On the 18th of October, Gen. Kearney took up his march from his camp
upon the Rio Grande, having Christopher Carson for his guide, with
instructions to lead the party by the most direct route to California:
and so ably did Carson fulfill this official duty, so unexpectedly
imposed upon him, that, with their animals in good condition still, they
camped within the limit of California on the evening of the third of
December, and the next morning advanced towards San Diego.
But the Mexicans were not unapprised of the approach of American troops,
and spies sent out by General Castro, to meet Kearney's force, were
surprised and brought into camp by a scout which Carson attended.
Compelled to give information, they said that the Mexican forces under
its general, were planning an attack upon the Americans before they
could join their California allies. Carson, with the understanding he
had of Gen. Kearney, and his knowledge of guerrilla warfare, would have
advised another route, to evade the Mexican troops and avoid a battle,
until the weary and newly arrived soldiery had had some rest, and the
assistance and advice of those who knew the last movements of the
Mexicans, could make a battle more effectual with less of risk than now;
but General Kearney was impatient for an encounter with the stupid
Mexicans, as he deemed them, and only learned by experience that the
Californians were superior to those he had known in other of the Mexican
States, both in courage and natural tact, and in their military order
and discipline, as the story will fully show.
He kept on his course until he approached within fifteen miles of the
Mexican camp, where he halted, and despatched a party to reconnoitre.
They reported on their return, that the enemy were strongly fortified in
an Indian village; but in making the observation the scout had been
discovered and pursued back to camp.
General Kearney determined to make an immediate attack, and commenced
his march at one o'clock in the morning, with no rest that night for his
animals or for his men; and weary and hungry before day, when within a
mile of Castro's camp, the advance guard of the Americans came upon the
advance guard of the Mexicans, which had been stationed to prevent a
surprise.
This Mexican guard slept in their dress, ready at a five minutes'
warning to mount in their saddles, which were their pillows, while their
horses were tied to feed close around them. The sound of the trumpet
commanded first a rapid trot, then a gallop, and the fifteen Americans
under Captain Johnson with Kit Carson, of course, for his next officer,
had a brisk fight with this Mexican outpost, but failed to stampede
their animals, as each Mexican mounted his own horse immediately, and
the guard drew back into camp. Capt. Johnson and Carson were now joined
by Capt. Moore with twenty five Americans, a force that had united with
Kearney's since he came into California, when Moore ordered an attack
upon the centre of the Mexican force, in order to divide it, and cause
confusion in the Mexican ranks.
The command of forty men were within a hundred yards of the enemy, and
Carson among the foremost, when his horse suddenly fell and threw its
rider, who was not seriously injured; but the stock of his gun was
shivered to splinters, and his position one of exceeding danger, as the
whole body of dragoons went galloping over him. When he could arise from
the ground, he saw a dead horseman lying near, whom he relieved of gun
and cartridge box, and again mounting his horse, upon whose bridle he
had managed to retain his hold, he was speedily in the thickest of the
fight, where the contest was becoming desperate.
Capt. Johnson and several of the soldiers in the advance had already
been killed, and probably only the fall of his horse had saved Carson's
life, but he was now able to assist Moore and his men to dislodge the
Mexicans, and oblige them to retreat. The Americans pursued them, but as
there were only forty in the whole of General Kearney's command who were
mounted on horses, and the mules which were ridden by the rest had
become at once unmanageable when the firing commenced, their success was
not complete. The horses they had were wild, having been captured by
Capt. Davidson and Kit Carson since their arrival in California, from a
party of Mexicans bound for Sonora, so that even Moore's party had
become scattered in the chase, and the pursuit accomplished very little.
The Mexicans immediately discovered the condition of the Americans, and
turning back, recommenced the fight, which had been nearly a bloodless
victory until now, but soon became for the Americans, a terrible
slaughter. Every moment some dragoon yielded his life to the bullet or
the deadly blow of an exasperated Mexican, and of the forty dragoons on
horses thirty were either killed or severely wounded. Captain Moore,
whom Carson calls, "as brave a man as ever drew the breath of life," was
already among the killed. As fast as the American soldiers could come
up, they joined the battle, but the Mexicans fought with a bravery
unsurpassed, and seemed to carry all before them.
