USA > California > San Benito County > History of San Benito County, California : with illustrations descriptive of its scenery, farms, residences, public buildings, factories, hotels, business houses, schools, churches, and mines : with biographical sketches of prominent citizens > Part 9
Note: The text from this book was generated using artificial intelligence so there may be some errors. The full pages can be found on Archive.org (link on the Part 1 page).
Part 1 | Part 2 | Part 3 | Part 4 | Part 5 | Part 6 | Part 7 | Part 8 | Part 9 | Part 10 | Part 11 | Part 12 | Part 13 | Part 14 | Part 15 | Part 16 | Part 17 | Part 18 | Part 19 | Part 20 | Part 21 | Part 22 | Part 23 | Part 24 | Part 25 | Part 26 | Part 27 | Part 28 | Part 29 | Part 30 | Part 31 | Part 32 | Part 33 | Part 34 | Part 35 | Part 36 | Part 37 | Part 38 | Part 39
Mr. Hecox 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 staff 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. His remarks were based upon the following words, " Remember how short my time is."
The first Methodist elass 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 José.
The gold discovery, however, drew off the people very sud- denly 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 jour- nal.
The desire to see this country that was said to have no cokl winters, grew upon hin. Being in St. Louis in 1845 when a party was starting overland to Oregon he joined it.
They reached their destination in the fall of 1845, Mr. Baldwin came to San Francisco early in 1846. He very soon unlisted nnder Purser James H. Watmongh, purser of the sloop of war " Portsmonth," with others, to sec that there was no resistance to the flag of the United States, which had then just been raised. They were stationed at San José.
PURSUIT OF STANISLAUS INDIANS.
While they were there news came down from the mission San José, that Indians from the San Joaquin neighborhood were making their usual raids and stealing all the horses.
This was an old 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 dlepredations. So, very promptly, Captain Watmough organ- izedl a party to go and look after these matters. It consisted of some twenty-five or thirty nien.
They went to the Indians' lurking place on the Stanislaus river, and there camped for the night. By and by, in the dark- ness, a hand of horses come rushing on them.
The Indians 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 encamped force.
The horses were secured and brought back, but the Indians themselves succeeded in getting away into the willows and thickets. Returning to San José, 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 inet the Vandalia coming np with orders that they should return to Monterey, and there fit out an expedition and proceed in force down the coast by laud. Back to Monterey they caine. Men were sent to the Sacramento valley to get horses to mount the expedition. Mr. Baldwin, meanwhile, worked at his trade in Monterey, getting the harnesses ready for the hauling 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 thein aside to a rancho 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 comminand, was killed, and eleven of bis men. But the horses were not captured. That night their faithful Indian guide, "Tom," broke through and carried the news to Mouterey. The entire force there marched immediately over to the Salinas, but no enemy was any longer to be found. The horses were obtained, the expedition was gotten ready, and moved down the country. Of course in December and on ward they encoun- tered the rainy season, and the storms in the St. Inez moun- tains were terrible; but they got through at last, and accom- plished the object of their equipnient.
1846 .- Elihu Anthony came to California in 1846, from Indiana. He stopped first in San José, but moved with his family to Santa Cruz in January, 1848.
M. A. Mcder came to California around the Horn, in 1846, arriving in San Francisco, Angust Ist. He was a New England man, handy at any work, and before long Isaac Gra- ham found him and engaged him to come to Santa Cruz, and help him repair his saw-inill 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 dnek; 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- cans that settled within the present bounds of this, Contra Costa county. There were no white families nearer than San Jose 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 auy 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 au 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 180-4 to 1880.
These were some of the men who were at the head of affairs bere in that stirring transition period between the two flags, the Mexican and that of the United States, and the introduc- tion of California as a State of the American Union. This brings us to what is known as the Bear Flag War.
FIRST CAST 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 made and attached to the proper wood-work. Previons to this they had been imported and sold at high figures. The modern plow was at this time snpplant- ing the old Mexican affair, illustrated and described elsewhere.
FIRST MINING PICK.
At this same foundry was made, 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 mann- facturing picks for miners' nse. He made seven and a half dozen. They were light and weighed only abont three pounds each.
