“Of the Result of Both Days We Are Proud to Boast, But the 8th Was Indeed a Brilliant Affair”: A Letter About the Battle of San Gabriel, 14 January 1847

by Paul R. Spitzzeri

When the post a few days ago discussed the Battle of San Gabriel, or the Battle of the Río San Gabriel, which took place on 8 January 1847, two days prior to the retaking by the American military of the Mexican pueblo of Los Angeles, it was noted that the engagement took place between forces with nearly opposite levels of resources, as the Californios lacked adequate weapons and other war-related materiel, while the Americans were far better outfitted. The U.S. contingent numbered some 600 men, mostly from the Navy while some Army dragoons were also part of a combined force with Commodore Robert F. Stockton and General Stephen W. Kearny in no small amount of conflict regarding ultimate leadership and command.

It has also been frequently noted here that William Workman of the nearby Rancho La Puente was enlisted, with others, by General José María Flores, commander of the Californios defending their homeland, to ride down to San Juan Capistrano, where on the 4th and 5th, he met with Stockton to discuss a truce, which the Commodore brusquely dismissed, and an amnesty for those resisting the Americans, to which the Navy officer agreed.

After the San Gabriel River engagement, which took place along what is now the Río Hondo, as the San Gabriel changed course twenty years later and followed, roughly, its current channel, another clash took place the following day at La Mesa, in what is now the city of Vernon, and the Americans, as they did on the 8th, took the field. Flores left for México and the other Californio fighters dispersed so that, on the 10th, the Americans crossed the Los Angeles River and march north into the pueblo. There, Workman and others awaited with the white flag of truce and officially surrendered the town.

Lt. John C. Frémont, with a somewhat motley assemblage of volunteers collated in the north, took his time marching down to this area, where he was supposed to join forces with Kearny and Stockton for the final capture of the Angel City. He did, however, meet General Andrés Pico, who remained after Flores’ departure, and the two, on the 13th, signed the Treaty of Cahuenga, which was the official capitulation of Californio forces.

What was located in some of the searching for Sunday’s post is a remarkable letter from the 14th, written by an unidentified member of the Kearny/Stockton force and who gave great detail of what was called the Battle of San Gabriel as well as the La Mesa conflict, this being published in the 3 May 1855 edition of the Georgetown News, published in the northernmost boom town in the California gold country in El Dorado County, some fifty miles northeast of Sacramento.

Written from the “Ciudad de Los Angeles,” the unknown scribe told the recipient, also not named, that “I seize the moment to write you a few hasty lines,” though it was considerably more than that, and hoped that the letter would be delivered through the help of a friend. A previous missive told of “the outbreak of the insurgents of California,” meaning the Californios who rose up after the non-violent seizure of the pueblo the prior summer was followed by the overreaction of the young officer, Archibald Gillespie, left to command the garrison, “and the trouble we should have for our Commodore to quell them.” At least, we know that the writer was one of the Navy’s forces in the campaign.

That previous letter was from a few weeks prior and in it Stockton’s plan was outlined and the current missive noted that it “has been fully carried out,” with the Commodore leading the 600-strong force, including Kearny’s 1st Regiment of dragoons, on the march from San Diego starting on 29 December and “determined again to enter the Capital, take possession and put down the insurrection.” It was added that the 150-mile trek “was through a rough and mountainous country,” which seems to indicate an inland rather than coastal route, except that the force was met by Workman and others at San Juan Capistrano, so it is possible there was a crossing of the mountains from where Lake Elsinore is now to get to the mission town.

In any case, the march was prosecuted quickly, despite “the constant apprehensions of attack both day and night by the enemy on the way,” while it was added that “although performed mostly by sailor troops, would have done credit to the best trained army in the world.” The account continued that:

On the morning of the 8th of January, we found ourselves, after several days [of] hard marching and fatigue, in the vicinity of the river of San Gabriel, on the main bank of which the enemy had fortified themselves to the number of 500 well mounted men, with four pieces of artillery, and in a position so commanding that it seemed impossible to gain any point by which our troops could be protected from the most galling fire of their artillery.

The missive went on that the Californios were along the north (west) bank of the river “within three hundred yards” of it “and presented a front consisting of their whole force in three divisions,” with these directly in front, with cannon, of as well as to the sides (north and south) of the American force. The author added that the latter continued its march “while a skirmish was kept up by a party of the enemy and a detachment of our riflemen,” these latter apparently being Kearny’s dragoons.

When the San Gabriel was reached, Stockton got off his horse and crossed the watercourse and “commanded the troops to pass over, which they did promptly, under the brisk fire of the enemy’s artillery,” while the Commodore ordered that the American artillery be held for deployment until after the river was crossed. Once this was done, Stockton “ordered a charge to take the hill directly in the teeth of the enemy’s guns” and the eminence was quickly seized.

