History of California, Volume II, Part 25

Author: Bancroft, Hubert Howe
Publication date: 1885
Publisher: San Francisco, Calif. : The History Company, publishers
Number of Pages: 826

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33 Dec. 9th, Sola to Guerra, reprimanding him in very severe terms, and expressing the fear that Bouchard had not done with California yet. Prov. St. Pap., Ben. Mil., MS., xlix. 19-21. Also same to Padre Rodriguez on the same subject. Id., 21. Dec. 11th, Sola to Guerra, after receipt of the latter's communication of Dec. 9th. Complaints of not being informed whether Bouchard departed or not on receipt of his prisoners, and urging precautions. Id., xlix. 22-4. Sola, in his Noticia, 285, 'Dieron fondo en la rada del pre- sidio de Sta Bárbara con bandera parlementaria y ajustaron con aquel coman- dante Capt. D. José de la Guerra cange de prisioneros, no teniendo ellos ninguno; pero llamaban así á un paisano que en Monterey quedó ébrio el dia de la salida, de donde se lo llevaron á bordo, y á cste vociferaban prisionero.'

240

BOUCHARD AND THE INSURGENTS.

board the ship too drunk to know his own mind.34 It is not quite certain whether Bouchard sailed at once on the 9th or three days later. It is not unlikely that he went to some of the Channel islands for wood and water, and finally disappeared from sight on the 12th. At any rate he was off San Pedro on the 13th. 35 Meanwhile the troops from Santa Bárbara were hurried south to protect San Diego and the missions of that jurisdiction.

At San Buenaventura the alarm was great, though no enemy came there. Padre Señan with his neo- phytes and the guard abandoned the mission, taking with them the sacred vessels and all other movable property, and went several leagues away to the caña- da de Purísima Nueva, where a temporary church was erected, and where they remained twenty-four days. In his entry in the mission-books Señan classifies the insurgents as heretics, schismatics, ex- communicated persons, heathen, and a few Moors !36 Bouchard did not, however, keep quite faithfully his promise to quit the coast without further hostilities, for on December 14th to 15th he was at San Juan Capis- trano. At the first news of his approach Commandant Ruiz of San Diego sent Alférez Santiago Arguello with thirty men on the 13th to protect the mission. The padres had not been so energetic at San Juan as elsewhere in removing property; but Argüello's men hastily completed the work as far as possible, and families were sent to the Trabuco rancho. When Bouchard landed, probably on the 14th, he sent a,let- ter to the person in charge, asking for certain supplies.

34 Molina's sentence, and the testimony of some insurgent deserters in his case, in Prov. St. Pap., Ben. Mil., MS., xlix. 22-4, 45-6, 66-72.

35 See note 30 of this chapter. The arrival at San Pedro is mentioned by Sola in a letter of Dec. 16th. Prov. St. Pap., Ben. Mil., MS., xlix. 24.

36 A child was presented for baptism after the sacred vessels. holy oils, etc., had been removed on Nov. 29th. There was much suffering from cold at La Purísima, and several burials were recorded. The return to the old mission church was Dec. 21st. S. Buenaventura, Lib. Mision, MS., 17-21, 61-2. José Ramon Antonio Valdés, Memorias, MS., 3, 4, relates the same occurrences. It was his brother who was thus baptized informally.

241

AT SAN JUAN CAPISTRANO.

Argüello, posted with his force on a hill near the mission, refused the request, very likely in no gentle terms. I do not deem it certain that the insurgents did any damage at San Juan. Sola says that they burned a few straw houses of the neophytes before going on board. Most of my later witnesses state that some wine and brandy were spilled, and it is not unlikely that such irregularities were committed by some of Bouchard's men even without his consent.37

