A memorial and biographical history of northern California, illustrated. Containing a history of this important section of the Pacific coast from the earliest period of its occupancy...and biographical mention of many of its most eminent pioneers and also of prominent citizens of today, Part 8

Author: Lewis Publishing Company. cn
Publication date: 1891
Publisher: Chicago : The Lewis publishing company
Number of Pages: 1000

USA > California > A memorial and biographical history of northern California, illustrated. Containing a history of this important section of the Pacific coast from the earliest period of its occupancy...and biographical mention of many of its most eminent pioneers and also of prominent citizens of today > Part 8

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It was on this occasion of the return of Fre- mont to San Rafael that occurred what has the resemblance of wanton sacrifice of human life. We allude to the shooting of Ramon and Fran- cisco de Haro. They were of a respectable family living at Yerba Buena. They reached the San Rafael Embarcadero in a boat managed by José R. Berryessa. The Haros are said to have been quite young-only sixteen or eighteen years of age. One version is that they were taken prisoners, as spies, and were regularly sentenced and shot. But the statement that Bancoft seems to give credence to is, that when they were seen to land, Kit Carson asked Fre- mont, on starting with a squad of men to meet them, whether he should take them prisoners, and that Fremont's reply was, " We have no use for prisoners." It is then claimed that Carson and his men as soon as in shooting distance opened fire, killing them on the spot. The late Jasper O'Farrell is given as the authority for this version, and claimed to have witnessed the whole transaction. Unless there is more light cast on this transaction than we have had as yet, the killing of those young men will always seem wanton and cruel.

Captain William D. Phelps of Lexington, Massachusetts, who was lying at Sausalito with his bark, the " Moscow," remarks, says Mr. Lancey :-

When Fremont passed San Rafael in pursuit of Cap- tain de la Torre's party, I had just left them, and he sent me word that he would drive them to Sausalito that night, when they could not escape unless they got my boats. I hastened back to the ship and made all safe. There was a large launch lying near the beach; this was anchored further off, aud I put provisions on board to be ready for Fremont should he need her. At night there was not a boat on shore. Torre's party must shortly arrive and show fight or surrender. Toward morning we heard them arrive, and to our surprise they were seen passing with a small boat from the shore to the launch. A small boat had arrived from Yerba Buena during the night which had proved their salvation. I dispatched a note to the commander of the Portsmouth, sloop-of-war, then ly- ing at Yerba Buena, a cove (now San Francisco) informi- ing him of their movements, and intimating that a couple of his boats could easily intercept and capture them. Captain Montgomery replied that not having received any official notice of war existing he could not act in the matter.

HISTORY OF NORTHERN CALIFORNIA.

It was thus the poor scamps escaped. They pulled clear of the ship and thus escaped supping on grape and canister which we had prepared for them.

Fremont arrived and camped opposite my vessel, the hark Moscow, the following night. They were early astir the next morning when I landed to visit Captain Fre- mont, and were all variously employed in taking care of their horses, mending saddles, cleaning their arms, etc. I had not up to this time seen Fremont, but from reports to his character and exploits my imagination had painted him as a large-sized, martial-looking man or personage, towering above his companions, whiskered and ferocious looking.

I took a survey of the party, but could not discover any one who looked, as I thought, the captain to look. See- ing a tall, lank, Kentucky-looking chap (Dr. R. Semple), dressed in a greasy deer-skin hunting shirt, with trousers to match, and which terminated just below the knees, his head surmounted by a coon-skin cap, tail in front, who, I supposed, was an officer as he was giving orders to the men, I approached and asked if the captain was in camp. He looked and pointed out a slender-made, well-propor- tioned man sitting in front of a tent. His dress a blue woolen shirt of somewhat novel style, open at the neck trimmed with white, and with a star on each point of the collar (a min-of-war's shirt), over this a deer-skin hunt- ing shirt, trimmed and fringed, which had evidently seen hard times or service, his head unincumbered by hat or cap, but had a light cotton handkerchief bound around it, and deer-skin moccassins completed the suit, which, if not fashionable for Broadway, or for a presentation dress at court, struck me as being an excellent rig to scud un- der or fight in. A few minutes' conversation convinced me that I stood in the presence of the King of the Rocky Mountains.

