BY THE UNITED STATES. 335 



tion, they set fire to the grass and brush around him and 

 burned him out. Still determined not to surrender, he com- 

 menced a march of five hundred miles to Monterey a-foot, 

 where his arrival was hailed with the utmost joy by all the 

 Americans. The brave fellows were welcomed by their com- 

 panions as from the grave ; for the enemy had reported that 

 they had all been slain. 



Major Fremont had made an effort to go from San Fran- 

 cisco to the relief of Captain Gillespie, but he was forced 

 back to Monterey by bad weather. A few days after the 

 arrival of Lieutenant Talbot,* a party of fifty-seven Americans, 

 under Captains Burrows and Thompson, were attacked by the 

 Californians, eighty in number. Captain Burrows and three 

 Americans were slain. Major Fremont marched to their 

 assistance, and the whole party arrived at San Fernando on 

 the 11th of January, 1847. 



While these events were passing in California, General 

 Kearney was on his way from the United States, with a force 

 intended to conquer that country. On the 6th of October, he 

 met Carson, with fifteen men, coming as an express from the 

 City of the Angels, with an account of the conquest of that 

 country by Commodore Stockton and Major Fremont. In con- 

 sequence of this intelligence, the General sent back the greater 

 part of his troops. On the 5th of December, he met Captain 

 Gillespie coming with a small party of volunteers, to give him 

 information of the state of the country. Captain Gillespie 

 informed him that there was an armed party of Californians, 

 with a number of extra horses, encamped at San Pasquel, 

 three leagues distant. General Kearney immediately set out 

 to meet them, in the double hope of gaining a victory and a 

 remount for his poor soldiers, who had completely worn out 

 their horses in the march from Santa Fe. The Californians 



