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Katie Baldridge Carl Coughlan History 111 March 6, 2005 Katie Baldridge Carl Coughlan History 111 March 6, 2005 The Battle of San Pasqual The battle of San Pasqual was one of the many battles fought against Americans to protect their land. The greedy American government was determined to conquer California from Mexico and make it part of the union. The mass migration of immigrants caused the widespread of people to flee south. Mexico had departed from Spain in 1821. California wanted to manage their own affairs however, they lacked self government. Pio Pico was the civil governor and Jose Castro was the military com andante.
The two men held great hostility toward each other. They divided California's land and raised armies for themselves. These divisions of armies led to future problems, due to the lack of unity between the two. The United States Navy arrived in Monterey on July 2, 1846. "The two California leaders made a half-hearted attempt at cooperation" (Johns 2). The two men and their followers met at a ranch near San Luis Obispo to agree on an opposition towards the American forces. The lack of trust within one another led the two armies to march in separate units to Los Angeles.
Upon the troops arrival in Los Angeles Castro wrote a letter to Commodore Robert F. Stockton demanding to discuss a way of preventing war. Stockton wrote back concluding that the men must allow American forces to raise an American flag in California. Baldridge 2 The American flag represented that California was America's land.
Stockton also claimed that a treaty would be issued after the flag was inputted in the California soil. Castro refused to take the American negotiation. Castro soon spread the word of American disgrace to Governor Pico, and he also informed him that he was vacating the land due to a lack of resources. He claimed the resources were unable to carry on a war.
Pico soon followed with the same intentions. "Following the departures of Pio Pico and Jose Castro, the United States naval forces entered Los Angeles without opposition and raised the stars and stripes on August 31, Stockton appointed Captain Archibald Gillespie military commandant of the town, with instruction to be vigilant, firm and strict, and by no means permit anyone to escape" (Johns 3). California natives soon grew angry with Gillespie's demands and lodged an attack on him; the Americans won the small battle. And, four days later California won another attack at Chino Rancho of Isaac Williams. "Encouraged by their success, the local inhabitants then gathered a large force which surrounded the detachment in the pueblo and forced Gillespie to evacuate his post on Sept, 30 " (Johns 5). The attacks led to uproar of excitement among the California citizens. The citizens appointed a new official leader by the name of Jose Maria Flores. Flores was a lieutenant in the Mexican army under the command of Castro. "The Californians issued a proclamation on September 24, 1846, calling for the populace to take up arms against the invaders and drive them out of the territory" (Farris 8).
The revolts led many Americans to flee into the mountains of Santa Barbara. California wanted the invaders out of the Baldridge 3 land. "Pio Pico, now in Sonora, wrote the Mexican government on November 15, joyfully describing the victory of the California troops in Los Angeles, the government praised Flores for his success of the war, but went on to say, the central government has too many of its own problems and failed to send the desperately needed assistance to remote California" (Farris). Don Andres Pico, the younger brother of Pio, now commanded the California forces that surrounded the Southern Harbor. On December 2, 1846, an army of the west led by Stephen Watts Kearny marched toward California grounds with the intent of battle.
The native California army was not aware of the existence of the Americans invading their land until the night before the battle of San Pasqual. On December 5, 1846, Pico and his men rode into the Indian village of San Pasqual and commanded the Indians to abandon their huts and flee north to the mountains. The men soon took over the village, and used it as their shelter while they waited for the Americans to arrive. On December 6, 1846 Kearny led his forces into the battle grounds of San Pasqual. The California troops outnumbered the Americans, the short battle began and, soon after the California troops galloped off the war seen. American forces tried to catch them the enemy on their mules, but with the disadvantage of the animals, the troops were forced to be widely spread out. "The well mounted lancers were among the best horseman in the world and they stood behind a rocky point, slightly hidden from the view, the California forces turned upon their pursers, who realized too late to dismay their charge" (Johns 10).
The captain led his troops at a second charge against Baldridge 4 The Americans to a battle that lasted one half- hour. The American forces rode off the Valley of San Pasqual with less then half of their of their solders that they entered with. While the California troops, fled the scene with less then a dozen wounded soldiers. The California troops demonstrated their ability to fight. The troops succeeded in refusing to let the invaders take over their land.
The troops beat the odds, with an untrained army, no support from their government, and unreliable weapons and animals. They felt a deep compassion within themselves to secure their land from the American government. Furthermore, the battle of San Pasqual will remain in history as a battle that the Americans did not win. Baldridge 5 Works Cited Farris, Glenn. The San Pasqual Indian Pueblo in San Diego. Yahoo.
Com. 2005. Online. Internet. 6 March 2005 Available: http: //www. Sandiegohistory. org / journal / 97 spring. Johns, Sally.
The Battle of San Pasqual. Yahoo. Com. 2005. Online. Internet. 6 March 2005 Available: http: //www. Sandiegohistory.
org / journal / 97 spring.
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