Chino
* Dominguez Rancho
* Natividad
* San Pasqual
* Rio San Gabriel
* La Mesa

New Mexico Campaign

* Santa Fe
* Tucson
* El Brazito
* Cañada
* 1st Mora
* Embudo Pass
* 2nd Mora
* Pueblo de Taos
* Red River Canyon
* Cienega Creek

Northern Mexican Theater

* Monterrey
* Buena Vista
* Sacramento River
* Santa Cruz de Rosales

Mexico City Campaign

* 1st Veracruz
* Polkos
* 2nd Veracruz
* Cerro Gordo
* Contreras
* Churubusco
* Molino del Rey
* Chapultepec
* Mexico City
* Puebla
* Huamantla
* Atlixco
* Matamoros
* Galaxara Pass
* Zacualtipan

Pacific Coast Campaign

* Guaymas
* Mulegé
* Punta Sombrero
* 1st La Paz
* 2nd La Paz
* 1st San Jose del Cabo
* 2nd San Jose del Cabo
* Todos Santos

Mosquito Fleet

* 1st Tuxpan
* 2nd Tuxpan
* 3rd Tuxpan
* 1st Tabasco
* 2nd Tabasco

A map of the battle site

The Battle of San Pasqual, also spelled San Pascual, was a military encounter that occurred during the Mexican–American War in what is now the San Pasqual Valley community of the city of San Diego, California. The series of military skirmishes ended with both sides claiming victory, and the victor of the battle is still debated.[8] On December 6 and 7, 1846, General Stephen W. Kearny's US Army of the West, along with a small detachment of the California Battalion led by Archibald H. Gillespie, engaged a small contingent of Californios and their Presidial Lancers Los Galgos (The Greyhounds), led by Major Andrés Pico. After U.S. reinforcements arrived, Kearny's troops were able to reach San Diego.

## Background

[edit]

Following a clash of U.S. forces with Mexican forces near the Rio Grande, Colonel Stephen Watts Kearny was promoted to a brigadier general and tasked with multiple objectives to include the seizure of New Mexico and California, establish civilian government within seized territories, disrupt trade, and to "act in such a manner as best to conciliate the inhabitants, and render them friendly to the United States". Kearny's initial force consisted of 300 regular army soldiers, 1,000 volunteers from Missouri, and the Mormon Battalion. From Fort Leavenworth, via Bent's Fort, Kearny had New Mexico capitulate without violent conflict.[9] While in Santa Fe, Kearny established Fort Marcy, named after the Secretary of War William L. Marcy, who had ordered Kearny's force westward.[9]

En route from New Mexico, Kearny's force interacted with the Apache and Maricopa tribes, and captured a Mexican courier with news of American activities in California, with the news stating the Californios had capitulated.[6] Forces under Commodore Sloat had taken control a significant portion of Alta California.[10] Kearny had orders to assume command of U.S. forces in California with his, but sent back most of his force after meeting up with Kit Carson near Socorro on Oct 6 and hearing of the seizure of California by Commodore Robert F. Stockton, Kearny keeping only Companies C & K, 1st Dragoons, about 100 men.[7]: 137 Kearny, at that time with a force of 300 men, learning of escalating issues with the Navajo, and with the belief a smaller force could move faster, ordered 200 back to Santa Fe.[9] Kearny's force, guided by Carson, reached Warner's Ranch in California on Dec 2, travel-weary and in a greatly weakened condition.[7]: 187 They had just completed a 2,000 mile march; the longest march in U.S. Army history.[11] The men mounted mules and half-broken horses owned by California Capt. Jose Maria Flores, which they rounded up around Warner Ranch.[6]

General Kearny's Army, most originating from Fort Scott:[12][13][14][15]

* Captain Abraham Robinson Johnston – regimental adjutant, Company K, 12 mounted dragoons
* Captain Benjamin (Ben) Daviess Moore[16] – Company C, 60 dismounted dragoons, some mounted on mules
* Captain Henry Smith Turner – Kearny's Army of the West Adjutant general[17][18]
* Lieutenant William H. Emory[19] – Chief Topographical Engineer, Corps of Topographical Engineers
* Lieutenant William H. Warner – Corps of Topographical Engineers,[20] 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[21]
* Second Lieutenant Thomas (Tom) C. Hammond – aide-de-camp[20][22]
* Major Swords – assistant quartermaster[23][24] – rear guard for baggage train, officers' personal slaves, and civilians
* U.S. Army Surgeon (Captain) Dr. John S. Griffin
* Enlisted men:[12]
* Judge Pearce (Kearny's personal bodyguard),[16] Sergeant Williams,[16] Pat Halpin (bugler),[25] Sergeant Falls,[19] Sergeant John Cox,[19] Private William B. Dunne,[21] Private David Streeter,[21] Private James Osbourne,[21] (Private) Dr. Erasmus Darwin French (physician assistant)[21]
* Company C: Corporal William C. West,[26] Private George Ashmead,[26] Private Joseph T. Campbell,[26] Private John Dunlop,[26]: 346 Private William Dalton,[26]: 346 Private William C. Leckey,[26]: 346 Private Samuel F. Repoll,[26]: 346 Private Joseph B. Kennedy,[21]
* Company K: 1st Sergeant Otis L. Moor,[26] Sergeant William Whitness,[26]: 346 Corporal George Ramsdale,[26]: 346 farrier David W. Johnston,[26]: 346 Private William G. Gholston,[26]: 346 Private William H. Fiel,[26]: 346 Private Robert S. Gregory,[26]: 346 Private Hugh McKaffray[27][28][29][21]