This was followed by the Californios to swing around and “cut off our pack horses and cattle in the rear” to disrupt that rapid forward movement, though it was reported that, save for the loss of a few horses, the Americans “were protected by our rear in the most creditable manner.” Another hint at the possible identity of the correspondent was his confession that “I am not sufficiently skilled in military tactics to give a definite account of the battle,” so it may be that the writer was a member of the crew of one of Stockton’s ships, but not a sailor.

Whatever the situation, the scribe praised “the skill in management and determined courage and bravery of our Commodore” and that Stockton’s command was such that it “gave to all the fullest confidence of a victorious result of this brilliant affair.” Stockton was also commended for his being the first to fire on the hill and that “his superior skill in gunnery and fondness of exercising ‘big guns’ never appeared to greater advantage,” as the result was that “it overthrew the enemy’s gun, which had just poured forth its thunder in our midst.” From this point,

Finding the hill in our possession, and our artillery having gained the desired point, a cannonading was now kept up for some time, the Commodore continuing to aim the guns, ordering his men to lay down until the moment he was ready to fire, by which means many valuable and brave fellows’ lives were saved, as the Californians continued for some time to fire their artillery with much effect.

The writer could not provide more detail for the sake of time, but noted that, after an hour-and-a-half, “having driven our enemy before us we now made camp for the night on the very hill they had tried so hard to defend, and where they intended, as they said, ‘to eat us up.'” The losses of the defenders could not be determined as the casualties were immediately taken from the field on horseback and it was reported that “our loss did not exceed twenty killed or wounded in both fights,” though accounts generally state that one American died in the skirmish and nine were wounded.

The missive then turned to the 9th as “the enemy met us again to-day on the plains of the Mesa, near the city, and with [a] bold and determined effort” used cannon fire “on every side” as well as several charges. The writer remarked that,

The battle was kept up spiritedly for two hours and a half, when Gen. Flores said to his men, “I have but another discharge of artillery to make & my last request is that you will make a bold and determined charge as our last resort.” This they attempted, but the firm and steady course in which our troops continued to defend themselves, repelled the attempt at a charge, and we found ourselves again victorious in the second day’s fight.

The Californios retreated from the field and the Americans camped for the night at La Mesa with five injured. “On the morning of the 10th, [we] marched into the city and took possession,” after being greeted with the white flag of truce by Workman and two others, “while the adjoining hills were glistening with the lances of our enemies,” flung down as the defenders left.

The author then exclaimed,

When it is recollected that all work to defend ourselves, our baggage-waggons, cattle, horses and pack mules, had to be done on foot, while our enemies were mounted on first-rate horses, is it not remarkable that we should have been so successful?

The timing was also observed as the first encounter was “on the glorious 8th of January” and “our war cry was ‘New Orleans,” the reference being to the fact that the Battle of San Gabriel took place on the 32nd anniversary of the Battle of New Orleans as forces under the command of General (and future president) Andrew Jackson defeated the British in the decisive battle to end the War of 1812.

Remarking that “of the result of both days we are proud to boast, but the 8th indeed was a brilliant affair,” the letter-writer observed that “I can say nothing of the officers and men individually, but no doubt full justice will be done to all by the official report of the Commodore.” A multi-part post on this blog details just such an account by Stockton that was filed by Secretary of the Navy John Y. Mason with the United States Senate in mid-February 1849.

There were, however, bitter struggles over authority and credit for the campaign between Stockton, Kearny and Frémont, with the latter court-martialed on nine counts of unauthorized actions, including his purchase from F.P.F. Temple of Alcatraz Island (which was deemed military property in 1850 by President Millard Fillmore and Temple and his successors were unable to put forward a successful claim on the June 1846 grant of the island by Governor Pío Pico to Temple’s father-in-law William Workman) and the former deemed by historian Neal Harlow, in his California Conquered to be overly egotistical (Stockton) and disinterested and balanced (Kearny).

The missive ended with the remark that “I give the above facts, being myself an eye-witness to the events of the two days, and am glad that I live to write you,” but he also could not resist taking one last parting shot at the Californios, whose routing of Captain William Mervine and men at the Battle of Dominguez Hill, near the rudimentary port at San Pedro, with fourteen men killed, in October 1846 and that of Kearny’s forces at San Pasqual, close to San Diego, two months later with eighteen troops killed, “made them very bold and arrogant.”

This was understandable given that it was assumed that the seizure of Mexican California would be as easy as could be imagined, but the Californios showed considerable ability, with insufficient weaponry, in defending their territory. Still, the unidentified scribe crowed that, “every man of us was determined to retrieve, if possible, the credit of the American arms in this country.”

The letter, again, is an important and instructive one regarding a major event in our region’s history marking the end of the Mexican period and the onset of the American era, though if someone happens to know the identity of the correspondent, please let us know in a comment.