History of California, Volume XXII, Part 3

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

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28 April 4th, Prefect Castro to min. of rel., enclosing the captured letters. Doc. Ilist. C'al., MS .. iii. 157. He sends them as proof of bad faith on the part of both Larkin and Fremont.

29 March 9th (the original bears no date, and most of the printed copies are dated on the 10th, but on an original translation in Hittell, Pap. Hist., MS., 6, Larkin certifies that the note was received 'last night at 8 o'clock,' and that he has allowed a translation to be made at request of Alcalde Diaz, to prove that he, the consul, had no improper correspondence with Fremont, and also iu hopes to 'mitigar la sensacion actual'), F. to L., iu Larkin's Off. Corresp., MS., i. 62-3; Ndles' Rey., Ixxi. ISS; Fremont's C'al. Claims, 65-6; Cutts' Conq., 149-50; Sawyer's Doc., MS., 11-12; Lancey's Cruise, 40; Yolo ('o. ITist., 13, etc. March 10th, receipt of Espinosa for 827.50 for carrying the despatches. Monterey. Consulate Arch., MIS., ii. 14. March 10th, Alcalde Diaz to Manuel Castro. Espinosa was told by us to present himself to you before carrying the despatches. All of us think that by means of a confer- ence all differences with Fremont might be settled. Castro. Doc. Hist. Cal., MS., ii. 37. The phrase 'refuse quarter' in Fremont's note was translated by Hartnell 'will not give quarter' (sin dar cuartel), and was naturally not pleasing to the Californians. March 19th, Larkin asks Stearns to correct the alleged error in the governor's copy, the true meaning being 'will not accept quarter.' Larkin's Off. Corresp., JIS., i. 90.

CASTRO'S HOSTILE PREPARATIONS.

Espinosa had carried the despatches under a pass- port from Alealde Diaz, and on his return, at the re- quest of that official, Larkin furnished translations of those despatches and of Frémont's reply, taking occa- sion to suggest to the authorities the importance of holding a conference with Frémont before resorting to force.30 Meanwhile Castro had continued his mili- tary preparations, about which we know little beyond the fact that he collected about two hundred men at San Juan. I have statements from several Califor- nians who were with the army; but except some petty details and personal incidents-more interesting than accurate as a rule-they add nothing to our knowl- edge of the campaign. Most of them agree that Castro was less eager for an attack than some of his subordinates, for which he was unfavorably criti- cised. 31 As a matter of course, General Castro did

30 March 10th, Alcalde Diaz to Larkin, asking for a translation of Frémont's letter, hoping it may contribute to allay the present excitement. Sawyer's Col. Doc., 16. Same date Larkin to Diaz with the translation (already re- ferred to as in my possession), and suggesting an hour's conversation between Castro and Frémont. Larkin's Off. Corresp., MS., i. 86; Vallejo, Doc., MS., xii. 188; Sawyer's Doc., MS., 17-18; Niles' Reg., Ixxi. 190. L. says he knows not if F. will approve his act in giving up the letter, and that he has no au- thority over that officer, but is anxious to prevent a useless shedding of blood. Same date (11th by error), Diaz to Castro, forwarding the note obtained from Larkin. Doc. Hist. Cal., MS., iii. 134. Also a private note from Diaz to Cas- tro, urging that a conference could do no harm, all at Monterey thinking it might prevent hostilities. Hittell, Pap. Hist., MS., 5. Same date, L. to F., with information of what he had done. 'My native courier said he was well treated by you-that 2,000 men could not drive you. In all cases of couriers, order your men to have no hints or words with them, as it is magnified; this one said a man pointed to a tree and said, "There's your life." He expected to be led to you blindfolded; says you have 62 men,' etc. Larkin's Off. Corresp .. MS., i. 84; Niles' Reg., Ixxi. 190. According to Phelps, Fore and Aft, 279- 80, Godey, one of Frémont's men, had come in to Monterey; and if this was so, he doubtless was the messenger who took Larkin's letter. Phelps was there at the time, and says he also wrote to Fremont, offering any assistance in his power, and telling him that if driven to any point on the coast he would take him and his party on board his vessel. It is strange, however, that Godcy, if he was at Monterey on the 10th, had nothing to say about Fremont's retreat.