Captains Johnston, Griffin (Surgeon),[30] and Turner[31] kept journals during their journey from Santa Fe.[32] Lieutenant W. H. Emory of the Topographical Engineers kept the official designated U.S. Government diary, or "Military Reconnoissance"  [sic] from Ft. Leavenworth to California which was published in 1848.[33]

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.[7]: 186

Captain Archibald Gillespie with 39 men,[34] met Kearny on December 5 with a message from Stockton requesting Kearny confront Flores' men outside San Diego.[7]: 187 [35][36][37][38] The total American force now amounted to 179 men.[39][40]

USMC Acting-Captain (Lt.) Gillespie's Mounted Rifle Volunteers 'detachment' of the California Battalion:[15]

* 10 U.S. Navy carbiners from 'Fleet on the Pacific Coast' F Company[41] aboard the USS Congress commanded by Acting-Lieutenant Edward Fitzgerald Beale and Passed-Midshipman James M. Duncan (later commanded USS Norwich (1861) )
* 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.[42]
* 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,[21] William Henry Russell,[21][43] Daniel Sexton,[21] Franklin Sears,[21] Thomas Burgess,[21] Jean Nutrelle,[21] Private Henry Booker.[26]
* Rafael Machado, Californio guide provided by San Diego

Captains Leonardo Cota and Jose Alipaz took a force to San Pasqual Valley with the intention to interdict and keep in check Captain Gillespie after his departure from San Diego. Later, Major Andrés Pico, after a failed search for a detachment of U.S. soldiers, joined forces with the captains and took command.[44] These Californios led a force consisting of landowners, sons of landowners, and vaqueros, many with well known and respected family names in the community:

* Don Leonardo Cota:[45] 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:[45] Don Leandro Osuna (San Diego), Capt. Juan Bautista Moreno, Capt. Tomás A. Sanchez,[21][46] Capt. Pablo Vejar,[21] Capt. Manuel Vejar

On the night of December 5, a Native American informed the Californio forces of the presence of Kearny's forces.[47]

## Prelude

[edit]

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.[7]: 187

While Machado sneaked into the camp, Lt. Hammond became suspicious he was being set up for an ambush and rode the dragoons into the camp, where they spoke with an Indian they found sleeping in a hut.[16] In a coincidence that has never been fully explained, a guard under the command of Machado's concuñado, the brother of a brother-in-law and future father-in-law, Captain Jose Alipaz, challenged the dragoons and alerted the camp to their presence.[16] While Machado quickly ran back to Hammond's scouting party, Alipaz sounded the alarm but was dismissed by General Pico, until a U.S. Army blanket and dragoon coat were discovered on the edge of camp by Pablo Véjar. With Capt. Alipaz, Captain Leonardo Cota and José María Ibarra (the Californio standing guard) chased the dragoons to the top of the next ridge with the battle cry of "!Viva California!".[7]: 187 [48][49] Pico was alerted, and the Californio camp prepared for the U.S. Army dragoons and marines to attack.[7]: 187 [48][49]

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.[7]: 188 [39]

## Battle

[edit]

The Charge of the Caballeros depicts the Californio 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.[9] It had rained that night. Men, muskets, pistols and equipment were wet and cold, but the troops, after over six months without any action, were eager to engage the Californios. Early in the morning of December 6, 1846, the column proceeded by twos across the ridge between Santa Maria (present day Ramona, California) and San Pasqual. During the descent, while it was still dark and with a low-lying fog, Kearny's force became strung out and were caught in a disadvantageous position by General Pico's swift advance.[39] Kearny gave the plan of battle prior to proceeding down into the valley, to keep all casualties to a minimum, to encircle San Pasqual to capture fresh mounts.[6]

