USA > California > Sonoma County > An illustrated history of Sonoma County, California. Containing a history of the county of Sonoma from the earliest period of its occupancy to the present time > Part 10
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"They then made a prisoner of the Alcalde, and told him that if any person in the place or neighborhood attempted to notify other places of this act, or raise a force to oppose them, they would at once shoot the officers they then held prisoners. The Alcalde was then set at liberty, but told that if he did not prevent any opposi- tion to them he would also be shot.
" General Vallejo desires to inform Captain Montgomery of these facts, and to ask him to nse his anthority or exert his influence to pre- vent the commission of acts of violence by this party, inasmuch as they seemed to be withont any effectual head or authority. To this end he hoped for an officer to be sent to the place, or a letter that would have the effect of saving the helpless inhabitants from violence and anarchy.
" Señor Don José de la Rosa was directed by General Vallejo (at 11 .1. M. yesterday) to come with this message, but could not leave until 3 P. M. A few moments past 11 the party left a garrison of twenty-five men at Sonoma pro- tected by seven pieces of cannon. The others, with the prisoners, left for the Sacramento."
Reply of Commander Montgomery to the mes- sage of General Vallejo.
" SIR :- Yon will say to General Vallejo, on my part, that I at once and entirely disavow this movement as having proceeded under any authority of the United States, or myself as the agent of my Government in this country,
or on this coast. It is a movement entirely local, and with which I have nothing to do; nor can I in any way be indneed to take part in the controversy which belongs entirely to the inter- nal politics of California.
" If they are Americans, as they avow them- selves, they are beyond the jurisdiction of the laws and officers of the United States, and must now take all the responsibilities of the position in which they have placed themselves, being answerable to the laws of Mexico and Califor- nia.
" I have now for the first time heard of this movement, and in making the most positive disavowal, for myself and for my Government, having in any wise instigated or aided this. I also disavow the same on the part of Captain Fremont, United States topographical engineer, now in the country for scientific purposes.
" If my individual efforts can be at any time exercised to allay violence or prevent injury to innocent persons, it shall be exerted; but as an officer of the Government of the United States I eannot have anything to do with either party. They must take the responsibilities of their own acts. From what has already transpired I think it clear that no violence will be committed on any one who is not found with arms in their hands. You will assure General Don Gnada- lupe Vallejo of my sympathy in his difficulties; but I cannot positively interfere in the local politics of California."
Señor de la Rosa then thanked Captain Mont- gomery for his sentiments and sympathy ; stated that all was distinetly understood and translated, and that he would place his statement in the hands of Don Guadalupe Vallejo at the earliest moment.
" I hereby certifythat the preceding statement is a fair translation of the message and reply read to Captain Montgomery and Señor de la Rosa.
". (Signed) W. A. BARTLETT. " Lieutenant United States Navy.
" United States ship Portsmouth, Saucelito, June 15, 1846."
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HISTORY OF SONOMA COUNTY.
[COPY OF ORDER TO LIEUTENANT MISSROON.] " UNITED STATES SHIP PORTSMOUTH, " SAN FRANCISCO, June 15, 1846.
" SIR: By an especial messenger sent to me by Don Guadalupe Vallejo, I am notified of the forcible oceupation of the town of Sonoma by a party of insurgents (foreign residents) of the country, among whom are said to be some per- sons from the United States, and that General Don Guadalupe Vallejo, with several other Mexican officers, have been sent prisoners to the Sacramento and threatened to be detained as hostages for the quiet submission of the sur- rounding country, leaving their families and other inoffensive persons in and about Sonoma in a painful state of agitation through appre- hensions of violence and cruel treatment from the insurgent party in charge of the town. In consequence of this state of things, General Vallejo has appealed to me, requesting the in- terposition of any authority or influence I may possess over the insurgents to prevent the perpe- tration of acts of violence on their part upon the defenseless people.
"I have, in my reply to General Vallejo (by the messenger), stated my previous ignorance of the popular movement in question; distinctly and emphatically disavowed all agency of the United States Government or myself as her representative in producing it, and disclaimed all right or authority to interfere between the opposing parties or in any way to identify my movements with theirs. But, in compliance with the urgent calls of humanity, I deem it my duty to use my friendly endeavors with the dominant party to secure (by the power of God) for the defenseless people of Sonoma that security of life, property and privilege to which all are entitled.
