History of California, Volume XXII, Part 26

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

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department. He was allowed to depart on parole. Juno sailed. No visits during her stay except by boarding officers.

21 July 11, 1846, Revere to Montgomery. 29th Cong. 2d Sess., H. Ex. Doc. 4, p. 637. In his Tour of Duty, Revere says nothing of this visit, though he speaks of his return to Sonoma as commandant a little later.

243

AT SONOMA AND NEW HELVETIA.

surgents having gone to the Sacramento. This fact, perhaps, accounts in part for the commonplace, mat- ter-of-course way in which the Bear flag gave place to the stars and stripes. But while under the former régime, with Ide in command, such an event might have been attended with more diplomacy, speech- making, and general excitement, there is no reason to believe that there would have been the slightest oppo- sition by the revolutionists. Doubtless some of the leading spirits would have preferred that the change should come a little later, accompanied by negotiations which might give themselves personally more prom- inence; and many adventurers saw with regret their chances for plunder in the near future cut off; but there were very slight, if any, manifestations of dis- pleasure, and no thoughts of resistance. The natives were naturally delighted at the change; and as is usual in such cases, they were disposed to exaggerate the chagrin experienced by the hated Osos.22

About the raising of the flag on the Sacramento, we know still less than of the like event at Sonoma, having no official contemporary record whatever. The courier despatched by Revere from Sonoma on the 9th

22 Vallejo, Hist. Cal., MS., v. 158-61, tells us that the Bears murmured, and eveu threatened to raise the old flag as soon as Fremont should return. He quotes a letter from his wife, in which she says: 'For two nights the ser- vants have not slept in my room; the danger is past, for a captain from Sau- zalito, sent by Capt. Montgomery, who in a letter recommended him highly to me, put the American flag on the staff where before was the Bear; and since then there are no robberies that I know of, although sister Rosa (Mrs Leese) says it is all just the same. In those days were great fiestas, all of us shouting with pleasure and waving our handkerchiefs; but the Osos were very sad. I heard the wife of Capt. Sears say that her husband said, " The Amer- ican flag had come too soon, and all his work was lost." I and sister Rosa are not afraid any more for your life and that of Salvador and Don Luis' (Leese). On July 16th Capt. Grigsby wrote to Capt. Montgomery: 'The Spaniards appear well satisfied with the change. The most of them, 38, have come forward and signed articles of peace. Should they take up arms, etc., they forfeit their lives and property. All things are going on very well here at present. We have about 50 men capable of bearing arms. There are some foreigners on this side that have never taken any part with us. I wish to know the proper plan to pursue with them, whether their property shall be used for the garrison or not. There are some poor men here that are getting very short of clothing. I wish to know in what way it might be procured for them.' 31st Cong. Ist Sess., H. Ex. Doc. 1. pt i. p. 28.

:)44

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

was William Scott.23 He carried a flag and a copy of Sloat's proclamation, with orders, or a request, to the commandant at Sutter's Fort to hoist the former and publish the latter. The courier arrived just be- fore night on the 10th; and Lieutenant Kern sent him on to the American River to the camp of Fre- mont, whom Montgomery and Revere had supposed to be far away in the south. Fremont writes: "We were electrified by the arrival of an express from Captain Montgomery, with information that Commo- dore Sloat had hoisted the flag of the United States. .. . Independenee and the flag of the United States are synonymous terms to the foreigners here, the northern which is the stronger part particularly, and accordingly I directed the flag to be hoisted with a salute the next morning. The event produced great rejoieing among our people;"24 and, as he might have added, among the imprisoned Californians in the fort, who were foolish enough to believe that the change of flag would effect their immediate deliverance, as it certainly should have done. It does not elearly ap- pear whether Fremont went down in person to raise the flag at the fort on the morning of July 11th, or simply directed Kern to attend to that duty. Sutter, who never admits that he was not in command all this time, says of the flag: "Lieutenant Revere sent me one. It was brought by a courier, who arrived in the night. At sunrise next morning, I hoisted it over my fort and began firing guns. The firing continued un- til nearly all the glass in the fort was broken. "25

23 Monterey Californian, March 20, 1847; Lancey's Cruise, 102; and many newspaper accounts.

24 Frémont's letter of July 25th, in Niles' Reg., Ixxi. 191. Gillespie, Fre- mont's Cal. Claims, 29, says, 'About sunset an express arrived from below,' impliedly at the fort, 'bearing an American flag to be hoisted at the fort, and a proclamation from Sloat, announcing the commencement of hostilities with Mexico and the taking of Monterey. The bear flag had been hauled down at Sonoma, and the American flag run up in its place immediately upon the arrival of the news. The flag brought by the express was hoisted at Sutter's fort at sunrise upon the 11th July under a salute of 21 guns; and the settlers throughout the country received the news with rejoieings of great joy and gladness.'