Captain Abraham R. Johnston's advance guard, while still three-quarters of a mile (1.2 km) from Pico's forces, was ordered by Kearny to "Trot!", which Johnston misunderstood as "Gallop!".[50][7]: 188 Seeing this Kearny exclaimed "Oh, heavens! I did not mean that!".[6] Forty of the best mounted pulled far ahead of the main body of the force, in violation of the Cavalry Tactics manual of 1841, which instructed a charge to begin at just 40 paces from the enemy "so as to arrive in good order, and without fatiguing the horses."[9] The mules pulling the howitzers bolted, taking one of the guns with them. Pico's mounted force remained ahead of the pursuing U.S. forces. Their fresh horses and superior horsemanship allowed them to outmaneuver and lead the advance group of dragoons away from the main force. The Californios had a distinct advantage over the U.S. soldiers in their knowledge of the terrain. A second separation developed until twenty-eight dragoons, including Kearny, were separated. Damp powder reduced the effectiveness of carbines to clubs and pistols to hammers, as described by Felicita[51] a San Pasqual Indian[52] that witnessed the battle. The Californios were armed with long lances and reatas (braided rawhide lariat), which they used with great effect.[53] As a consequence, Johnston's charge was unsupported and his dragoons were forced to withdraw.[7]: 188

Captain Archibald H. Gillespie of the United States Marine Corps was attacked by lancers, front and rear, at San Pasqual

As the leading element of the U.S. force's attack drew close to a Kumeyaay village, the Californios wheeled back and fired their few firearms. At this time Captain Johnston was killed by a bullet. Pico then withdrew a half mile to higher ground.[7]: 188

A second charge ordered by Capt. Benjamin D. Moore further separated the Americans, and the Californios met his dragoons with a counter-charge by lancers.[7]: 188 The charge was quickly surrounded, and Capt. Moore was killed. Gillespie arrived within fifteen minutes with the artillery. Mules are reluctant to wheel, and the horse-mounted Californios outflanked the Americans and captured one of the unattended howitzers. Gillespie used a sabre to fight off a vicious personal attack made by a group of lancers in revenge for his previous actions during his occupation of Los Angeles and the broken agreement to cease hostilities. He took a lance thrust just over the heart that pierced a lung. Kearny was wounded when he was lanced. Other U.S. dragoons were worked on by pairs of Californios who, with fresh mounts and years of practice, would use a lasso to yank soldiers off their mounts to the ground, where the second rider would lance them.[6] Gillespie's men unlimbered the remaining howitzer – John Sutter's Russian-made bronze four-pounder – and were able to drive the Californio fighters from the field after Midshipman Duncan fired canister into them.[9] Either this action (traditional U.S. view) or the unusual degree of bloodshed (traditional Californio view), prompted Pico to withdraw.[7]: 188 The U.S. forces fortified a camp on a low hill north of the valley, initially placing their dead on mules that were unable to transport them before burying them outside of the camp under cover of darkness.[54][55] The location of this camp is within the modern day San Diego Zoo Safari Park.[56]

Summarizing the battle, historian Owen Coy writes:

> The Americans fought bravely against heavy odds, for their mules were unmanageable, and their sabers too short to cope effectively with the long California lances.[57]

Coy goes on to write:

> The Americans were in no condition to pursue and indeed found themselves in a very unhappy plight.[55]

## After the battle

[edit]

### Six messengers

[edit]

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.[58] That evening, Captain Turner, established a strong defensive perimeter and then sent dispatches requesting urgent reinforcements, carried to Commodore Stockton by "Alexis Godey, Thomas Burgess, and one other."[59] 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."[60] 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."[61] 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.[61] That night Lieut. Beale, Scout Carson, and an Indian guide named Pontho moved[62][63][64][65] 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.[66]

## Reinforcement and casualties

[edit]

Depiction of the battle by William H. Meyers; watercolor, 1847.

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.[58]

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.[67]

### Killed/Missing in action of U.S. 1st Dragoon & attached forces

[edit]

* Company C:[68]
* 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)[69][70][71]

1st U.S. Dragoon Officers:

* CPT. Johnston, Abraham-1st Dragoon Staff officer
* CPT. Moore, Benjamin-'C' Company commander
* 2LT. Hammond, Thomas-'K' Company commander[72]
* Attached:
* California Volunteer. Baker, Henry
* Mountain man. Menard, Francois[73] (Listed as Topographical Engineer in some listings)

### California Lancers at San Pasqual Battle

[edit]

Reference:[74]

* 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

[edit]

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."[75] Some time after the battle, General Kearny wrote that the U.S. had achieved victory since the Californios had "fled the field,"[76] but the Californios saw the engagement as their victory.[58]

According to Kit Carson, who was on the battlefield that day, "Kearny chose to press the attack with an eye to capturing Pico's horses."[77]

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."[78]

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.[8] 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:

> It had been a thoroughly bad battle from the American point of view. It has been claimed in Kearny's defense that because Pico abandoned the field the Americans were thereby victorious, but it is a ridiculous assertion.[79]

