History of California, Volume XXII, Part 24

Author: Bancroft, Hubert Howe
Publication date: 1885-1890
Publisher: San Francisco, Calif. : The History Company, publishers
Number of Pages: 816

USA > California > History of California, Volume XXII > Part 24

Note: The text from this book was generated using artificial intelligence so there may be some errors. The full pages can be found on Archive.org (link on the Part 1 page).

After the conquest it was claimed that McNamara's intrigues for an immense land grant had been one of the chief motives of the Bear Flag revolt; and in the investigation of 'California claims' in 1848, a leading point made by Frémont and his friends was that the revolt alone had prevented the success of that scheme, and had thus saved for American settlers an immense tract of valuable land. A dozen witnesses or more testified positively that such was undoubtedly the fact. I do not believe that anything whatever was known of MeNamara or his scheme north of the bay before June 14th, if indeed it was known before July 7th; but this of course cannot be proved, especially if, as Larkin states in one letter, the Juno arrived in May ; 41 and it must be admitted that such a knowledge would have been an argument of some force with the set-

11 June 18th, as we have seen, was the earliest date on which anything appears on the subject in contemporary documents at Monterey; and June 24th in the south. That Larkin knew of it a week or more and informed the settlers in the north, before he wrote on the subject to the sec. state, is not very probable. I suppose, moreover, that his statement in Off. Corresp., MS., ii. 81, that McNamara arrived in May may have been a slip of the pen on the part of his clerk.

223

THE COLONY.

tlers. However this may have been, the second prop- osition that the revolt put a stop to this and other grants by Pico to Englishmen is a manifest absurdity ; since not only is it certain that it had no such effect, but obviously its tendency must have been to cause the governor to make haste in disposing of the public domain. Moreover, it is by no means certain that the success of the colony and a recognition by the United States of the grant as valid would have been an unmixed evil.

CHAPTER X.

CONQUEST BY THE UNITED STATES-SLOAT'S RULE.

JULY, 1846.

ARRIVAL OF SLOAT IN THE 'SAVANNAH'-EVENTS OF A WEEK-MORE HESI- TATION-FREMONT'S CLAIM-LARKIN'S INFLUENCE-DESPATCHES FROM MONTGOMERY-RESOLUTION-OCCUPATION OF MONTEREY-SLOAT'S PROC- LAMATION-THE STARS AND STRIPES AT SAN FRANCISCO-DOCUMENTARY RECORD-THE BEAR FLAG LOWERED AT SONOMA-AT SUTTER'S FORT -- THE CHANGE AT SAN JOSE-FREMONT AND HIS BATTALION MARCH SOUTHWARD-OCCUPATION OF SAN JUAN-THE BEARS AT MONTEREY- FRÉMONT AND SLOAT-THE COMMODORE'S DISAPPOINTMENT-THE FILI- BUSTER'S DILEMMA-COMFORT FROM A NEW COMMODORE-STOCKTON ARRIVES IN THE 'CONGRESS'-AND ASSUMES COMMAND-THE BATTALION MUSTERED IN-AND SENT TO THE SOUTH-DEPARTURE OF SLOAT.

COMMODORE SLOAT, in his flag-ship, the Savannah, coming from Mazatlan, arrived at Monterey, where he found the Cyane, Captain Mervine, and the Le- cant, Captain Page-the Portsmouth, Captain Mont- gomery, being at San Francisco-on the Ist or 2d of July. I find no means of determining accurately which is the correct date, though perhaps the pref- erence should be given to the second.1 A midship-

1 Sloat, in his report of July 31st, U. S. Govt Doc., 31st cong. Ist sess., H. Ex. Doc., i. pt ii., p. 2, says he arrived on Jnly 2d; and this date has been taken by most writers from his statement. The fragment of the log pnb- lished by Lancey and Dunbar reads: 'July Ist, stood into the harbor of Mon- terey and came to anchor at 4 P. M., in front of the town. . . The captain of the port, accompanied by Mr Hartwell [Hartnell], attached to the custom-house called. Cyane and Levant in port.' The difference between sea and land time may be made to account for this entry in the log; but Larkin, in several communications of the period, dates the arrival on the Ist; while in an- other he says it was the 2d. Lieut Minor speaks of a 'passage of 23 days,' leaving Mazatlau on June 8th, which would make the arrival not later than July Ist. Midshipman Wilson, in his testimony, says it was July 2d.