Gen. Kearney now drew his sword, and placed himself at the head of his
remaining forces, and though severely wounded, attempted to again force
the Mexicans to retreat, while Lieutenant Davidson came up with two
mountain howitzers; but before he could unlimber them for use, the men
who were working them were shot down, and the lasso, thrown with
unerring aim, had captured the horses attached to one of them, and the
gun was taken to the ranks of the enemy, who, for some reason, could
not make it go off, or the American howitzer, at the distance of three
hundred yards, would have done execution against those who had brought
it thousands of miles to this point, to have it turned against them;
though Lieutenant Davidson had nearly lost his life in the attempt to
save it, but to no purpose.
The Americans were now obliged to take refuge at a point of rocks that
offered, near where they had been defeated, for they had but two
officers besides Carson, who were not either killed or wounded; and here
they waited for the Mexicans, but they did not again venture an attack.
The fighting had continued throughout the entire day; both sides were
weary and spent, and night closed over this scene of battle, without any
positive result to either party. Gen. Kearney must now attend to the
wounded, and all night the camp was occupied in the sad work of burying
its dead, and alleviating the agony of the sufferers; while, at the same
time, a close watch was kept for the enemy, who were constantly
receiving reinforcements, of Indians as well as Mexicans, from the
country around. A council of war was held, which at once decided it was
best to advance toward San Diego in the morning, with the hope of soon
receiving additions to their forces. Gen. Kearney had dispatched three
men to San Diego, with messages to Commodore Stockton, and before the
battle commenced, they had come back within sight of their comrades,
when they were taken prisoners by the enemy; and whether they had
succeeded in getting through to San Diego, Gen. Kearney did not know.
Early in the morning, the command was again upon its way, with the
following order of march: Carson, with twenty-five still able-bodied
men, formed the advance, and the remainder, a much crippled band of
soldiers, followed in the trail that he had made. Their march was
continued all the morning, in the constant expectation of an attack from
the Mexicans, who were also moving on, sometimes out of sight in the
valleys, and sometimes seen from the neighboring hills. When the first
opportunity occurred, Gen. Kearney demanded a parley, and arranged to
exchange a lieutenant, whose horse had been shot from under him during
the battle, and who had consequently fallen into the hands of the
Americans, for one of the express messengers the Mexicans were
detaining; but it availed nothing, for the expressman stated that,
finding it impossible to reach San Diego, he and his companions had
returned, when they were captured by the Mexicans.
The Mexicans had been manoeuvering all day, and toward evening, as the
Americans were about going into camp by a stream of water, came down
upon them in two divisions, making a vigorous charge. The Americans were
obliged to retire before such vastly superior numbers, and marched in
order to a hill a little distance off, where they halted to give the
Mexicans battle; but the latter, seeing the advantage of the position,
drew off to a neighboring height, where they commenced and continued a
deadly cannonade upon the Americans. A party of Americans was sent to
dislodge them, which they accomplished, and the whole force of the
Americans went over to occupy that position, as they were compelled to
make a resting place somewhere, because it was no longer possible for
them to continue their march, with the Mexican force ready at any time
to fall upon them. Upon this hill there was barely water enough for the
men, and to take the horses to the stream could not be thought of, for
the Mexicans would surely capture them; nor had they any food left,
except as they killed and ate their mules.
The condition of the party had become extremely desperate, and the war
council that was called, discussed a variety of measures, equally
desperate with their condition, for immediate relief, until, when the
rest had made their propositions, Carson again showed himself "the right
man in the right place," and when all besides were hopeless, was the
salvation of his party. He rose in the council and said:
"Our case _is_ a desperate one, but there is yet hope. If we stay here,
we are all dead men; our animals cannot last long, and the soldiers and
marines at San Diego do not know of our coming. But if they receive
information of our position, they would hasten to our rescue. There is
no use in thinking why or how we are here, but only of our present and
speedy escape. I will attempt to go through the Mexican lines, and will
then go to San Diego, and send relief from Commodore Stockton."