Fremont remained in the neighborhood of San Rafael until July 2, when he returned to Sonoma

On the 4th of July, our national holiday was celebrated with due pomp and ceremony, and on the 5th the California Battalion of mounted riflemen, 250 strong, was organized. Brevet Captain John C. Fremont, Second Lieutenant of Topographical Engineers, was chosen command- ante; First Lieutenant of Marines, Archibald H. Gillespie, Adjutant and Inspector, with the rank of captain. Both of these gentlemen named were officers of the United States Government, yet this organization was consummated under the fold of the Bear flag that yet kissed the breezes of the " Valley of the Moon." The next day, the 6th of July, Fremont at the head of his mounted riflemeu, started to make the circuit

of the head of the bay, to go south in pursuit of Castro. As there were now no California soldiers north of the bay it did not require a large garrison of the Bear party to hold Sonoma.

But the end was hastening. On the 7th of July Commodore John Drake Sloat, having re- ceived tidings that war existed between the United States and Mexico, demanded and re- ceived the surrender of Monterey. The news was immediately sent to San Francisco, where was anchored the American war vessel, Ports- mouth. At two o'clock on the morning of July 9th, Lientenant Warren Revere left that vessel in one of her boats, and reaching the Sonoma garrison at noon of that day lowered the bear flag and hoisted in its place the stars and stripes. And thus ended the Bear Flag revolution at Sonoma. Lieutenant Revere also sent American flags to be hoisted at Sutter's Fort and at the establishment of Captain Stephen Smith at Bodega.

Lieutenant Revere was sent to Sonoma by Montgomery of the Portsmouth, to command the garrison, consisting of Company B of the battalion, under Captain Grigsby. Lieutenant Grigsby tells us that "a few disaffected Cali- fornians were still prowling about the district, in pursuit of whoin on one occasion he made an expedition with sixteen men to the region of Point Reyes. He did not find the party sought, but he was able to join in a very enjoyable elk- hunt." In Angust the Vallejos, Prudon, Leese and Carrillo were released from durance vile, and restored to their families and friends. That very amicable relations existed between the vic- tors and vanquished is evidenced by the fact that in September, while Lientenant Revere was absent on an expedition, the Vallejos were commissioned to protect the Sonoma frontier with a force of Christian Indians. Some date previons to September 11th, Lieutenant John S. Missroon, of the Portsmouth, assumed com- mand of the Sonoma garrison.

On the 25th of September, a meeting of the "Old Bears " was held at Sonoma, at which J.

HISTORY OF NORTHERN CALIFORNIA.

B. Chiles presided and John H. Nash acted as secretary, and a committee of three was ap- pointed to investigate and gather all the infor- mation possible in relation to the action of the Bear Flag party, and report at a subsequent meeting. Semple, Grigsby and Nash were ap- pointed the committee. Manuel E. McIntosh was now alcalde of Sonoma. From the Bear Flag conquest of Sonoma, down to the dis- covery of gold in California in 1848, there is little to note in connection with Sonoma. Grigsby. Revere, Missroon and Brackett were successive military commandants, and the In- dians were easily held in subjection by Vallejo as sub-agent of Indian affairs. In 1848 Sonoma had a total population of about 260 souls. José de los Santos Berryessa under Mexican rule had been at the head of municipal affairs. There was then an interregnum of military rule, after which John H. Nash became alcalde, and was superseded in 1847 by Lilburn W. Boggs, who, aided by a council of six, administered the municipal government of Sonoma until 1848.

THE BEAR FLAG: HOW MADE, ETC.

R. A. Thompson published the following communication in the Sonoma County Demo- crat of September 9, 1885:

The Independents were very proud of their flag. The bear made an apt illustration of their situation. The grizzly attended strictly to his own business, and would go on munching his berries and acorns if you let him and his cubs alone. If you undertook to crowd him out, or to make him go any other way or any faster than he wanted to go he would show fight, and when once in a fight he fought his way out or died in his tracks.

The Independents were here, had come in good faith, and come to stay ; were quiet and peaceable if let alone. General Castro undertook to crowd them. His grandil- oquent proclamations were harmless, but vexatious. At last the crisis came. The Independents, weary of threats and rumors of war, were forced, for the sake of peace, to fight, and having " gone in," to use the identical words of one of them, they did not intend to " back out." The bear was typical of that idea.

