USA > California > Marin County > History of Marin County, California also an historical sketch of the state of California > Part 8
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Of this matter Lieutenant Revere says: "A flag was also hoisted bearing a grizzly bear rampant, with one stripe below, and the words 'Republic of California,' above the bear, and a single star in the Union." This is the evi- dence of the officer who hauled down the Bear flag and replaced it with the Stars and Stripes on July 9, 1846.
The Western Shore Gazetteer has the following version: "On the 14th of June, 1846, this little handful of men proclaimed California a free and inde- pendent republic, and on that day hoisted their flag, known as the 'Bear flag;' this consisted of a strip of worn-out cotton domestic, furnished by Mrs. Kelley, bordered with red flannel, furnished by Mrs. John Sears, who had fled from some distant part to Sonoma for safety upon hearing that war had been thus commenced. In the center of the flag was a representation of a bear, en passant, painted with Venetian red, and in one corner was painted a star of the same color. Under the bear were inscribed the words 'Republic of California,' put on with common writing ink. This flag is preserved by the California Pioneer Association, and may be seen at their rooms in San Francisco. It was designed and executed by W. L. Todd."
The Sonoma Democrat under the caption, A True History of the Bear Flag, tells its story: "The rest of the revolutionary party remained in pos- session of the town. Among them were three young men, Todd, Benjamin Duell and Thomas Cowie. A few days after the capture, in a casual conver- sation between these young men, the matter of a flag came up. They had no authority to raise the American flag, and they determined to make one. Their general idea was to imitate without following too closely their national ensign. Mrs. W. B. Elliott had been brought to the town of Sonoma by her husband from his ranch on Mark West creek for safety. The old Elliott cabin may be seen to this day on Mark West creek, about a mile above the Springs. From Mrs. Elliott, Ben Duell got a piece of new red flannel, some white domestic, needles and thread. A piece of blue drilling was obtained elsewhere. From this material, without consultation with any one else, these three young men made the Bear Flag. Cowie had been a saddler. Duell had also served a short time at the same trade. To form the flag Duell and Cowie sewed together alternate strips of red, white, and blue. Todd drew in the upper corner a star and painted on the lower a rude picture of a grizzly bear, which was not standing as has been sometimes represented, but was drawn with head down. The bear was afterwards adopted as the design of the great seal of the State of California. On the original flag it was so rudely executed that two of those who saw it raised have told us that it looked more like a hog than a bear. Be that as it may, its meaning was plain-that the revolutionary party would, if necessary, fight their way through at all hazards. In the language of our informant, it meant that
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there was no back out; they intended to fight it out. There were no halyards on the flag-staff which stood in front of the barracks. It was again reared, and the flag which was soon to be replaced by that of the Republic for the first time floated on the breeze."
Besides the above quoted authorities, John S. Hittell, historian of the Society of California Pioneers, San Francisco, and H. H. Bancroft, the Pacific Coast historian, fixed the dates of the raising of the Bear flag as June 12th and June 15th, respectively. William Winter, Secretary of the Association of Territorial Pioneers of California, and Mr. Lancey, questioned the correct- ness of these dates, and entered into correspondence with all the men known to be alive who were of that party, and others who were likely to throw any light on the subject. Among many answers received, we quote the following portion of a letter from James G. Bleak :-
"ST. GEORGE, UTAH, 16th of April, 1878.
" To William Winter, Esq., Secretary of Association 'Territorial Pioneers of California'-
"DEAR SIR :- Your communication of 3d instant is placed in my hands by the widow of a departed friend-James M. Ide, son of William B .- as I have at present in my charge some of his papers. In reply to your question ask- ing for 'the correct date' of raising the 'Bear Flag' at Sonoma, in 1846, I will quote from the writing of William B. Ide, deceased: 'The said Bear flag (was) made of plane (plain) cotton cloth, and ornamented with the red flan- nel of a shirt from the back of one of the men, and christened by the 'Cali- fornia Republic,' in red paint letters on both sides; (it) was raised upon the standard where had floated on the breezes the Mexican flag aforetime; it was the 14th June, '46. Our whole number was twenty-four, all told. The mechanism of the flag was performed by William L. Todd, of Illinois. The grizzly bear was chosen as an emblem of strength and unyielding resistance.'"
