On the evening of December 5, 1846 , Pico and his army rode into the Indian Village of San Pasqual. The day before Pico sent half of his army about 20 miles east to El Cajon, leaving him with only 75 lancers. The Californios had very little firearms that they had acquired from the British, however their steel-tipped eight foot lancers and their dominating horseman skills proved the fire arms were not a necessity for the Californios to achieve victory over the Americans.

On that same day, Captain Archibald Gillespie joined forces with Kearny and his army, the Dragoons, at Stokes' Santa Maria Rancho, today located in Ramona. In a report written to Stockton, Gillespie described the Dragoons, "...almost without shoes...these way-worn soldiers whose strength and spirits seemed to be entirely gone."

Both armies had been warned of each others existence, by the Indians that fled into the mountains prior to the arrival of Pico and his army. The Indian, who had been captured, then released from Kearny, warned Pico that the Americans occupied the area. Pico apparently did not take the report seriously, until he was given evidence of American presence. That evening Kearny had dispatched three dragoons, with the objection of Gillespie who wanted to send his strong "Mountain Me," to scope out the lancers at the village. A reluctant Lieutenant Thomas Hammond, and Rafael Machado, a guide sent with Gillespie and his troops accompanied the dragoons on their mission. An Indian approached Rafael and told him that Pico and about 100 Californios occupied the village they were sent to scout. Aside from the careless noise the dragoons made while approaching the village, one of the dragoons dropped his military jacket that read, "US Army." A Sentry Indian found the jacket and brought it back to Pico. Pico needed no more evidence, he mobilized the lancers to prepare for battle.

Now raining, Hammond returned to the camp at one o`clock in the morning and told Kearny that the Californios were aware of American presence. With the conditions for battle being so bad, Kearny saddled up his forces around two in the morning of December 6 and headed off for the San Pasqual Valley. Just as the Army of the West reached the southeastern rim of the valley, Kearny halted his men and gave them a pep talk before going into battle

Kearny huddled his leaders together to lay out the battle plan. Captain Moore and his army of dragoons would lead the attack and Gillespie and his men were to join Moore and assist in the surrounding of the village. Gillespie was given strict orders by Kearny not to shot the enemy unless necessary, but rather capture them. Ironically, Gillespie thought that the clanking of the soldiers arms and the sounds of the horses hooves marching down the valley would have intimidated the unprepared Californios, however it spurred the attack of the well-prepared Californios who were waiting for the troops to arrive. Although Moore was supposed to be leading the group into battle Captain Abraham Johnston and his twelve dragoons, mounted on the strongest horses, made their way to the head of the march. Gillespie and the San Diego contingent, followed by Lieutenant John Davidson and the howitzers, took up the center of the march, while Major Swords and the supply column took up the rear. As the group reached the floor of the valley, Kearny ordered the group to "Trot!" Johnston misheard Kearny's order and yelled "Charge!"

The Californios were mounted and ready. Pico gave his troops the order, "One shot and then lance!". They opened fire on Johnston and his dragoons as they appeared through the mist. Johnston was hit with a bullet to the head, being one of two soldiers killed by gunfire in the battle. The Americans, due to the darkness and unsteady mounts were not alble to use their Hall carbines, so they used their carbines as clubs and sabers as their only defence against the lancers. The Californios's lances far outreached the American's sabers, making it easy for the lancers to spear and trample the Americans.

Gillespie, after seeing Johnston's failed charge, moved his men to the south rim of the valley, in hopes of aligning himself on the left of Moore's squad. This decision of Gillespie's not only wiped out the Californios who were waiting to make a side attack, but also led to the capture of Pablo Vejar, Pico's second in command, who was later released at Mule Hill.

