ee ice 
t 
| January 15.—The details ae on the fort were by com 
| nies. I sent to Captain Tilghman, who commanded on the hill, to 
detach one of the companies under his command to commence ‘the 
| .work. He furnished, on the 16th, a company of artillery (seamen 
from. the Congress,) for the day’s work, which they performed _ 
| bravely, and gave me great hopes of success: © Sees 
January 18, 19, and 20.—I received special orders which sepa- 
| rated me from the command, and the oS of topographical engi- .. 
neers that had been so long under my or 
thas 
The battles of the’ ecember, aoe the 8th and i January, 
had forever broken the Mexican authority i in Califo , and they &e 
were daily coming in, in large parties, to sue for peace, and every 
move indicated a sincere: desire on the part of the more respectable 
portion of the Californians to yield without further strugghe to the 
United States authorities; yet small parties of the more desperate 
and revengeful hung about the mountains and roads; refusing or 
hesitating to yield obedience to their leaders, who now, with great 
_ unanimity, determined to lay down their arms. General Flo at ee 
with a small force, was known to have taken the road to Sonora, — 
and it was believed he was on his way to that province, never to re- 
turn to California. 
Leaving General Keehnry at San Juan de Capristano, on his re-— 
turn to ‘San Diego, I took three men and pushed on-for the latter 
Place. Halting late in the evening at the deserted Indian ranche- 
ie of Santa Margarita, we broke open one of the Indian huts, and 
t some corn and pumpkins for our animals. When nig bt 
oN ae number of insects about the hut, and the intolerable no 
* ie by the wolves, kept en sleep. The moon re Thee * 
and about ten at gation we 
im 
ot 
In this determ 
movemént of se ral 3 
-Teconnoitred our “cam ake tlona 
proof that some of th » Cali ns V 1 5 dus 
very reasonably to ia conclusion that our only safety was in 
“changing © our camp. We reached the missi ‘Rey, ye 
© and found not a human being stirring _ The immense pile of build- _ 
4 ing, eremaaged md the papel rays of the moon, stood out in bold 
dim hor ‘izon; monument of the zeal of the indefati-_ 3 
by wes was built. “Now untenanted and ae 
ae offered | no. resti or the weary and hungry, and we rode © 
place fe 
on, determined to. halt ee the first. Pipegetent grass should be i in a 
abundance. — “ 
e road. here divides into two ‘branches; one leads pte wwesty 
by the ranches 
h lan 
f San Barnardo, the — directly to San Di 
unning: pearly ee el to the sea coast.. The 
1 we had marche d on the Pueblo de los A oe 