" In pursuance of these views, sir, you are di- rected to proceed in one of the ship's boats to Sonoma, and, on your arrival there, you will wait on the officer or person commanding the party having possession of the town; and as it is possible he is not fully aware of the extent
and nature of the feelings produced in the minds of the population by this recent move- ment you will inform him of the state of appre- hension and terror into which it seems to have thrown them. and disclaiming all right or pur- pose on my part of interference between them and their actual opposers; and withont touching upon the merits of their cause further than may . not be avoided in course of conversation, be pleased (in such terms as your own sense. of propriety will dictate) respectfully to request from me, that he will extend his protecting care over the defenseless families of their prisoners and other inoffensive persons of Sonoma, and exert his influence with others in order to secure to them the uninterrupted enjoyment of their domestic and social privileges.
" You will afterward wait on the Alcalde. or presiding eivil officer of Sonoma, and inform him of what has been done (at the instance of Don Guadalupe Vallejo), communicating any satisfactory assurances which you may have re- ceived from the insurgent chief calculated to allay the general apprehension; after which, when sufficiently recruited, you will return to this ship and render to me a written report. " Respectfully, L'am, sir, your obedient servant " (Signed), JOHN B. MONTGOMERY, " Commander. " To Lieutenant John S. Missroon, Executive Officer United States ship Portsmouth."
APPENDAGE TO MR. MISSROON'S ORDER.
" DEAR SIR :- As an appendage to the orders handed you last evening, I wish you to endeavor in as forcible a manner as possible, to represent to the person or persons of the insurgent party with whom you may confer at Sonoma and to impress their minds with a sense of the advan- tages which will accrue to their cause (whatever its intrinsic merits may be) from pursuing a course of kind and benevolent treatment of prisoners, as well as toward the defenseless in- habitants of the country generally, with whom they may have to do, and endeavor, as far as propriety will permit, to obtain a promise of
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HISTORY OF SONOMA COUNTY.
kind and humane treatment toward General Vallejo and his companions in their possession as prisoners.
" I am, sir, respectfully, your obedient servant
" (Signed) JOHN B. MONTGOMERY, " Commander.
" To Lieutenant John S. Missroon, United States ship Portsmouth. "
Report of Lieutenant Missroon on his return from Sonoma, with accompanying docu- ment " B."
" UNITED STATES SHIT PORTSMOUTH, " SAN FRANCISCO, June 17, 1846.
SIR :- In pursuance of your order of the 16th instant, to proeeed to Sonoma and endeavor by all proper means in my power to secure to the females and unoffending portion of the popula- tion of that district some degree of security for their persons and property during the occupancy of the place by certain insurgents, chiefly foreigners, I have the honor to report, in obedi- ence to that order, that I left the ship on the day of receiving your instructions, and reached the town about sunset, where I found about twenty-five men under arms, and having six or seven pieces of artillery with several hundred stand of arms. The whole party is only thirty- five.
" I waited upon the commanding officer, Win. B. Ide, and received from him both verbal and written assurances of his intention to maintain order and to respect both the persons and prop- erty of all persons residing within the limits of his command. He also handed me a copy of a proclamation which he had issued on the day after his ocenpation of the town, and which 1 herewith present to you, marked " A," in which you will observe that these promises of protec- tion are set forth in explicit terms, and which 1 would remark to you, seemed to me to have fully assured the inhabitants of their safety, although Sonoma is evidently under martial law.
" By this proclamation you will also observe that California is declared to be an independent republic. The insurgent party has hoisted a
flay with a white field, with a border or stripe of red on its lower part, and having a star and bear upon it.
" I informed the commanding officer of the state of terror into which his movement upon Sonoma had thrown the inhabitants in and about the Yerba Buena, as directed by my instructions.
