San Pasqual Analysis

San Pasqual tied in with MCDP-1 MCDP-1 identifies many different common aspects of war and during the Battle of San Pasqual it easy to identify many of them. The below correspondence will identify a brief overview of the battle and will only focus on two tie-ins with MCDP-1.
Battle of San Pasqual
In the San Pasqual Valley southeast of Escondido, in the darkness of early morning on December 6, 1846, the American Army under Stephen Watts Kearny fought the bloodiest encounter to win California from Mexico. General Kearny and his 120 or so member Army of the West had just arrived from Missouri by way of New Mexico. Dreary, hungry, wet, and cold, they met and were defeated by a smaller force of Californios led by General Andres Pico who was waiting

The combined American force led by Commodore Robert Stockton then went on to win the Battle of San Gabriel on January 8 and January 9, 1847 ("San Pasqual Battlefield - City of Escondido," 2016).
Shaping the action: MCDP-1 states: “the first requirement is to establish what we want to accomplish, why, and how” (MCDP-1,p. 82). According to Regan,
Captain Gillespie told Kearney about the state of the country ahead and warned him that a band of insurgents led by Andres Pico (younger brother of Mexican Governor Pio Pico) was no more than six miles away at San Pasqual. In spite of the torrential rain, which had lowered morale in Kearney 's party, the general could not resist the opportunity of engaging the Californians. He called a council of war and planned a reconnaissance of the enemy camp, prior to an attack the following morning (2016).
Commanders Intent. MCDP-1 states: “the purpose of providing intent is to allow subordinates to exercise judgment and initiative to depart from the original plan when the unforeseen occurs in a way that is consistent with higher commands (MCDP-1, p.88). Reagan describes when General Kearney provides his men his final commanders intent by