USA > California > Merced County > History of Merced County, California with biographical sketches of prominent citizens > Part 9
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Mr. Hreox thinks he preached the first Protestant sermon in California at the funeral of a Miss Hitchcock, who died at San José, about December, 1846. Feeble in body and leaning upon a statl' he made his way to the house of mourning, where he found a few of the relatives of the deceased, who had assembled to bid farewell to their departed sister who had fallen far, far from home, Ilis remarks were based upon the following words, " Remember how short my time is."
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The first Methodist class was formed the latter part of Feb- ruary, 1848, and the Rev. E. Antony elected preacher, and Mr. Hecox appointed in charge of the work in San Jose.
''he gohl discovery, however, drew off the people very sud- deuly in the latter part of the year, and public worship was practically suspended for the time.
1846,-Alfred Baldwin came in 1846. When a boy, living in Delaware county, New York, he got very much interested in this Pacific region through reading Lewis and Clark's jonr- nal.
The desire to see this country that was sail to have no cold winters, grew upon him. Beiug in St. Louis in 1845 when a party was starting overland to Oregou he joined it.
They rachel their destination in the fall of 19h Baldwin came to San Francisco early in 191. He very soon enlistel under Purer James Il. Watmongh, purer of the sloop of war " Ports nonth," with others to see that there was no resistance to the flag of the United States, which had then just lawn raised They were stational at San Jose
PURSUIT OF STANISLAT'S INDIANS.
While they were there new, came down from the mission San Jose, that Indians from the San Joaquin neighborhood were making their usual raids and stenling all the horses
This was an uddl habit of the Indians, and frontier ranchos. like Marsh's or Livermore's, could not keep horses,
The spirit of the new flag did not propose to submit to these depredations. So, very promptly, Captain Watmaigh organ- izal a party to go and look after these matters. It consisted of some twenty-five or thirty men.
They went to the Indians lurking place on the Stanislaus river, and there camped for the night. By and by, in the dark- ness, n land of horses; came rushing on them.
The haliaus had stolen them from around the mission, as before remarked, and now as they thought they were driving them into their own secure retreat, they were driving them into the hands of our eneamped force.
The horses were secured and brought back, but the Indians themselves succeeded in getting away into the willows and thickets. Returning to San Jose, the party was ordered at once to go south in a vessel named Sterling to help take care of things there. Getting a little below Monterey, they met the Vandalia coming up with orders that they should return to Monterey, and there fit out an expedition and proceed in force down the coast by land. Back to Monterey they came. Men were sent to the Sacramento valley to get horses to mount the expedition. Mr. Ballwin, meanwhile, worked at his trade in Monterey, getting the harnesses ready for the hanling of the cannon.
BATTLE OF THE SALINAS.
1846 .- In the month of November, 1846, the requisite number of horses having been obtained, were about to be driven across the Salinas plain toward Monterey.
But just here, Pio Pico, who had heard of this coming band of horses, confronts them with a force of Californians.
Before he gets the horses, however, the men in charge of them turn them aside to a raticho in the hills, and on the next day go out to disperse the opposing California forces.
The battle of the Salinas resulted, and it went very hard with our few men. It is said to have been the only battle during the struggle for American rule in California that did go
46
THE BEAR FLAG WAR INAUGURATED.
hard with our forces The record is that Captain Foster, the officer in command, was killed, and eleven of his men. But the horse, were not captured. That night their faithful Indian guide, "Tom," broke through and carried the news to Monterey. The entire fore. there marched immediately over to the Salinas, but no energy was any longer to be found. The horses were obtained, the expolition was gotten ready, and moved down the country. Of course in December and onward they encoun- tered the rainy season, and the storms in the St. Inez moun- tains were terrible; but they got through at last, and accon- plished the object of their equipment.
1846 .- Eliho Authony came to California in 1846, from Indiana. He stopped first in San Jose, but moved with his family to Santa Cruz in January, 1848.
M. A. Meder came to California around the Horn, in 1846, arriving ju San Francisco, August Ist. He was a New England man, handy at any work, and before fong Isaac Gra- hai found him aud rugaged him to come to Santa Cruz, and help him repair his saw-mill on the Zyante creek. He came down and began to work there in February, 1847.
