I 



112 



Ex. Doc. No. 41. 



We were all reposing quietly, but not sleeping, waiting for the 

 break of day, when we were to go down and give the enemy an- 

 other defeat. One of the men, in the part of the camp assigned to 

 ^my defence, reported that he heard a man speaking in English. In 

 a few minutes we heard the tramp of a column, followed by the 

 .hail of the sentinel. It was a detachment of 100 tars and 80 ma- 

 lines under Lieutenant Gray, sent to meet'us by Commodore Stock- 

 ton, from whom we learned that Lieutenant Beale, Carson, and the 

 Indian, had arrived safely in San Diego. The detachment left San 

 Diego on the night of the 9th, cached themselves during the day 

 of the lOth, and joined us on the night of that day- These gallant 

 fellows busied themselves till day distributing their provisions and 

 clothes to our naked and hungry people. 



December 11. — The junction of our forces was a complete sur- 

 prise to the enemy, and when the sun rose, but a small squadron 

 of horse was to be seen at Stokes's rancheria. They had fled pre- 

 cipitately, leaving most of the cattle behind them, for which we 

 had been contending for the last three days. None of our men 

 were mounted — theirs were all mounted; and why they should have 

 left their stock is inconceivable. It was certainly not incompati- 

 ble with their safety to have carried them all away. The only way 

 of accounting for it, is, by supposing our night attack had nllea 

 them with the unnecessary fear of being surprised- We drove the 

 cattle before us. 



Our march "\^as in close order, over a road leading through a 

 rolling country of light black soil^ destitute of trees, and without 

 water, covered with oats indigenuous to the soil, now fallen to de- 

 cay. The grass in protected places was sprouting, but not In suf- 

 ficient quantity to afford grazing to our. stock. After marching 

 twelve miles we arrived at the rancheria of Signor Alvarado, a 

 person who was in the fight against us. The women and children 

 had fled to the mountains, leaving plenty of turkies, chickens, goats 

 and sheep behind; also two casks of wine, the produce of the 

 country. The havoc committed on the comestibles vras immense; 

 the sheep not killed were driven by us into San Diego. The owner 

 had taken the oath of allegfiance to the United States and broken 



it. 



meet 



He 



din? 



country 



The navy took a prisoner at this house as they marched to 

 \is. He gave us much information, and was then liberated* 

 stated that Pico's force consisted >f 160 men, 100 of wbich were 

 drawn from the Pueblo, and the balance froin the surroun 



We subsequently received authentic accounts that hi^ 

 number was 180 men engaged in the fight, and that 100 addition** 

 men were sent him from the Pueblo, who reached his camp on 



7th. ^ : 



There was a fine spring at this rancheria, and another two mil^ 

 below it. 



On the hill, before reaching the rancheria, the Pacific opened (^t 

 the first time to our view, the sight producing strange but agreeahle 

 amotions. One of the mountain men who had never seen the oce^^ 



the 