25 Sutter's Pers. Remin., MIS., 151. The N. Helvetia Diary, MS., notes

245

IN THE SANTA CLARA VALLEY.

In the Santa Clara Valley, Weber and Fallon had made an effort to raise a force among the settlers, with the view of cooperating with the Bear Flag insur- gents. This region being Castro's headquarters, it was necessary to act cautiously; but while an open movement against the Californians was impracticable, some kind of an organization was effected, and a con- siderable force was in readiness to join Ide and Fré- mont whenever they should advance from the north. Fallon, with nineteen men from the region of Santa Cruz, was encamped in the hills, awaiting the time for action. Weber's efforts were revealed to the Califor- nians, and with two companions he was arrested and taken to San Juan26 at or about the same time that Castro transferred his force to that place. On July 7th Pitts arrived from Monterey en route for San Francisco, with communications for Weber and Stokes, and others for Ide and Fremont.27 He may also have been the bearer of Sloat's despatch to Castro.28 Next day the general withdrew his troops and started for San Juan. There are indications that Stokes and his friends soon hoisted an American flag; but if so, it was lowered and carried away by some foe to the cause.20 On the 11th, however, Fallon and his party entered the town from their mountain camp, and the leader notified Montgomery that they were at his command,

the arrival of Fremont on the 10th at the fort and the American River; and also the departure of some men for the camp on the Ilth; but says noth- ing of the flag, and then closes abruptly for several months.

26 See chap. v., this vol.

27 July 7th, Larkin to Weber and Stokes, enclosing one for Ide. Larkin's Off. Corresp., MS., i. 101. A communication for Frémont was also doubtless sent by this route as well as through Montgomery. Marsh was to be notified. Larkin suggested that Stokes or Weber should go to Sonoma if possible, otherwise that Cook or Bellamy should be sent. Lancey says that Pitts arrived on the 8th, and this may be correct; but as he left Monterey early on the 7th and reached S. F. at 7 P. M. on the 8th, it seems most likely, in the absence of positive proof to the contrary, that he passed the night at S. José.

28 John Daubenbiss, who carried the despatch for Fremont, says, S. José Pioneer, Ang. 23, 1879, that Castro was parading his troops in town when he started. Lancey, Cruise, 73, says, however, that Daubenbiss carried the news that Castro had gone to S. Juan with Weber as prisoner.

29 Fallon, in his letter to Montgomery, mentioned later, says: 'The flag that was put up here was cut down before we came here, but I hope it shall never happen again.'

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

and ready to raise the flag. Montgomery replied on the 13th with thanks, and instructions to hoist the flag if the force should be deemed sufficient to defend it.30 But though the force increased rapidly to the number of about forty, no flag could be found at the pueblo. Hearing of this want, Sloat forwarded the required bunting on the 13th, and on the 16th it was raised over the juzgado by Fallon and his patriotic follow- ers. 31 On the same day, Alcalde Pacheco having de- clined to serve under the new régime, James Stokes was appointed by Sloat to hold the office tempora- rily.32 In a few days Fallon and his men went down to San Juan to join Fremont.

We left Frémont and his Bear Flag battalion en- camped on the American River near Sutter's Fort. At San Francisco and Sonoma it was believed that Frémont was in hot pursuit of Castro, and in that belief despatches were sent to intercept him at Santa Clara, the general's headquarters. But as a matter of fact, before the insurgents had completed their preparations for the pursuit, if indeed the captain really intended to undertake it, news came that Cas- tro had retreated southward, in consequence of Sloat's occupation of Monterey. This news, together with Sloat's proclamation and his request that Frémont should join him without delay, seems to have been brought up the valley by Robert Livermore, and ar- rived on the 11th, the same day that the flag was

30 July 12th, Fallon to Montgomery, and the latter's reply of the 13th. U. S. Gort Doc., 29th cong. 2d sess., H. Ex. Doc. 4, p. 660-1. Fallon says Castro started south 'last Wednesday' (Sth); and he asks for some arms as a loan, which the captain is willing to furnish but has no way to send them. Lan- cey, Cruise, 89, cites two other unimportant letters from Montgomery to Fallon, dated July 15th, 16th, though the former date must be an error. Win- ston Bennett, S. José Pioneer, May 26, June 2, 1877, claims to have been the one to notify Fallon of Pitts' arrival. He is inaccurate in some of his letails.

