The Battle of San Pasqual, also spelled San Pascual, was a military encounter that occurred during the Mexican–American War in what is now the San Pasqual Valley community of the city of San Diego, California. The series of military skirmishes ended with both sides claiming victory, and the victor of the battle is still debated. On December 6 and 7, 1846, General Stephen W. Kearny's US Army of the West, along with a small detachment of the California Battalion led by a Marine Lieutenant, engaged a small contingent of Californios and their Presidial Lancers Los Galgos, led by Major Andrés Pico. After U.S. reinforcements arrived, Kearny's troops were able to reach San Diego.
Battle of San Pasqual, Charles Waterhouse
Captain Archibald H. Gillespie of the United States Marine Corps was attacked by lancers, front and rear, at San Pasqual
Depiction of the battle by William H. Meyers; watercolor, 1847.
Marker of reburied U.S. servicemen who died during the Battle of San Pasqual
San Pasqual Valley, San Diego
San Pasqual Valley, historically spelled as San Pascual, is the northernmost community of the city of San Diego. It is named for the Kumeyaay village of San Pasqual that was once located there. It is bordered on the north by the city of Escondido, on the east and west by unincorporated land within San Diego County, and on the south by the city of Poway and the community of Rancho Bernardo. San Pasqual Valley is home to the San Diego Zoo Safari Park.
The Battle of San Pasqual, fought between Californios and Americans in 1846, was a decisive battle of the U.S. Conquest of California.