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,[80] 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.[9] Historian Arthur Woodward wrote, "One can only suppose that Kearny, having made one of the longest marches in the history of the United States Army, was spoiling for a fight and intended to have it."[81]

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.[9] Historian Hollon wrote:

> The combat losses at the Battle of San Pasqual often overshadow the success of the overall campaign. While Kearny made a poor decision to engage the Californios at San Pasqual, the operations on either side of the battle revealed a brilliant military mind coordinating complex actions across the expanse of a continent.[9]

## Legacy

[edit]

* 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.[82][83] The Fort Moore Hill Pioneer Memorial further honors Moore and other American pioneers.[84]
* Kearny Mesa, an area of San Diego, was named after Camp Kearny;[85][86] Camp Kearny was named for Stephen W. Kearny.[87][88]
* Kit Carson Park, in Escondido, was named for Kit Carson.[89]
* 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.[90][91]
* 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.[92][93]
* The site of the battle is commemorated as San Pasqual Battlefield State Historic Park.[94][95]
* A cross was placed on Battle Mountain in Rancho Bernardo, which has been incorrectly identified as Mule Hill, commemorating the battle.[96][97][98][99] Raised in Easter 1966, it was later dedicated to local residents who died during the Tenerife airport disaster.[100][101]
* A bronze relief of Beale and Carson contacting Stockton was unveiled at the National Museum in 1910.[15]: 950 [102]
* 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.

* Marker of reburied U.S. servicemen who died during the Battle of San Pasqual

* Diorama depicting the 1846 Battle of San Pasqual, by artist Joseph Leland Roop in 1931, at the Natural History Museum, Los Angeles

## See also

[edit]

* List of conflicts in the United States
* Battles of the Mexican–American War
* History of San Diego
* Pauma Massacre
* Temecula Massacre

## Notes

[edit]