WORDS OF A PIONEER.
1846 .- Hon. Elam Brown, who resides at Lafayette, Contra Costa county, was prominent and active in aiding to establish the rule of the Americans, He was a member of the conven- tion that formed the Constitution at Monterey.
Mr. Brown participated in the first two sessions of the Legis- lature, What he lacked in ability and knowledge, he in a great measure made up in industry and economy.
Mr. Brown tells us: "I was eighty-three years old the 10th day of last June. I labor under the same embarrassment that the hunter did who could not shoot a duck; for when he took aim on one, another would put its head in the way. I find much less difficulty in collecting than in selecting incidents. My own and Mr. Nathaniel Jones' families were the first Ameri- eans that settled within the present bounds of this, Contra Costa county. There were no white families nearer than San José Mission. I settled on my present farm in 1848, and I expect to remain on it the balance of my time on earth."
Mr. Brown disclaims any praise over the tens of thousands of others who have equally participated and aided in the great work of reclaiming the vast waste of wilderness, that seventy- six years ago was almost entirely occupied by the native Indians and wild beasts, but now covered over with organized States, counties, cities, towns and farms, with all the comforts and conveniences of art and science that civilization confers. Being an eye-witness in the front line of a long march, the picture is plain. The work is large to those who have not seen the beginning and end of the whole extraordinary advance of settlement and civilization in America from the year 1804 to 1880.
These were some of the men who were at the head of affairs here in that stirring transition period between the two tlags, the Mexican and that of the United States, and the introdne- tion of California as a State of the American Union. This brings us to what is known as the Bear Flag War.
FIRST PAST PLOW.
Mr. Anthony's foundry made the first cast-iron plows ever constructed in California. Patterns were obtained from the East in 1848, and the castings inade and attached to the proper wood-work. Previous to this they had been imported and sokl at high figures. The modern plow was at this time supplant- ing the okt Mexican affair, illustrated and described elsewhere.
FIRST MINING PICK.
At this same foundry was inade, in the spring of 1848, the first picks for mining purposes. As soon as the report of gold discovery was known in Santa Cruz, Anthony went to manu- facturing picks for miners' use. He made seven and a half dozen. They were light and weighed only about three pounds each.
Thomas Fallon, now of San Jose, took them with his family in an ox-team across the mountains to the Sutter mines, or mill, to dispose of them. He sold ucarly all of them at three ounces of gold each ; but the last of the lot brought only two ounces cach, as by this time other parties had packed in a lot from Oregon.
BEAR FLAG WAR.
In 1846, the American settlers, many of whom had married Spanish ladies, learned that it was the intention of General Castro, theu Governor of California, to take measures for the expulsion of the foreigu element, and more especially of the Americans. Lieutenant John C. Fremont, of the United States Topographical engineers, was then eamped at the north end of the Buttes, being on his way to Oregon. The settlers sent a deputation to him, asking him to remain and give them the protection of his presence. Hc was afraid of a court-martial; but they argued with him that if he would take back to Waslı- ington his broken Lieutenant's commission in one hand and California in the other, he would be the greatest man in the nation. The bait was a tempting one. Fremout hesitated; but they kept alluring him nearer to the scene of action. On the 9th of June, 1846, there were some thirteen settlers in his camp at the month of Feather river, when William Knight, who had arrived in the country from Missouri in 1841, and had married a Spanish lady, came and informned them that Lieu- tenant Arei had passed his place-now Knight's Landing-that morning, going south, with a band of horses, to be used against the Americans in California.
SETTLERS RESOLVE TO FORM A GOVERNMENT.
THE SETTLERS ORGANIZE.