Next day reinforcements arrived from Santa Bár- bara and Los Angeles, soon followed by Guerra him- self, who, as Sola tells us, challenged the foe to land and fight, but without success. After the vessels had sailed, on the 15th or 16th, four deserters presented themselves and asked for pardon on the ground that they had been forced against their will to enlist in the insurgent service. There was no reason to doubt their honest intentions, and they were merely sent into the interior and kept under guard for a time as a precaution. Strangely enough, so far as the records show, these men were never examined with a view to get information about Bouchard's expedition, though their testimony was taken respecting the actions of Molina. The four men were the negro Mateo José Pascual, who had before been captured and exchanged; John Rose, a Scotch drummer, aged twenty-seven; Pedro Zaldíbar, of Buenos Aires; and Nicolás Cha- varría of Bogotá, both young men.38

37 Amador, Memorias, MS., 56, says they carried away some goods from the warehouse. Did some damage. Gonzalez, Experiencias, MS., 10, 11. The mission was sacked and burned. Vallejo, Ilist. Cal., MS., i. 237-8. Did much damage, spilling wine and oil that could not be carried away. Ord, Ocurrencias, MS., 6, 7. The chief building was fired, but the church (destroyed years be- fore) was respected at the request of some of the enemy. Osio, Hist. C'al., MS., 46. Spilled the wine and did other damage. Romero, Notas, MS., 12. Ravaging and burning. Lugo, Vida, MS., 5, 6. Avila, Notas, MS., 5-8, says his father tried to persuade Argüello to attack the pirates while they were reeling under the influence of the stolen liquor; but he would neither attack nor permit others to do so.

38 Sola, Noticia, 286. Names of the prisoners with their testimony. Prov. St. Pap., MS., xx. 62; Id., Ben. Mil., xlix. 66-72. Oct. 28, 1819, viceroy orders proceedings to be instituted against the men. Prov. St. Pap., MS., xx. 62. Sola's communications to commandants Guerra and Ruiz on Dec. 18, 19, HIST. CAL., VOL. II. 16

242

BOUCHARD AND THE INSURGENTS.

In the last days of the soldiers' stay at San Juan there arose a new strife, much more bitter, but quite as bloodless as that with the pirates. It was between the padres of the mission and Don Santiago Argüello. The former charged the alférez with having neglected the mission property, during the brief military occu- pation, to such an extent that, besides other articles injured or lost, considerable wine and brandy had been wasted, two Indians drank themselves to death, while another became insane. He was likewise charged with having needlessly driven away the friars when they came back on December 16th, forcing them to wander about in great suffering for two days more, and with having returned to San Diego without leaving any soldiers for the protection of San Juan. Argüello, on the other hand, denied that any material damage had been done, or that any Indians had been killed; charging at the same time that the friars had been remiss in removing and caring for mission property, and that they had with insulting words refused the horses, food, and other aid needed by the military force under his command. The correspondence on this subject though quite extensive is not important. As to the merits of the case the letters of José la Guerra are most conclusive. He was the last man in California to entertain any feeling of hostility to the friars; and yet he expresses the deliberate opinion that they trumped up the charges against Argüello only to palliate their own culpable failure to do their duty.39

Here more appropriately than elsewhere I may call the reader's attention to another controversial phe- nomenon of the Bouchard invasion, in the north at Santa Cruz, where the excitement ran higher, if pos- sible, than elsewhere; and where considerable damage

acknowledging receipt of their reports, and ordering severe measures against the pirate picaros of whose departure he was not yet aware. Prov. St. Pup., Ben. Mil., MS., xlix. 25-7.

39 Correspondence of Argüello, Guerra, and Boscana, in Prov. St. Pap., MS., xx. 87-92; Arch. Arzob., MS., iii. pt. ii. 56-9.

