- "The only building erected here
by the troops is a frame one, containing ten small rooms, intended
for Officers quarters. This affords sufficient quarters for the
officers of one company of Artillery & the Military staff
of the post. But there are no quarters for the enlisted men -
and the latter are consequently still in tents. These tents are
shedded so as to afford shelter from the sun but not so as to
give any protection from wet & cold during the rains of winter.
- There are no storehouses at the post; and the Government stores of all descriptions are now thrown together in the old building, where they are secure neither from the weather nor from theft.
- If the troops are to remain here -the necessity for which, however, is not altogether apparent to me-the requisite buildings should be erected without delay. There would be required, Quarters for the enlisted men; a Hospital; and storehouses for the Quarter Master & subsistence stores. These are absolutely necessary in winter, during which season the rains prevail."
- "This post is well selected, being
six miles from old San Diego on San Diego River, and about 9
miles from New San Diego and 10 miles from the Playa (landing).
It is thus convenient to water transportation for the embarkation
or disembarkation of troops. It is 220 miles from, and auxiliary
to, Fort Yuma. It is a good grazing region for animals and has
abundance of tillable land. It is on our extreme southern boundary,
and with all is well located to overawe the Indians and protect
the white population in this quarter, which are quite limited,
being confined to old San Diego and a few scattering ranches.
Very little reliance can be placed on the white population about
here. There are a few traders and a large proportion of native
Californians.
- The Indians within one hundred miles of this post number about 350 warriors, scattered into little localities among the mountains and some planting, and in the Jacum Valley of Lower California there are about as many more. This post is the proper place to store all supplies for the interior, as the troops here are at hand to guard them; whereas, New San Diego seems to have not merit-except the supplies are intended to be reshipped, which would be a remarkable proceeding, as all the supplies in this quarter come shipped from the Atlantic states direct or from San Francisco, with the exception of fresh beef and a few garden vegetables. For a sketch of this locality and positions see B and C hereunto appended.
- This post was under the command of Captain H.S. Burton, 3d Artillery who has been in California since March 1847, and in command of this post since June 1853. It is properly a two-company post. Attached to this post are Assistant Surgeon C. C. Keeney and Chaplin Reverend John Reynolds and Ordnance Sergeant Richard Kerren. The post consists of Company I, 1t Artillery 86 in the aggregate… 1t Lieutenant F. E. Patterson in command of the company and acting commissary and quartermaster… and, Company F, 3d Artillery, 89 in the aggregate, Captain H.S. Burton in command of post… one sergeant and 7 privates on detached service at Jacum, an express route to Fort Yuma; 3 privates in charge of mission of San Luis Rey…
- The discipline of this command is good, and their arms and equipments in good serviceable order. There is however but a limited supply of ammunition on hand, 500 rifles and 5,000 musket ball cartridges in addition to the supply of Company I, consisting of 1,399 six-pounder cartridge bags and 500 pounds of powder.
- The quarters of the soldiers at present are worthless: Company I occupies some miserable old adobe buildings, and Company F are in tents. The quarters of the officers are quite indifferent and not suitable. They will answer for officers when new quarters can be put up. Captain Burton with his men is converting the old church of this mission into an excellent barrack for the soldiers, two stories high, the walls being thick and firm. But most of the other buildings, except the officers quarters, being merely ruins, should be leveled, and other buildings prepared and erected for store houses, laundresses &c. This is a beautiful locality on an eminence above the bottomlands of the river, is healthy, and there is a fine garden and olive grove attached to it, with abundant water in the bed of the river.
- The Medical Department is in excellent hands, Dr. Keeney's. The north end of the old church has already been fitted for that purpose-dispensary below, and a fine airy wardroom above. The sick are well provided for.
- At present all supplies of ammunition &c are very badly stored, but as well as the means at command would allow. Great credit is due to Captain Burton for his efforts to make his command comfortable, and I doubt not he will succeed perfectly.