1. ^ "San Pasqual Battlefield State Historic Park". Geographic Names Information System. United States Geological Survey, United States Department of the Interior.
2. ^ John Wilson. "The Shooting of James King". Stanford University School of Medicine and the Predecessor Schools : An Historical Perspective. Stanford University. Archived from the original on July 22, 2011. Retrieved March 20, 2011. "Although the Californians retreated and the Americans remained in possession of the battlefield, their victory was a pyrrhic one for their attack was ill-conceived and many American lives were recklessly and needlessly sacrificed."
3. ^ John C. Pinheiro (2007). Manifest Ambition: James K. Polk and Civil-military Relations During the Mexican War. Greenwood Publishing Group. p. 120\. ISBN 978-0-275-98409-0. "... at best must be described as a Pyrrhic victory ..."
4. ^ Dwight Lancelot Clarke (1961). Stephen Watts Kearny: Soldier of the West. University of Oklahoma Press. p. 232. "... it was certainly a Pyrrhic victory."
5. ^ Hollon, LTC Cory S. (April 29, 2013). Operational Art in the Campaign of Stephen Watts Kearny to Conquer New Mexico and California, 1846-7 (PDF) (Master's Thesis). U.S. Army Command and General Staff College. Archived (PDF) from the original on March 17, 2017. Retrieved March 15, 2017. "The first battle of the war for Kearny was a Pyrrhic victory at San Pasqual, but Kearny recovered and led a large force in a successful operation against prepared forces of Californios."
6. ^ a b c d e f Niderost, Eric (May 26, 2016). "Mexican-American Clash at San Pasqual". Military History. McLean, Virginia: Sovereign Media. Archived from the original on March 16, 2017. Retrieved March 15, 2017. "The lancers left the field, enabling the Americans to technically claim a victory, albeit a mostly Pyrrhic one. Three officers and 21 men were dead, and another 17 were wounded."
7. ^ a b c d e f g h i j k l m n o p q Bauer, K.J., 1974, The Mexican War, 1846–1848, New York:Macmillan, ISBN 0803261071
8. ^ a b "San Pasqual Battlefield Site Location Project". San Pasqual Battlefield Site Location Project. Retrieved July 9, 2010.
9. ^ a b c d e f g h i Hollon, Lt. Col. Cory S. (Winter 2015). "'A Leap in the Dark' The Campaign to Conquer New Mexico and California, 1846–1847" (PDF). Army History. PB 20-15-1 (94). Washington, D.C.: 6–25. Retrieved June 28, 2018.
10. ^ Coy 1921, p. 4  This article incorporates text from this source, which is in the public domain..
11. ^ "Your Affectionate Son, Robinson: American Expansionism and the Life of Captain Abraham Robinson Johnston, 1815–1846". The Journal of San Diego History. 62.
12. ^ a b Peet (1949) p. 217, 218
13. ^ Clarke & Ruhlen (1964) p. 40-42
14. ^ Wainwright, Capt. R. P. Page (January 1895). "The First Regiment of Cavalry". Journal of the Military Service Institution of the United States. XVI (73): 177–196.
15. ^ a b c Sabin, Edwin Legrand (1935). Kit Carson Days, 1809–1868: Adventures in the Path of Empire. Vol. 2\. University of Nebraska Press. pp. 525–540, 950. ISBN 0-8032-9238-4.
16. ^ a b c d e Moore, M. J. (1903). "Sketch of Captain Benjamin Daviess Moore". Annual Publication of the Historical Society of Southern California and of the Pioneers of Los Angeles County. 6 (1): 10–13. doi:10.2307/41169602. JSTOR 41169602.
17. ^ Clarke, Dwight L. (September 1958). Letters of Captain Henry S. Turner on the Kearny-Fremont Controversy. Los Angeles: Roxburghe and Zamorano Clubs. hdl:2027/uc1.31822035076843.
18. ^ Twitchell, Ralph Emerson (1911). The Leading Facts of New Mexican History. Vol. 2\. Sunstone Press. p. 213\. ISBN 9780865345669.
19. ^ a b c Emory, William Hemsley; United States Army, Corps of Topographical Engineers (1848). Notes of a Military Reconnoissance from Fort Leavenworth, in Missouri to San Diego, in California, Including Part of the Arkansas, Del Norte, and Gila Rivers. H. Long & Brother. p. 143. "california."
20. ^ a b "California and the Mexican War: The Battle of San Pasqual". California State Military Museums. Retrieved July 20, 2014.
21. ^ a b c d e f g h i j k l m n o "The Charge". San Pasqual Battlefield Site Location Project. Retrieved July 20, 2014.
22. ^ "Class of 1842". George W. Cullum's Biographical Register of the Officers and Graduates of the United States Military Academy at West Point, New York, since its establishment in 1802.
23. ^ Myers p. 4
24. ^ Gorenfeld, William (October 9, 2007). "Get a Look at the Mighty Pacific: Thomas Swords Dragoon Quartermaster". Archived from the original on August 14, 2014. Retrieved July 20, 2014.
25. ^ "The Conquest of California: The Battle of San Pasqual". Westerners Los Angeles Corral (207). Spring 1997.
26. ^ a b c d e f g h i j k l m n o Bancroft, Hubert Howe (1886). The Works of Hubert Howe Bancroft. Vol. 22\. History Company.
27. ^ Clarke & Ruhlen p. 40 (M.I.A. & also listed as McCaffrey/not listed as casualty/possibly K.I.A./possibly deserted)
28. ^ Woodward (1948) p. 57 (Roster: Troop C, 1st Dragoons)
29. ^ Hayes (1877) "Dunne's Notes on San Pascual" p. 4. "[Captain] Johnston was probably shot first-possibly by one of Kearney's men"
30. ^ Ames and Lyman p. 1
31. ^ Clarke (1966) p. vii
32. ^ Coy 1921, p. 5.
33. ^ Calvin p. 19
34. ^ Downey p. 170