243

TROUBLE AT SANTA CRUZ.

was done, though not by pirates' guns. Padre Ramon Olbés, the minister of Santa Cruz, entertained a low opinion of the settlers of Branciforte: he had accused them in advance of an intention to join the pirates in a raid on the mission.40 He subsequently complained, in language as forcible as a friar could use, that on the approach of the vessels the rascally villanos had de- liberately sacked the mission with the intention of charging that aet upon the insurgents, who, however, by not landing, left them in the lurch. The friar's charges were sweeping, including the theft of every movable article, the wanton destruction of all that was immovable or useless to the thieves, and the most shocking desecration of the church and holy images- in fact, nothing but the bare walls of the buildings remained to show for all the past toil of the mission- aries, and Olbés declared that the establishment must be abandoned, for he would not go back to submit longer to the inhuman outrages of the people of Bran- ciforte.41

Naturally such serious and direct charges attracted the earnest attention of both the president and the governor, and the latter at once set on foot a strict investigation, Santa Cruz being in the mean while practically abandoned. As the investigation went on Olbés became more violent than before, reiterating his charges and pronouncing the pretended investiga- tion by Luis Argüello a fraud. He declared that the settlers had the impudence to come to church clad in the stolen clothes, and had besides plenty to sell. "Justi- cia no habita en California," where such erimes can go unpunished! The proceedings instituted by Sola, and carried on by Estrada from Monterey and Argüello from San Francisco at different dates for several months, involved the taking of testimony from all

40 Oct. 29th, in Guerra, Doc. Hist. Cal., MS., vii. 92.

41 Olbés' letters of Nov. 26th, 27th, Dec. 6th, and March 2d to Sola and Payeras. Olbés, Cartas sobre el Tumulto de Santa Cruz, 1818, MS., besides references in subsequent proceedings. The writer was much excited, and he goes into some very minute and amusing details.

244

BOUCHARD AND THE INSURGENTS.

the male residents, de razon, of villa and mission, from many women, and from not a few neophytes. The record is somewhat voluminous,42 but the testi- mnony was not very conflicting, and the result showed the following facts.

On November 21st by advice of Ex-prefecto Sarria, Sola ordered Olbés to abandon Santa Cruz and go to Santa Clara with his neophytes. He was inclined a day or two later to have the mission burned, to keep the grain and other property from the foe; but he contented himself with sending an order to Comisi- onado Joaquin Buelna of Branciforte to go to the mis- sion, and if it had been abandoned, to remove all he could of the property. 43 Buelna went with a party to execute the order on the 24th, and there are indica- tions that his movements were quickened by the ap- proach of some of Bouchard's boats, which, however, could not land on account of the surf. At any rate the doors of various buildings were forced, and the work was begun. On the morning of the 23d, Padre Olbés with his neophytes and a few soldiers of the guard had started for Santa Clara. Joaquin Castro, the majordomo, and a part of the Indians stopped on the way and next morning returned to Santa Cruz to save some of the mission goods. Castro found Buelna hard at work, and naturally was surprised; but when he learned the purport of the governor's order he joined his force to that of the comisionado. One or two casks of wine and aguardiente that could not be carried away it was deemed best to spill, not improb- ably into the throats of those present. After this the work went bravely on, but naturally the goods were not 'saved' with the systematic care that would have been desired by the friars. Doors were broken, cur- tains were torn, vestments were soiled, a few images

42 Santa Cruz, Testimonio sobre el Tumulto de Noviembre de 1818, MS .; Jan. 27, 1819, Sola to president. Prov. Rec., MS., xii. 166-9.

43 Buelna testified that the order included also the destruction of such property as could not be carried away, though nothing was intentionally de- stroycd. The document is not extant.

245

A MISSION PLUNDERED.

were defaced; and it is by no means unlikely that in the confusion a few trifles were appropriated by both settlers and Indians. Of the mission effects a part were buried or otherwise concealed; others were listed in an inventory by Buelna and taken to the villa; and still others were carried to Santa Clara by Castro and his Indians. On the way a trunk belonging to Olbés had to be left for a time, during which it was broken open. The guilty pobladores were detected by means of certain pairs of the padre's stockings which one of them had given to a young lady, and two of them were imprisoned at San Francisco. Such was sub- stantially the friars' grievance. The missionary author- ities, somewhat excited at first, finally admitted that the danger had been exaggerated;# Olbés himself, calming his wrath, went back to his post; and the mission of the holy cross escaped the threatened anni- hilation. 45

