The herald., 1894-04-22
BATTLE OF SAN PASQUAL,
A True Account of This Event
of Our Early History.
General Kearney's Troops Subsisting
for Days on Raw Mule.
Kit Carson Carries tho Dispatches to
San Diego and Commodore Stock.
ton succora the FamIshed
Follows j ust in Time.


Perrie Kewen on the battle of Los Ange-
les and the building of the earthworks
above Los Angeles city on the rise of
ground known as Fort hill. Colonel
Kewen has, as the article stated, spent
considerable time in looking up data
and Incidents on the subject, and his
article WAS correct as to dates and detail,
but there were in it, it seems, some in
accuracies, more especially in relation to
the battle of San Pssqual and the part
General Kearney and his troops played
in the battle OF Los Angeles.
N. LAUDER. a grizzled veteran of sew
eral wars, now living at 251 East First
street, in this city, was one OF the IL
men of Kesrney's command who sur
vived the battle Of San Pasqual. A
member of the HERALD staff has OBJ
tanned some interesting facts in regard
to that memorable but little understood
affair from Mr.. LAUDER. which can un-
oubtedly be relied upon as being corr
rect. Mr.. Lauber was a member of
Company @, First dragons, U. 8. A.,
which WAS a part of Kearney's COM
mand.
General Kearney with companies @
and K, and Colonel Donovan with a
body Of New York volunteers left
Leavenworth for New Mexico in June,
1916. At Santa Fe Colonel Donovan
and the men under him left Kearney
and went to join the armies in old
Mexico and KeRrney came on az far "a
Ell Paso where he went into camp.
When he had been there only short
time Kit Carson arrived from California
bearing dispatches which were to be
sent on to Washington. but which in
formed Kearney that affairs in Oalifor-
MIA had quieted down and there was no
need of his assistance in subduing the
Spsniards.
Upon receipt of this news Kearney
sent the greater portion of his troops to
join Taylor's army in Mexico, apd
mounting the remainder on mules set
out for California across the desert. The
Colorado was crossed at Yuma in rub
Der boats, taking as many OF the mules
rs was possible, but across the Cali
fornia desert most of the mules gave
out, so that the men were, for the most
part, obliged to walk across the burning
sands with scanty supplies OF water and
provisions. By the time the command
reached San Pasqusl the men were in
deplorable condition, half famished and
worn out with the long, tedious march
across the sand wastes.
General Kesrney had learned since his
entrance into California, (Lower,) that
the Spaniards, instead of being peace
able and subdued, were bent on war and
were also well equipped and prepared
ior decisive battle. With the 40 men
Hr line as was IA possible and fsS pfSciDitsted
the fight at San Pasqual with the Span
iards under General Flores. OF the 40
men % were killed and 10 wounded.
The officers killed were Captains Moore
and Hamlin and Lieutenant Johnson.
Under cover OF darkness the seven re-
naming unharmed troopers escaped
with the wounded ones and the few re-
naming mules to high bluff overlook
ing the ocean near San Juan. Here for
over 10 days they subsis,ed upon the
raw flesh of the mules and drank the
blood.
Kit Carson was sent to San Diego
to acquaint Commodore Stockton of the
sad predicament of the little band, and
was accompanied by Lieutenant Beale.
In crawling through the Spaniards'
camp Lieutenant Beale lost hiG boots,
which he had strapped around him, and
made the trip to San Diego barefooted.
Stockton came on the oath of Decem-
Der from San Diego with $40 marines and
sailors and rescued the men from the
Spanish troops. They were all more
| dead than alive when he reached them,
and must have perished within few
| hours had he not arrived.
/ The men were then marched to San
Diego by slow stages, and remained there
until the latter part of December of l846,
when the whole force of sailors, marines
| and soldiers, under the command of
| Commodore Stockton and General Kear-
ney, started again for Los Angeles. with
the intention of capturing the city.
General Flores was then in command of
the Spanish troops in Los Angeles, and
had made a compromise with Fremont
so that the latter with a small force was
permitted to remain in the city.
The command which left San Diego
carried two pieces OF artillery and was
fairly we'll prepared for fighting. By
previous arrangement between Generals
Fremont and Flores, Fremont was to
withdraw his forces to San Fernando
upon the approach of the lttls army
| from San Diego. On the 9th of jan
uary, 1847, the army crossed the
San Gabriel river and attacked
the Spaniards with Flores. A
running fight was kept up ali that day
and the next, and on the 10th Flores
withdrew his entire force to the plains
east of Los Angeles, and the army under
Stockton and Kearney marched tri-
umphsnt into Los Angeles and took pos
session of tine city.
General Kearney assumed the COM
mRnd. and upon Lsmont's return from
San Francisco ordered him sent to
Washington, and he was cashiered and
! his command revoked. He returned to
California in IS49, and gathering to-
gether band OF Spaniards and Ameri-
cans left for the northern mines.
! The Norman battalion, which had been
stationed at San Gabriel mission, were
brought to the city and consolidated
with Kearney's command, which had
been reorganized as Company A, Fret
battalion. Later the whole force WAS
turned into artillery and drilled on the
plains east OF Los Angeles by General
| StonemRn.
Such is Mr.. Lauber's account of the
battle of San Pasqual and the part Gem
eral Kearney took in it and the battle of
Los Angeles. He has a remarkable
memory for incidents and dates, and
tells some thrilling stories of the life in
Los Angeles in those days. II this arti-
Gle should reach the eye of any of the
old members of Company A, First bat
talon, he is anxious that they COM
municate with him as speedily as possi-
BILE. He believes most of them, how
ever, to be dead.