[5] Forty of the best mounted pulled far ahead of the main body of the force, in violation of the Cavalry Tactics manual of 1841, which instructed a charge to begin at just 40 paces from the enemy "so as to arrive in good order, and without fatiguing the horses. [6]:188, As the leading element of the U.S. force's attack drew close to a Kumeyaay village, the Californios wheeled back and fired their few firearms. FRANKLIN TUCKER . There was nothing very particular to complain ofRambert, the mate, treated them unkindly, but the captain did notbefore the statement of Yelverton to the captain he conducted himself quietly and temperatelyhe appeared to look after the interest of the owner and the interest of the ship as far as I saw, he was quiet and steadythe cargo was most valuablethe men grumbled about this time on account of the provisionswe were on short allowanceshortly after this communication from Yelverton I saw a difference in the captain's mannerhe appeared very anxious, excitable, and nervous after that communicationhe armed himself immediately after he heard that from Yelverton. Q. I was acting as steward on board the vessel at the latter part of the voyage. Q. George Johnston (1848 - 1928) George. Q. 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. Judge Pearce (Kearny's personal bodyguard), Sutter Fort's Russian brass 4-pounder cannon, which had been hidden after Mexican authorities tried to use the cannon against Californios at the, 26 Mounted Rifle Company, commanded by Acting-Captain (Sgt.) JULIAN CORDEVIOLA . He spent his early life at the family home in Piqua, Ohio. Clarke, Dwight L. and Ruhlen, George. 11 Sep 1840 & Mary Jane b. George Johnston (British Marines officer) - Wikipedia COURT. A. WebCaptain Abraham Robinson Johnstons Life. In July 1830, Johnston, aged fifteen, [32], After turning back the Americans trying to recapture Los Angeles in the Battle of Dominguez Rancho, Capt. [57] That evening, Captain Turner, established a strong defensive perimeter and then sent dispatches requesting urgent reinforcements, carried to Commodore Stockton by "Alexis Godey, Thomas Burgess, and one other. Q. [78], Historian Lt. Capt. Captain George Johnston, Sr (c.1700 - 1766) I was carpenter on board the ToryI shipped from Liverpoola great port of the crew were new from Chinawhen the ship had passed St. Helena, and we were doubtful of getting into Ascension, both bread and water were shortI observed a good deal of grumbling amongst the crew in the course of that timeup to that time the captain had managed the ship well, and conducted himself quietly and kindlythere was nothing remarkable during the voyageeverything was quiet and well governedthe captain was himself on the same short allowanceI heard soa short time before Rambert plunged overboard, I remember hearing Barry Yelverton tell the captain that he heard Rason say, if he did not make the island of Ascension at such an hour of the morning, he would be no longer captain JohnstonI do not recollect the day of the monthwe spoke the French barque about eight o'clock the same eveningthe cargo was very valuablethe captain appeared to be very much excited by Yelverton's statementI do not recollect hearing any other communication made to the captain on that or the following dayI heard French mention something to the captainI do not recollect whether that was the same night or the night afterFrench stated that some of the crew said in the forecastle that he had remitted the former freight to his wife, in EnglandFrench told that to the captain, in his cabin, that night or the night afterthe captain told me that night that the crew had sharpened their kives to take his lifehe was making inquiries about this from different members of the crewhe appeared to be very much agitatedI do not recollect any other person but French making that statement to himI do not recollect Spence, or Dunn, or any other giving him any intelligence with regard to what the men had saidI remember a man named Curtishe made a statement the same morning that the mate jumped overboardhe told the captain that the mate had been the cause of all the disturbance in the ship, and that he wished to take the ship to America. headI took it to be thatthe boy Glover came and told me the captain had killed RasonI went on deck and got some water, and then I went into the cabinwhen I got into the cabin Rason was lying on the captain's couchhe was just breathing a littlethe captain said, "Speak two words to me, Rason"I saw at that time that he had received two wounds in his left breastI did not observe any otherthe captain had nothing in his hand when I went into the cabinI did not take notice of anything in his hand before the death of Rasonthere was a bayonet on the floor when I went in on Glover calling meI told the captain he had better get some lint and put on the woundthe captain sent Glover for somehe brought some cotton, which the captain put on the woundRason then diedhis body was taken out by the pantry door, just outside the cabin doorit remained there till about a quarter past four o'clockI saw the captain place his cutlass on the stomach of the dead body, and he said to Mars, who was in the cabin, "See what you have brought this man to"the body was afterwards taken to the top-gallant forecastleI told David Johnson to wash it and put clean clothes on itthe captain ordered five men to take it to the top-gallant forecastleI cannot say who the men were that carried itI did not assistI afterwards signed the logI was aware that the log stated that Rason died in a fitI had said nothing before that as to Rason having died in a fitthe captain said he would