Was any reason given by the captain for that? You observed excitement about the captain from the time Yelverton made the first communication to him? A. French was acting as chief matehe had no management further than acting as chief officerthe captain had the commandhe gave orders from time to time to French, after Rason was put into the deepthe captain always gave his orders to French, as usual, with regard to the navigation of the ship, from that time till we reached the Channelall the time the captain gave orders with regard to the navigation of the ship. A. Jose Maria Flores sent about 100 men to San Luis Obispo to confront Lt. Col. John C. Fremont's 300 men moving south from Monterey, and sent another 100 men to watch Stockton's base at San Diego, but Flores kept the bulk of his men at Los Angeles. Abraham Robinson Johnston Other U.S. dragoons were worked on by pairs of Californios who, with fresh mounts and years of practice, would use a lasso to yank soldiers off their mounts to the ground, where the second rider would lance them. WebCaptain Abraham Robinson Johnston of the US Dragoons. [6]:187[34][35][36][37] The total American force now amounted to 179 men. Shupe, Sarah, wife of James Wright Shupe. Q. He frequently told me he expected his chronometers were wrong, and he was out of his longitudehe asked the crew if they were agreeable to run into the island of Ascension, and they were agreeablethat would be a six days' run from where we were, on an averageour provisions and water were in a very low state indeed, when we missed St. Helena, and our allowance of water then was a quart a-day, (the usual allowance is from six pints to a gallon,) I was laid up ill, and did not hear the crew murmur about the short allowance, but I heard remarks made that the captain had some private reason for passing St. Helenahe did not succeed in making Ascension island, and he called the first and second mate down into the cabin, and consulted them whether it was best still to try to get to Ascension, or proceed on the voyageit was agreed we should proceedthis was about the 19th or 20th of Sept.(looking at the log)a day on board ship begins at noonI occasionally acted as clerk. [65], Stockton quickly dispatched a unit of over 200 sailors and marines, whose arrival caused the Californios to disperse. COURT. [6]:137 Kearny, at that time with a force of 300 men, learning of escalating issues with the Navajo, and with the belief a smaller force could move faster, ordered 200 back to Santa Fe. His torn and bloodstained tunic serves as evidence of a bitter struggle that saw A. NoI told Spence soI might have repeated it afterwards to the captainSpence asked me what was the matter with the captainI said he had been told the crew were going to take his lifeI heard French tell him soI never told him so, for I did not hear itI told this to Spence the first night of the row, I believe. WILLIAM DUNN.") Cross-examined. R. FRENCH. Kearny had already determined the night before (December 9) to continue the march the next morning. Web1777 1780; Township (if known) Company Company; Middleton Township: 1st Company: Capt. The Californios were armed with long lances and reatas (braided rawhide lariat), which they used with great effect. Turner, Henry, Smith, Edited & Introduction by Clarke, Dwight, L. (1966). Lieutenant William H. Warner Corps of Topographical Engineers, Second Lieutenant Thomas (Tom) C. Hammond . Beale explained to Kearny that the dispatches might not make it through to San Diego without Kit Carson's experience. Why did you sign that account of Rason having died in a fit? The battle is unique, as it was one of the few military battles in the United States that involved elements of the Army, Navy, Marines, and civilian volunteers, all in the same skirmish. BARRY YELVERTON . Colonel Cory Hollon cited Kearny's misjudgments: the battle was arguably unnecessary; the operating environment disadvantaged Kearny; he was unaware, or possibly misinformed, about the character of the threat; Kearny overestimated or misused his friendly forces; and Kearny culminated at San Pasqual because he had overextended his supply chain, resulting in a poorly prepared force facing an underestimated enemy. JAMES GLOVER. Captain George Johnson - National Army Museum, London PETER CURTIS . I was an apprentice on board the ToryI shipped at Liverpoolon passing the Cape on the homeward voyage the provisions and water fell shorton the night we expected to make Ascension Island I was forward with Rason and some of the crewwe were on short allowance at the time (I think it was before we fell in with the French barque)I asked Rason if he thought we should make the land before morninghe said he did not know, but if we did make the land, he would put a blue shirt on the fore yard-arm, so that some of the