Show BATTLE WILL WILLBE iLL BE Los Angeles Fights to Be Commemorated I LOS ANGELES March 25 25 T The historic his his- though tone though not very bloody bloody battles battles which preceded the capture of Los Angeles Angeles Angeles An An- I geles by American forces under command command com corn mand of C Commodore Stockton and Genera General General Gen Gen- era eral Kearney In 1847 are to have their niche in southern California's history I assured by the erection of monuments marki marking g the sites where the engagements engagements engagements engage engage- t ments were fought according to plans by the Historical Society of Southern California I Spots for the m monuments were De ge- ge by the society following a n. re- re re 1 ort art by Percival J J. Cooney author and Charles J. J Prudhomme descendants of ofa ofa I a pioneer Call California Cornia family who made madean madean an investigation concerning the location location location loca loca- tion of the battlegrounds The first of the battles s which will be commemorated by the monuments was the battle of San Gabriel which occurred oc occurred occurred oc- oc near Montebello on January 7 1847 This date was the anniversary I of the battle of New Orleans and Commodore Commodore Commodore Com Com- ComI I Stockton so informed his men The of San Gabriel is said to bethe bethe be bo bothe the only engagement recorded in American American American Amer Amer- ican history in which a general of the army served under a commodore of the I navy About American infantrymen infantry Infantry- men drawn up In a hollow square stood off three charges of the enemy's cavalry cavall after acter having first been bombarded bombarded bombarded bom bom- barded with artillery The Americans were said to have lost three c men killed The other casualties were vere listed as about a dozen bruised the tho battle of San Gabriel the Americans continued their advance until they reached Huntington Park about three miles from the present city limits of the city of Los Angeles Here the battle of the Mesa was fought The Americans were ambushed and again charged th the cavalry cavalry- This time no Americans Americana were killed although a larger largI larg larg- er number were bruised I Following this engagement the tho Americans triumphant entered Los I Angeles by way of t tire e district now J i known as Boyle Heights located In Inthe inthe the northeastern section of the present I city A number of cannon balls employed by the tho native California troops in their efforts to halt the advance of the forces under Commodore Stockton and General General General Gen Gen- eral Kearney arc are now in the of the tho historical society They are said to have been made from copper stills as the natives had no method for casting casting casting cast cast- ing iron balls The exact spots where the battles were fought were located by a number of old native Californians who roamed the country hereabouts in their younger younger young- young er er days The campaign which ended In the conquest of Los Angeles followed the collapse of the Bear Bear Flag Republic established the year before by General Fremont and occurred two years before be- be b be before fore the tho rush to California of the tho for ty I |