put down in the log-book that Rason had died of convulsionsI was in the cabin when French said some of the men would not sign it with pen and ink, and he said if they would not sign it with pen and ink, he would cut out their hearts, and make them sign it with their own heart's blood. [8] Kearny's force, guided by Carson, reached Warner's Ranch in California on 2 Dec., in a greatly weakened condition. A. I was when he jumped overboardhe was all over bloodI cannot say exactly how long that was before he jumped overboardhe was bleeding all about the head and facehe was then forward on the fore-hatch. No, nothing but what is termed a grumblenothing mutinousthat was at the time the crew were on short provisions and waterI was not present at any time when French said anything to the men about what he would do to the captainafter Yelverton and French. It rechristened the facility as, The site of the battle is commemorated as, A bronze relief of Beale and Carson contacting Stockton was unveiled at the, The battle was dramatized in the 1927 film. Moore, Benjamin-'C' Company commander, 2LT. when the captain came on deck, there was nobody thereit was before Rambert's death that Rason, Lee, and Cone were in irons, for Rambert was there armedI think he jumped overboard the next day, but am not certainat the time the captain cut at them with the culass they were all three together on the poopCone was near the half-hatchthey were all aft at the break of the poop, sitting on the deck, with their feet and hands ironedhe cut them about the head and faceI could see the blood running over their facehe cut them a good many timesI heard him strike Cone fifty times when he was on the mizen-tophe cut them a great many times when on deck, sometimes with the sharp edge of the sword, with the flat, and backthey bledsome of the crew were aftthe men were singing out when they were cutthey were afterwards hawled up to the top, and when there he cut Cone I should say fifty timeshe was about a quarter of an hour slashing at him, cutting him the whole timehe was still in ironsI think he had no anchor shackle on his neck, but the other two hadhis hands and feet were ironed at the time to the best of my knowledgethey were taken down after Rambert jumped overboardI think that was the next daythey were in the tops at the time he jumped overboardwhen they were taken down they were taken into the cabin, and I believe the captain gave them each a glass of wine, but I was not there myselfthey were sitting there with the captain about an hour. Clearly, Kearny retained the battle area, the ability to operate and maneuver, and also the initiative, though his losses were significantly higher; however, he did not implement his battle plan, his ammunition was compromised, and he outran his artillery and support. Q. Q. I believe you and the crew were armed with belayingpins, were you not? The following day the Battle of La Mesa resulted in another Californio defeat, leading to the surrender of the Pueblo de Los ngeles and later the signing of the Treaty of Cahuenga. had told this to the captain, we went on deck, armed, and the captain chased Rason about the deck, and I afterwards put him, Cone, and Lee in irons, by the captain's ordersRason was then wounded in several placesRason had no weapon in his hand, that I observed, when the captain was pursuing himthe men were put in the tops the second night I think, the night before Rambert went overboard I put a shackle on two of their necks before they went into the topsthere was then blood about the faces of all three of themthey were handcuffed as well as put in ironstwo were shackled round the neck, and the third not. Following a clash of U.S. forces with Mexican forces near the Rio Grande, Colonel Stephen Watts Kearny was promoted to a brigadier general and tasked with multiple objectives to include the seizure of New Mexico and California, establish civilian government within seized territories, disrupt trade, and to "act in such a manner as best to conciliate the inhabitants, and render them friendly to the United States". Q. (1921) "The Battle of San Pasqual: A Report of the California Historical Survey Commission with Special Reference to its Location." : The Battle of San Pasqual", "Clearing Up The Confusion About California Cannon Of John Sutter", "THE USE OF ARTILLERY AT THE BATTLE OF SAN PASQUAL", "THE JOURNALS OF MARINE SECOND LIEUTENANT HENRY BULLS WATSON 18451848", "Battalion of Sailors, from the fleet on the Pacific coast 1847", "A Brief History of John Sutter and his Bronze Field Cannon", "William Henry Russell, Callaway, Jackson, Cass Co., MO", "An historical sketch of Los Angeles county, California. A. A. WebCaptain Abraham Robinson Johnston of the US Dragoons. Cross-examined. [55], Summarizing the battle, historian Owen Coy writes: .mw-parser-output .templatequote{overflow:hidden;margin:1em 0;padding:0 40px}.mw-parser-output .templatequote .templatequotecite{line-height:1.5em;text-align:left;padding-left:1.6em;margin-top:0}, The Americans fought bravely against heavy odds, for their mules were unmanageable, and their sabers too short to cope effectively with the long California lances. Did not you and Spence tell him what the crew had said before you got the provisions from the French barque? COURT. Johnston HENRY JAMES STEVENS . The captain said, if we would not sign, he would cut our hearts out, and make us sign with our hearts' bloodI knew Rason did not die in a fit. JAMES GLOVER . A. married Agnes/Nancy Wilson 16 Dec 1839 at Boardmills Prebyterian Church ; father of William b. When they arrived in San Diego, the wounded survivors were treated by