Lances at San Pascual

Jim McDougall · 8th February 2017, 02:49 AM

The battle of San Pascual was a notorious combat between the US Dragoons of Gen Kearneys 'Army of the West' and the Californio forces of commander Andres Pico at a location near San Diego, December 6-7 , 1846.

While the various factors involving the opposing forces have certain complexities, one of the key factors is the fact that these Dragoon troops were defeated by Californio horsemen wielding lances.

Dragoons were of course heavily armed with newly issue carbines as well as pistols and carried heavy dragoon sabres. What has been typically claimed is that heavy rain in the evening had soaked the gunpowder, thus the dragoons could only defend themselves by using these rifles as clubs.

What was surprising is that these 'new' carbines were percussion cap, breech loading guns, and my thoughts were of flintlocks. These would have had cartridges, so how had this happened.

Apparently these new carbines were the M1833 Hall-North breech loading carbine, known as the 'Hall side lever'. These used a .52 cal ball and paper cartridge, but these were carried in a leather pouch which should have kept these dry .

One of the big problems was that this 'battle' took place in darkness, with fog and mist and on unfamiliar terrain to the dragoons, but not to the Californios. The dragoons no longer had their horses and mostly were riding mules, yet they were sent pursuing the Californios in the darkness, and to their dismay, with guns which would not fire.
The Caifornios were actually ranch horsemen and armed with lances about 8 to 10 ft long and lassos (reatas). They were used to using these on cattle, and were brilliant horsemen.

At a given point they wheeled around and attacked the pursuers, now in smaller numbers. The now useless guns nor the heavy sabres were no match for the long lances, and the Californios acting almost in teams with one lassoing riders off their mounts, the other stabbing with the lances.

The Dragoons lost 21 killed and a number of wounded while the Californios and Mexicans lost two dead and about 18 wounded.

I found that the next day and in following actions, these Hall carbines performed well. So what really was the problem? In one reference, it noted that the dragoons were having difficulty fumbling with the percussion caps and loading while mounted.....in darkness.
The breech loading mechanism also seems to have exposed the cartridge to rain and resulted in problems. One account suggested that had these been muzzle loaders it would have been better.

Whatever the case, this battle is much fabled in the tales of the Mexican American War for the amazing victory of these Caifornio horsemen over US Dragoons using the lance. I can recall hearing of this battle from my youth in Southern California, and it remains an intriguing and colorful story.

I have never found a case where any surviving weapons from this battle are known. The Halls carbines seem quite rare, and seem largely undocumented in most gun literature. There are no lances surviving, but we know they must have been the standard form used on the estancias by vaqueros. They were not the regulation lances used later by Californios during the Civil War.

Can anyone offer any further notes or ideas on finding examples of weapons which might have been used in this famed battle?

8th February 2017, 02:49 AM	#1
Jim McDougall Arms Historian Join Date: Dec 2004 Location: Route 66 Posts: 9,948	Lances at San Pascual The battle of San Pascual was a notorious combat between the US Dragoons of Gen Kearneys 'Army of the West' and the Californio forces of commander Andres Pico at a location near San Diego, December 6-7 , 1846. While the various factors involving the opposing forces have certain complexities, one of the key factors is the fact that these Dragoon troops were defeated by Californio horsemen wielding lances. Dragoons were of course heavily armed with newly issue carbines as well as pistols and carried heavy dragoon sabres. What has been typically claimed is that heavy rain in the evening had soaked the gunpowder, thus the dragoons could only defend themselves by using these rifles as clubs. What was surprising is that these 'new' carbines were percussion cap, breech loading guns, and my thoughts were of flintlocks. These would have had cartridges, so how had this happened. Apparently these new carbines were the M1833 Hall-North breech loading carbine, known as the 'Hall side lever'. These used a .52 cal ball and paper cartridge, but these were carried in a leather pouch which should have kept these dry . One of the big problems was that this 'battle' took place in darkness, with fog and mist and on unfamiliar terrain to the dragoons, but not to the Californios. The dragoons no longer had their horses and mostly were riding mules, yet they were sent pursuing the Californios in the darkness, and to their dismay, with guns which would not fire. The Caifornios were actually ranch horsemen and armed with lances about 8 to 10 ft long and lassos (reatas). They were used to using these on cattle, and were brilliant horsemen. At a given point they wheeled around and attacked the pursuers, now in smaller numbers. The now useless guns nor the heavy sabres were no match for the long lances, and the Californios acting almost in teams with one lassoing riders off their mounts, the other stabbing with the lances. The Dragoons lost 21 killed and a number of wounded while the Californios and Mexicans lost two dead and about 18 wounded. I found that the next day and in following actions, these Hall carbines performed well. So what really was the problem? In one reference, it noted that the dragoons were having difficulty fumbling with the percussion caps and loading while mounted.....in darkness. The breech loading mechanism also seems to have exposed the cartridge to rain and resulted in problems. One account suggested that had these been muzzle loaders it would have been better. Whatever the case, this battle is much fabled in the tales of the Mexican American War for the amazing victory of these Caifornio horsemen over US Dragoons using the lance. I can recall hearing of this battle from my youth in Southern California, and it remains an intriguing and colorful story. I have never found a case where any surviving weapons from this battle are known. The Halls carbines seem quite rare, and seem largely undocumented in most gun literature. There are no lances surviving, but we know they must have been the standard form used on the estancias by vaqueros. They were not the regulation lances used later by Californios during the Civil War. Can anyone offer any further notes or ideas on finding examples of weapons which might have been used in this famed battle? Attached Images Last edited by Jim McDougall; 8th February 2017 at 04:58 AM.