( 224 )

225

ARRIVAL AT MONTEREY.

man on the frigate states that the commodore sent an officer ashore to tender the usual civilities, by of- fering to salute the Mexican flag, which honor was de- clined for want of powder for a return salute.2 I have two original letters before me, bearing date of July 2d, one of them in Sloat's handwriting, asking if there is any objection to his men landing for twenty-four hours in squads of 100; the other, writ- ten by his son and secretary, proposing to land and take a ride with the consul next morning.8 Accord- ing to the log, it was also on the 2d that Larkin made a long call on the commodore, and on his departure was saluted with nine guns. Next day Sloat landed to call on the authorities. Of festivities on the 4th, we know only that the ship was dressed and salutes were fired. Religious service was performed on Sunday, the 5th, by Lieutenant Trapin; and on the same day the Portsmouth's launch arrived from Yerba Buena with despatches from Montgomery. The 6th was passed by Sloat and Larkin on board the frigate, in preparing proclamations and corre- spondence, of which I shall speak presently. Noth- ing more is known of actual events at Monterey from the 1st to the 6th of July.

We have seen that Sloat, with a sufficiently definite knowledge of hostilities on the Rio Grande, had long hesitated to obey his orders from Washington. After several changes of mind on the subject, he had on June 6th announced his intention to proceed to Cali- fornia, but not to take possession until he should hear of a formal declaration of war or of offensive opera- tions by the gulf squadron. Next day he received additional despatches, supposed to have included a report that the gulf ports had been blockaded; and on

2 Wilson's testimony in Fremont's Cal. Claims, 40-1. He says the officers wondered that Sloat should have made this offer, knowing of the Mexican hostilities.

3 July 2d, Com. Sloat and L. W. Sloat to Larkin. Larkin's Doc., MS., iv. 193-4. The consul is also thanked for books and quicksilver ore, and is informed that the men, if they make some noise, will also spend $1,000 or $1,500 in doing it.

HIST. CAL., VOL. V. 15

226

CONQUEST BY THE U. S .- SLOAT'S RULE.

the 8th he sailed for Monterey. According to his own official report, he had resolved at the time of sail- ing to raise the flag in California in consequence of the latest news.4 His delay of six days after arrival before acting, however, in itself seems to indicate that his vacillation did not end with the departure from Mazatlan. Frémont and his friends point to Sloat's letter of June 6th as showing his purpose when he left Mazatlan; to his delay at Monterey and friendly relations with Mexican authorities there; to the gen- eral impression on board the ships that Sloat's final action was determined by the receipt on July 5th of Montgomery's despatches announcing the acts of the revolutionists. And in addition to this, Fremont and Gillespie testify positively that Sloat in his first inter- view with them gave them distinctly to understand that he had acted upon the faith of their operations in the north, and was greatly troubled on learning that they had acted without authority.5

Thus was founded a claim that it was Fremont's acts that caused Sloat to take possession of California for the United States. The claim was to a certain extent well founded. Frémont's operations did un- questionably have an influence in removing Sloat's doubts and strengthening his purpose; though it was by no means the only influence in that direction; and though, had it been so, the chief merit claimed for it, that of having saved the country from England, can- not be accorded to the rebels. I find no reason to doubt that Sloat, as he claimed, left Mazatlan and arrived at Monterey with a determination-as strong as such a man in such circumstances could entertain- to obey his orders and seize the country. His hesita- tion, very much less inexcusable here than before on the Mexican coast, began at his first interview with

4 War with Mex., Report Naval Operations, p. 2. Sloat to sec. navy, July 31st.

5 Testimony of Fremont, Gillespie, Wilson, and Minor, in Fremont's Cal. Claims, 13, 32, 41, 44-5; see also Benton's Speech of April 10, 1848; Cong Globe, 1847-S, p. 604-6; G. H., in S. F. Cal. Star and Calif., Dec. 9, 1848.