their Californio guide's sister, Nurse Juanita Machado Alipas de Wrightington, known as the Florence Nightingale of San Diego for her charity work for the oppressed native peoples camped outside San Diego. A. Nohe had called the crew down several times, and I heard the greater part of the crew telling things of each other when he called them downthe first time Rason was called down that night I think Spence and French were presentI cannot recollect who elsehe was cut a good deal on the first occasion on the head and facewhen he came down the second time the blood was dried upthere were the marks of blood on his temples and head, more than one cutCordeviola and Spence were present on the second occasion, but Spence went out of the cabin when he was calledI cannot recollect Slack being thereI am not sure he was not thereI saw a boy called Jemmy in and outI cannot say whether he was there at the time of the blowsDunn was there to the best of my knowledge when he came into the cabinthere was nobody there when he was stabbed but Cordeviolawhen he came down the first time the captain had the cutlass in his handhe might have said, "This is the arm that won the Boyne," &c., while he held the cutlasshe did when he had the bayonet, and was saying it all night nearlyhe struck him two or three times or so with the cutlass the second time he came down, on the head and body, shoving it against himhe did not stab him with the cutlasshe struck him with the blade of it once or twiceI am certain he struck him on the head with the cutlass more than once, and two or three times with the flat of itI saw the blood running from himI did not pay attention whether he cut him more than oncehe afterwards put it down, took up the bayonet and rushed at him with ithe took the bayonet off the table by his sideI do not recollect his calling anybody firstI did not see anybody come before he stabbed himI saw him take up the bayonetthe cabin was lighthe put down the cutlass and had the bayonet in his hand afterwardsI believe he took it upI did not see it given to himI do not suppose anybody could have come into the cabin and give it to him without my seeing itto the best of my knowledge he took it up himselfI saw the bayonet on the tableI did not hear him call to anybody for ithe might have done ithe put the cutlass down and had the bayonet in his hand at the instanthe then pitched him backward and forward with his left hand for a few minuteshe raised him from the sofa and pitched him backward and forwardCordeviola. Proceedings of a general court-martial held at Chelsea hospital, which commenced on Tuesday, May 7, 1811, and continued by adjournment to R. FRENCH. Do you happen to know whether there was anybody among the crew capable of taking charge of, and managing the vessel, except the captain? (1951). Only Los Angeles and its immediate environs were still under control of the Californios."[77]. BARRY YELVERTON . I never made any communication to the captain of anything I had heard any of the crew say, I am sure of thatI did not tell the captain that I had heard any of the crew say if he did not make the island of Ascension next day he would no longer be captain, nothing of the kind; nor that I had heard any of the crew say they would take the ship to Americaon the night Rason died I was aftI saw Rason go down into the cabinI cannot say what time that wasit was at nightI afterwards lent a hand to bring the body upthere were four or five of usthe captain was there at the timewhen I first saw the body it was lying on the cabin floor, close to the pantry, outside the cabin, close to the stairsthe captain was standing over the body with a cutlass in his handI saw him lay the point of the cutlass on the bodyI cannot say what he saidI took the body up by French's ordershe was on the poopI saw two stabs in the left breast. Why did you sign that account of Rason having died in a fit? Johnston A. NoI was at the wheel at that timeI do not know who the persons were that brought the body outI did not stand at the foot of the stairs when they brought the body out, nor did I see the captain do anything to the body, or hear him say anything about it that nightI did next morning. COURT. He was twice elected to the House of Burgesses, in Johnston. Johnston, George 1764-1823 [6]:188 The charge was quickly surrounded, and Capt. Abraham Robinson Johnston [43] These Californios led a force consisting of landowners, sons of landowners, and vaqueros, many with well known and respected family names in the community: On the night of December 5, a Native American informed the Californio forces of the presence of Kearny's forces. Between the time of leaving Fayal and the death of Rason, had you stated anything to the captain about what the crew had done? "we dare not move, for he was grinding his teeth, and pointing the bayonet to us, and swearing he would stab Rasonwe dare not give an alarmhe was very wild, stamping through the roomafter he had pitched him with his left hand he stamped about and went to him againhe looked very wildI examined Rason's body afterwards, and saw two wounds plainlyI and Cordeviola examined the body together, and saw two distinct wounds on the left breastthey were not far from each other, about half a finger's breadthI dare say they bled for five minutesI saw Cordeviola open the shirt to stop the bloodthe blood came out a littlethey were stuffing cotton into itI did not hear lint called forthe captain was in the cabin at this time, he stopped there till the body was taken awayto the best of my recollection, till it was taken to the cabin stairshe was drinkingthe body remained in the room an hour or two