31 Alvarado, Ilist. Cal., MS., v. 159-71; Rico, Mem., MS., 17-19; Torre, Remin., MS., 137-44; Castro, Rel., MS., 163-72; Escobar, Camp., MS., p. 2-7; German, Sucesos, MS., 6-9, 17-18. Also narratives by Californians not per- sonally engaged in the campaign, in l'allejo, Hist. Cal., MS .. v. 97-106; Fer- nandez, Cosas, MS., 123-7; Carrillo, Narr., MS., 9-10; Osio, Hist. Cul., MS., 457-60; Ord, Ocurrencias, MIS., 138-9; Guerra, in Doc. Ilist. Cal., MS., iv. 1003-4; Pinto, Apunt., MS., 99-100; Botello, Anales, MS., 130-1; Larios, Convulsiones, MIS., 24; Ezquer, Mem., MS., 21; Gomes, Lo Que Sube, MS.,

OPERATIONS OF FRÉMONT AND GILLESPIE.

not wish to attack Frémont. A much braver man than he would have hesitated to lead his men up the steep sides of the Gavilan Peak against a force of sixty expert riflemen, protected by a barricade of logs-especially when there was no necessity for such a foolhardy movement. Castro had ordered Frémont to quit the country, and he hoped that a show of mili- tary preparation, together with Larkin's influence, would induce him to obey. His cause was a just one, his policy was prudent, his orders-up to this point at least-were moderate and dignified in style, and his plans were successful. He was not very brave himself, nor were his men efficient soldiers; but it was their good fortune not to have their valor and etfi- ciency put to the test on this occasion. Revere, Phelps, Tuthill, Lancey, and to greater or less extent most others whose writings on the subject have ap- peared in print, have exhausted their vocabulary of ridicule and abuse in picturing the treachery and cowardice and braggadocio of Castro's actions in this affair. Their versions are amusing from a dime-novel standpoint; but Castro's brilliant evolutions in the plain, his boastful challenges to combat, his desperate charges up the hill just out of rifle-range, like the pa- tient waiting of Fremont's gallant band day after day in the vain hope of an attack by the foe-have no foundation more substantial than the lively and patri- otic imagination of the writers cited.32 Of the two, Frémont made by far the greater fool of himself.

276-80; Garnica, Recuerdos, MS., 10-11; Amador, Mem., MS., 165. Though the Californian narratives add nothing to what we learn from contemporary corresp. on the events of March 1846, yet many of them give a very fair and unprejudiced version of those events.

Martin, one of Frémont's men, Narrative, MS., 11-12, gives a very inac- curate account of the operations around Gavilan. Wm F. Swasey, C'al. '45-6, MS., 5-7, tells us that from S. José John Daubenbiss was sent by Weber to the north for aid, while the writer was sent to Frémont's camp to tell him what was being done for him. Swasey and Julius Martin were, however, captured by Castro near S. Juan, and were unable to carry out their mission. He learned at Gomez rancho that F. had left his camp. Mention of the Gavilan affair in Bidwell's Cal. 1841-8, MS., p. 155-6; Belden's Hist. Statement, MS .. 45-6. Bidwell disapproves Frémont's actions.

3" Revere's Tour, 46-8; Phelps' Fore and Aft, 277-84; Tuthill's Hist.

THE GAVILAN CAMP ABANDONED.