- The chaplain of the post has a small school, but is not at all popular, and no doubt the officers would be glad to get rid of him.
- Detachments from this post are stationed at Jacum and at San Luis Rey. The former is on the express trail route to Fort Yuma, where there is a change of mules for the express rider who passes only twice a month. One sergeant and thirteen men are here stationed for this object only and must necessarily have supplies sent to them. This trail only shortens the distance, and it appears to me it would be better for the express rider to keep the wagon road and dispense with this detachment, which is not strong enough to defend themselves if attacked by the Indians. The later is an old mission forty miles to the northward that has been reserved, but is of no use, except to turn over to the Indians as a reservation. It has no military merit at all.
- 1t Lieutenant F. E. E. Patterson has in his hands as assistant quartermaster, 381 dollars; as assistant commissary, 451 35/100, and as recruiting officer 112 dollars-all of which is kept in an iron safe. There is no post fund here but a balance on that account due Lieutenant Patterson of 2 90/100 dollars. All supplies come from New San Diego and are good.
- There is at this post belonging to Company I two brass 6-pounder guns and two brass 12-pounder howitzers for the field.
- For a sketch of this position see C hereunto appended.
- The previous commanders of this post were Brevet Major S. P. Heintzelman and Brevet Lieutenant Colonel J. B. Magruder, and it was last inspected by Colonel McCall, late Inspector General. The American population within fifty miles capable of bearing arms might number one hundred."
The war led to the American take-over of San Diego and its mission. The first military camp of the United States to be stationed at San Diego was in 1846, established by the Navy at Fort Stockton. It was followed by the establishment of San Diego's first military post at the San Diego Mission. This took place when the Mormon Battalion, under command of Lieut. Colonel Philip St. George Cooke (2), made camp at the San Diego Mission on January 29, 1847.
General Kearney placed Company B at Fort Stockton to garrison Fort Stockton with seven artillery pieces while he sent the rest of the Battalion on to Los Angeles.
The old Mission, under Company B, would become the army's strategic post in the area. The old Mission stood on an eminence, at a point in the valley of the San Diego River which commanded a view of the entire valley to the sea on the one side, and of the mountain passes on the other. The main building, about ninety feet long, extended from north to south, with the main entrance being at the south end. The Mission's massive walls, about four feet in thickness, was found to be more than sufficient for the protection of the troops now quartered there.
With the signing of the Treaty of Guadalupe Hidalgo, the end of the Mexican era ceased. For nearly a decade the old Mission of San Diego would continue to serve as an army post.
Heintzelman (2), Magruder (3), Burton (4), Winder (5), and Fauntleroy (6) commanded the post at different times. Post San Diego Mission quartered troops at the Old Mission until 1856.
"...I am persuaded that we were born to do something more than simply live, that is, we were born for something more, for the rest of our poor countrymen."
Captain Burton remained in California on duty in various forts until 1862, when, having been promoted to major, May 14, 1861, the Civil War began. He was made colonel of the 5th artillery, August 11, 1863, and assumed command of the artillery reserve of the army of the Patomac, 1864. He was breveted brigadier-general, March 13, 1865, for services at the capture of Petersburg, and stationed in various forts until his death at Fort Adams, Newport, R.I., April 4, 1869. After her husband's death, Maria returned to San Diego where she wrote two novels, "Who Would Have Thought It?," published in 1872, and "The Squatter and the Don," published in 1885, under pen name C. Loyal, becoming California's first Mexican-American woman writer. While living on rancho Jamul, the Burtons had made improvements on it and submitted title to the Court of Land Claims. For the next few decades Maria would be involved in dozens of lawsuits trying to retain title to her land. All the while she was involved in litigation over Jamul and eventually her attorney fees for the litigation and the costs of unpaid mortgages forced her into bankruptcy. She traveled to Chicago to find help for her fight for her rights to another rancho that had been in her family, Rancho Ensenada de Todos Santos. There she died in 1895 trying to get political support for her claims.