The settlers organized a company with Ezekiel Merritt tlu. oblast man among them, as captain, and gave chan to Arei They overtook him on the Commune river, and captured him and his horses. The Rubicon was now passed, and there was nothing to do but to go ahead. When they got back to Fre- inont's camp they found other settlers there, and on consulta- tion it was determined to capture Sonoma, the headquarters of Geneal M. G. Vallejo, the military commander of Northern
California. They gathered strength as they marched along. and when they got to John Grisly's place in Napa valley, they numbered thirty- three men, Here the company was reor- ganized and addressel by Dr. Robert Semple, afterwards Presi- dent of the Constitutional Convention. We give the account of the capture in General Vallejo's own words, at the Centen- nial exercises hohl nt Santa Rosa, July 4, 1874.
GEN. VALLEJO'S ACCOUNT.
" I have now to say something of the epoch which inangn- mated a new ern for this country. A little before dawn on June 14, 1864, a party uf hunters and trappers, with some Foreign settlers, under command of Captain Merritt, Doctor Semple, mal William B. Ide, surrounded my residence at Sonoma, and without firing a shot, made prisoners of myself, then commander of the northern frontier, of Lieutenant-Colonel Vietor Prudon, Cap- tain Salvador Vallejo, and Jacob P. Lcese. I shouldl here state that down to October, 1845, I had maintained at my own expense a respectable garrison at Sonoma, which often in union with the settlers, did good service in campaigns against the Indians ; but at last, tired of spending money which the Mexican Government never refunded, I disbanded the force, and most of the soldiers who had constituted it left Sonoina. Thus in June, 1846, the plaza was entirely unprotected, although there were ten pieces of artillery, with other arms and munitions of war. The parties who unfurled the Bear V'lag were well aware that Sonoma was without defense, and lost no time in taking advantage of this fact, and carrying out their plans.
"Years before, I had urgently represented to the Government of Mexico the necessity of stationing a sufficient force on the frontier, else Sonoma would be lost, which would be equivalent to leaving the rest of the country an easy prey to the iuvader. What think you, my friends, were the instructions sent ine in reply to my repeated demands for means to fortify the country ? These instructions were that I should at once force the emi- grants to recross the Sierra Nevada, and depart from the territory of the Republic. To say nothing of the inhumanity of these orders, their execution was physically impossible-first, because the immigrants came in autumn, when snow covered the Sierras so quickly as to make a return impracti- cable. Under the circumstances, not only I, but Command-
ante General l'astro, naval to provide the immigrants with letters of ~curity, that they might remain temporarily in the evantry We always ma lo a show of authority. but well con- vincul all the time that we ha l no power to resist the invasion which was coming upon ns. With the frankness of a soldier i can assure you that the American innmigrants never had cause to complain of the treatment they received at the hands of either authorities or citizens. They carried us as prisoners to Sacramento, and kept us in a calalange for sixty days or more, until the authority of the United States made itself respected, and the honorable and humane Conunodore Stockton returned us to our hearths."
FIRST MOVEMENT FOR INDEPENDENCE.
On the seizure of their prisoners the revolutionists at once
BAY OF SAN FRANCISCO IN 1846,
took steps to appoint a captain, who was found in the person of John Grigsby, for Ezekiel Merritt wished not to retain the permanent command. A meeting was then called at the bar- racks, situated at the north-east corner of the plaza, under the presidency of William B. Ide, Dr. Robert Semple being secretary. At this conference Semple urged the independence of the country, stating that having once commeneed they inust pro- ceed, for to turn back wascertain death. Before the dissolution of the convention, however, rmnors were rife that secret emis- saries were being dispatched to the Mexican rancheros, to inform them of the recent occurrences, therefore to prevent any attempt at a rescue, it was deemed best to transfer their prisoners to Sutter's Fort, where the danger of such would be less.
RESOLVED TO ESTABLISH A GOVERNMENT.
Before transferring their prisoners, however, a treaty, or agreement was entered into between the captives and captors, which will appear in the annexed documents kindly furnished to us by General Vallejo, and which have never before been
48
PROGRESS OF THE BEAR FLAG WAR.
given to the public. The first is in English, signed by the principal actors in the revolution and reads :-
" We, the undersigned, having resolved to establish a govern- ment upon Republican principals in connection with others of our fellow-citizens, and having taken up urins to support it, we have taken three Mexican officers as prisoners; General M. G. Vallejo, Lient. Col. Victor Prudon, and Captain D. Salvador Vallejo, having formed and published to the world no regular plan of government, feel it vur duty to say that it is not our intention to take or injure any person who is not found in opposition to the cause, nor will we take or destroy the prop- erty of private individuals further than is necessary for our immerliate support.