Early on the 10th, Prefect Castro sent out a sum- mons to the people of the north, calling upon them to join the force at San Juan, and aid in the work of re- pelling invasion and vindicating the national honor.33 The response did not come until the occasion for alarm was past, which was indeed but a few hours later; for before noon of the same day, Castro learned through his scouts that the camp on the Gavilan had

Cal., 163-5; Lancey's Cruise, 39-43. Of each of these works there is much to be said in praise, as will be seen elsewhere; but in this matter they have given themselves up entirely to patriotism, prejudice, and burlesque. Thomas H. Benton, in his letter of Nov. 9, 1846, Niles' Rey., Ixxi. 173-4, struck the key-note of the abuse showered upon Castro ever since. Benton, however, made an absurd blunder, though excusable at the time, through his ignorance of Californian geography. Castro, according to this writer, gave Fremont permission to winter with his troops in the S. Joaquin Valley, but no sooner had F. brought his men 'to that beautiful valley ' than Castro pre- pared to attack him on the pretext that he was exciting Americans to revolt! The sec. of war in his report of Dec. 5th takes a similar view briefly. H. Ex. Doc. no. 4, p. 50, 29th cong. 2d sess.

Other printed accounts of Frémont's operations-besides the documentary ones so often cited in Niles' Reg., Ixxi. 188-90, and Fremont's Cal. Claims, 1848-are found in Cutts' Conq., 142-52, with some documents; Soule's An- nals, 91; Bigelow's Memoirs of Fremont, 136; Upham's Life of Fremont, 211- 16; Hall's Hist. S. José, 142-3; Ripley's War with Mex., i. 286-92; Moll- hausen, Tagebuch, 289-90; Walpole's Four Years, ii. 206-7; Honolulu Friend, iv. 153-4; Frignet, C'al., 68.

33 March 10th, prefect to sub-prefect of Yerba Buena, and by him tran- scribed to the com. of the northern line. Vallejo, Doc., MS., xii. 189; Castro, Doc .. MIS., ii. 39. March 10th, Alcalde Diaz to prefect. All tranquil at Monterey. Citizens anxiously awaiting news. Id., ii. 37. March 11th, same to same. No signs of outbreak among the foreigners. Id., ii. 47. March 11th, Andrés Castillero at Sta Clara to Vallejo. The writer will at once join Castro. Lancey's Cruise, 40. March 12th, Sub-prefect Guerrero at Yerba Buena to the receptor, asking for funds to buy war material for the men who march to the defence of country and laws, ' sufocados por una fuerza armada estrangera.' Pinto, Doe., MIS., ii. 227. March 14th, a courier sent by Marsh announced Frémont's position at Sutter's Fort. N. Hele. Diary, MS., 39; but 17th according to Sutter's Diary, 7. March 14th, Guerrero from Sierra Mo- rena to prefect, narrating the preparations under his orders. He had raised 52 men, including some naturalized foreigners and Englishmen; Estudillo had raised 38 men (in Contra Costa?), and they had marched to S. José. Now that Fremont had retreated, the men would like at least to go to the Alto del Gavilan to raise the Mexican flag. All were ready in case of new alarms. Castro, Doc., MS., ii. 49. March 14th, Com. Sanchez to corporal in command at S. Rafael. He must come with all his men to join the force at S. Juan. Vallejo, Doc., MS., xii. 193. March 14th, 15th, Vallejo at Sonoma to an- thorities of S. Rafael, and to the people of the north. A stirring appeal to rally for the defence of Mexican sovereignty. Vallejo, Doe., MIS., xii. 185, 188-9, 195-6. March 15th, Alcalde Pacheco of S. José to Castro, on the pa- triotism and warlike spirit of the people of his town, who now have been per- mitted to retire to their farms, etc. Hittell, Pap. Ilist., MS., 7. March 17th-21st. Clyman, Diary and Note-Book, encamped at the head of Napa Valley, heard of the Fremont affair and of the call upon all citizens to assem- ble at Sonoma for defence. On the 22d he heard of Fremont's flight.