227

LARKIN'S INFLUENCE.

Larkin, and was largely due to the consul's influence. He learned, it is true, that the American settlers were in revolt, and that the Californian authorities were popularly believed to be in favor of English interfer- ence, both circumstances calculated in themselves to strengthen his purpose; but at the same time he learned that the cooperation of Fremont and Gilles- pie with the insurgents was not positively known, and that Larkin did not now apprehend any trouble from the McNamara scheme, or from Pico's favor to an English protectorate. He had not expected definite news or orders from the Rio Grande, or from Wash- ington; but he had hoped to find something to support his resolve in the secret instructions of Larkin and Gillespie. He now learned that those documents contained nothing in addition to his own instructions, and that they were devoted chiefly to a plan of ac- quiring the country by voluntary separation from Mexico, to be followed by annexation -- a plan under which Larkin had been and still was at work with much hope of success. Larkin was not in sympathy with the Bear Flag movement. He was embarrassed in his efforts by it, and puzzled by the reported connec- tion of United States officers with it; and he did not favor, or later wholly approve, the forcible occupation of the country, where he confidently expected to see the stars and stripes raised voluntarily by the Cali- fornians. That the views of so prominent a citizen, at the same time U. S. consul and confidential agent of the administration, should have had great influence with the commodore is not to be wondered at. A much more resolute man might have wavered under such circumstances. Both, however, were wrong. Larkin, well founded as were his hopes, had no right to suppose that his government intended to put off the military occupation in case of war, or that such occu- pation could under the circumstances be effected in the immediate future with the entire approval of the

229

CONQUEST BY THE U. S .- SLOAT'S RULE.

inhabitants and authorities. And Sloat should have obeyed his instructions literally and without delay.6

Both Sloat and Larkin being much perplexed as to what should be done-the former inclining to action and the latter to delay-on the afternoon of Sunday the 5th the Portsmouth's launch, under Passed Mid- shipman N. B. Harrison, arrived with despatches from Montgomery. The boat had been delayed by

6 Larkin's position in this matter is by no means a theory, though as such it might be consistently and successfully presented, the consul's general views being elearly enough recorded. I have a statement by Larkin himself bearing directly on the subject. He says: 'It was known to the commodore and the U. S. consul that a severe battle had taken place at or near Mata- moros, ... yet there was no certainty in California that war was declared. On the first or second day after the commodore's arrival in this port, he informed this consulate that he thought it of the greatest importance that he should land his marine force and take possession of Mouterey. Without official in- formation, either by the commodore or myself, I hesitated to take possession of California by force of arms, and preferred that the civil governor and mili- tary commandant should place their country under the protection of our gov- ernment. This subject had been canvassed repeatedly by myself and certain persons in command on shore, and partially agreed upon should emergencies create the necessity. Some of the town authorities and a few principal citizens of Mexico in Monterey, while the Savannah lay at anchor, favored the plan and proposed to send expresses to Gen. Castro and Gov. Pico. .. There was during this period a rising of foreigners, most of them unknown in the settle- ments, at the Sacramento River and jurisdiction of Sonoma. These circum- stances urged many Californians in July 1846 to view with high favor the plan of coming under a peaceable protection of a foreign government. There was a fair prospect of the commandant general and some or all the authorities of Monterey coming into the arrangement; but it required at least ten days to come to a conclusion. On the 4th or 5th of the month a proposition was thought of in Monterey by some of the citizens to seize on the American con- sul and carry him off, in order to make further motives to the ship's forces to land. Com. Sloat became more and more anxious to land and hoist our flag. Early on Sunday [it should be Monday] morning of the 6th of July, he sent a boat on shore for the U. S. eonsul, who was received in the commodore's cabin with the exclamation, "We must take the place! I shall be blamed for doing too little or too much-1 prefer the latter. "" Copy in Sawyer's Doc., MS., 84- 7, of what seems to be a memorandum left by Larkin among his papers. It was apparently written considerably later than 1846. He gets into confusion in the dates, making the 6th and 7th Sunday and Monday, instead of Monday and Tuesday. He also makes the Portsmouth's launch arrive in the afternoon of the same day that he spent with Sloat, who had made up his mind in the morning; but that is evidently an error. He adds: 'It is not improbable but the possession of the country would have been postponed a few days longer had not Com. Sloat been apprehensive that Admiral Seymour on H. M. ship of the line Collingwood would soon be in port and might wish to hoist the English flag there.' In a letter of July 4th to the consul in Honolulu, Larkin says: 'I closed my Oahu mail last night, supposing that some 15 soldiers sent in from Castro last night might have carried me off. I suppose, however, they did not think of it; although two days back they had it in contempla- tion. In the mean time I am dreaming of trying to persuade the Californians to call on the commodore for protection, hoist his flag, and be his country- men, or the Bear may destroy them.' Larkin's Off. Corresp., MS., i. 99.