" I then waited upon the Alcalde of the place, informed him through my interpreter that my visit was entirely of a peaceful character, and that it had been induced by the message which my commander had received from the late Mexican commander, General Vallejo, now a prisoner in the hands of the insurgents, asking his (my commander's) interference for the pro- tection of females and unoffending inhabitants: that assurances of respeet and protection were freely given me by the commanding officer of the party under arms, and that I explieity made it known to him, for the information of the sur- rounding country, that my commander dis- elaimed any and all interference in the matter other than what was dictated by motives of humanity.
" After these interviews I then called upon the family of General Vallejo and moderated their distress, by the assurance of safety for the Gen- eral, which ] had received, and informing them that the prisoners were held as hostages.
" Having completed the object for which { went to Sonoma, I left the place yesterday with the thanks of both parties, about meridian, and reached the ship about sunset. Before taking my departure I deemed it best to reassure the Alealde, in order to prevent any necessity for future explanation, which is so apt to grow out of a business transacted with Mexicans, especi- ally through an interpreter. I therefore ad- dressed the letter marked " B," appending to it the written pledge, or a copy of the pledge, which I had obtained from the commander of the foreigners in possession of the place, and which { herewith hand you a copy of.
"It only remains, sir, for me to add that, so far as I could judge and observe, the utmost
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HISTORY OF SONOMA COUNTY.
harmony and good order prevail in the eamp, and that I have every reason to believe that the pledges of kind treatment toward all who may fall into their hands will be faithfully observed.
" Respectfully, sir, your obedient servant,
" (Signed). J. S. MISSROON,
. First Lieutenant United States ship Ports- mouth.
" To Commander Jno. B. Montgomery, com- manding United States ship Portsmouth, Bay of San Francisco."
Document " B," accompanying the foregoing report.
" SONOMA, June 17, 1846. -
"SIR :- As you were informed yesterday, through my interpreter, my visit to this place is of a strictly mediatorial character, and was induced by the application of General Vallejo through his messenger, Señor Rosa, to Captain Montgomery, requesting of him to adopt measures for the protection of the females and peaceable inhabitants of Sonoma.
" I have the pleasure to assure you of the intention of the foreigners now in arms and occupying Sonoma, to respect the persons of all individuals and their property, who do not take up arms against them, and I leave with you a copy of the pledge which the commander of the party has voluntarily given to me, with a view to the pacification of all alarm.
" Respectfully, your obedient servant. " (Signed), J. S. MISSROON, " Lieutenant United States Navy."
"'TO THE ALCALDE OF SONOMA.
" I pledge myself that I will use my utmost exertion to restrain and prevent the men in arms under my command, all of whom present acknowledge my authority and approve the measure of forbearance and humanity, from per- petrating any violence, or in any manner molest- ing the peaceable inhabitants, in person or prop- erty, of California, while we continue in arms for the liberty of California.
" (Signed),
W.M. B. IDE, " Commander.
" Witness to the above signature,
" (Signed), J. S. MISSROON,
" Lientenant United States Navy, and Exeeu- tive Officer of the United States ship P'orts- mouth.
" SONOMA, June 17, 1846."
The revolutionists were now master of the sitnation, having control of nine cannons and about two hundred muskets. While William B. Ide, then the leader of the Bear Flag party, may have been a man of some eccentricity of character, he seems to have been a man of con- siderable culture, and there is little room for donbt that he shaped and controlled, to a large degree, the eondnet of those under him. It was no sineeure position, this of Commander Ide. It is true, the prisoners sent to Sacramento were taken charge of by General Fremont, under the saving clause that he had nothing to do with their arrest- and it is also true that Commander Montgomery of the Portsmouth in an unofficial way, and in obedience to the dictates of human- ity, sent Lieutenant Missroon to Sonoma, to counsel moderation and kindness on the part of the revolutionists toward the vanquished; but in neither case was there ought said or done that could be construed into leaving the door ajar for a safe retreat of the Bear Flag party ont of their difficulty should their rebellion prove abortive. To stand their ground and successfully maintain their position under such adverse eireumstances required not only nerve but real heroism.
That they knew that they were acting outside of the pale of any responsible authority is ap- parent from the fact that one of the very first matters to claim their consideration was the adoption of a flag. There is little question that the bear flag was made on the day of the taking of Sonoma, although it is quite possible it was not completed so as to be hoisted until the morning of the 15th of June. As there has been much controversy as to how and by whom that flag was made, we give place to the follow- ing which we believe to be authentic:
Wm. L. Todd in a letter to the editor of the
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HISTORY OF SONOMA COUNTY.
