Chronological Events Leading Up To The Battle of San Pasqual

The Indians of San Pasqual Pueblo

In 1845, Petitions were filed in a greedy attempt to take away the lands of the San Pasqual Indians. The petition claimed the Indians were a disgrace. Quite the opposite was found to be true as is evidenced by the report filed by Santiago Arguella after his investigative visit of September 23, 1845, saying, 

"This settlement comprises sixty-one Christian souls, and forty-four unconverted Indians, with dwellings after their manner, huts of tule forming a kind of irregular Plazuela [a small square], the police thereof is under the care of an alcalde of the Christian residents appointed by the First Alcalde's Court of this place, and of the unconverted Capitan Panto."  

Other interesting information found in his report is his description of  the excellent condition of the lands in terms of their agricultural and pastoral production, and he took particular note of the cooperative stock-raising agreements in effect with the neighboring ranchos and the great bonds of trust that existed between Chief Panto and his neighbors. Listed as neighbors to the San Pasqual Indians were:

* Rancho Rincon del Diablo, owned by Maria Antonia Alvarado (aka Mrs. Joseph Snook) located in the area where Escondido now lies;
* Rancho Los Vallecitos de San Marcos, owned by the wife of Governor Jose Maria Alvarado;
* Santa Maria Rancho located to the to the east and owned by Don Eduardo Stokes.

Soon, many more injustices were to be inflicted upon this small Indian tribe living in peaceful harmony with their neighbors, the Edward Stokes Family..

1846 -Col. Stephen Kearny and his 300 mounted soldiers had been sent overland by the President to conquer the Far West. On their way to California, they had taken New Mexico, capturing Santa Fe without a battle. These Dragoons conquered New Mexico, then upon leaving Santa Fe marched westward with similar intentions for conquering California. 

Heading west, they ran head-on with the famous trail blazer, Kit Carson. Traveling East with military dispatches from San Diego, Carson told Col. Kearny that Los Angeles had peacefully surrendered. Kearny was delighted and sent back 200 of his men to Santa Fe, ordering them to carry Carson's dispatches, and demanded Carson  return to San Diego with the remaining 100 soldiers. 

It was in early December, 1846  when the Americans pitched camp on lands (the exact location is what is now known as the Warner Springs Ranch) encompassed by the Ortega-Stokes land Grant. The Warner Springs Ranch boss was questioned and he...

"...spoke of the English man Stokes who lives 15 miles distant on the road to San Diego." 

So the Englishman, Edward Stokes, was summoned to camp, questioned, and handed a letter written by Gen. Kearny. He was instructed to carry it promptly the next morning to General Stockton who was still head quartered in San Diego. Stokes had offered information that...

At his headquarters in San Diego, Commodore Stockton received the message carried by Edward Stokes. The Englishman had come bearing a  letter from Warner's Ranch, written and sent by Colonel Stephen Watts Kearny.  In his letter to Stockton, Kearny announced his arrival with United States Army troops, a force of 120-odd dragoons, officially designated the Army of the West. Stockton immediately sent out a detachment of his men to greet the Army of the West.   The two forces met up in the Ballena Valley, thirty-five miles outside of San Diego.

December 5, 1846 - Fiesta at Rancho Santa Maria

The 5th of December, 1846 found the American troops encamped on the lands of Rancho Santa Maria, and enjoying a California-style fiesta thrown in their honor by Edward Stokes. But alas,  while "wining and dining" the American soldiers, it is speculated the owners of Rancho Santa Maria, the Edward Stokes family, remained sympathetic to their kinsman, and warned them about the American troops; after all it was Uncle Andres Pico, who was commanding the Californios encamped at the near-by Indian Pueblo of San Pasqual.

When Kearny learned that at the San Pasqual Indian Pueblo there was a force of local "Californio" ranchers who had armed and organized themselves as lancers to oppose the American invasion. It was decided,  rather than travel unopposed over a safer path,  to travel to San Diego via San Pasqual, to take advantage of a surprise attack.  After all, everything the Americans heard previously about the Californios implied they were cowards who would run rather than fight. (NOTE: Antonio Coronel states in his memoirs that it was Lorenzo Soto, the only non-Indian squatter in the valley, that deserted the Californio side to go over to the Americans; claiming it was Soto who told Col. Kearny that the force under Andres Pico was quartered at San Pascual).

The next morning, committed to battle after the long, weary ride across the western deserts, the soldiers were as haggard and worn-out  as were the poor mules that had carried them westward. The coastal hills had been just as hard physically as was the crossing of the deserts prior to that.  To make matters worse, for the past few days the soldiers had slogged through a chilling rain.  Marching in columns, the ragged troopers looked anything but warlike as they began their charge down into the valley. 

Col. Kearny sent Scouts ahead to determine the numbers and position of the Californians, but they were spotted by a Californian sentry and the alarm was given to the lancers' commander, Andres Pico. Over the hills from the east, the Americans approached San Pasqual.   Kearny, finding the Californians were drawn up to meet them a mile and a half away, and with the advantage of a surprise ambush lost, still followed through unwisely with his plans for an attack.  The Californios drew out the Americans in a long line, before wheeling about and attacking with lances against sabers. The Americans were armed with carbines and sabers to oppose the Mexican's lances, but their carbines had been wet by the rains, and no orders had been given to draw and replace the charges in them. When attempt to discharge them were made, the dragoons found the weapons would not fire. 

Reduced to fighting with their short sabers against the long lances, the Army of the West found out too late that their sabers were far too short to be effective against the Mexican lancers.  Trailing into battle in a column, the Americans were dealt with group by group until enough of them had been killed to warrant a Californian withdrawal. In order to repeat the pattern, the lancers galloped away, leaving Kearny in possession of a battlefield scattered with his dead. That same evening, the American soldiers were buried in a mass grave under a nearby willow tree.

In light of the American's ignorance, both of the Californio's strength and the lay of the land, the wisdom in making this decision is questionable. In California's bloodiest battle, Kearny lost a fifth of his command,  (according to historian, Bean 22 Americans were killed and 16, including Kearny, were wounded. While historian, Lewis, counted 18 killed and 17 wounded, with only a few Californios wounded).

Except for one prisoner killed by Indians friendly to the Americans, Andres Pico's forces of Californios suffered no losses.

The next day after the Battle of San Pasqual, the Army of the West set out for San Diego. After traveling only a few miles down the road, the Californians appeared again and drove the Americans back to occupy the top of a rocky hill. From this point the Americans remained surrounded and were in a desperate plight. With their supplies gone, the soldiers began to kill and eat their tired, faithful mounts; the place has been known ever since as Mule Hill.

A Private Dunne, who participated in the battle, offered an eye-witness account stating that they were surrounded by the Californio forces on Mule Hill when  "an Indian from San Pascual reached the hill", and it was the Indian who guided Lt. Beale and Kit Carson to San Diego.

San Pasqual's Chief Panto, has been credited as the person who performed this heroic deed. But whether it was him or someone sent by him, it does support Panto's daughter Felicita's claim that aid was offered by the San Pasqual Indians to the American forces.  Felicita, credits Panto with an important role in supporting the Americans in the battle:

In any case, Kit Carson, Lieutenant Edward Beale of the Navy, and an Indian did creep through the Mexican lines to take word of the disaster to Commodore Stockton in San Diego. Three days later 250 marines and blue jackets arrived at Mule Hill from San Diego, and so, Andres Pico withdrew his Californios.

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Revised: 29 Jun 2006 08:03:10 -0700.