229

THE COMMODORE'S MIND MADE UP.

contrary winds, having perhaps left San Francisco on the morning of July 3d. The despatches to Sloat, if there were any such,7 are not extant, but I have be- fore me a communication from Montgomery to Lar- kin, dated July 2d, with two postscripts, in which were announced Torre's retreat with Frémont's latest achievements, the spiking of the guns at San Fran- cisco, and the capture of Ridley." This document was probably brought by the launch, and was perhaps the decisive one. At any rate, there can be little doubt that the latest news from the northern frontier, and especially the definite announcement that Fre- mont was acting with the insurgents,9 was the last straw which-strengthened the camel's back to bear the burden of responsibility. With clear orders from his superiors at Washington, with positive knowl- edge of hostilities on the Rio Grande, with the ever present fear of being anticipated by the English ad- miral, and with importunities, as is very likely, on the part of his commanders,10 Commodore Sloat dared no longer hesitate, especially as be now foresaw the op- portunity, in case the seizure should prove to have been premature, like that of Jones in 1842, of throw- ing part of the responsibility upon Frémont.

7 Wilson testified that the arrival was on the 5th. Larkin says it was Sunday. Lancey, Cruise, 79, says the passage was 56 hours, on authority not stated. In any case, it is not probable that Montgomery knew of Sloat's arrival; yet, as he expected him, he may have addressed despatches to him, all the same.

8 July 2d, M. to L. Larkin's Doc., MS., iv. 192. He writes: 'I feel very desirous to learn something more definite concerning the mysteries referred to in them (your letters). Were I enlightened respecting the future designs of our govt, or concerning the actual condition of affairs with Mex., I could probably do much in the present crisis toward accomplishing objects in view. My neutral position, while all is stirring and exciting about me, renders us quiet spectators of passing events. I am looking for the arrival at this port of both commodores; as this must be the point of all important operations.'

" Larkin, in the document cited in note 6, says that definite news was now received of what had before been mere confused rumors; but this is ex- aggeration, for he already knew tolerably well what was being done at So- noma.

10 Davis, Glimpses, MS., 345-6, learned from Capt. Mervine that there was a council of war on the night of the 6th (5th), at which Sloat showed himself still irresolute until prevailed npon to decide on action by Mervine, who used very strong language, telling him 'it is more than your commis- sion is worth to hesitate in this matter.'

230

CONQUEST BY THE U. S .- SLOAT'S RULE.