Los Angeles Express, under date of January 11, 1878, gives the following version of the construction of the bear flag:
"Your letter of the 9th inst. came duly to hand, and in answer I have to say in regard to the making of the original bear flag of Califor- nia at Sonoma, in 1846, that when the Ameri- cans, who had taken up arms against the Span- ish regime, had determined what kind of a flag should be adopted, the following persons per- formed the work: Granville P. Swift, Peter Storm, Henry L. Ford and myself; we procured in the house where we made our headquarters, a piece of new unbleached cotton domestic, not quite a yard wide, with stripes of red flannel about four inches wide, furnished by Mrs. John Sears, on the lower side of the canvas. On the upper left hand corner was a star, and in the center was the image made to represent a grizzly bear passant, so common in thiscountry at the time. The bear and star were painted with paint made of linseed oil and Venetian red or Spanish brown. Underneath the bear were the words ' California Republic.' The other person engaged with me got the ma- terials together, while I acted as artist. The forms the bear and star and the letters were first lined of out with pen and ink by myself, and the two forms were filled in with the red paint, but the letters with ink. The flag mentioned by Mr. Hittell with the bear rampant, was made, as I always understood, at Santa Barbara, and was painted black. Allow me to say, that at that time there was not a wheelwright shop in Cali- fornia. The flag I painted I saw in the rooms of the California Pioneers in San Francisco, in 1870, and the secretary will show it to any per- son who will call on him at any time. If it is the one that I painted, it will be known by a mistake in tinting out the words .California Republic.' The letters were first lined out with a pen, and I left out the letter . I,' and lined out the letter ' C' in its place. But afterward I lined out the letter . I'over the ' ("' so that the last syl- lable of ' Republic ' looks as if the two last let- ters were blended.
Yours Respectfully, " Wy. L. TonD. "
On the occasion of the Centennial exercises, held at Santa Rosa on the 4th of July, 1876, General M. G. Vallejo made the following statement in reference to the capture of Sono- ma in 1846 by the Americans :
" I have now to say something of the epoch which inaugurated a new era for this county. A little before dawn on June 14, 1846, a party of hunters and trappers, with some foreign set- tlers, under command of Captain Merritt, Doetor Semple and William B. Ide, surrounded my residence at Sonoma, and without firing a shot, made a prisoner of myself, then com- mander of the northern frontier; of Lientenant- Colonel Victor Prudon, Captain Salvador Val- lejo, and Jacob P. Leese. I should here state that down to October, 1845, I had maintained at my own expense a respectable garrison at Sonoma, which often, in union with the settlers, did good service in campaign against the In- dians; but at last, tired of spending money which the Mexican Government never refunded, I disbanded the force, and most of the soldiers who had constituted it left Sonoma. Thus in June, 1846, the Plaza was entirely unprotected, although there were ten war pieces of artillery, with other arms and munitions of war. The parties who unfurled the bear flag were well aware that Sonoma was without defense, and lost no time in taking advantage of this fact, and carrying out their plans. Years before I had urgently represented to the government 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 you, my friends, were the instruc- tions sent me in reply to my repeated demands for means to fortify the country ? These in- structions were that I should at once force the immigrants to reeross the Sierra Nevada, and depart from the territory of the Republic. To say nothing of the inhumanity of these orders, their execution was physically impossi- ble-first, because the immigrants came in autumn when snow covered the Sierra so quickly
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HISTORY OF SONOMA COUNTY.
as to make a return impracticable. Under the circumstances, not only 1, but Commandante (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, but well convinced all the time that we had had no power to resist the invasion, which was coming upon us. With the frankness of a soldier I can assure you that the American immigrants never had eause to complain of the treatment they received at the hands of either authorities or citizens. They carried us as prisoners to Sacra- mento, and kept us in a calaboose for sixty days or more, until the United States made itself respected. and the honorable and hu- mane Commodore Stockton returned us to our hearthıs."