The following testimony conveyed to the Los Angeles Express from the artist of the flag, we now produce as possibly the best that can be found :-
"Los ANGELES, January 11, 1878.
"Your letter of the 9th inst. came duly to hand, and in answer I have to say in regard to the making of the original Bear flag of California, at Sonoma, in 1846, that when the Americans, who had taken up arms against the Span- ish regime, had determined what kind of a flag should be adopted, the follow- ing persons performed the work: Granville P. Swift, Peter Storm, Henry L. Ford and myself; we procured in the house where we made our headquarters, a piece of new unbleached cotton domestic, not quite a yard wide, with strips of red flannel about four inches wide, furnished by Mrs. John Sears, on the lower side of the canvas. On the upper left hand corner was a star, and in the center was the image made to represent a grizzly bear passant, so common in this country at the time. The bear and star were painted with paint made
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of linseed oil and Venetian red or Spanish brown. Underneath the bear were the words 'California Republic.' The other persons engaged with me got the materials together, while I acted as artist. The forms of the bear and star and the letters were first lined out with pen and ink by myself, and the two forms were filled in with the red paint, but the letters with ink. The flag mentioned by Mr. Hittell with the bear rampant, was made, as I always understood, at Santa Barbara, and was painted black. Allow me to say, that at that time there was not a wheelwright shop in California. The flag I painted, I saw in the rooms of the California Pioneers in San Francisco, in 1870, and the secretary will show it to any person who will call on him, at any time. If it is the one that I painted, it will be known by a mistake in tinting out the words 'California Republic.' The letters were first lined out with a pen, and I left out the letter 'I,' and lined out the letter 'C' in its place. But afterwards I lined out the letter 'I' over the 'C,' so that the last syllable of 'Republic' looks as if the two last letters were blended.
" Yours respectfully, WM. L. TODD."
The San Francisco Evening Post of April 20, 1874, has the following: "General Sherman has just forwarded to the Society of California Pioneers the guidon which the Bear Company bore at the time of the conquest of California. The relic is of white silk, with a two-inch wide red stripe at the bottom, and a bear in the center, over which is the inscription: ' Republic of California.' It is accompanied by the following letter from the donor :-
" Society of California Pioneers, San Francisco, California-GENTLEMEN: At the suggestion of General Sherman I beg leave to send to your Society herewith a guidon formerly belonging to the Sonoma troop of the California Battalion of 1846 for preservation. This guidon I found among the effects of that troop when I hauled down the Bear Flag and substituted the flag of the United States at Sonoma, on the 9th of July, 1846, and have preserved it ever since. Very respectfully, etc.
"'Jos. W. REVERE, Brigadier-General. "Morristown, N. J., February 20, 1874.'"
The garrison being now in possession, it was necessary to elect officers, therefore, Henry L. Ford was elected First Lieutenant; Granville P. Swift, First Sergeant; and Samuel Gibson, Second Sergeant. Sentries were posted, and a system of military routine inaugurated. In the forenoon, while on parade, Lieutenant Ford addressed the company in these words: "My coun- trymen ! We have taken upon ourselves a very responsible duty. We have entered into a war with the Mexican nation. We are bound to defend each other or be shot! There's no half-way place about it. To defend ourselves, we must have discipline. Each of you has had a voice in choosing your offi- cers. Now they are chosen they must be obeyed!" To which the entire band responded that the authority of the officers should be supported. The words
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of William B. Ide, in continuation of the letter quoted above, throw further light upon the machinery of the civil-military force: "The men were divided into two companies of ten men each. The First Artillery were busily engaged in putting the cannons in order, which were charged doubly with grape and canister. The First Rifle Company were busied in cleaning, repairing and loading the small arms. The Commander, after setting a guard and posting a sentinel on one of the highest buildings to watch the approach of any per- sons who might feel a curiosity to inspect our operations, directed his leisure to the establishment of some system of finance, whereby all the defenders' families might be brought within the lines of our garrison and supported. Ten thousand pounds of flour were purchased on the credit of the government, and deposited with the garrison. And an account was opened, on terms agreed upon, for a supply of beef, and a few barrels of salt, constituted our main supplies. Whisky was contrabanded all together. After the first round of duties was performed, as many as could be spared off guard were called together and our situation fully explained to the men by the commanders of the garrison.