HIST. CAL., VOL. V. 2

OPERATIONS OF FREMONT AND GILLESPIE.

been abandoned in the night-that of March 9th- 10th; and still later in the day it was ascertained that Fremont had moved off eastward and fortified another camp. Next morning, John Gilroy is said to have been sent by Castro with a message, but to have found the second camp also deserted, its occupants having continued their retreat to the San Joaquin.3ª Naturally the Californian chiefs were jubilant at Fré- mont's flight, which they, somewhat pardonably under the circumstances, regarded as a great victory for themselves. The citizen soldiers were dismissed to their homes, with instructions to hold themselves in readiness for action should the attempted invasion be renewed; and the leaders, in their proclamations to the people and reports to their superiors announcing results, indulged rather freely in the gasconade deemed an essential part of such documents. It is fair to state, however, that this feature of the documents in question has been most grossly exaggerated, writers having gone so far even as to print imaginary de- spatches-some of them "signed with gunpowder on the field of battle." The purport of the genuine doc- uments-of which I translate in a note the one that

34 March 10th, Prefect Castro to Alcalde Diaz, acknowledging receipt of letter of same date with copy of Fremont's note, and announcing that the fort had been abandoned. Doc. Ilist. Cal., MS., iii. 132. Larkin in his report of March 27th, Niles' Reg., Ixxi. 189, etc., states that in a postscript to a letter written on the evening of the 10th, Gen. Castro said ' that Capt. Fremont had crossed a small river, and was then about three miles distant from them.' L. also mentioned Gilroy's mission. In later years a rumor has gained currency that Gilroy was sent to suggest an arrangement by which the forces of Fre- mont and Castro were to unite, declare Cal. independent, and march against Pico! It would require the strongest of confirmatory proofs-and there exists not the slightest evidence-to outweigh the inherent absurdity of this rumor, though it has been advanced as a fact by Lancey and others. Gilroy was sent to F., if at all, either in accordance with Larkin's recommendation in favor of a conference (see note 30), or merely as a spy to learn F.'s position and inten- tions. Another current rumor among the Californians, which seems to have but little foundation in fact or probability, is to the effect that Capistrano Lopez, Castro's scout, revealed to F. the preparations that were being made against him, receiving gold for the information. The exact locality of F.'s second camp-somewhere in the hills east of S. Juan-is not known to me. In his map, with U. S. Gort Doc., 31st cong. Ist sess., H. Ex. Doc., 17, two crossings are indicated, one by the Pacheco Pass, and another by the S. Juan Pass farther south. Pinto, Apunt., MIS., 99, says the route was by Tres Pinos and Carrizalito; he adds that many foolish people have tried to find the a large sum of money which Fremont by tradition had been forced to bury.

FRÉMONT RUNS AWAY.

gave most offence-was that certain audacious adven- turers, who had dared to raise a foreign flag on Cali- fornian soil, had been induced to flee ignominiously at the sight of two hundred patriots resolved to defend their country, leaving behind a part of their camp equipage-for Frémont had abandoned in one of his camps a few worn-out articles not worth removing. 3.3

35 March 12th, Gen. Castro to alcalde of S. José. Fremont has fled. Men to be disbanded with thanks. S. José, Arch., Loose Papers, 35. Prefect C'as- tro to same effect. Id., 25. March 14th, similar communication. Id., 36. March 13th, Gen. Castro's proclamation to the people (see below), in Vallejo, Dor., MS., xxxiv. 186. This was posted in the billiard-saloon, and Larkin tried without success to get a copy of it. Larkin's Off. Corresp., MS., i. 87; Niles' Reg., Ixxi. 190; Sawyer's Doc., MS., 25-6. Sawyer copies a transla- tion of an earlier proclamation as the one posted in the billiard-room. March 14th, Prefect Castro to Gov. Pico. A report of the whole affair, enclos- ing past corresp., etc. Doc. Hist. Cal., MS., iii. 150; Dept. St. Pap., Ben. Pref. y Juzg., MS., ii. 88-90. March 14th, Sub-prefect Guerrero to Vallejo, announcing Frémont's flight 'en virtud de haber visto el entusiasmo de los hijos del pais.' Vallejo, Doc., MS., xii. 194. March 19th, Leidesdorff to Lar- kin. The news is that F. has run away, leaving a green cloak, 3 or 4 axes, some cash(!), and cooking utensils. Larkin's Doc., MS., iv. 72. No date, Rico to Castro. Rumor that F. was coming back to renew the struggle. He had told the rancheros to remain neutral or the devil would carry them off. Castro, Doc., MS., i. 129.