After leaving San Juan Capistrano Bouchard's in- surgents touched no more on the coast of California. At San Diego Ruiz made every possible preparation, even to the extent of red-hot balls, but the ships passed by without attempting to enter the port. The northern soldiers on their way to reënforce the presi-

44 March 15, 1819, Payeras to Sola. Arch. Arzob., MS., iii. pt. ii. 69-70. Dec. 30, 1818, Sarria to Capt. Argüello. Prov. St. Pap., Ben. Mil., MS., 1. 9. Jan. 28, 1819, Tapis to president. Arch. Sta B., MS., xii. 372-3.

45 Mrs Ord, Ocurrencias, MS., 3, heard that the mission was plundered by Indians 'and by some who were not Indians.' Amador, Memorias, MS., 50-6, gives quite an accurate though brief account of the matter. He says there were certain people who wore breeches made of fine red cloth stolen from the mission. Alvarado's version, Hist. Cal., MS., i. 173-4, is that a kind of mob was formed to plunder and destroy, on the ground that the property might as well fall into their hands as those of the pirates; but Judge Buelna backed by a few good citizens succeeded in dispersing the mob. Vallejo, Hist. Cal., MS., i. 214-20, gives the same version. He adds that Buelna was much disliked by the conspirators, who caused him much trouble until he wrote some verses and sent a copy to each. The ignorant villanos took the poetry for some bad and devilish thing, and were so frightened that they marched in procession to restore stolen property and beg the padre to intercede with Buelna for them. The verses are given. Having succeeded so well in this, Buelna tried poetry on some young men who were disposed to make love to his wife. The verses were bad, but they brought about peace, domestic and political, for Judge Buelna. Francisco Rodriguez recited a poem on the event at Sta Cruz and in praise of Buelna. Cerruti's Ramblings, MS., 207-9.

246

BOUCHARD AND THE INSURGENTS.

dio came no farther than San Luis Rey, and the San Diego families retired from Pala to their homes. Thus the padres of the far south, though burning with mil- itary ardor, had no opportunity to meet the foe. 46

Respecting Bouchard's movements after leaving California we have but a few doubtful and disconnected items of information. Several of the Californians speak of the sacking of Loreto and of other places in the peninsula; but they clearly confound the ravages of Bouchard with those of Cochrane several years later. The president of the Lower California missions re- ceived news that two vessels supposed to be the same anchored in Todos Santos Bay on Jan. 26th, departing the next day; but the comandante of San Blas thought there was an error of date, and that the vessels were seen from the 24th to the 27th of January in the re- gion of San Blas. On the 19th Governor Argüello at Loreto heard of the attack in the north, and fifteen days later he informed the viceroy that he had taken every precaution, but had heard nothing more. About the middle of February the Indians reported the ar- rival of certain vessels at Motines on the Colima coast, a report which caused great alarm and mustering of forces, but nothing definite was learned about the strange ships. Finally two suspicious frigates were noticed near Acapulco on the 12th of March. These items, all that could be collected in Mexico before March 24th, I take from correspondence appended to

46 Dec. 16th, Sola to Guerra, speaking of the preparations at S. Diego. Prov. St. Pap., Ben. Mil., MS., xlix. 24. The fleet passed in sight of S. Diego in sailing south. Guerra, Doc. Hist. Cal., MS., vii. 24. Doña Juana Machado de Ridington was a child in San Diego at the time. In her memory of the event, or of what was said about it, she has evidently confounded it with the much earlier affair of the Lelia Byrd, since she speaks of soldiers having been carried away. Machado, Tiempos Pasados, MS., 4, 5. Dec. 19th, Padre Muñoz writes to Sola that he came to 'give a good blow' to the rebels, but they, like cowards, absented themselves. Dec. 30th (?) he writes: 'We are ready for the insurgents. When do they come?' He has three ambushes prepared and is at the head of his men. 'Esta mision es ya militar; no hay mniedo. Esta tierra ha de ser de Fernando, y de consiguiente en ella debe reinar la religion católica !! ' Dec. 27th, Padre Escudé of San Luis Rey to Sola. Thanks God the abortos del infierno have disappeared. Arch. Arzob., MS., iii. pt. ii. 27-9, 40-1. Pio Pico, Hist. Cal., MS., 5, briefly alludes to the preparations to de- fend San Diego.