35. ^ Robert F. Stockton (February 18, 1848). "Commodore Stockton's Report on the War in California". California State Military Museum. Retrieved March 15, 2012.
36. ^ Johns, Sally Cavell (Fall 1973). "VIVA LOS CALIFORNIOS!: The Battle of San Pasqual". The Journal of San Diego History. 19 (4). San Diego History Center. Retrieved March 15, 2012. "The following day Stockton received the message and immediately sent a detachment of mounted riflemen under the command of Captain Gillespie. The force included Rafael Machado, a native San Diegan, and Navy Lieutenant Edward Fitzgerald Beale in charge of a four-pounder fieldpiece. The company marching to join the Army of the West totaled thirty-nine men."
37. ^ Cresap, Cap (Spring 2006). "Clearing Up The Confusion About California Cannon Of John Sutter". The Artilleryman. 27 (2). Archived from the original on July 7, 2012. Retrieved March 15, 2012.
38. ^ Hruby, George (September 1996). "THE USE OF ARTILLERY AT THE BATTLE OF SAN PASQUAL" (PDF). San Pasqual Battlefield Site Location Project. Archived from the original (PDF) on July 18, 2011. Retrieved March 15, 2012.
39. ^ a b c Sides, Hampton (2006). Blood and Thunder: An Epic of the American West. Random House Digital, Inc. p. 2006\. ISBN 978-0-7393-2672-5. Retrieved March 19, 2011.
40. ^ "THE JOURNALS OF MARINE SECOND LIEUTENANT HENRY BULLS WATSON 1845–1848" (PDF). p. 261\. Archived from the original (PDF) on September 5, 2009. Retrieved March 15, 2012.
41. ^ "Battalion of Sailors, from the fleet on the Pacific coast 1847". Togetherweserved.com. Retrieved July 20, 2014.
42. ^ Beck, Stephen. "A Brief History of John Sutter and his Bronze Field Cannon". Archived from the original on July 26, 2014. Retrieved July 20, 2014.
43. ^ "William Henry Russell, Callaway, Jackson, Cass Co., MO". USGenWeb Archives - via The biography of William Henry Russell from the Dictionary of American Biography (New York, 1935).
44. ^ Coy 1921, pp. 5–6.
45. ^ a b Warner, Juan José; Hayes, Benjamin Ignatius; Widney, Joseph Pomeroy (1876). "An historical sketch of Los Angeles county, California. From the Spanish occupancy, by the founding of the mission San Gabriel Archangel, September 8, 1771, to July 4, 1876". Los Angeles: L. Lewin & Co. Los Angeles Centennial Celebration Literary Committee. Archived from the original on March 4, 2016. Retrieved July 21, 2014.
46. ^ Parra, Alvaro (August 22, 2013). "Tomás A. Sanchez: The Californio Sheriff of Los Angeles". Public Media Group of Southern California. Retrieved July 21, 2014.
47. ^ Coy 1921, p. 6.
48. ^ a b Gillespie, Captain Archibald H. (December 25, 1846). "The Mexican War and California: Captain Archibald Gillespie's Report to Commodore Robert Stockton Concerning The Battle of San Pasqual". California State Military Museums. Retrieved March 12, 2012.
49. ^ a b Woodward, Arthur (March 1947). "Lances at San Pasqual (Concluded)". California Historical Society Quarterly. 26 (1): 32. doi:10.2307/25156014. JSTOR 25156014.
50. ^ Marti p. 96 (1960) "Messenger of Destiny"
51. ^ Woodward (1948) p. 82: Footnote #110, "poles...to carry the [U.S.] wounded...This is in accord with the tale told Mrs. Judson [Roberts] by Felicita..."
52. ^ Roberts. (1917) p. 221, 224
53. ^ Roberts. p, 223, 224
54. ^ Beck, Darrell (December 1, 2009). "Gen. Stephen Watts Kearney And The Battle Of San Pasqual". Ramona Home Journal. Archived from the original on June 28, 2018. Retrieved June 28, 2018.
55. ^ a b Coy 1921, p. 8.
56. ^ Jones, J. Harry (December 7, 2009). "San Pasqual battle details still disputed". San Diego Union Tribune. Retrieved June 28, 2018.
57. ^ Coy 1921, p. 7.
58. ^ a b c del Castillo, Richard Griswold. "The U.S.-Mexican War in San Diego, 1846–1847: Loyalty and Resistance". The Journal of San Diego History. Retrieved October 18, 2008.
59. ^ Woodward p. 39
60. ^ Woodward p. 41
61. ^ a b Woodward p. 42
62. ^ Peet. Uses the names Panto or Pantho. (1949) p. 50
63. ^ Roberts. Uses the name Pontho. (1917) p. 220
64. ^ Hayes, Benjamin (Judge). (1877): William Burden Dunne's (Troop C, 1st U.S. Dragoons) notes on San Pasqual (p. 3: "San Pascual Indian") as dictated to Judge Benjamin Hayes
65. ^ Woodward (1948) p. 57 (Roster: Troop C, 1st Dragoons) & notes on p. 81 uses the name of Panto, along with a brief biography of Panto.
66. ^ Woodward p. 42, 43
67. ^ Machado de Wrightington, Juana (January 11, 1878). "Los Tiempos Pasados de la Alta California. Recuerdos de la Sra. D.a Juana Machado de Ridington  [sic]" (Interview). Interviewed by Thomas Savage. North San Diego. Collection at Bancroft Library (C-D 119), Berkeley, California
68. ^ Clarke & Ruhlen (1964) p. 40
69. ^ Note: Woodward (1948) p. 58, "...Troop K, 1st U.S. Dragoons on its arrival in California were transferred to Troop "C", 1st U.S. Dragoons, Dec 6/46, and their names are included in the list of members of that Company except the following: 2d Lieut. T.C. Hammond, 1st Sergt. Otis L. Moore, Corp'l George Ramsdale, Farrier David W. Johnson, Sergt William Whitress, Private[s] W. H. Fiel, W. C. Gholston, Robert Gregory, Hugh McCaffery, William Mink. Woodward(1948) p. 84 notes: #141-"These men, listed as not having been transferred, were killed in action, with the exception of McCaffery, who was posted as missing in action, He and Mink are not listed on the monument."