before it was removed, and the captain was sitting there the whole time drinkingSpence and Dunn were with himFrench came down sometimesI was there drinking sometimes, while the body lay there, sometimes drinking and sometimes speaking about it, for two hoursI am sure of thatSpence came down a short time after Rason was stabbed, and remained thereCordeviola was sitting there drinking when the captain asked himthey were not drinking for two hoursI think Cordeviola stopped there while the body was thereI cannot say who helped to move the body, I think Dunn helpedhe must have been present when the captain came with his cutlass and stabbed the body againI do not recollect seeing Cordeviola thereI recollect seeing Tucker there, and think Spence was in the after cabinI should say five or six of the crew were thereI heard him ask to send five or six men down to take the bodyI was sitting on the looker when I saw the captain stab the bodyFrench, Tucker, and Dunn were thereDunn was standing nearall the crew were on the stairsI think Spence was in the cabin with methe captain stabbed the body with the bayonet. HENRY SLACK. Q. [52] As a consequence, Johnston's charge was unsupported and his dragoons were forced to withdraw. Joseph E. Johnston (1807-1891) was a U.S. military officer who served as a Confederate general during the Civil War (1861-65). Did he say anything to him on his first coming into the cabin? I shipped as able seaman at Sincapore, and was cook part of the voyageI remember our passing the Cape and missing St. Helena and Ascensionour provisions and water had run very short at that timeI remember the morning after we expected to make AscensionI was at the wheelRambert went forward to the men, and. I was an ordinary seaman on board the Tory. [6]:186, Captain Archibald Gillespie with 39 men,[33] met Kearny on December 5 with a message from Stockton requesting Kearny confront Flores' men outside San Diego. WebOn May 13, 1846, just months after the first wagons began their westward exodus from Nauvoo, Illinois, the United States declared war on Mexico. WebGeorge Johnston had arrived in the colony in 1788 with the First Fleet and is said to have been the first of the newcomers to set foot in the new colony. GEORGE JOHNSTON was indicted for the wilful murder of Thomas Rason, on the high seas, and within the jurisdiction of the ALEX. A. He took a lance thrust just over the heart that pierced a lung. Andres Pico's force along the road at San Pasqual. or learn more. I sailed from LiverpoolI remember Thomas RasonI saw him come down the after-cabin of the ship a day or two after we left FayalI cannot say what time it wasI. A. I believe it was David Johnson, the last witness. WebJOHN JOHNSTON, Private, Virginia Militia, $20.00 Annual Allowance $50.00 Amount Received April 20 1833 Pension Started Age 82, Smith County, Tennessee (1835 Pension Roll) John JOHNSTON was born 30 Aug 1752, lived in Cumberland Co, VA at enlistment. Men, muskets, pistols and equipment were wet and cold, but the troops, after over six months without any action, were eager to engage the Californios. Johnston's company actively patrolled To the best of my knowledge that was the same night that they were first in ironsthe anchor shackles were put on the neck of each of themthe legs of each were ironed with bilboes, and they were hawled up into the tops by ropesour anchor shackle weighs fifty or sixty poundsthey remained in the tops till after Rambert's death, and were then released, and returned to their duty in the shipthings went on quietly after that, till we arrived off FayalI went on shore with the captain thereRason, Lee, and Cone, were part of the boat's crew, who went on shoreI remained with the boatI do not know the British consulI saw a gentleman come to the boat with the captainI thought the captain was rather intoxicated when he returned to the shipMars was at that time acting as first-matewe remained off Fayal till next daywe did not anchor, but it was very calmabout two days after we left Fayal, Rason was sent for into the cabinthe captain had been drinking a good deal, and was rather intoxicatedbefore Rason was sent for the captain said, "There is one son of a bh who has not been examined yet," and desired Morris (who had been ill the greater part of the passage) to be sent forwhen Morris came, the captain asked him if he had heard anything, any plot laid against his life, or something to that effectMorris said he did nothe said he had heard Rason and Cone say, when they arrived in London, they would have law from the captain for what he had doneRason was then called into the cabinhe was sent on deck, and called down againI was in the cabin each time that he came downthe first time that he came the captain said that he would have his law to-night; "It is my day to-night, and yours to-morrow; I will give you law, you son of a bh," and he cut him two or three times with a cutlass about the headafter that he was sent on deckthis was the beginning of the night, about seven or eight o'clock; and between twelve and one he was sent for againI was in the cabin when he came down, and the captain began pitching him about, and striking him with the cutlasshe sat on the sofa sometimesthe captain had been speaking to him about what Morris had said, but I cannot recollect whether that was the second time that he came downhe hit him about two or three times with the cutlass, then put the cutlass down, and took the bayonet in his handwhen he first came down the second time he began cursing and swearing at him and cutting him with the cutlassRason asked him to spare him, both before and after he had cut him with.