men-of-war's men might come on board, and he would let them know how they had been treated during the passage, and the captain would be no more captain of the Torythat was all I heard to the best of my recollectionsome time after the captain sent on deck for me into the cabinit was after we fell in with the French barqueI think it was the day afterhe began to speak to me about how the mate had insulted him, and said he could judge by the mate's appearance that there had been something going on that was not right, and asked if I had heard anything about itI said I did not hear anything at allhe took the cutlass in his hand, and said, "Tell me this instant, did not you hear any person. Capt. Captain George Johnston, Sr (c.1700 - 1766) I was rather better than eighteen months in the cuddy acting as stewardI remember Rason's deathI saw him go down into the cabin about twelve o'clock on the night of his deathI only saw him go down onceI was in the passage where the pantry ishe did not pass me to go into the cabinI was at the door of the pantryyou go down some stairs, as if going to the cabinyou turn to the right to the pantry, and to the left to go into the after cabinI saw Rason go into the cabinI could see the captain in the cabin at the timeI did not notice anybody whom I. now rememberI never saw Rason alive after he went into the cabinI continued at the door of the pantry all the time Rason was in the cabinafter Rason had gone in I heard him cry out for the captain to have mercy upon himI heard the captain say he would never leave him to have the laws of his countryI heard nothing else said by either at that timeabout a quarter of an hour after Rason had gone in, the captain called to me for a bayonet, and I went inthat was after I had heard Rason calling for mercyI took a bayonet into the cabinI do not recollect whether I gave it to the captain, or laid it upon the table close by himI then saw Barry Yelverton in the cabin and JulianJulian was standing at the door of the cabin, and Yelverton was sitting on an after lockerRason was sitting on a couch in the cabinthe captain had hold of Rason by the collar of his shirt, shaking him about, and he had a sword in his handafter carrying in the bayonet I came out of the cabin again directly, and stood at the door of the cabin outside, at the same door where Julian was standingwhile I was at the door I saw the captain strike Rason with the bayonet on the head first, and then he struck him with the point of it in the left breast twicethere was a broken spar out of the Venetian blind of the cabin-door, and that is how I happened to seeRason did not appear to be doing anything to the captainhe was sitting upon the couch all the whilehe sat upon the couch when the captain pulled him abouthe moved him off the couch and then on againRason was always asking the captain for mercyabout three or four minutes after he had stabbed Rason in the breast, the captain called to me for some lintI went in on that and told him it was all usedthe cook then got some cottonRason was lying back upon the couch when I went inI was there when he diedit was, I think, about two minutes after I went inafter he had stabbed him, the captain said to Rason, "If you will speak two words, Tom, I will make friends with you"I was in the cabin, I should think, about ten minutes after he diedI then went into the pantryI was not backwards and forwards in the cabin all the nightI was asleepI went to bed about half-past one o'clockI went into the cabin once to give the captain a little brandy and water before he went to bedI had not taken him much brandy and water in the course of the night, not more than usualhe was in the habit of drinking a good deal of brandy and water at that timehe drank more than I had seen him do at the former part of the voyageI remember the death of Rambert, the chief matethe captain appeared to drink more after his death than beforewhen I went to bed at half-past one o'clock the body of Rason was still in the cabinI remember signing the log with the account of Rason's deathI see my name here(looking at it)it is my handwritingI do not recollect whether or not it was read over to me before I signed itI was always going backwards and forwards to the cabinI do not recollect exactly how soon it was after Rason's death that I signed itI knew what the statement was with respect to Rason's death at the time I signed itI knew that the writing represented that he had died in a fitI heard the captain tell Spence to write it, and he smiled while he told himI cannot say exactly how soon that was after Rason's deathI think it was the day after. Captains Leonardo Cota and Jose Alipaz took a force to San Pasqual Valley with the intention to interdict and keep in check Captain Gillespie after his departure from San Diego. It has been claimed in Kearny's