The difference of opinion about the make-up of the bear flag arises from the fact that there was more than one made. The first was a very rude affair. It is de- scribed in Lieutenant Missrnon's report to Captain Mont- gomery. Lieutenant Missroon arrived in Souoma Tues- day, the 16th of June, about forty eight hours after the

capture. He reports to Captain Montgomery on the 17th that " the insurgent party had hoisted a flag with a white field, with a border or stripe of red on the lower part, and having a bear and star upon it." The words " California Republic " were not co it at this time, or of course so important a feature would have been noted by Lieuten- ant Missroon, who was on a special and exceedingly im- portant mission from his commander. That these words were afterwards added is undoubtedly true. It is a mat- ter of very little importance, but if any one wishes an exact description of the flag as first raised, he can satisfy himself by an examination of the above-mentioned report. The flag with the bear standing is an after production, as is also the silk guerdon which Lieutenant Revere pie- sented to the pioneers. The description of the flag given by Lieutenant Missroon accords with the account of sev- eral of the party whom the writer has personally inter- viewed. Of course, as there were several flags made; each differed from the other, in the material, bom whem the material was obtained, by whom the flag was made, and just how the figures were placed upon it. Hence the confused and many diverse accounts of it. All are right as to what they describe; but what they describe is not the flag first raised by the Independents. That was rather a rude affair. In fact, the representation of the bear uj on it resembled the species porcus as much as it did the Ursus ferox or horribilis.

There were thirty-three men in the Bear Flag party, more than half of whom came from the Sacramento Val- ley. Among the latter was the brave and gallant black- smith, Samuel Neal, and Ezekiel Merritt, the captain of the company.

Following is the first list ever published of the names of all the party. A number came into Sonoma the day after the capture, and they continued to come in for some time. It is very difficult to separate these from the actual members of the party who rode into Sonoma on the morning of June 14th. The accompanying list has been a number of years making, and has been revised many times and corrected from written records and by personal interviews. There are, doubtless, still some errors, which may be corrected upon a satisfactory showing:

SACRAMENTO VALLEY .- Ezekiel Merritt, R. Semple, William Fallon, W. B. Ide, H. L. Ford, G. P. Swift, Sam- uel Neal, William Potter, Sergeant Gibson, W. M. Scott, James Gibbs, H. Sanders, P. Storm.

NAPA .- Samuel Kelsey, Benjamin Kelsey, John Grigs- by, David Hudson, Will Hargrave, Harrison Peirce, William Porterfield, Patrick McChristian, Elias Barrett, C. Griffith, William L. Todd, Nathan Coombs, Lucien Maxwell.

SONOMA .- Franklin Bidwell, Thomas Cowie, - Fow- ler, W. B. Elliott, Benjamin Dewell, John Sears, "Old Red."

GENERAL MARIANO GUADALUPE VALLEJO.

A history of Northern California with Gen- eral M. G. Vallejo ignored would be like the play of Ilamlet with Hamlet left out. We vis-

HISTORY OF NORTHERN CALIFORNIA.

ited him in 1888, and were saddened by the evidences apparent on every hand of decayed gentility. That he was the friend of the Amer- icans is not a question of doubt; that the Americans profited by his prodigality and are now indifferent to his needs is lamentably true. But his name will reach farther down the an- nals of history than it is in the power of gold to purchase name and fame.

Mariano.G. Vallejo was born in Monterey, July 7, 1808. His father, Ignacio Vicente Ferrer Vallejo, was a native of Spain, who came in his youth to the State of Guadalajara, Mex- ico. In 1774, when a young man, being of an adventurous nature, he secretly joined an ex- pedition under Captain Rivera for the explora- tion of Upper California. He was probably with Captain Rivera's party on the 4th of December, when the large wooden cross was erected on the peninsula of San Francisco, which his son, General Vallejo, says he saw standing in 1829. At all events, he was an eye-witness of the founding of the mission of San Francisco, which event occurred October 4, 1776.

On his arrival in Monterey, Señor Ignacio Vallejo saw for the first time his future wife. It was the day of her birth. He then asked permission of the parents of the infant to wed their daughter when she should become of age. Subsequently, this proposition, made half in jest, was renewed, the señorita then being a blooming young girl, and Señor Vallejo a bachelor of forty. The marriage proved a happy one, and Mariano G. Vallejo was the eighth of thirteen children, the fruit of the union.

Young Vallejo availed himself of every op purtunity to improve his mind by reading and study during his minority. He got possession of a library when quite young, which was of great service. From this source he probably acquired a fund of information, which made him the peer of the learned and distinguished persons from all parts of the world, with whom he was destined in after life to be asso -. ciated.