Thomas Fallon, now of San Jose, took tbem with his family in an ox-team across the mountains to the Sntter mines, or mill, to dispose of them. Hc sold nearly all of them at three ounces of gold each ; but the last of the lot brought only two ounces each, 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, then Governor of California, to take measures for the expulsion of the foreign element, and more especially of the Americans. Lieutenant John C. Fremont, of the United States Topographical engineers, was then camped at the north eud of the Buttes, being on his way to Oregon. The settlers sent a depntation to him, asking him to remain and give them the protection of his presence. He was afraid of a court-martial; but they argued with him that if he would take back to Wash- iugton his broken Lientenant's commission in one haud and California in the other, he would be the greatest man in the nation. The bait was a tempting one. Fremont 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 mouth of Feather river, when William Knight, who had arrived in the country from Missouri in 1841, and had married a Spanish ladly, camo aud informed them that Lieu- tenant Arci bad passed his place-now Knight's Landing-that morning, going south, with a band of horses, to be used against the Americans in California.
47
SETTLERS RESOLVE TO FORM A GOVERNMENT.
TIIE SETTLERS ORGANIZE,
The settlers organized a company with Ezekiel Merritt, the oldest man among them, as captain, and gave chase to Arci. They overtook him on the Cosumne river, and captured him and his horses. The Rubicon was now passed, and there was nothing to do but to go aheadl. 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 head-quarters of Gencal M. G. Vallejo, the military commander of Northern California. They gathered strength as they marched along, and when they got to Jobn Grigsby's place in Napa valley, they numbered thirty-three men. Here the company was reor- ganized and addressed 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 held at Santa Rosa, July 4, 1876.
GEN, VALLEJO'S ACCOUNT.
" I have now to say something of the epoch which inangu- rated a new era for this country. A little before dawn on June 14, 1864, a party of hunters and trappers, with some foreign settlers, under commaud of Captain Merritt, Doctor Semple, and 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 Victor Prudon, Cap- tain Salvador Vallejo, and Jacob P. Leesc. I should here state that down to October, 1845, I had maintaincd at my own expense a respcetable 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 uever refunded, I disbanded the force, and most of the soldiers who had constituted it left Sonoma, 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 Flag 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 froutier, else Sonoma would be lost, which would be equivalent to leaving the rest of the country an easy prey to the invader. What think you, my friends, were the instructions sent me in reply to my repcated demands for means to fortify the country? These instructions were that I should at once force tbc 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 Castro, resolved to provide the immigrants with letters of security, that they might remain temporarily in the country. We always made a show of authority, but well con- vinced all the time that we had no power to resist the invasion which was coming upon us. With the frankness of a soldier I eau assure you that the American immigrants never had canse to camplain of the treatment they received at the hands of either anthorities or citizens. They carried us as prisoners to Sacramento, and kept us in a calaboose for sixty days or more, until the authority of the United States made itself respected, and the honorable and humane Commodore Stockton returned ns to our hearths."
FIRST MOVEMENT FOR INDEPENDENCE.
On the scizure of their prisoners the revolutionists at onco
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-cast corner of the plaza, under the presidency of William B. Ide, Dr. Robert Semple being secretary. At this couference Semple urged the independence of the country, stating that having once commenced they must pro- cecd, for to turn back was certain death. Before the dissolution of the convention, however, rumors were rife that seeret emis- saries were being dispatched to the Mexican rancheros, to inform them of the recent occurrences, therefore to prevent any attempt at a resenc, 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 buen
48
PROGRESS OF THE BEAR FLAG WAR.
given to the publie. 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 arms to support it, we have taken three Mexican officers as prisoners; General M. G. Vallejo, Lieut, Col. Vietor Prudon, and Captain D. Salvador Vallejo, having formed and published to the world no regular plan of government, feel it our duty to say that it is not our intention to take or injure any person who is not found in opposition to the eause, nor will we take or destroy the prop- erty of private individuals further than is necessary for our immediate support.