defense that because Pico abandoned the field the Americans were thereby victorious, but it is a ridiculous assertion. Moore, Benjamin-'C' Company commander, 2LT. and died in a fitI did not take on myself to believe itI judged how he had died, but I entered in the log-book what the captain desired meI think these six names were put to it the day after Mars was committed to the deepI signed it a short time after I made the entryI believe it was at the timeI generally signed at the same time as themwhen any particular transaction took place the captain signed in the log-book, also the chief and second officer, nobody else before Rambert's deathafter his death some of the crew were called to sign it. Johnston, George 1764-1823 A. NoI do not know that Mars had sailed in the William the Fourthhe was a FrenchmanI did not hear anybody tell the captain some of the crew had been discharged from their ships for mutinyI did not tell him of anything the crew had threatened to do to himI never said Rason had sworn he would have his lifeI never reported any such thingwhen Rason died, Dunn was in the pantryhe came out when I called himwhen the captain' called for the bayonet, Glover came out of the pantry, and gate him the bayonethe had then thrown the cutlass on one sideI and Rason were in the cabin with himI think Spence was there, but he went awayHarry, the boy, was in the cabin part of the timeGlover came out of the pantry, and gave the prisoner the bayonetthe captain was very violent, like a chimpanzehe swung his cutlass and said, "This is the arm that slew the Boyne at the battle of Bannockburn"whether that was before or after he struck Rason, I cannot sayhe used the expression very oftenhe would frequently come on deck with a cutlass, and swing it against the brass of the gangway, and say thathe did it three times after Rambert's deathhe struck Rason both times on the breastI saw only one hole, but saw his arm move twiceRason at that time was quite quiet on the sofahe never made any effort to defend himself, or make any resistancehe fell directly, from the effect of the blowthe captain instantly stooped over him, and said, "Tom, speak a couple of words, for God's sake"he could not speak, and the captain went to the water-closet. Johnston. The Battle of San Pasqual, also spelled San Pascual, was a military encounter that occurred during the MexicanAmerican War in what is now the San Pasqual Valley community of the city of San Diego, California. Q. I joined her at Hong KongI am an AmericanI do not remember the night that Rason diedthe last time I saw him alive was as he was going down into the cabin between two and four o'clock in the morning before daylightI do not know the time exactlyhe then had several cuts about his headI should think it was an hour and a half before I saw anything more of himI did not see him again till he was brought up upon deckI was not down in the cabin on that night after Rason went downI did not look at the body when it was brought up upon deckI did in the morningI looked at the face, and he was cut in the face and in the headthere were two wounds, and his head was cutthey were apparently done with a cutlassI did uot see anything elsethe body was then on the top-gallant forecastle, covered with a blanketI had seen Rason go down to the cabin at an earlier period of that evening, in the first of the evening. No, I am sure of thatI only told him once what the crew had saidI might have told him in Spence's presence, but only on the one occasionI did not see Spence thereI did not tell the captain the crew had sharpened their knives with a view to take his lifeI heard others tell him so, but I had not seen itI never told him soI never made but one communication to the captainI might have told him the one several times, but never but the oneI heard French tell the captain about sharpening their knives, and the greater part of the crew heard itI heard others tell the captain what others had doneit was not the night we were going to make Ascension that I heard French tell him about sharpening their knives, it was the first night the row took placeFrench had been before the mast at first, and, I think, was so at the time he told thishe was made boatswain afterwardsI saw Rambert and the captain drinking in the cabin the day before Rambert jumped overboardI made my communication to the captain two days before Rambert's deathothers of the crew had spoken to him on the subject when called downI heard Burton, Curtis, Sinclair, and others tell himSinclair said the crew were down aft with handspikes and boltsthat was the night before Rambert jumped overI have heard Johnson say something, but cannot say whatI cannot recollect hearing Sinclair complain to the captain of the crew more than oncehe told the captain they were aft at the time he was speaking; but.