Accordingly Larkin was summoned on board the flag-ship. The day was spent in preparing corre- spondence, orders, and proclamations; and before night of July 6th, the launch was started back for San Francisco with copies of papers to be published on the morrow, and a despatch for Montgomery, in which Sloat writes: "I have determined to hoist the flag of the United States at this place to-morrow, as I would prefer being sacrificed for doing too much than too little. If you consider you have sufficient force, or if Frémont will join you, you will hoist the Hag at Yerba Buena, or at any other proper place, and take possession of the fort and that portion of the country "11

Every preparation having been completed the night before, at 7 in the morning of Tuesday, July 7th, Sloat sent Mervine ashore with two or three officers, bearing a formal demand for the surrender of the post of Monterey, with all troops, arms, and other public property. The summons was addressed to the mili- tary commandant, and was delivered to the old artil- lery captain, Mariano Silva. His reply, written at 8 A. M., was that as he had no authority to surrender the post, and as there were no troops, arms, or other publie property, the commodore might settle the mat- ter with General Castro, to whom the summons had been sent. On receipt of this reply at half-past nine, Sloat issued to the crews of all the ships a general order forbidding in the usual terms all plunder and other excesses on shore, and beginning with these words: " We are about to land on the territory of Mexico,

11 July 6, 1846, S. to M. U. S. Govt Doc., 29th cong. 2d sess., H. Ex. Doc. no. 4, p. 648-9. A writer signing himself 'Vindex,' and claiming to have been at Monterey in 1846, in a semi-official position, writes to the Alta of Sept. 11, 1870, to state positively, but erroneously, that Larkin with other prominent Americans called repeatedly on Sloat to beseech him to raise the flag. Mrs Ord, Ocurrencias, MS., 142, narrates that the people of Monterey had an idea that the place was to be taken on July 4th; and one man was injured by the crowd rushing out of evening prayers on a false alarm that the Amerieans were landing.

231

TAKING OF MONTEREY.

with whom the United States are at war. To strike her flag, and to hoist our own in the place of it, is onr duty. It is not only our duty to take California, but to preserve it afterward as a part of the United States at all hazards. To accomplish this, it is of the first importance to cultivate the good opinion of the inhabitants, whom we must reconcile."

At 10 o'clock 250 men, marines and seamen, were landed from the squadron, under Captain Mervine, with Commander Page as second. This force marched directly to the custom-house, where Sloat's proclama- tion was read, the flag of the United States was raised-there had been no Mexican flag flying for two months-three cheers were given by troops and spec- tators; and at the same time a salute of 21 guns was fired from each of the three men-of-war. The proc- lamation in English and Spanish was posted in public places; two justices of the peace, Purser Price and Surgeon Gilchrist, were appointed to preserve order in the place of the alcaldes, who declined to serve; a summons to surrender, with an invitation to present himself for a personal interview, was sent to Castro at Santa Clara; duplicate orders were sent to Mont- gomery at San Francisco; and letters of information were forwarded by Larkin to Frémont, Ide, and oth- ers in different directions. Thus Monterey became permanently an American town.

Next day more correspondence was sent out, in- cluding communications from Larkin to Castro, Al- varado, and Stearns; police regulations were per- fected; permanent quarters for a large part of the garrison were fitted up at the custom-house, where Commandant Mervine also had his headquarters, while Page lived at the old government house; and a band of music paraded the town for the entertain- ment of the new and old American citizens. On the 9th arrived communications from Castro, at San Juan, in one of which he manifested his purpose to spare no sacrifice for the defence of his country, though he pro-

232

CONQUEST BY THE U. S .- SLOAT'S RULE.

posed to consult the governor and assembly respecting the means and methods of defence; and in the other he complained bitterly of Fremont and his 'gang of adventurers,' demanding an explanation of the rela- tions between the insurgents and the forces com- manded by Sloat. This may have indicated a dispo- sition to treat if Sloat would disown in the name of his government all Frémont's acts; but it was more likely intended as an excuse, and it was really a suffi- cient one, for not considering himself bound by past pledges to Larkin. The commodore also wrote to Pico: " I beg your Excellency to feel assured that al- though I come in arms with a powerful force, I come as the best friend of California; and I invite your Ex- cellency to meet me at Monterey, that I may satisfy you and the people of that fact."