31 Sloat's report of July 31st, and his letter to Montgomery of July 12th. See also Hall's Hist. S. José, 146-7, 150-3; S. José Pioneer, Sept. 15, 1877; Sta Clara Co. Hist. Atlas, 10; S. José Patriot, July 23, 1875.

32 July 16th, Sloat to people of S. José. S. Jose, Arch., Loose Pap., MS., 33. They are urged to choose their own local authorities,

247

FREMONT AT SAN JUAN.

raised over Sutter's Fort.33 It was probably the next day that Fremont's battalion started down the valley, about 160 strong, with one or two field-pieces.34 On the Mokelume River, as we are informed by Bidwell, the Sonoma agreement, or enlistment paper, was brought out to receive the signatures of all who had not yet signed; and the document is not known to have been seen since.35 Continuing his march rather slowly down the Sacramento and up the San Joaquin, Frémont crossed the latter river near what is now called Hill's Ferry, and crossing the hills, probably by the Pacheco Pass, arrived on July 17th at San Juan, which place Castro had abandoned a week before. A few hours later, Fauntleroy arrived with a squad of his dragoons from Monterey, having been sent by Sloat to reconnoitre the country, hoist the flag at San Juan, and recover some cannon said to be buried there. The stars and stripes soon floated over the ex-mission pueblo, probably with salute and cheers and reading of the proclamation as elsewhere. Thus the last place in northern California, or at least the last making any pretensions to the rank of 'town,' came, without the slightest resistance, under the power of the United States. 36

33 Frémont's letter to Benton. Niles" Reg., Ixxi. 191. Livermore is named as the courier in the Monterey Californian, March 20, 1847. John Dauben- biss, in S. José Pioneer, Aug. 23, 1879, says, accurately I think: 'Dr Stokes received the despatch from Pitts, who had brought it from Com. Sloat at Monterey, and he asked me to carry it to Capt. Fremont, who was at Sutter's Fort. I rode to the San Joaquin River, and being unable to swim my horse across the river, I returned to Livermore (rancho), and got Mr Livermore to carry the proclamation to Fremont, which he did with the aid of his Indians. I remained at Livermore's until Lieut Gillespie arrived from Frémont's camp, and then piloted him to S. José, where we found that Capt. Tom Fallon had hoisted the American flag. We arrived at S. José at midnight, and next morning I took Lieut Gillespie to Monterey.' In the same paper of Jan. 20, 1877, Harry Bee tells how he himself carried the despatches to Frémont at Sloat's request; and adds many details of Fremont's words and actions, as of his own adventures. The story has some foundation in fact. See ii. 714.

34 Gillespie, in the S. F. Alta, July 3, 1866, mentions 2 guns, the 'Sutter,' that had been mounted on the fort, and the 'Fremont,'a 16-pounder iron gun mounted upon the running-gear of a Pennsylvania wagon, bought from Sntter for $600. The 'Sntter' was a brass piece of Russian origin. It was after the war returned to Sntter, and by him presented to the Cal. Pioneers. Frémont mentions but one gun on his arrival at Monterey.

30 Bidwell's Cal. in 1841-8, MS., 174; Willey's Thirty Years in Cal., 13.

36 On Frémont's occupation of S. Juan, see Sloat's report, and report of sec-

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

The current version is that now or a little later Frémont and Fauntleroy found and took possession of a considerable quantity of arms and ammunition that had been abandoned by Castro at San Juan. Some writers specify nine cannon, 200 muskets, twenty kegs of powder, and 60,000 pounds of copper cannon-balls.37 That Castro left most of his cannon buried, or even that some of the guns had not been dug up or mounted since the time of Micheltorena, may well be credited; but that he left at San Juan any serviceable muskets or powder, in the absence of more positive proof, I must decline to believe. Fal- lon with his men soon came in from San Jose to join the battalion; and leaving a small garrison behind,38 to relieve which Fauntleroy was soon sent back with some forty men, the dragoons and the battalion of Bears marched on Sunday, July 19th, to Monterey, where Gillespie had arrived two days earlier. Fre- mont's men, whose appearance is described in print by Walpole and Colton, seem to have created a de- cided sensation in the town.39

rotary of war, for a brief statement. Martin, Narrative, MS., 31-2, describes the march slightly. All the authorities mention Fauntleroy's expedition. German, Sucesos, MS., 25-6, mentions the curious circumstance that while Fremont and Fauntleroy were at S. Juan a mad coyote came in and bit many persons. No one died; but all the dogs in town were immediately shot.

