LOS ANGELES MISSION COLLEGE CHICANO STUDIES 7 LINKS TO NOTES ON THE MEXICAN AMERICAN WAR IN SOUTHERN CALIFORNIA “……Captain Johnston rode straight into a party of Pico's men ….The shock of seeing their fleeing foe turn and confront them made some of the Americans try to fire their rifles, only to discover that their powder was so damp it would not ignite. Thus disarmed, the dragoons were forced to resort to sabers and rifle butts, which were no match for Pico's lances. …he was speared sixteen times by lances and fell dead from his saddle. The Americans were quite unaccustomed to this kind of melee in which the advantage always rested with the Californians' longer weapon. Almost every dragoon in the forward party suffered from the points of the willow lances. Even more surprising for the Americans, was the use made of the lasso, or reata, which Pico's men cast with unerring accuracy, pulling the dragoons from their horses and making them easy targets for the lancers. Seeing Moore mortally wounded, his brother-in-law, Lieutenant Hammond, rode to his side and died with him, pierced through and through by the lancer……”.http://www.militarymuseum.org/SanPasqual.html http://www.sandiegohistory.org/journal/v49- http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Battle_of_Dominguez_Rancho http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Battle_of_La_Mesa http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Siege_of_Los_Angeles http://www.nationmaster.com/encyclopedia/Siege-of-Los-Angeles http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Battle_of_San_Pasqual