70. ^ Clarke and Ruhlen (1964) p. 42, lists "McCaffrey" in company K.
71. ^ Gorenfeld and Gorenfeld (2016) p. 407, lists "McKaffray" in company K.
72. ^ Clarke and Ruhlen p. 42
73. ^ Emory p. 171, which also lists 3 remaining Mountain men Peterson, Londeau, and Perrot
74. ^ Note: These are the known lancers on the battlefield during the fight at San Pasqual. Woodward (1948). p. 65.
75. ^ Cooke, Philip St George (1964). The Conquest of New Mexico and California, An Historical and Personal Narrative. Albuquerque, New Mexico: Horn and Wallace. p. 259.
76. ^ Emory p. 145, "We finally beat them off the second time; they fled leaving us in possession of the field."
77. ^ Briggs and Trudell p. 55
78. ^ Briggs and Trudell (1983) p.64, 65
79. ^ Regan, Geoffrey (1993). "The Battle of San Pasqual". SNAFU: Great American Military Disasters. Avon Books - via California State Military Museums.
80. ^ Note-Kearny was misinformed, first by Carson and his dispatches, then later by Capt. Gillespie (USMC), when Kearny linked up with him in California: Near Socorro, New Mexico, General Kearny "met Kit Carson, with an escort of fifteen men, carrying dispatches from Stockton and Fremont in Los Angeles. Carson, who had heard nothing of the [Calif] revolt that broke out immediately after his departure, reported that everything was quiet in California and that American authority was supreme. Kearny there upon decided to retain but 100 of his Dragoons and to send the others back to Santa Fe. As Carson had just travelled the Gila River route, and as Fitzpatrick had never been on it, Kearny ordered the former to return toward the west as guide to the expedition. Carson protested but followed orders. The dispatches carried thus far by Carson were turned over to Fitzpatrick, with orders to take them to Washington." Hafen p. 240
81. ^ Woodward, Arthur. (1948) p. 25. Lances at San Pascual. San Francisco: California Historical Society.
82. ^ Cocks, Bert H. (September 1946). "Fort Moore" (PDF). The Quarterly: Historical Society of Southern California. 28 (3). Historical Society of Southern California: 88–98. doi:10.2307/41168092. JSTOR 41168092. Retrieved February 7, 2019.
83. ^ Federal Writers Project of the Works Progress Administration (April 5, 2011). Los Angeles in the 1930s: The WPA Guide to the City of Angels. University of California Press. p. 39\. ISBN 978-0-520-94886-0.
84. ^ Meares, Hadley (May 31, 2013). "The Many Lives of Fort Moore Hill: The Shifting and Shrinking of a Los Angeles Icon". Public Media Group of Southern California. Retrieved February 7, 2019.
85. ^ "1967 Aerial View of Kearny Mesa, General Dynamics". Digital Archives. City of San Diego. 2002. Retrieved February 7, 2019.
86. ^ O'Hara, Thomas (2005). Marine Corps Air Station Miramar. Arcadia Publishing. p. 9\. ISBN 978-0-7385-3058-1.
87. ^ "Camp Kearny". Historic California Posts, Camps, Stations and Airfields. California State Military Museums. Retrieved February 7, 2019.
88. ^ Fetzer, Leland (2005). San Diego County Place Names, A to Z. Sunbelt Publications, Inc. p. 73\. ISBN 978-0-932653-73-4.
89. ^ Boggs, Johnny D. (October 14, 2009). "Looping Across Kit Carson's Southwest". True West Magazine. Archived from the original on February 9, 2019. Retrieved February 7, 2019.
90. ^ "Beale's History: Past to Present". Beale Air Force Base. United States Air Force. February 23, 2016. Retrieved February 7, 2019.
91. ^ Johnson, Danny (June 23, 2017). "Beale Air Force Base". Historic California Posts, Camps Stations and Airfields. California State Military Museums. Retrieved February 7, 2019.
92. ^ "From Military Parachutes to Private Aircraft" (PDF). Plane News. County of San Diego. Summer 2009. pp. 1–2. Retrieved February 7, 2019.
93. ^ Shettle Jr., M.L. (February 8, 2016). "Marine Corps Auxilary Air Facility, Gillespie Field". Historic California Posts, Camps Stations and Airfields. California State Military Museums. Retrieved February 7, 2019.
94. ^ Van Wagenen, Michael (2012). Remembering the Forgotten War: The Enduring Legacies of the U.S./Mexican War. University of Massachusetts Press. p. 205\. ISBN 978-1-55849-930-0.
95. ^ McGlamery, Megan (September 2011). "San Pasqual Battlefield State Historic Park: A Piece of History Faces Obliteration". East County Magazine. San Diego County: East County Media. Retrieved February 7, 2019.
96. ^ Ray, Nancy (March 16, 1988). "Battlefield Victory : Mule Hill, the Site of 1846 Battle, Captured at Last for History". Los Angeles Times. Retrieved May 5, 2018.
97. ^ Harold J. Clifford; Steven G. Spear (1997). Geology of San Diego County: Legacy of the Land. Sunbelt Publications. p. 126\. ISBN 978-0-932653-21-5.
98. ^ Southern California Quarterly. Historical Society of Southern California. March 1962. pp. C–164.
99. ^ California Historical Society Quarterly. California Historical Society. March 1947. p. 61.
100. ^ Kacejateste (January 29, 2009). "Around the Ranch: All about Battle Mountain". San Diego Union Tribune. Retrieved May 5, 2018.
101. ^ Himchak, Elizabeth Marie (June 9, 2016). "Rancho Bernardo cross undergoes repairs". San Diego Union Tribune. Retrieved May 5, 2018.
102. ^ Coy 1921, pp. 10–11.

