The spirit of democracy. [volume] (Woodsfield, Ohio) 1844-1994, 1847-05-08
From the National Intelligsncsr. April 70.
Late from California.

subjoined interesting letter from Cali
fornia, presenting the latest intelIigenc,
from that quarter, and relating some o
! the difficulties and dangers which bese
Gen. Kearny and his small commant
on their way thither. The letter i
from gentleman who was attached I,
(. this party:
SAN DIEGO, Upper California Jan. 10,
You will learn BY the despatche
with which this will 60 to Washington
that we have met with rather a difie
rent reception in California from wha
we anticipated when wrote you fron
the Rio del Norte.
Upon arriving at the mouth Of tn,
Rio ella we intercepted a party ofCal
ifornians who were on their way TO So
nora, and got from them the first intel
ligence that counter revolution hac
taken place in California; that Genera
Flores, with seven hundred men. hae
driven out the Americans from the Pu
eblo de los Angeles, and were in pos
session Of the place: and that San die
60 had been taken by Comodore Stock
ton, though the roads leading from i
were strongly guarded by the enemy
so that we would find it impossible to
get IN without collision. These peo
pie we're peaceable families, who were
moving with their cattle, &c., into So.
nora, 10 get away from the scene oI
trouble in California.
We arrived at Warmers rancho, the
first settlement, on the Cd December;
and here our little command presented
IA most pitiable condition. The men
who had to walk the last FIVE hundred
miIes-were nearly broken down with
fatigue, and exhausted from an INSULT.
cheney of food. Our animals had just
crossed the dreadful "Homado," des.
ert Of ninety miles, without water or
grass. and the few who survived were
scarcely able to support their packs
We received here further intelligence
of the state OF affairs ia California, all
confirming what was told US on the Col.
orado. We further learned that An
dros Pico, an active leader in the revo.
luton, had one hundred ana twenty
well-mounted men in the neighborh Ood
stationed in The vicinity Of the roads
leading 10 San Diego; SO that an en-
counter with this force seeming inevl.
table, it was determined by Gen. kear-
ny to attack him.
Marching further on, we ascertained.
on the night of the 5th December, that
this party was encamped ten miles be-
yond Us, at the Indian village Of San
Pascual, which was on our road 10 San
Diego. On the morning OF the 9Th, the
enemy having heard OF our approach,
were drawn up at this place, and as our
party advanced and charged on them,
they fired and retreated about half a
mile. then ralIying SUDDENLY, they tough!
with their Iaaoes, surrounding the fore.
most of our men who were pursuing
them, and dii most deadly work. Al.
ter desperate and hand4to.hand fight,
they were fairly driven from the field.
Our loss in this action was very severe.
Three officers, Captains Johnson and
Moore and Lieut.. Hammond, and six.
teen men were killed, and fourteen
wounded, including Gen, Kearny and
seven officers. The loss on their side
is not known with any certainty though
| have no doubt 1t was much less than
our own. Our men fought at a great
disadvantage, being poorly mounted on
broken-down mules, while the enemy.
having superb horses, and being the
most skiIiul horsemen in the world,
made deadly charges with the lance
1t was with this weapon that all of our
side, we,e wounded with one exception
Captain Johnson, was shot through the
head.
Gen. Kearny exposed hlmseIf very
much in this action. He was wounded
severely with lance, and would no
doubt have been killed but for the time |
ly aid Of Lieut.. Emory, of the topo.
party, who gaIantIy rode up
to the rescue, and had the satisfaction
of shooting with his pistol the man who
was about 10 make another deadly
thrust at HIM.
The mournful duty Of burying the
dead, and the attention required to The
caused such delay, that our
march was not resumed from the bal.
lie ground until the next day. AS we
were then much encountered with the
packs and the wounded men, who
were carried along with much difficult
Iy, our progress was very slow; and as
the enemy were evidently watching
our movements closely from the hills
around US, where we would OCCASION
llly see few of them, and were no
Ak e. |