" EZEKIEL MERRITT, " R. SEMPLE,
WILLIAMI FALLON, SAMUEL KELSEY."
The second is in the Spanish language and reads as follows :-- "Const pr. la preste. qe. habiendo sido sorprendido pr. una numeros a fuerza armada qe. me tomó prisionero y à los gefes y officiales que. estaban de guarnicion en esta plaza de la qe. su apoderó la espresada fnerza, habiendola encontrado cabsolu- tamte, indefensa. tanto yo, como los S. S. Officiales qe anserihero comprometemos ,nue stra palabra de honor, de ye. estando bajo las garantias de prisionero da guerra, no toma- remos las armas ui a favor ni contra repetida fuerza armada de quien hemos recibiro la intimacion del momto. y un escrito fuinado qe, garantiza nuestras vidas, familias dé intereses, y los dle toto el vecindario de esta jurisdn. mientras no hagamos oposicion. Sonoma, Junio, 14 de 184G.
" M. G. VALLEJO. " SALVADOR VALLEJO. " VER. PRUDON."
GEN, VALLEJO CARRIED TO SUTTER'S FORT.
But to procced with our narrative of the removal of the general, his brother and Prudon to Sutter's Fort. A guard consisting of William B. Ide, as captain, Captain Grigsby, Captain Merritt, Kit Carson, William Hargrave, and five others left Sonoma for Sutter's Fort, with their prisoners upon horses actually supplied by General Vallejo himself. We are told that on the first night after leaving Sonoma with their pris- oners, tho revolutionists, with siugular inconsistency, encamped and went to sleep withont setting sentinel or guard; that during the night they were surrounded by a party under the command of Juan de Padilla, who erept up stealthily and awoke one of the prisoners, telling him that there was with him close at hand a strong aud well-armed force of rancheros, who, if need be, could surprise and slay the Americans before there was time for them to fly to arms, but that he, Padilla, before giving such instructions waited the orders of General Vallejo, whose rank entitled him to the command of any such demoustratiou.
The general was cautiously aroused and the scheme divulged to him, but with a self-sacritice which cannot be too highly commendled, answered that he should go voluntarily with his guards, that he anticipated a speedy and satisfactory settlement of the whole matter, advised Padilla to return to his rancho and disperse his hand, and positively refused to permit any violence to the guard, as he was convinced that such wonkl lead to disastrous consequences, and probably involve the rancheros and their families in ruin, without accomplishing any good result.
Having traveled about two-thirds of the way from Sutter's Fort, Captain Merrit and Kit Carson rode ou ahend with the news of the capture of Sonoma, desiring that arrangements be inale for the reception of the prisoners. They entered the fort early in the morning of June 16th.
THE BEAR FLAG.
On the seizure of the citadel of Sonoma, the Independents found floating from the flag-staff-hend the llag of Mexico, a fact which had escaped notice during the bustle of the morning, it was at once lowered, and they set to work to devise a banner which they should claim as their own, They were as one on the subject of there being a star on the groundwork, but they taxed their iugeunity to have some other device, for the " lone star" had been already appropriated by Texas.
So many accounts of the manufacture of this insignia have been published that we give the reader those quoted by the writer in The Pioneer :-
" A piece of cotton cloth," says Mr. Lancey, " was obtained, and a man hy the name of Todd proceeded to paint from a pot of red paint a star in the corner. Before it was finished Henry L. Ford, one of the party, proposed to paint on the center, facing the star, a grizzly bear. This was unanimously agreed to, aud the grizzly bear was painted accordingly. When it was done the flag was taken to the flag-staff, and hoisted amid the hurrahs of the little party, who swore to defend it with their lives."
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 evidence of the officer who hauled down the Bear flag and replaced it with the stars and stripes on July 9, 1846.