At the age of sixteen years he was a cadet in the army, and private secretary of Governor Argüello.

In 1829 he was placed in charge of the Pre- sidio of San Francisco, which position he held until 1834, organizing in the interval the first city or town government of San Francisco.

Governor Figueroa, the most popular of all the Mexican Governors, had control of affairs in 1834. Having learned that a large number of colonists, some four hundred odd, were on their way to California from Mexico, he deter- mined to locate them in Sonoma, partly with the view of shutting ont the Russians, and partly because it was one of the most inviting spots to colonize over which he had ever cast his experienced eyes. He selected Lieutenant Val- lejo as the most suitable of his officers to com- mand the frontier and execute his plans. Together they visited the country, taking in their tour of observation the stronghold of the Russian squatters at Ross. Returning to the Santa Rosa Valley the Governor selected a site on Mark West Creek for the future colony, giving it the name of "Santa Ana y Ferias," uniting these names probably because he could not tell which of the rival political chiefs would be on top when he next heard from Mexico. He left a camp of soldiers there who were under the command of General Vallejo. The colonists were under the direction of Señor Hijas, who was a quarrelsome, ambitious and avaricious man. Governor Figueroa had received orders to turn over the control of affairs to Hijas. On his return from Sonoma he met a courier with orders, countermanding the former instruction, and continuing the direction of affairs solely in his own hands.

The colonists arrived in March, 1835, and were temporarily quartered in Sonoma. Hijas and his coadjutors among tbe colonists were much disaffected, and threatened rebellion. Figueroa ordered their arrest. This order was executed by General Vallejo with much skil. and judgment, without bloodshed or any per- sonal collision. Hijas and his cosmopolitan

HISTORY OF NORTHERN CALIFORNIA.

company were taken to San Francisco, and were soon after sent back to Mexico.

General Vallejo remained in charge of the frontier. He removed his headquarters from Santa Ana y Ferias, on Mark West, to Sonoma, when, by order of Figueroa, he, in the month of June, 1835, established the town of Sonoma.

General Figueroa died soon after these events. His successor. Governor Carrillo, was deposed by Alvarado. The new governor appointed General Vallejo to the position of Command- ante-General of the frontier.

In this position General Vallejo did all in his power to promote the settlement of the frontier. Expeditions were sent out against the Indians, agricultural industries were extended, and the raising of cattle, sheep and horses was in every way enconraged.

Between 1840 and 1845 a large number of immigrants came to northern California. They were well received by the General, though the home government was continually " nagging" him because he did not send the foreigners out of the country, at the same time giving him neither men nor means to carry ont their order.

In the early part of the year 1846, affairs in California were rapidly approaching a crisis. In April, a junta was called to meet at Monterey to consider the condition of affairs. Revere gives a summary of some of the speeches made. That of General Vallejo was as follows:

I cannot, gentlemen, coincide with the military and civil functionaries who have advocated the cession of our country to France or England. It is most true that to rely any longer on Mexico to govern and defend us would be idle and absurd. To this extent I fully agree with my colleagues. It is also true that we possess a noble country, every way calculated, from position and re- sources, to become great and powerful. For that very reason I would not have her a mere dependency upon a foreign monarchy, naturally alien, or at least indifferent to our interests and to our welfare. It is not to be denied that feeble nations have in former times thrown them- selves upon the protection of their powerful neighbors. The Britons invoked the aid of the warlike Saxons, and fell an easy prey to their protectors, who seized their lands and treated them like slaves. Long before that time, feeble and distracted provinces had appealed for aid to the all-conquering arms of imperial Rome, and