On the 10th, Narvaez, Silva, and several other offi- vers left Castro and returned to their families; and it was reported that many of the general's men had de- serted him, while others were about to do so. By the 12th there were 300 men on shore; two 18-pound carronades were mounted as field-pieces; a stockade and blockhouse were in process of erection; and a cavalry force of from 35 to 50 men had been partially organized. Orders for this company of patrolmen had been issued as early as the 8th, Purser Daingerfield Fauntleroy and Passed Midshipman Louis MeLane being put in command as captain and lieutenant respect- ively. It was on the 14th that Sloat announced the receipt of intelligence that the flag was flying at Yerba Buena, Sutter's Fort, Sauzalito, and Bodega; Commo- dore Stockton arrived with the Congress on the 15th; next day came Admiral Seymour in the Collingwood; on the 17th, Fauntleroy with his company was de- spatched to San Juan; and finally, on the 19th, Fre- mont and his battalion appeared at Monterey.

Thus without opposition, without much excite- ment,12 without noteworthy incidents, Monterey had 12 The French consul, Gasquet, seems to have objected to the posting of

233

DOCUMENTARY RECORD.

fallen a second time into the hands of the United States, and was garrisoned by a naval force. I ap- pend some bibliographical matter bearing on the topic, including an abstract of the documentary record.13

a sentinel near his house. Larkin's Off. Corresp., MS., i. 138; and on this circumstance, as I suppose, Vallejo and Alvarado build up a serious quarrel, in consequence of which Gasquet was arrested and exiled to S. Juan.

13 Sloat's official report of July 3Ist, to the sec. of the navy, War with Mexico, Repts Operations of the Navy, 2-4, is a condensed narrative of the events noted in my text, to which little or nothing has been added by later writers. The same report, slightly disguised as a 'letter from an officer,' ap- pears in Niles' Reg., Ixxi. 133. The report of the sec. of the navy on Dec. 5th, U. S. Govt Doc., 29th cong. 2d sess., H. Ex. Doc. 4, p. 378-9, contains a still briefer account. Each successive point is still more clearly brought out by the documents of the period cited below. Swan, in Monterey Republican, Jan. 6, 1870; S. José Pioneer, May 4, 1878, tells a story of a frightened sentry at the custom-house, who one afternoon gave an alarm of an enemy coming ou seeing the approach of a party of marines who had landed at a point out of sight. There is a notable absence of incidents, real and fictitious, in nar- ratives relating to this period. Ezquer, Memorias, MS., 26, was one of the displaced justices. He says he was put under arrest, and that the doors of his office were broken down. Most Californians and others who were at Monterey at the time confine their statements to a brief mention of the oc- cupation. It is not necessary to name them. Cutts' Conq. of Cal., Ill., etc., having been published in 1847, deserves mention, though it contains nothing except what was obtained from Sloat's report and the accompanying docu- ments. For an account of the affair as reported in Mexico in August, includ- ing a translation of Sloat's procl., with amusingly bitter comments by the ed- itor, see Bustamante, Mem. Hist. Mex., v. 84-90; Id., Nuevo Bernal Diaz, ii. 58, 76-81. Other Mexican versions, showing no notable peculiarity, in Rivera, Hist. Jalapa, iii. 779; Guerra, Apuntes, 354-5; Dicc. Univ., viii. 157; Res- taurador, Aug. 18, 1846.

Need help finding more records? Try our genealogical records directory which has more than 1 million sources to help you more easily locate the available records.

History of California, Volume XXII, Part 24

Author: Bancroft, Hubert Howe Publication date: 1885-1890 Publisher: San Francisco, Calif. : The History Company, publishers Number of Pages: 816

Author: Bancroft, Hubert Howe
Publication date: 1885-1890
Publisher: San Francisco, Calif. : The History Company, publishers
Number of Pages: 816