" EZEKIEL MERRITT, WILLIAM FALLON, SAMUEL KELSEY,"
" R. SEMPLE,
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. estahan de guarnicion en esta plaza de la qe. se apoderó la espresada fuerza, habiendola encontrado eahsolu- tamnte, indefensa. tanto yo, como los S. S. Officiales qe suseribero comprometemos nue stra palabra de honor, de qe. estando bajo las garantias de prisionero da guerra, no toma- remos las armas ni a favor ni contra repetida fuerza armada de quien hemos recibiro la intimacion del momto, y un eserito fuinado qe. garantiza nuestras vidas, familias dé intereses, y los de toto el vecindario de esta jurisdu. mientras no hagamos oposieion, Sonoma, Junio, 14 de 1846.
" M. G. VALLEJO, " SALVADOR VALLEJO, " VCR. PRUDON."
GEN, VALLEJO CARRIED TO SUTTER'S FORT.
But to proceed with our narrative of the removal of the general, his brother aud 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, the revolutionists, with singular inconsisteney, eneamped and went to sleep without 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 and well-armed foree of raneheros, 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 demonstration.
The general was cautiously aroused and the scheme divulged to him, but with a self-saerifiee which cannot he too highly commended, 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 raneho and disperse his band, and positively refused to permit any violenee to the guard, as he was convinced that such would lead to disastrous consequences, and probably involve the rancheros and their families in ruin, without accomplishing any good result.
Having traveled ahout two-thirds of the way from Sutter's Fort, Captain Merrit and Kit Carson rode on ahead with the news of the eapture of Sonoma, desiring that arrangements he made 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-head the flag of Mexico, a fact which had escaped notice during the bustle of the morning. It was at onee 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 ingeunity to have some other deviee, for the " lone star" had been already appropriated hy Texas.
So many accounts of the manufacture of this insignia have heen published that we give the reader those quoted hy the writer in The Pioneer :-
" A piece of cotton eloth," 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 hear, This was unanimously agreed to, and the grizzly hear was painted accordingly. When it was done the flag was taken to the flag-staff, and hoisted aurid 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, 'Republie of California,' above the bear, aud 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 14tli of June, 1846, this little handful of men proclaimed California a free and independent republie, and on that day lioisted their flag, knowu 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
SANTA ANITA RANCH RESIDENCE OF J. BOLADO, 3 MILES
LES EAST OF TRES -PINOS, SAN BENITO CO. CAL.
49
THE SETTLERS ORGANIZE THEIR FORCES.
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, ' Repub- lic of California,' put on with common writing ink. This flag is preserved by the California Pioneer Association, and may be scen at their rooms in San Francisco. It was designed and executed by W. L. Todd."
The Sonoma Democrat under the caption, A Truc History of the Bear Flag, tells its story: " The rest of the revolution- ary party remained in possession of the town. Among them were three young men-Todd, Benjamin Duell, and Thomas Cowie. A few days after the capture, in a casual conversation between these young men, the matter of a flag came 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 hus- hand 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, Benjamin Duell got a piece of new red flannel, some white domestic, needles, and thread. A piece of blue drilling was obtained elsewhere.
So 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 saine trade. To ferm the flag, Duell and Cowie sewed together alternate strips of red, white, and hluc. 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 there was no hack-out; they intended to fight it ont. There were no halyards on the flag- staff, wbich 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."
IDE'S RECORD OF THE FLAG.
William Winter, Secretary of the Association of Territorial Pioncers 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 ' Terri- torial Pioneers of California, '-
"DEAR SIR :- Your communication of the 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 asking 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 flannel of a shirt from the back of one of the inen, and christened by the ' California Republic,' in red paint letters on both sides; (it) was raised upon the standard where had floatedl on the breczes the Mexican flag aforetimne; 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 Gibson, 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 defend each otber or be shot! There's no half-way place about it. To defend ourselves, we must have discipline. Each of yon has had a voice in choosing your officers. Now they are chosen, they must he obeyed !"
To which the entire band responded that the authority 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. Idc throw further light upon the machinery of the civil-military force: "The incn were divided into two companies of ten men each. The First Artillery were busily engaged m putting the cannons in order, which were charged doubly with grape and canister. The First Rifle Com- pany 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 persons who might feel a curiosity to inspect our opera- tions, 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
Need help finding more records? Try our genealogical records directory which has more than 1 million sources to help you more easily locate the available records.