"It was fully represented that our success-nay, our very life depended on the magnanimity and justice of our course of conduct, coupled with sleepless vigilance and care. (But ere this we had gathered as many of the surround- ing citizens as was possible, and placed them out of harm's way, between four strong walls. They were more than twice our number.) The commander chose from these strangers the most intelligent, and by the use of an interpre- ter went on to explain the cause of our coming together. Our determination to offer equal protection and equal justice to all good and virtuous citizens; that we had not called them there to rob them of any portion of their prop- erty, or to disturb them in their social relations one with another; nor yet to desecrate their religion."
As will be learned from the foregoing the number of those who were under the protection of the Bear flag within Sonoma, had been considerably increased. A messenger had been dispatched to San Francisco to inform Captain Mont- gomery, of the United States ship "Portsmouth," of the action taken by them, he further stating that it was the intention of the insurgents never to lay down their arms until the independence of their adopted country had been established. Another message was dispatched about this time but in a differ- ent direction. Lieutenant Ford, finding that the magazine was short of powder, sent two men named Cowie and Fowler, to the Sotoyome rancho, owned by H. D. Fitch, for a bag of rifle powder. The former messenger returned, the latter, never. Before starting, they were cautioned against proceeding by traveled ways; good advice, which, however, they only followed for the first ten miles of their journey, when they struck into the main thoroughfare to Santa Rosa. At about two miles from that place they were attacked and slaughtered by a party of Californians. Two others were dispatched on special duty, they,.
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too, were captured, but were treated better. Receiving no intelligence from either of the parties, foul play was suspected, therefore, on the morning of the 20th of June, Sergeant Gibson was ordered with four men, to proceed to the Sotoyome rancho, learn, if possible, the whereabouts of the missing men, and procure the powder. They went as directed, secured the ammunition, but got no news of the missing men. As they were passing Santa Rosa, on their . return, they were attacked at daylight by a few Californians, and turning upon their assailants, captured two of them, Blas Angelina, and Bernadino Garcia, alias Three-fingered Jack, and took them to Sonoma. They told of the taking and slaying of Cowie and Fowler, and that their captors were Ramon Mesa Domingo, Mesa Juan Padilla, Ramon Carrillo, Barnardino Garcia, Blas Angelina, Francisco Tibran, Ygnacio Balensuella, Juan Peralta, Juan Soleto, Inaguan Carrello, Marieno Merando, Francisco Garcia, Ygnacio Stig- ger. The story of their death is a sad one. After Cowie and Fowler had been seized by the Californians, they encamped for the night, and the follow- ing morning determined in council what should be the fate of their captives. A swarthy New Mexican, named Mesa Juan Padilla, and Three-fingered Jack, the Californian, were loudest in their denunciation of the prisoners as deserving of death, and unhappily their counsels prevailed. The unfortunate young men were then led out, stripped naked, bound to a tree with a lariat, while, for a time, the inhuman monsters practised knife-throwing at their naked bodies, the victims the while praying to be shot. They then com- menced throwing stones at them, one of which broke the jaw of Fowler. The fiend, Three-fingered Jack, then advancing, thrust the end of his lariat (a rawhide rope) through the mouth, cut an incision in the throat, and then made a tie, by which the jaw was dragged out. They next proceeded to kill them slowly with their knives. Cowie, who had fainted, had the flesh stripped from his arms and shoulders, and pieces of flesh were cut from their bodies and crammed into their mouths, they being finally disemboweled Their mutilated remains were afterwards found and buried where they fell, upon the farm now owned by George Moore, two miles north of Santa Rosa. No stone marks the grave of these pioneers, one of whom took so con- spicuous a part in the events which gave to the Union the great State of Cali- fornia.
Three-fingered Jack was killed by Captain Harry Love's Rangers, July 27, 1853, at Pinola Pass, near the Merced river, with the bandit, Joaquin Murietta; while Ramon Carrillo met his death at the hands of the Vigi- lantes, between Los Angeles and San Diego, May 21, 1864. At the time of his death, the above murder, in which it was said he was implicated, became the subject of newspaper comment, indeed, so bitter were the remarks made, that on June 4, 1864, the Sonoma Democrat published a letter from Julio Carrillo, a respected citizen of Santa Rosa, an extract from which we reproduce :-
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" But I wish more particularly to call attention to an old charge, which I presume owes its revival to the same source, to wit: That my brother, Ramon Carrillo, was connected with the murder of two Americans, who had been taken prisoners by a company commanded by Juan Padilla in 1846.