37 Monterey Californian, March 20, 1847; Tuthill's Hist. Cal., 181-2. Vallejo, Hist. Cal., MS., 170-1, and Alvarado, Hist. Cal., MS., v. 232-3, 267, state that all the arms and ammunition had been removed before Fre- mont's arrival.

38 Lancey, Cruise, 103, names Daubeubiss and James W. Marshall, and says there were 7 or S others.

39 . During our stay Capt. Frémont and his party arrived, preceded by another troop of American horse. It was a party of seamen mounted. Their efficiency as sailors, they being nearly all English, we will not ques- tion. As cavalry, they would probably have been singularly destructive to each other. Their leader, however, was a fine fellow, and one of the best rifle-shots in the States (Fauntleroy?). Fremont's party naturally excited curiosity. Here were true trappers. These inen had passed years in the wilds, living on their own resources. They were a curious set. A vast cloud of dust appeared first, aud thence in long file emerged this wildest wild party. Frémont rode ahead, a spare, active-looking man, with such an eye! lIe was dressed in a blouse and leggings, and wore a felt hat. After him came five Delaware Indians, who were his body-guard; they had charge of two baggage-horses. The rest, many of them blacker than the Indians, rode two and two, the rifle held by one hand across the pommel of the saddle. 30 of them are his regular men, the rest are loafers picked up lately. His original men are principally backwoodsmen from Tennessee. .. The dress of

249

SLOAT AND FREMONT.

Naturally an early interview took place between Sloat and Frémont; and for obvious reasons it was not satisfactory to either. The commodore, whose hesitation at Mazatlan and Monterey has already been noted, if he had not exactly been induced to act by the news of Frémont's operations, had at least been greatly comforted thereby. His natural timidity increased by ill health, he had again begun to fear that, like Jones in earlier years, he had acted prematurely; and he had looked forward with anxiety to the opportunity of learning from the captain's own lips the nature of the instructions or information under which he had begun hostilities. His anxiety in this respect is clearly reflected in the letters of himself and Larkin already cited; and it had been greatly augmented by Larkin's opinion that Frémont and Gillespie had acted on their own responsibility. Therefore, when he learned in response to his questions that those officers had pro-

these men was principally a long loose coat of deer-skin, tied with thongs in front; trousers of the same, of their manufacture, which, when wet through they take off, scrape well inside with a knife, and put on as soon as dry. The saddles were of various fashions, though these and a large drove of horses, and a brass field-gun, were things they had picked up in Califor- nia. The rest of the gang were a rough set; and perhaps their private, pub- lic, and moral characters had better not be too closely examined. They are allowed no liquor, .. . and the discipline is very strict. They were marched up to an open space on the hills near the town, under some large firs, and there took up their quarters in messes of six or seven, in the open air. The Indians lay beside their leader. One man, a doctor [Semple], six feet six high, was an odd-looking fellow. May I never come under his hands! The party, after settling themselves, strolled into the town, and in less than two «lays, passed iu drunkenness and debauchery, three or four were missing. They were accordingly marched away. . . One of the gang was very uncivil to us, and threw on ns the withering imputation of being Britishers. . . On inquiry, he was found to be a deserter from the marines. In fact, the most violently Yankee were discovered to be English fellows, of high principles, of course.' Walpole's Four Years in the Pacific, ii. 215-16. Colton, Deck and Port, 390-1, says: 'Monday, July 20th, C'apt. Fremont and his armed band, with Licut Gillespie of the marine corps, arrived last night from their por- suit of Gen. Castro (!). They are 200 strong, all well mounted, and have some 300 extra horses in their train. They defiled, two abreast, through the principal street of the town. The ground seemed to tremble under their heavy tramp. The citizens glanced at them through their grated windows. Their rifles, revolving pistols, and long knives glittered over the dnsky buckskin which enveloped their sinewy limbs, while their nntrimmed locks, flowing out from under their foraging caps, and their black beards, with white teeth glittering throngh, gave them a wild, savage aspect. They en- camped in the skirts of the woods which overhang the town.' July 22d, Frémont and his men visited the Congress.