Later communications, in which events of the Gavilan are narrated, and which I have had occasion to quote already, are as follows: March 27th, Lar. kin to sec. state, in Larkin's Off. Corresp., MS., ii. 45-7; Niles' Reg., Ixxi. 189; Frémont's Cal. Claims, 66-8; Cutts' Conq., 145-6. The writer takes some pains in this and other letters to show that F. moved away leisurely, and not from fear of Castro. April 1st, Gen. Castro to min. of war, from Monitor Republicano, May 10th, in Niles' Reg., Ixxi. 187-8, criticised by Benton in Id., lxxi. Castro writes: 'Having organized a force of 150 men, I went to the vicinity of the sierra where Fremont had intrenched himself under the American flag. 1 was prepared to attack him in the night of the 10th, when he, taking advantage of the darkness, abandoned the fortification, doubtless precipitately, as we found there the next day some iron instruments and other things; and in trying to find the trail to know what direction they took, it was impossible on account of their having withdrawn in complete dispersion. This obliged me to stay for some days, until by some persons from the Tulares I was informed that the adventurers were taking the road by the river to the north.' April 2d, Larkin to sec. state. Similar in purport to that of March 27th. Thinks that F., who had been in no real danger, has gone to Sta Barbara. Larkin's Off. Corresp., MS., ii. 48-9; Niles' Reg., Ixxi. 189-90. April 4th, Prefect Castro to min. of rel. Doc. Hist. Cal., MS., iii. 157. April 18th, L. to sec. state. Castro and the rest state, and writer is inclined to believe, that the Cali- fornians had no intention of attacking F., but acted solely for effect in Mexico! Larkin's Off. Corresp., MS., ii. 51.

Castro's proclamation of March 13th, the original of which is in my pos- session, may be literally translated as follows: 'Fellow-citizens-a party of highwaymen who, without respecting the laws or authorities of the department, boldly entered the country under the leadership of Don J. C. Frémont, captain in the U. S. army, have disobeyed the orders of this comandancia general and of the prefecture of the 2d district, by which said leader was notified im- mediately to march beyond the bounds of onr territory; and without replying

OPERATIONS OF FREMONT AND GILLESPIE.

Frémont's act in defying the Californian authorities and raising the stars and stripes over his Gavilan camp had been, as we have seen, a most unwise and unjust- ifiable one. He had taken the step under a rash im- pulse of the moment, strengthened by the advice of irresponsible followers. As a United States officer, he had put himself in a false and compromising posi- tion -- and this even if it be admitted that he had been unfairly treated by Castro, which was by no means true. A little reflection made clear to him the error he had committed. Having once taken the step, nothing remained but to retreat, or to raise the stand- ard of revolt in favor of independence, and call on resident foreigners to support him. What he saw with his field-glass at San Juan indicated that he must deeide promptly; and Larkin's communication threw additional light on the real state of affairs. Fremont was not yet prepared to declare himself openly a fili- buster; and though it was a severe blow to his pride, he was obliged to run away. Larkin's letter arrived late in the afternoon of March 9th, and in the dark- ness of the same night the brave explorers-for their bravery is unquestionable, despite their retreat and the absurd fame of dime-novel heroes accorded them by many writers-left their famous camp on the Ga- vilan.36 Fremont's method of excusing his blunder was to say very little about it in detail, to allude to

to the said notes in writing, the said captain merely sent a verbal message that on the Sierra del Gavilan he was prepared to resist the forces which the authorities might send to attack him. The following measures of this com- mand and of the prefecture, putting in action all possible elements, produced as a result that he at the sight of 200 patriots abandoned the camp which he occupied, leaving in it some clothing and other war material, and according to the scouts took the route to the Tulares. Compatriots, the act of unfurling the American flag on the hills, the insults and threats offered to the author- ities, are worthy of execration and hatred from Mexicans; prepare, then, to defend our independence in order that united we may repel with a strong hand the audacity of men who, receiving every mark of true hospitality in our country, repay with such ingratitude the favors obtained from our cor- diality and benevolence. Headquarters at San Juan Bautista, March 13, 1846.

