Located near the present-day city of Oceanside, California, Mission San Luis Rey de Francia was founded by the Spaniards in 1798.
In January 1847, the Mormon Battalion passed by the mission as it approached and saw the Pacific Ocean for the first time. After a short stay in San Diego, the battalion returned to the mission, arriving on Feb. 3. Many were garrisoned here for weeks.
While at Mission San Luis Rey, the battalion received weeks of training, including instruction in the use of firearms for the first time. Some of the battalion members attended to religious rituals and ordinances.
There were problems with fleas, clothes to wash, drills and inspections, but they were able to get some much-needed rest. Some men could barely carry a pail of water without resting from the chore.
In March, Company B was ordered back to San Diego, and the other companies went to Los Angeles. The battalion was formally discharged on July 16, 1847, at Los Angeles, some 80 miles to the north.