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

ceeded without authority from Washington, if not in direct disobedience to instructions, and that they knew nothing whatever about the breaking-out of war, he was grievously disappointed. Instead of comforting assurance, he received matter for increased uneasiness. But he seems greatly to have exaggerated his disap- pointment and anger, going so far as to state that he had based his own acts entirely on those of Frémont, which, as we know, was by no means true. He did this with a view to save his responsibility in possible future contingencies; the only practical effect was to give Fremont material on which plausibly to found a claim to more credit than he deserved for the conquest of California. 40

The interview was not satisfactory to Fremont, on the other hand, because Sloat declined to adopt his plans for a prosecution of the conquest, or even to accept the services of the Bear Flag battalion as a part of the United States forces. The filibuster cap- tain felt that, could he get his men once regularly mustered into the service, he was likely to escape from all possibly embarrassing results of his past ir- regular conduct. He wished, moreover, to have his own wrongs and those of the settlers embodied in the avowed motives of the war, thus identifying the revolt and the conquest; and he counted on making in person a brilliant campaign against Castro. But Sloat was not disposed to show the slightest favor to his schemes, and even declined to do what he had in- tended, and partially promised directly and through

" Testimony of Fremont and Gillespie in 1848. Fremont's Cal. Claims, 13. 32. It seems that Gillespie, in his first interview with Sloat before Fremont's arrival, bad declined to state on what authority they had aeted. Many writers. whom I need not specify, have repeated the purport of this testimony. Bald- ridge, Days of '46, MS., 29-30, met Fremont as he left the ship, and saw by his manner that there was some trouble. A little later he met Sloat's son, who deseribed the interview much as it was deseribed by the officers in their testimony, adding that the commodore was very violent in his denunci- ations of Fremont's conduct. Tuthill, Hist. Cal., 182-4, suggests that Sloat was also jealous that Gillespie, a naval officer, bad been sent past him at Maza- tlan to Fremont, a lieutenant of topographical engineers. Benton, Thirty Years, ii. 692, states that Frémont's confession left Sloat without orders for taking Monterey, since the commencement of war was not known!

251

STOCKTON'S ARRIVAL.

Larkin by letter, that is, to utilize the battalion for service similar to that being performed by Fauntle- roy's dragoons. He had raised the flag as ordered by his superiors, on hearing of national hostilities; and he sensibly refused to meddle in the quarrels of Fré- mont and Castro, or in the fictitious wrongs of the settlers. There was nothing in the letter of his orders, even of those en route which he had not received, that required him to go beyond the occupation of the ports; and now, until by receipt of additional instructions, or at least by news that war had been formally declared, it should be proved that he had made no mistake, the commodore proposed to content himself with what he had done in literal obedience to his superiors. Doubt- less Larkin sustained Sloat in his determination.41

The misunderstanding between Sloat and Fremont was not destined, however, to have any serious effect on subsequent events-such was the result of Commo- dore Stockton's intervention. Stockton had arrived in the Congress, Captain Dupont, from Honolulu on July 15th, and reported for duty to Sloat. He had sailed in October from Norfolk, and the route was round Cape Horn to Valparaiso, Callao, and the Sand- wich Islands.42 The contents of his 'sealed orders' have never been made public, and indeed, I find no trace of instructions to him of earlier date than No- vember 1846. Doubtless he was fully informed re- specting the probability of war, and the policy of his

41 July 17th, Larkin writes to Stockton that Gillespie, who is about to call on him, seems to have imbibed ' local views' of affairs. Hopes Stockton will cause him to abandon those views, since the writer believes 'we should con- tinue what has been begun without having our minds and views prescribed by the Pacific Ocean and Rocky Mountains; the world at large and posterity will look only for national and extended views for the good of our country in -common.' Larkin's Off. Corresp., MS., i. 143. July 24th, Larkin to Frémont, saying that as Sloat has decided not to keep up any interior force, all in- structions, etc., in former letters are to be deemed countermanded to this date. Id., i. 144.

42 Colton's Deck and Port, or incidents of a cruise in the U. S. frigate Con- gress to California, N. Y., 1850, 12mo, 408 p., is a journal of the voyage by Rev. Walter Colton, chaplain of the vessel. It is an interesting and deserved- ly popular work. Its continuation under another title more nearly concerns California.

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

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History of California, Volume XXII, Part 26

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