THE BATTLE OF SAN PASQUAL A Report of the' California H istorical Survey Commission with S pecial Reference to its Location B OWEN Q COY Ph. D. y L , DIRE CTOR CALIF O RNIA ST A TE PRIN TIN G OF F ICE S A CB ALIEN TO 1 9 2 l THE BATTLE OF SAN PASQUAL A Report of the California H istorical Survey Co mmission with Special Reference to its Lo cation D B OWEN Y h . y c . CO , P . DIRECT OR CAL IF ORN IA S T AT E P RINTING O FF ICE SACRAMEN T O 1 9 2 l THEBATTlt O ‘ SAN BASOUAE; ‘ l A E G lF T T O T H E S T T . In accordance with the p rovisions of an act Of the Legislature approved Ma 16 1919 S e f n a by the governor y , , the tat of C ali or i accepted ' an M . d as a gift from essrs . William G E d Fletcher one acre ‘ Henshaw h o of land said to be t e site Of the battle f San Pasqual , fought between h r t e fo ces Of General S . W . Kearny and the native Californians ‘ 4 M 6 7 18 6 . ( exican ) December and , The act also provided that the Historical Commission should prepare a narrative of the events con ne s t ed wi th the b attle ; that it should determine the exact location of the several engagements ; and recommend some manner whereby t he a men state might suitably mark the site . In accord nce with the act i n t o ed . , this report is respectfully submitted ‘ H IS TO RI C A L A C C O U N T O F T H E B A TT L E . The battle Of San Pasqual , fought in the little valley Of that name one the located in the northern part Of San Diego County , was of bloodiest fought on Californian soil . The number of men engaged ' was not large nor were the casualties numerous as compared with battles Of more recent wars . Its chief distinction lies in the fact that it was a battle fought upon California soil , which fortunately has been particularly free from bloody encounters . The main events Of the war with Mexico during the years 1846—1848 re r f 7 46 a o . 18 well known to the eaders American history Upon July , , the ' A merican M Commodore John D . Sloat raised Flag at onterey and d uring the succeding months the supremacy of the forces of the United was e of States recogniz d throughout the territory Alta California , x o e cept by isolated bands f native Californian forces . One of these was the band of Andres Pico just north of San Diego . w The United States Government , knowing of the impending war ith M a ‘ a exico , had prepared for an att ck upon California both by its nav l as forces and by the army . Under instructions C ommodore Sloat , f and the before stated , took possession o the chief port settlements during a summer of 1846 . To cooperate with the nav l forces Colonel Stephen W . Kearny was ordered to proceed overland , and after having taken possession of N ew Mexico was to push on and hold California for the United States . A letter of instructions from Secretary of War William M L . arcy to Kearny is of value in giving an idea of his instructions and the of f a plan action o which this battle w s a part . a o n 3 1846 This letter , dated W shingt n , Ju e , , informed Kearny th at the M President had decided , in view of the impending war with exico , that the possession of Alta California was of prime importance ; and that an expedition with that Object in view was therefore ordered and 2 —9872 4 44 1 6 5 _ 4 _ l i. ' tnat d i he was es gnated to command it . He was also informed that an additional force of a thousand men had been p rovided to follow him a t o w as d to Sant Fe , which place he directe to proceed ; and he was Of N ew M instructed , after making himself master exico , to press on with his remaining force to California . He was to enlist such volunteers as he m i ight p ck up along the way , the total enlistment not to exceed one of third his original force . He was permitted to choose his own ' s o R route , but it was suggested that the called Caravan oute , by which the Old communication between that country and N ew Mexico 011 t had been carried , could be more easily traversed in win er time , Wl S h was and the expressed that he should reach California by winter . It was expected that the United States naval forces would be in posses -4 of sion the Pacific seacoast by the time Kearny would arrive there , and r him n that they would coope ate with in the conquest of the cou try . w n was n . ot Ho ever Kear y definitely bound to a fixed program , for ’ “ M s n Secretary arcy , letter expressly stated that A large discretio ary p is ou a l ower invested in y in reg rd to these matters , as well as to a l ' o h t ers . The letter of instructions ended with advice as to the govern to b e of of a ment set up in the event the conquest Californi , and 1nstructions of for the kind treatment the Californians . the s Following instruction , Colonel Kearny left Leavenworth about tne J end of une , occupied Santa Fe , and accomplished the conquest M as of N ew . exico , directed , in August Having succeeded thus far , his a General Kearny , commission as such having re ched him at Santa a a instruc Fe , made prepar tions for carrying out the rem inder of his m h i of o n . tions , na ely , those w ich dealt with the conquest Calif r a on - fifth of 1846 a He left Santa Fe the twenty September , , h ving im of e before h a Journey over a thousand miles , a gr at portion of which v s n was absolute desert . A ery intere ting account of this jour ey is ’ a e . Of given by Lieutenant Colonel W . H Emory , one Ke rny s aid s , in . a a ea his Journal Both he and C ptain Johnston , nother aide to K rny, a kept diaries of their experiences on the overland trip to Californi . of he However , the details t trip , although very interesting, are not m essential to our story . The ma facts O f the trip may be obt ained m f r fro the following letter , the O ficial eport of General Kearny to his ’ f R n S an superior O ficer , General . Jones , sent after Kear y s arrival at Diego A D U T R A M Y OF T H E W T H E Q AR E S , R ES , A P L 2 4 N G U P F A . 1 18 S DIE O , ER CA I ORNI , Dec , 6 . S IR ' A a e t I- S a a F e N ew fo r s I h ve previously report d o you , left nt ' Mexico ' ' “ c ountr on 25 S 300 F a this y, the th of eptember , with of the irst Dr goons under . h at A 5 a S m a of - t é N u 6 M jor u ner . We crossed to the b nk Del orte lbuq uerq e , ( miles S a a F e o a a ‘ 6 O et below nt , ) c ntinuing down on th t b nk till the th ctober, when we m Ki h a a a a . t a a a 16 is w Mr C rson , with p rty of men , on y to W shington city with m il F a and a an s S and . p pers , expre s from Com . tockton , Lieut Col remont . reporting th t ' the C aliforni as were already in poss es sion of the A mericans under their command a A a fla a a th t the meric n g w s flying from every import nt position in the territory , and a m a c war and th t the country was forever free fro Mexic n ontrol ; the ended , ' a ' h of a pe ce and armony established among the people . In conseq uence this inform ' c a a a S ma N ew tion , I dire ted th t 200 dr goons under M jor umner , should re in in an 0 a z a d a 1 w . Mexico , th t the other 0 , ith two mount in howit ers , under C pt Moore , s a a as a a U a a. a hould ccomp ny me gu rd to pper C liforni With this gu rd , we con tinued ma a N a our rch to the south , on the right b nk of the Del orte , to the dist nce a 230 a a F e a a 1 5th O of bout miles below S nt , when , le ving th t river on the cto u d a a f r a 33 .