36 Martin, Narr., MS., 12, tells us that they left the fort on receipt of or- ders from Larkin. This suggests the idea that Fremont may very likely have put the matter in that light before his men, who were naturally not pleased with the retreat, and who knew little of a consul's powers.

THE CAPTAIN'S DEFENCE.

Castro's broken promise, and to imply rather than state directly-the rest being left to enthusiastic friends-that he acted in self-defence, Castro having raised the whole country in arms against him. The reader knows, however, not only that Castro broke no promise, but that he made no threats of attack ex- cept in case his order to quit the district should be disobeyed -an order which Fremont could have obeyed quite as well on the 6th as on the 10th of March. In a letter to Mrs Frémont, written a little later, the captain says: "About the middle of next month, at latest, I will start for home. The Spaniards were somewhat rude and inhospitable below, and or- dered us out of the country after having given me permission to winter there. My sense of duty did not permit me to fight them, but we retired slowly and growlingly before a force of three or four hundred men and three pieces of artillery. Without a shadow of a cause, the governor suddenly raised the whole country against us, issuing a false and scandalous proclamation. Of course I did not dare to compromise the United States, against which appearances would have been strong; but though it was in my power to increase my party by many Americans, I refrained from com- mitting a solitary act of hostility or impropriety. For my own part, I have become disgusted with everything belonging to the Mexicans. Our government will not require me to return by the southern route against the will of this government; I shall therefore return by the heads of the Missouri."37 To what extent these statements are true or false, the reader can judge.

Descending into the great valley, perhaps by the Pacheco Pass, on March 11th, Fremont crossed the San Joaquin in boats on the 13th, reached the Stan-

s7 April Ist, F. on the Sacramento to Mrs F. Viled' Reg., Ixxi. 190. Hittell, Ilist. S. F., 99, etc., gives briefly a correct view of Frémont's operations. He seems to be the only prominent writer who has not been led astray in this matter. Gilbert, in Yolo Co. Hist., also takes a correct view of the matter, as do a few other writers in similar publications.

OPERATIONS OF FREMONT AND GILLESPIE.

islaus the 16th, and arrived at New Helvetia the 21st, pitching his camp just across the American River. Three days later he moved on up the valley, visiting Keyser's rancho on Bear River, Cordua's on the Yuba, and Neal's on Butte Creek, and arriving at Lassen's on Deer Creek the 30th of March. The company remained here until April 5th; and after a week's trip up the valley to Cow Creek and back, they encamped again at Lassen's on April 11th-14th.38

While in the Sacramento Valley, Fremont sent Talbot down the river to obtain supplies at Yerba Buena.39 He also sent out men in various directions to buy horses from the Indians, a transaction that appears not to have given entire satisfaction to the former owners of the stolen animals. Testimony on this subjeet is, however, not of the best.40 Carson and Martin relate that while at Lassen's, the explorers were called upon by the settlers for aid against the Indians, who were threatening a general attack. The result was a raid in which the Indians were defeated at their village, a large number being slain in the battle.41

Yet another episode of the stay in this region was a

38 Frémont's Geog. Mem., 20-7, 57; Sutter's Diary, 7; Martin's Narr., MS., 12; Lancey's Cruise, 43-5. One of F.'s men arrived at Sutter's on the 20th. N. Helt. Diary, MS., 39. Sutter, Personal Remin., MS., 138, etc., describes Frémont's actions at this time as having been very mysterious and sus- picious.

39 Phelps' Fore and Aft, 283. Talbot left Sutter's on the launch on March 26th. N. HIelv. Diary, MS. He returned April 9th. Id. April 16th, Leides- dorff writes that he is daily expecting a draft from Fremont on account of money and supplies furnished since he left S. Juan. Doc. ITist. Cal., MS., iii. 172.

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History of California, Volume XXII, Part 3

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