## Sources

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* Briggs, Carl and Trudell, Clyde Frances (1983). Quarterdeck & Saddlehorn: The Story of Edward F. Beale 1822–1893. The Arthur H. Clarke Company, Glendale. California.
* Clarke, Dwight L. and Ruhlen, George (March 1964). "The Final Roster of the Army of the West, 1846-1847". The California Historical Society Quarterly. pp. 37-44.
* Coy, Owen C. (1921). The Battle of San Pasqual. Sacramento: California State Printing Office.
* Coy, Owen C, PHD, Director (1921). "The Battle of San Pasqual: A Report of the California Historical Survey Commission with Special Reference to Its Location". California State Printing Office Sacramento.
* Downey, Joseph T., Ordinary Seaman, USN; Lamar, Howard, Editor (1963-Reissued). The Cruise of the Portsmouth, 1845-1847; A Sailor's View of the Naval Conquest of California, Yale University Press.
* Emory, W. H., Brevet Major; Calvin, Ross, Ph.D. (Introduction and notes) (1951). Lieutenant Emory REPORTS: A Reprint of Lieutenant W. H. Emory's NOTES OF A MILITARY RECONNOISSANCE, From Fort Leavenworth, in Missouri to San Diego, California. New York: Published by H. Long & Brother. 1848.
* Gorenfeld, Will and Gorenfeld, John (2016). Kearny's Dragoons Out West, The Birth of the U.S. Cavalry. University of Oklahoma Press.
* Griffin, John, S., Ames, George, Walcott (Introduction and notes), and a foreword by Lyman, George D. (1943). A Doctor Comes to California; The Diary of John S. Griffin, Assistant Surgeon with Kearny's Dragoons, 1846-1847. San Francisco Historical Society, MCMXLIII.
* Hafen, Leroy R. The Life of Thomas Fitzpatrick Mountain Man, Guide and Indian Agent. The Old West Publishing Company. 1973
* Hayes, Benjamin, (Judge). (1877). William Burden Dunne's Notes on San Pascual.
* Marti, Werner H. (1960). Messenger of Destiny: The California Adventures, 1846–1847 of Archibald H. Gillespie, U.S. Marine Corps. John Howell-Books, 434 Post Street, San Francisco.
* Myers, Harry C. (Editor). (1982). From the Post of the Frontier; Letters of Thomas and Charlotte Swords. Published by Sekan Publications, 2210 S. Main, Fort Scott, KS 66701.
* Peet, Mary, Rockwood (1949). San Pasqual, A Crack in the Hills. The Highland Press, Culver City, California.
* Roberts, Elizabeth, Judson (1917). Indian Stories of the Southwest. San Francisco Harr Wagner Publishing Co.
* Turner, Henry, Smith, Edited & Introduction by Clarke, Dwight, L. (1966). The Original Journals of Henry Smith Turner with Stephen Watts Kearny to New Mexico and California 1846–1847. University of Oklahoma Press: Norman.
* Woodward, Arthur (1948). Lances at San Pascual. San Francisco: California Historical Society. Reprinted with additions, from California Historical Society Quarterly Vol. XXV, Number 4 and Vol. XXVI, Number 1.

## Further reading

[edit]

* Dunne, William B. Notes on the Battle of San Pascual (Berkeley: Bancroft Library)
* Executive Document Number 1, accompanying the President's message at the Second Session of the 30th Congress, December 1848, including the Report of Commodore Stockton.
* Jones, Sally Cavell, The Battle of San Pascual (Master's Thesis, USD, 1973)
* Sides, Hampton, Blood and Thunder: An Epic of the American West, Doubleday (2006), hardcover, 462 pages, ISBN 978-0-385-50777-6
* Todd, Charles Burr (1925). The Battles of San Pasqual: A Study: With Map, Itinerary and Guide to the Battle Fields. Progress Pub. Co.

## External links

[edit]

* "Battle Studies: San Pasqual". Research Guides. Marine Corps University Research Library. June 5, 2018.
* Deceño del paraje de Sn. Pascual inclusive el rincon del mismo nombre at The Bancroft Library

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