The dominating lancers attacked the Americans with such force and success, that the remaining Dragoons started to retreat. Gillespie, in seeing his troops fall back, yelled, "Rally men! For God's sake rally! Face them! Face them!" The Dragoons, however, were so demoralized by the attack, that Gillespie's advise did nothing to deter the men from retreating. The Dragoon's leaders were no inspiration to the struggling soldiers. Gillespie and Carson were not able to continue the charge with their men because in the first couple of minutes of the attack their horses had fallen. Captain Moore was lanced by two Californios protecting their leader Pico, whom Moore had just came face to face with. Hammond, Moore's brother-in-law, had tried to step in and save Moore, however was also killed with a lance wound to the chest. Gillespie also endured five lance wounds to his face and body after being attacked by several lancers who recognized him as the leader in the attack on Los Angeles.

The Dragoons, having only met Gillespie's "mountain men" the day before, mistakenly attacked them, because they were not in uniform, so they assumed they were the enemy. The lancers also captured one of the Horwiters that was being kept with the supply column under the command of Major Swords. By the end of the battle only about half of the Americans were actually in combat, the rest were still in the hills where the initial charge began.

The Americans had been defeated in less than thirty minutes by the skillful Californios. However, realizing the arrival of more Americans with guns would severely challenge his successful lancers, Pico gathered his men and headed off to the western end of the valley. Sixteen soldiers and two officers died, while sixteen others, including Kearny, were wounded. Later that night the bodies were buried under trees along the San Pasqual creek. The Californios had no casualties and the number of wounded has never been calculated.

Kearny gave temporary command to Captain Turner, who wrote a letter to Stockton telling him about the battle and American casualties. In the letter to Stockton, Turner asked for reinforcements and transport for the wounded. Turner sent Antoine Godey and three other from Gillespie's San Diego contingent to get help. Kearny was able to resume command of the Army of the West the next day.

Kearny led the army slowly west, following the northern hillsides in order to avoid another attack by the Californios. In the afternoon they came upon a ranch, owned by an English sea captain , Joseph Snook. The only inhabitants of the ranch were a few Indians, who informed the army that the Californios had just left there with their wounded. The army was in need of food and the mules in need of water, so they stopped briefly. As they were riding away from the ranch, Pico's men, splitting into two lines, attacked, driving off the armies cattle and horses. Under the command of Lieutenant Emory, the army escaped to a hill just north of San Bernardo. The army was trapped on the hill. The army had only one hope and that was a rescue by Stockton.

The soldiers survived the cold night. On December 8 the Californios held a truce flag in their camp. Pico wanted to exchange four American prisoners for Pablo Vejar. Emory met with Pico and discovered that one of the prisoners, Thomas Burgess, was one of the messengers sent to get help from Stockton. Burgess told Emory that the message had made it to Stockton, however his responce was that no help could be spared. Stockton, however, was pulling resources to rescue the trapped soldiers.

The Americans were getting worse by the hour. Living on mule-meat, which gave the hills name, Mule Hill, and little water weakened the soldiers. Another attempt to get help was being assembled. Liewtenant Beale of the Navy, Kit Carson, and an Indain scout left on the second night with hardly any food or supplies. Through the leadership of Carson the messengers made it to Stockton and convinced him to send reinforcements. One hundred sailors and eighty Marines, including Andrew Gray from the Congress, and Marine Lieutenant Jacob Zeilin, were assembled from the warships Congress and Portsmouth. Meanwhile, Kearny was planning an attack at dawn on the Californios.

On December 10, Pico, in an attempt to stampeded American troops, he drove a herd of horses over the hill and into the camp. However, Pico's plan backfired and instead of weakening the troops, it strengthened them. When the horses came to the peak of the hill, Americans fired their guns and scared them away. In the process of scaring the herd away, one soldier managed to shoot one of the horses, providing the best meal the troops had in weeks. At two o'clock in the morning the rejuvenated Americans were preparing for battle, when they heard the tampering boots of Stockton's army, along with the shouting word, "Americans!" The Californios, in hearing the arrival of reinforcements, fired one last shot that symbolized the end of the battle.

2. Picture of Pablo Vejar, from "The Life of the Late Rear-Admiral John Drake Sloat", by Edwin A. Sherman

3. A lithograph of San Diego in 1850 from the Bancroft Library

4. All paintings by Charles Waterhouse, courtesy of MCRD Command Museum, San Diego