Lieutenant Beale, of the United States Navy, at once seconded Carson,
and volunteered to accompany him.
Lieutenant Beale is now widely known for his valuable services to the
country, and, as an explorer, he has few equals in the world.
The writer is informed that he is now deeply interested in a wagon road
across the country by the route he had just crossed, at the time of
which we write. His life has been full of strange adventures, since he
left the service of the seas.
Gen. Kearney immediately accepted the proposal of Carson and Lieutenant
Beale, as his only hope, and they started at once, as soon as the cover
of darkness was hung around them. Their mission was to be one of success
or of death to themselves, and the whole force. Carson was familiar with
the custom of the Mexicans, as well as the Indians, of putting their ear
to the ground to detect any sound, and knew, therefore, the necessity of
avoiding the slightest noise. As this was not possible, wearing their
shoes, they removed them, and putting them under their belts, crept on
over the bushes and rocks, with the greatest caution and silence.
They discovered that the Mexicans had three rows of sentinels, whose
beats extended past each other, embracing the hill where Kearney and his
command were held in siege. They were, doubtless, satisfied that they
could not be eluded. But our messengers crept on, often so near a
sentinel as to see his figure and equipment in the darkness; and once,
when within a few yards of them, one of the sentinels had dismounted
and lighted his cigarette with his flint and steel. Kit Carson seeing
this, as he lay flat on the ground, had put his foot back and touched
Lieutenant Beale, a signal to be still as he was doing. The minutes the
Mexican was occupied in this way, seemed hours to our heroes, who
expected they were discovered; and Carson affirms that they were so
still he could hear Lieutenant Beale's heart pulsate, and in the agony
of the time he lived a year. But the Mexican finally mounted his horse,
and rode off in a contrary direction, as if he were guided by
Providence, to give safety to these courageous adventurers. For full two
miles Kit Carson and Lieutenant Beale thus worked their way along, upon
their hands and knees, turning their eyes in every direction to detect
any thing which might lead to their discovery, and having past the last
sentinel, and left the lines sufficiently behind them, they felt an
immeasurable relief in once more gaining their feet.
But their shoes were gone, and in the excitement of the journey, neither
of them had thought of their shoes since they first put them in their
belts; but they could speak again, and congratulate each other that the
imminent danger was past, and thank heaven that they had been aided
thus far. But there were still abundant difficulties, as their path was
rough with bushes, from the necessity of avoiding the well-trodden trail
lest they be detected; and the prickly pear covered the ground, and its
thorns penetrated their feet at every step; and their road was
lengthened by going around out of the direct path, though the latter
would have shortened their journey many a weary mile. All the day
following they pursued their journey, and on still, without cessation,
into the night following, for they could not stop until assured that
relief was to be furnished to their anxious and perilous conditioned
fellow soldiers.
Carson had pursued so straight a course, and aimed so correctly for his
mark, that they entered the town by the most direct passage, and
answering "friends" to the challenge of the sentinel, it was known from
whence they came, and they were at once conducted to Commodore Stockton,
to whom they related the errand on which they had come, and the further
particulars we have described.
Commodore Stockton immediately detailed a force of nearly two hundred
men, and with his usual promptness, ordered them to seek their besieged
countrymen by forced marches.
They took with them a piece of ordnance, which the men were obliged to
draw themselves, as there were in readiness no animals to be had. Carson
did not return with them, as his feet were in a terrible condition, and
he needed to rest or he might lose them, but he described the position
of General Kearney so accurately, that the party to relieve him would
find him with no difficulty; and yet, if the Commodore had expressed the
wish, he would have undertaken to conduct the relief party upon its
march.
Lieutenant Beale was partially deranged for several days, from the
effects of this severe service, and was sent on board the frigate lying
in port for medical attendance; but he did not fully recover his former
physical health for more than two years; but he never spoke regretfully
of an undertaking, which was not excelled by any feat performed in the
Mexican war.