they were at the same time protected and subjugated their grasping ally. Even could we tolerate the by idea of dependence, ought we 10 go to distant Europe for a master? What possible sympathy could exist be- tween us and a nation separated from us by two vast oceans? But waiving this insuperable objection, how could we endure to come under the dominion of a mon- archy ? For, although others speak lightly of a form of government, as a freeman, I cannot do so. We are repub- licans-badly governed and badly situated as we are- still we are all, in sentiment, republicans. So far as we are governed at all, we at least profess to be self-gov- erned. Who, then, that possesses true patriotism will consent to subject himself and his children to the caprices of a foreign king and his official minions? But it is asked, if we do uot throw ourselves upon the protection of France and England, what shall we do? I do not come here to support the existing order of things, but I come prepared to propose instant and effective action to extri- cate our country from her present forlorn condition. My opinion is made up that we must persevere in throwing off the galling yoke of Mexico, and proclaim our inde- pendence of her forever. We have endured her official cormorants and her villainous soldiery until we can en- dure no longer. All will probably agree with me that we ought at once to rid ourselves of what may remain of Mexican domination. But some profess to doubt our ability to maintain our position. To my mind there comes no doubt. Look at Texas, and see how long she withstood the power of united Mexico. The resources of Texas were not to be compared with ours, and she was much nearer to her enemy than we are. Our position is so remote, either by land or sea, that we are in no danger from Mexican invasion. Why, then, should we hesitate still to assert our independence ? We have indeed taken the first step by electing our own Governor, but another remains to be taken. [ will mention it plainly and dis- tinctly-it is annexation to the United States. In con- templating this consummation of our destiny, I feel noth- ing but pleasure, and I ask you to share it. Discard old prejudices, disregard old customs, and prepare for the glorious change which awaits our country. Why should we shrink from incorporating ourselves with the happiest and freest nation in the world, destined soon to be the most wealthy and powerful? Why should we go abroad for protection when this great nation is our adjoining neighbor ? When we join our fortunes to hers, we shall not become subjects, but fellow-citizens, possessing all the rights of the people of the United States, and choosing our own federal and local rulers. We shall have a stable government and just laws. California will grow strong and flourish, and her people will be prosperous, happy and free. Look not, therefore, with jealousy upon the hardy pioneers who scale our mountains and cultivate our unoccupied plains; but rather welcome them as brothers, who come to share with us a common destiny.

Lieutenant Revere was in Monterey when the junta met; its proceedings were secret, but

HISTORY OF NORTHERN CALIFORNIA.

he says it was notorions that two parties existed in the country, and that General Vallejo was the leader of the American party, while Castro was at the head of the European party. He says he had his report of the meeting from documentary evidence, as well as sketches of the principal speeches. He also says that so soon as General Vallejo retired from the junta he addressed a letter to Governor Pio Pico em- bodying the views he had expressed in his speech and refusing ever again to assist in any project having for its end the establishment of a protectorate over California by any other power than the United States.

At last the long-threatened storm broke upon the town of Sonoma, and its commandante and little garrison were captured by the Americans. General Vallejo was kept as a prisoner for about two months, and released by order of Commodore Stockton.

General Vallejo, speaking of the condition of affairs in Northern California previous to the taking of Sonoma, said:

Years before I had urgently represented to the Govern- ment of Mexico the necessity of stationing a sufficient force on the frontier, else Sonoma would be lost; which would be equivalent to leaving the rest of the country an easy prey to the invader. What think yon, my friends, were the instructions sent me in reply to my repeated de- mands for means to fortify the country ? These instruc- tions were that I should at once force the immigrants to recross the Sierra Nevada and depart from the territory of the Republic. To say nothing of the inhumanity of these orders, their execution was physically impossible; first, because I had no military force; and second, be- cause the immigrants came in the autumn, when snow covered the Sierra so quickly as to render return imprac- ticable. Under the circumstances not only I, but Com- mandante-General Castro, resolved to provide the immi- grants with letters of security, that they might remain temporarily in the country. We always made a show of authority, hut were well convinced all the time that we had no power to resist the invasion which was coming in upon us. With the frankness of a soldier I can assure you that the American immigrants never had cause to complain of the treatment they received at the hands of either authorities or citizens.

General Vallejo, on his release, at once made his great influence as a friend of the United States felt throughout the country. He took active interest in public affairs, always on the

side of order and good government. He was elected a member of the Constitutional Con- vention which met in Monterey, and was a Sen- ator from the Sonoma District in the first Legislature of California. And from that period down to the present he has been an enterprising, useful and honored citizen of So- noma. In priority of settlement, he is the first of the 35,000 inhabitants now living in Sonoma county.

On the 6th of March, 1832, he married Sen- orita Benicia Francesca Carillo, who still sur- vives with her distinguished husband.

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A memorial and biographical history of northern California, illustrated. Containing a history of this important section of the Pacific coast from the earliest period of its occupancy...and biographical mention of many of its most eminent pioneers and also of prominent citizens of today, Part 8

Author: Lewis Publishing Company. cn Publication date: 1891 Publisher: Chicago : The Lewis publishing company Number of Pages: 1000

Author: Lewis Publishing Company. cn
Publication date: 1891
Publisher: Chicago : The Lewis publishing company
Number of Pages: 1000