247

OFFICIAL REPORTS.

Sola's report in the official newspaper.47 Osio in his manuscript history adds, on authority of which I know nothing, that Bouchard's vessel while lying in wait for the treasure-ship Maria at the Tres Marias, was attacked and badly crippled with great loss of men by the cruiser Fidelidad; but a breeze springing up the vessel escaped, and Bouchard himself died at Lima five years later, having been supported during his last years by charity.48

Sola in his report to the viceroy pictured the heroic efforts of the Californians and their sufferings during this winter campaign against invaders, in colors most vivid. The Gaceta in which that report was printed contained the viceroy's warmest thanks to all, the notice of Sola's promotion to be colonel, while Manuel Gomez and José Estrada were made lieutenants, and the announcement of orders to send immediate reën- forcements and supplies for the relief of California. 4? When the Gaceta reached California it was of course read with great interest; but the friars noticed with pain that their own distinguished services and patri- otic sacrifices had not been mentioned by the viceroy or governor. Complaint was made to Sola, who rec- tified the past omission in a supplementary report in which full justice was done to the missionary warriors,

47 Gacetas de Mexico, xxxix. 286-90. Alaman, Hist. Méjico, iv. 696-7, after stating that the insurgents 'siguieron haciendo iguales depredaciones en todas las misiones de la costa de la alta y baja California hasta el cabo de S. Lúcas,' continues: 'they presented themselves also on the coast of New Galicia, where they cruised for some days without daring to land on account of precautions: taken by the commandant of Colima; and although at Acapulco they anchored at Pt Caleta, they made no landing according to the report of Gov. Gandara. On the coast of Coalmayutla they parleyed with Guerrero, who sent an officer ... but the vessels did not appear.' See also mention of the affair in Noticioso Gen., March 29, 1819; and a blundering account in Dixon's White Conquest, i. 33-4. 48 Osio, Hist. Cal., MS., 46-52. I suppose there is no foundation for his statement.

49 Jan. 20, 1819, viceroy to Sola has already heard of the attack on Moll- terey, the news having been brought to San Blas by the Aventurero on Dec, 30th. Prov. St. Pap., MS., xx. 66. March 30th, Sola forwards the informa- tion, including the promise of reinforcements, to the padres. Arch. Arzob., iii. pt. 75-8. March 22d, viceroy to Sola, acknowledging receipt of reports of Nov. 4th and Dec. 12th, thanking everybody, and approving measures for defence. St. Pap., Sac., MS., vii. 66-67; Pror. St. Pap., MS., xx. 70. July 6, 1819, Sola communicates the preceding despatch to the comandante. Id., Ben. Mil., 1. 25, Notice of the promotions. Id., xlix. 32 ..

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BOUCHARD AND THE INSURGENTS.

to whom also the viceroy subsequently expressed his thanks.50

A schooner arrived at San Diego in April 1819, which was said to have been chased by the insurgents off the Tres Marias, in consequence of which news and on general principles orders were issued on several occasions during the year with a view to prevent too entire a relaxation of precautions at the missions and presidios. 51 The Bouchard invasion increased the number of permanent Anglo-Saxon residents in Cali- fornia to five, Gilroy, Doak, and Call being the three whose coming may be traced to an earlier date. One of the new-comers was John Rose, the Scotchman who gave himself up at San Juan; the other was the American captured at Monterey, Joseph Chap- man, the third American pioneer, afterward some- what famous, as will be seen.52 By the same event the foreign African population of the province was in- creased to three by the addition of Pascual and Fisher, or Norris-Bob, left by Smith, having been the pio- neer negro so far as the records show.