"On the seizure of their prisoners the revo- lutionists at ouce took steps to appoint a captain who was found in the person of John Grigsby, for Ezekiel Merritt wished not to retain the permanent command; a meeting was then called at the barracks, situated at the northeast corner of the Plaza, under the presidency of William B. Ide, Dr. Robert Semple being secretary. At this conference Semple urged the independence 1 of the country, stating that having onee com- menced they must proceed, for to turn back was certain death. Before the dissolution of the convention, however, rumors were rife that secret emissaries were being dispatched to the Mexican rancheros, to inform them of the recent occurrences, therefore to prevent any attempt at a reseue it was deemed best to trans- fer their prisoners to Sutter's Fort, where the danger of such would be less."
In order that the conquest of California should be accomplished in a decent and orderly way and the record thereof be properly handed down to future generations, Captain William B. Ide formulated the following declaration of purposes which was duly published to the world on the 18th of June:
" A proclamation to all persons and citizens of the district of Sonoma requesting them to
remain at peace and follow their rightful occupations without fear of molestation.
"The commander-in-chief of the troops as- sembled at the fortress of Sonoma gives his inviolable pledge to all persons in California. not found under arms, that they shall not be disturbed in their persons, their property, or social relation, one with another, by men under his eommand.
" He also solemnly deelares his object to be: First, to defend himself and companions in arms, who were invited to this country by a promise of lands on which to settle themselves and families: who were also promised a Republican Government; when, having arrived in Califor- nia, they were denied the privilege of buying or renting lands of their friends, who instead of being allowed to participate in or being pro- tected by a Republican government, were op- pressed by a military despotism; who were even threatened by proclamation by the chief officers of the aforesaid despotism with extermination if they should not depart out of the country, leav- ing all their property, arms and beasts of burden; and thus deprived of their means of flight or defense, were to be driven through deserts inhabited by hostile Indians, to certain destrue- tion.
"To overthrow a government which has seized upon the prosperity of the mission for its individual aggrandizement; which has ruined and shamefully oppressed the laboring people of California by enormous exactions on goods imported into the country, is the determined purpose of the brave men who are associated under my command.
" I also solemnly declare my object, in the second place, to be to invite all peaceable and good citizens of California who are friendly to the maintenance of good order and equal rights, and I do hereby invite them to repair to my camp at Sonoma without delay to assist us in estab- lishing and perpetuating a Republican govern- ment, which shall seeure to all civil and religious liberty; which shall encourage virtue and literature; which shall leave unshackled by
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HISTORY OF SONOMA COUNTY.
fetters agriculture, commerce and mannfact- ures.
" I further declare that I rely upon the reeti- tude of our intentions, the favor of heaven and the bravery of those who are bound and assu- ciated with me by principles of self- preservation, by the love of the truth and the hatred of tyranny, for my hopes of success.
" I furthermore declare that I believe that a government to be prosperous and happy must originate with the people who are friendly to its existence, that the citizens are its guardians, the officers its servants, its glory its reward.
" WILLIAM B. IDE."
Thus far the revolution had been a bloodless one, but it was not destined to continue so to the end. There were two occurrences of thrill- ing character that came in quick succession-" the killing of Cowie and Fowler and the battle of Olompali. As Robert A. Thompson, who has gathered muehl of the early history of Sonoma County, got his information about the battle referred to from one of the participants therciu we here incorporate his graphic account of those two events.
About this time one of the most distressing events of the revolution occurred. It was dis- covered that the garrison had an insufficient sup- ply of powder. It was known that Moses Carson, at the Fiteh ranchi, on Russian River, had some on hand. Two men named T. Cowie and - Fowler, who had joined the party in Napa, volunteered to go and get the powder. They imprudently took the main traveled road, or returned to it near Santa Rosa, and were captured by a scouting party, or, rather, a rov- ing band of eut-throats and thieves under the lead of Juan Padillo. The two men were kept in the Carillio house all night. The next morning they were taken up the little valley, near the present county farm, were first inhu- manly treated, and then shot. Not satisfied with this, their bodies were mutilated in a hor- rid manner and were then thrown into a ditch. An Indian named Chanate, who knew the men, told Mose Carson of their fate and condition, 5
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