"I presume this charge first originated from the fact that my brother had · been active in raising the company which was commanded by Padilla, and from the further fact that the murder occurred near the Santa Rosa farm, then occupied by my mother's family.
" Notwithstanding these appearances, I have proof which is incontestible, that my brother was not connected with this affair, and was not even aware that these men had been taken prisoners until after they had been killed. The act was disapproved of by all the native Californians at the time, except- ing those implicated in the killing, and caused a difference which was never entirely healed.
"There are, as I believe, many Americans now living in this vicinity, who were here at the time, and who know the facts I have mentioned. I am ready to furnish proof of what I have said to any who may desire it."
The messenger despatched to the U. S. ship " Portsmouth " returned on the 17th in company with the First Lieutenant of that ship, John Storny Miss- room and John E. Montgomery, son and clerk of Captain Montgomery, who despatched by express, letters from that officer to Fremont and Sutter. These arrived the following day, the 18th, and the day after, the 19th, Fremont came to Sutter's with twenty-two men and José Noriega of San José and Vicente Peralta as prisoners.
At Sonoma on this day, June 18th, Captain William B. Ide, with the con- sent of the garrison, issued the following :--
" A proclamation to all persons and citizens of the District of Sonoma, requesting them to remain at peace and follow their rightful occupations with- out fear of molestation.
" The commander-in-chief of the troops assembled at the fortress of Sonoma gives his inviolable pledge to all persons in California, not found under arms, that they shall not be disturbed in their persons, their property, or social rela- tion, one with another, by men under his command.
" He also solemnly declares his object to be :- first, to defend himself and companions in arms, who were invited to this country by a promise of lands on which to settle themselves and families; who were also promised a Repub- lican Government; when, having arrived in California, they were denied the privilege of buying or renting lands of their friends, who, instead of being allowed to participate in or being protected by a Republican Government, were oppressed by a military despotism; who were even threatened by proc- lamation by the chief officers of the aforesaid despotism with extermination if they should not depart out of the country, leaving all their property, arms" and beasts of burden; and thus deprived of their means of flight or defense,
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were to be driven through deserts inhabited by hostile Indians, to certain destruction.
"To overthrow a government which has siezed upon the property of the missions for its individual aggrandizement; which has ruined and shamefully oppressed the laboring people of California by enormous exactions on goods imported into the country, is the determined purpose of the brave men who are associated under my command.
" I also solemnly declare my object, in the second place, to be to invite all peaceable and good citizens of California who are friendly to the maintenance of good order and equal rights, and I do hereby invite them to repair to my camp at Sonoma without delay to assist us in establishing and perpetuating a Republican Government, which shall secure to all, civil and religious liberty ; which shall encourage virtue and literature; which shall leave unshackled by fetters, agriculture, commerce and manufactures.
"I further declare that I rely upon the rectitude of our intentions, the favor of heaven and the bravery of those who are bound and associated with me by the principles of self-preservation, by the love of truth and the hatred of tyranny, for my hopes of success.
" I furthermore declare that I believe that a government to be prosperous and happy must originate with the people who are friendly to its existence; that the citizens are its guardians, the officers its servants, its glory its reward. " WILLIAM B. IDE.
"Headquarters, Sonoma, June 18, 1846."
The Pioneer says Captain William B. Ide was born in Ohio, came over- land, reaching Sutter's Fort in October, 1845. June 7, 1847, Governor Mason appointed him land surveyor for the northern district of California, and same month was Justice of the Peace at Cache Creek. At an early day he got a grant of land which was called the rancho Barranca Colorado, just below Red Creek in Colusa county, as it was then organized. In 1851 he was elected county treasurer, with an assessment roll of three hundred and seventy-three thousand two hundred and six dollars. Moved with the county seat to Mon- roeville, at the mouth of Stoney Creek, September 3, 1851, he was elected County Judge of Colusa county, and practiced law, having a license. Judge Ide died of small-pox at Monroeville on Saturday, December 18, 1852, aged fifty years.