The reinforcement reached General Kearney without a collision with the
Mexicans, and very soon all marched to San Diego, where the wounded
soldiers received medical attendance.
We have spoken of the superiority of character of the California
Mexicans over that of the inhabitants of the other Mexican States. The
officials appointed at the Mexican capital for this State, were treated
deferentially or cavalierly, as they consulted or disregarded the wishes
of the people, and often it happened that a Governor-General of
California was put on board a ship at Monterey, and directed to betake
himself back to those who sent him.
California was so remote from the headquarters of the general
government, that these things were done with impunity, for it would have
been difficult to send a force into the State that could subdue it, with
its scattered population, and if laws obnoxious to them were enacted,
and they violated them, or expelled an official who proposed their
enforcement, it was quietly overlooked. Managing their own affairs in
this way, a spirit of independence and bold daring had been cultivated,
especially since the time when our story of California life commenced in
Carson's first visit to that State, nor had the intercourse with
Americans hitherto lessened these feelings, for the California Mexicans
admired the Americans, as they called them, and cultivated good
fellowship with them generally; so that we see when the Bear Flag and
Independence of the State became the order under Fremont and his party,
many of its leading citizens came at once into the arrangement, or were
parties in it at the first.
Had the conquest and government of the country been conducted wholly by
Fremont, it would have exhibited very little expenditure of life, for
conciliation and the cultivation of kindly feeling was the policy he
pursued; indeed, with Carson as prime counselor, whose wife at home in
Taos owned kindred with this people as one of the same race, how could
it have been otherwise! though as Americans and citizens of the United
States, in whose employ they acted, first allegiance was ever cheerfully
accorded to their country, by Carson equally with Fremont, as the
history of California most fully proves.
The United States forces at San Diego were not in condition to again
take the field, until a number of weeks had elapsed, when a command of
six hundred had been organized for the purpose of again capturing Los
Angelos, where the Mexican forces were concentrated; and General Kearney
and Commodore Stockton were united in conducting it, and in two days
arrived within fifteen miles of the town, near where the Mexican army,
to the number of seven hundred, had established themselves strongly
upon a hill beside their camp, and between whom and the Americans flowed
a stream of water.
General Kearney ordered two pieces of artillery planted where they would
rake the position of the Mexicans, which soon forced them to break up
their camp, when Gen. Kearney and Commodore Stockton immediately marched
into the town, but only to find it destitute of any military control, as
the Mexican army had gone northward to meet Col. Fremont, who had left
Monterey with a force of four hundred Americans, to come to Los Angelos.
The Mexicans found Col. Fremont, and laid down their arms to him,
probably preferring to give him the honor of the victory rather than
Gen. Kearney, though if this was or was not the motive, history now
sayeth not. Col. Fremont continued his march and came to Los Angelos,
and as the fighting for the present certainly was over, he and his men
rested here for the winter, where Carson, who had been rendering all the
aid in his power to Gen. Kearney, now gladly joined his old commander.
The position of the American forces, had the camps been harmonious, was
as comfortable and conducive to happiness during the winter as it was
possible for it to be, and the Mexican citizens of Los Angelos had been
so conciliated, the time might have passed pleasantly. But, as we have
intimated, Gen. Kearney had a general contempt for the Mexicans, and his
position in the camp forbade those pleasant civilities which had
commenced in San Diego before his arrival, and would have been
prosecuted in Los Angelos, to the advantage of all concerned; for, as
many of the men in Fremont's camp were old residents of the country, and
known and respected by the Mexican citizens, with whom some of them had
contracted intimate social relations, it is not wonderful that the
Mexican officers and soldiers chose to lay down their arms to him and
his command. Fremont had beside, at the instigation of Carson as well as
of his own inclination, taken every reasonable opportunity to gratify
their love of social life, by joining in their assemblies as opportunity
offered; and for this, as well as his magnanimous courage, we can
appreciate their choice in giving him the palm of victory.