What were Bouchard's plans and motives in com- ing to California cannot be clearly known, but may

50 June 25, 1819, Padre Ripoll's complaint to Sola. Arch. Arzob., MS., iii. pt. ii. 117-18. April 2d, Santiago Argüello praises the padres of San Luis Rey. Prov. St. Pap., MS., xx. 92. July 6, 1819, Sola, Informe Suplementario, MS. July 19th, Sola to Guerra on the subject. Prov. St. Pap., Ben. Mil., MS., xlix. 33-4; Guerra, Doc. Hist., Cal., MS., iv. 27. Oct. 28th, viceroy to Sola, highly pleased with the friars' conduct, especially that of Payeras and Mar- tinez. Prov. St. Pap., MS., xx. 61. April 4, 1810, Sola in name of the king thanks the padres. April 17th, Payeras acknowledges receipt. Arch. Arzob., MS., iv. pt. i. 14.

51 For these orders and responses, which call for no special attention, see Prov. St. Pap., Ben. Mil., MS., xlix. 30; 1. 26-31; Guerra, Doc. Hist. C'al., MS., v. 82; Prov. St. Pap. MS., xx. 71-2, 87, 235; Prov. Rec., MS., x. 32.

52 See chap. xiii., this vol., for information on these early pioneers down to 1820. Neither Sola nor any other contemporary authority mentions Chap- man's name in connection with the Bouchard affair, but Chapman himself stated in a later document that he 'remained here as a prisoner because he was forced with other persons at the Sandwich Islands on the expedition of Bouchard.' Dept. St. Pap., MS., xix. (96-7); iv. 156-8. The Californians in their testimony generally confound the Monterey prisoners, those exchanged at Sta Bárbara, and those who gave themselves up at S. Juan. Gonzalez, however, Experiencias, MS., 9, 10, remembers the American prisoner as Joseph

249

MOTIVES OF THE INVADERS.

be conjectured. The Californians had no doubt that he came to conquer their province and to plunder it, but was repelled by their energetic measures, bravery, and .unswerving loyalty to the king. That he had no such intention is best shown by the fact that he did not carry it into execution, which he certainly might have done without encountering any very formidable obstacles. Cruising in the Pacific in search of rich prizes, he doubtless entered the port of Monterey chiefly to obtain some needed supplies. That he was inclined to ascertain the political feeling of the people and willing to aid in a revolt is not unlikely. Nor is it improbable that in the resulting troubles he hoped to get a share of the mission plunder popularly supposed to be very rich. Whatever were his plans and hopes, they were effectually overthrown on his arrival at Monterey. The coolness of his reception, the refusal to furnish supplies, the popular alarm at his approach, the removal of every portable article of property, the impossibility of coming in contact with the soldiers, made it evident to Bouchard that no profitable busi- ness, revolutionary or predatory, could be done in this province. Angry at the inhospitality of the Cali- fornians and at the damage done to his ships, if any was really done, he allowed his men to take all they could find and to wreak their vengeance on the pre- sidio buildings, and then left the capital in disgust. The Ortegas, however, were commonly believed, as notorious smugglers and confidential agents of the friars, to have large amounts of money or valuables at their rancho; and made aware of these rumors, perhaps by Molina, the insurgent privateer resolved to strike another blow at Refugio, with what success, so far as valuables are concerned, there are no means of ascertaining.

Chapman. Foster, First American in Los Angeles, gives an interesting sketch of Chapman's capture, etc., which is purely fictitious so far as details are con- cerned.

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History of California, Volume II, Part 25

Author: Bancroft, Hubert Howe Publication date: 1885 Publisher: San Francisco, Calif. : The History Company, publishers Number of Pages: 826

Author: Bancroft, Hubert Howe
Publication date: 1885
Publisher: San Francisco, Calif. : The History Company, publishers
Number of Pages: 826