Let us for a moment turn to the doings of Castro. On June 17th, he issued two proclamations, one to the new, the other to the old citizens and foreign- ers. Appended are translations :-
"The citizen José Castro, Lieutenant-Colonel of Cavalry in the Mexican Army, and acting General Commandant of the Department of California.
"FELLOW CITIZENS :- The contemptible policy of the agents of the United States of North America in this Department has induced a number of adventurers, who, regardless of the rights of men, have designedly commenced
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an invasion, possessing themselves of the town of Sonoma, taking by surprise all the place, the military commander of that border, Col. Don Mariano Guad- alupe Vallejo, Lieutenant-Colonel Don Victor Prudon, Captain Don Salvador Vallejo and Mr. Jacob P. Leese.
"Fellow countrymen, the defense of our liberty, the true religion which our fathers possessed, and our independence call upon us to sacrifice our- selves rather than lose those inestimable blessings. Banish from your hearts all petty resentments. Turn you and behold yourselves, these families, these innocent little ones, which have unfortunately fallen into the hands of our enemies, dragged from the bosoms of their fathers, who are prisoners among foreigners and are calling upon us to succor them. There is still time for us to rise en masse, as irresistible as retribution. You need not doubt but that divine Providence will direct us in the way to glory. You should not vacillate because of the smallness of the garrison of the general head- quarters, for he who will first sacrifice himself will be your friend and fellow- citizen.
JOSE CASTRO.
" Headquarters, Santa Clara, June 17, 1846."
"The citizen José Castro, Lieutenant-Colonel of Cavalry in the Mexican Army and Acting Commandant of the Department of California.
" All foreigners residing among us, occupied with their business, may rest assured of the protection of all the authorities of the Department while they refrain entirely fron all revolutionary movements.
"The general comandancia under my charge will never proceed with vigor against any persons; neither will its authority result in mere words, wanting proof to support it. Declarations shall be taken, proofs executed, and the liberty and rights of the laborious, which is ever commendable, shall be pro- tected.
"Let the fortunes of war take its chance with those ungrateful men, who, with arms in their hands, have attacked the country, without recollecting that they were treated by the undersigned with all the indulgence of which he is so characteristic. The imperative inhabitants of the department are witness to the truth of this. I have nothing to fear; my duty leads me to death or victory. I am a Mexican Soldier, and I will be free and independ- ent, or I will gladly die for those inestimable blessings.
"JOSE CASTRO.
"Headquarters, Santa Clara, June 17, 1846."
On June 20th, a body of about seventy Californians, under Captain José Joaquin de la Torre, crossed the bay of San Francisco, and being joined by Correo and Padea, marched to the vicinity of San Rafael, while General Castro had, by the utmost pressure, raised his forces to two hundred and fifty men, most of them being forced volunteers. Of this system of recruit- ing Lieutenant Revere says: "I heard that on a feast day, when the
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rancheros came to the mission in their 'go-to-meeting' clothes, with their wives and children, Castro seized their horses, and forced the men to volunteer in defense of their homes, against los Salvages Americanos." - Castro, at the head of his army, on the evening of the 27th of June, marched out of Santa Clara, and proceeding around the head of the Bay of San Francisco, as far as the San Leandro creek, halted on the rancho of Estudillo, where we shall leave them for the present.
Captain J. C. Fremont having concluded that it had become his duty to take a personal part in the revolution which he had fostered, on June 21st transferred his impedimenta to the safe keeping of Captain Sutter at the fort, and recrossing the American river, encamped on the Sinclair rancho, where he was joined by Pearson B. Redding and all the trappers about Sutter's Fort, and there awaited orders. On the afternoon of the 23d, Harrison Pierce, who had settled in the Napa valley in 1843, came into their camp, having ridden the eighty miles with but one change of horses, which he procured from John R. Wolfskill, on Putah creek, now Solano county, and conveyed to Fremont the intelligence that the little garrison at Sonoma was greatly excited, consequent on news received that General Castro, with a considerable force, was advancing on the town and hurling threats of recap- ture and hanging of the rebels. On receiving the promise of Fremont to come to their rescue as soon as he could put ninety men into the saddle, Pierce obtained a fresh mount, and returned without drawing rein to the anxious garrison, who received him and his message with every demonstration of joy. Fremont having found horses for his ninety mounted rifles left the Sinclair rancho on June 23d-a curious looking cavalcade, truly. One of the party writes of them :-
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