The Western Shore Gazetter has the following version: "On the 14th of June, 1846, this little handful of men proclaimed California a free and independent 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
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RES.OF C.C. NELSON, 5 MILES SOUTH EAST OF MERCEO. MERCED CO.CAL.
RES.OF E. T. GIVENS, 7 MILES SOUTH OF MERCED, MERCED CO. CAL.
THE SETTLERS ORGANIZE THEIR FORCES,
the flag was a representation of a bar, ca perant, paint I with Venetian red, and in one corner was paintel a star of the. same color. I'mder the bear ware inscribed the words, ' Requale lie of California,' put on with common writing ink. This tia_ is preurval by the California l'unver Association, and may to meu 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 Fing, tells its story: " The rest of the revolution- ary party remained in povesion of the town. Among them were three young men-Told, Benjamin Duell, and Thomas Cowie. A few days after the capture, in a casual conversation between these young men, the matter of a flag enme up. They had no authority to raise the American flag, and they deter- mined to make one. Their general idea was to imitate, with- out following too closely their national ensign. Mrs. W. B. Elliott had been brought to the town of Sonoma by her hins. band from his ranch on Musk West creek for safety. The owl Elliott cabin may be seen to this day on Mark West creek, nbont a mile above the Springs. From Mrs. Elliott, Benjamin Duell got a piece of new red flannel, some white domestic, needles, and thrend. A piece of bine drilling was obtained elsewhere.
So from this material, without consultation with any one else, these three young men made the Bear flag. Cowie lind been a saddler, Duell had also served a short time at the same Irade. To ferm the flag, Duell and Cowie sewed together alternate strips of red, white, and blue. Todd drew in the upper comer a star and painted on the lower a rude picture of n 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 Hag 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 mnay, 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 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 tlag, which was soon to be replaced by that of the Republic, for the first time floated on the breeze."
IDE'S RECORD OF THE FLAG.
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 qnote the following portion of a letter from James G. Bleak :-
" ST. GEORGE, Utah, 16th of April, ISTS.
" Tu William Winter, Egg. Secretary of lavariation . Terri turial l'inter of t'aijenia'-
"DEAR SIR: - Your communication of the 3d instant is placed in my hands by the widow of a departed friend -James 31 Ide, Son of William B .- as I have at present in my charge some of his papers. fu reply to your question asking for ' the correct date' of raising the ' Bear tag' at Sonoma, in 1846, 1 will quote from the writing of William B Ide, decreased :-
"The said Beartlag (was) male of plane plain) cotton cloth, and ornamented with the red tlaunel of a shirt from the back of one of the men, and christened by the 'California Republic,' in red paint letters on both sides; (it) was raised upon the standard where lind floated on the breezes the Mexican flag aforetime ; it was the 14th of 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.'"
IDE'S REMARKABLE SPEECH.
The garrison being now in possession, it was necessary to elect officers; therefore, Henry L. Ford was elected First Lieu- tenant; Granville P. Swift, First Sergeant; and Samuel Gilson, Second Sergeant. Sentries were posted, and a system of mili- tary routine inaugurated. In the forenoon, while on parade, Lieutenant Ford addressed the company in these words :-
" My countrymen! We have taken upon ourselves a very responsible duty. We have entered into a war with the Mexi- can nation. We are bound to defeud each other or be shot! There's uo half-way place about it. To defend ourselves, we must have discipline. Each of you has had a voice in choosing your officers. Now they are chosen, they must be obeyed:"
To which the entire band responded that the anthority of the officers should be supported. For point and brevity this is almost equal to the speech put in the mouths of some of his military heroes by Tacitus, the great Roman historian,
IDE ORGANIZES THE FORCES,
The words of William B. Ide 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 Com- pany were busied iu cleaning, repairing and loading the small arms. The commander, after setting a guard and posting a sentinel on one of the highest buildlings to watch the approach of any persons who might feel a curiosity to inspect our opera- tions, directed his leisure to the establishment of some system of finance, wherehy all the defenders' families might be brought within the lines of our garrison and supported. Ten thousand
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