USA > California > Los Angeles County > Ingersoll's century history, Santa Monica Bay cities prefaced with a brief history of the state of California, a condensed history of Los Angeles County, 1542-1908 > Part 8
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 | Part 40 | Part 41 | Part 42 | Part 43 | Part 44 | Part 45 | Part 46 | Part 47 | Part 48 | Part 49 | Part 50 | Part 51 | Part 52 | Part 53 | Part 54
In October came the news that Carlos Carrillo of Santa Barbara had been appointed governor by the Supreme government. Then consternation seized the " Free State " men of the north and the sureños of Los Angeles went wild with joy. They invited Carrillo to make Los Angeles his capital-an invitation which he accepted. December 6th was set for his inuaguration and great preparations were made for the event. Cards of invitation were issued asking the people to come to the inauguration " dressed as decent as possible." A grand ball was held in the governor's palacio-the house of widow Josefa Alvarado, the finest in the city. Cannon boomed on the old plaza, bonfires blazed in the streets and the city was illuminated for three nights. Los Angeles was at last a real capital and had a governor all to herself.
Alvarado and Castro, with an army, came down from the north determined
56
BRIEF HISTORY OF CALIFORNIA
to subjugate the troublesome southerners. A battle was fought at San Buena- ventura. For two days cannon volleyed and thundered-at intervals. One man was killed and several mustang's died for their country. The " surenos " were defeated and their leaders captured and sent as prisoners of state to Vallejos' bastile at Sonoma. Los Angeles, Carrillo's capital, was captured by Alvarado. Carrillo rallied his demoralized army at Las Flores. Another battle was fought- or rather a few shots were fired at long range-which hurt no one. Carillo surrendered and was sent home to his wife at Santa Barbara-who became surety for his future good behavior. Alvarado was now the acknowledged governor of El Estado Libre de Alta California ; but the "Free State " had ceased to exist. Months before Alvarado had made his peace with the Supreme government by taking the oath of allegiance to Mexico, thus restoring California to the rule of the mother country. In November, 1838, Alvarado received his formal appointment as "gobernador interino" of California, or rather of the Californias; for under the new constitution creating twenty-four departments instead of states, the two Californias constituted one department.
In the internecine wars and in their revolts against the Mexican gov- ernors, the Californias invoked the aid of a power that would not down at their bidding-that was the assistance of the foreigners. Zamorano in his contest with Echandia was the first to enlist the foreign contingent. Next Alvarado secured the offices of Graham and his riflemen to help in the expulsion of Gutierrez. In his invasion of the south he and Castro again called in the foreign element headed by Graham and Coppinger. Indeed the fear of the American riflemen, who made up the larger part of Graham's force, was the most potent factor in bringing the south to terms. These hunters and trappers, with their long Kentucky rifles, shot to kill and any battle in which they took part would not be a bloodless affair.
After Alvarado had been confirmed in his office, he would gladly have rid himself of his allies. But they would not be shaken off and were importunate in their demands for the recognition of their services. There were rumors that the foreigners were plotting to overthrow the government and revolutionize California, as had already been done in Texas. Alvarado issued secret orders to arrest a number of foreigners whom he had reason to fear. About one hundred were arrested during the month of April, 1840, and forty-seven were sent as prisoners in irons to San Blas. The others were released. The prisoners, who were about equally divided in nationality between Americans and Englishmen, were confined in prison at Tepic. Here the British consul, Barron, was instrumental in securing their release-the American consul being absent. The Mexican government paid them damages for their imprisonment and fur- nished those who had a legal right to residence in California with transpor-
57
BRIEF HISTORY OF CALIFORNIA
tation to Monterey, where they landed in July, 1841, better dressed and with more money than when they were sent away.
An important event during Alvarado's rule was the capture of Monterey, October 19th, 1842. by Commodore Thomas ap Catesby Jones, commander of the United States forces of the Pacific. Jones, who was cruising in the south Pacific, learning that Admiral Thomas, in command of the English squad- ron of the Pacific, had sailed out of Callao under sealed orders, suspected that the Admiral's orders were to seize California. Knowing that war was imminent between Mexico and the United States, Jones determined to take possession of California for the United States, if he could reach it before the English admiral did. Crowding on all sail, he arrived at Monterey October 19th and immediately demanded the surrender of California, both Upper and Lower, to the United States government. He gave Governor Alvarado until nine o'clock on the morning of the 20th to decide on his course. Alvarado had been already superseded by Micheltorena, who was then somewhere in the neighborhood of Los Angeles, and at first decided to shirk the responsibility of surrender by leaving the town; but he was dissuaded from this step. The terms were agreed upon and at ten o'clock the next morning 150 sailors and marines disembarked, took possession of the fort, lowered the Mexican flag and raised the American colors. The officers and soldiers of the California government were discharged and their guns and arms taken into possession by the United States troops, and carried into the fort. On the 21st, at four p. m., the flags again changed places-the fort and arms were restored to their former claimants. Commodore Jones had learned from some Mexican newspapers found in the captured fort that war did not yet exist between the two republics.
CHAPTER VII.
CLOSING YEARS OF MEXICAN ERA.
F OR some time ill feeling had been growing between Governor Alvarado and the comandante general, M. G. Vallejo. Each had sent commis- sions to the Supreme government to present his side of the quarrel. The Supreme government finally decided to combine the civil and military offices in the person of a Mexican officer, and on January 22nd, 1842, Manuel Micheltorena, who had seen service with the Santa Anna in Texas, was appointed to this office. He was to be provided with a sufficient number of troops to prevent the intrusion of foreigners-parti- cularly Americans-into California. The large force promised him finally dwindled down to 300 convicts, known as cholos, who were released from Mexican prisons on condition that they serve in the army.
Governor Micheltorena had landed with his ragged cholos at San Diego, in August, and was leisurely marching northward to the capital. On the night of October 24th, he had arrived at a point twenty miles north of San Fernando when news reached him of the capture of Monterey by GEN. M. G. VALLEJO. Commodore Jones. The valiant commander and his cholos retreated to San Fernando where they remained until they learned of the restoration of Monterey to the Californians. Then they fell back to Los Angeles. Here, January 20th, 1843, Commodore Jones had a conference with the governor who made some exorbitant demands, among others that the United States government should pay $15,000 to Mexico for the expense incurred in the general alarm and for a set of musical instru- ments lost in the retreat, and also replace 1,500 uniforms ruined in the violent march. Commodore Jones did not deign an answer to these ridiculous demands : and Micheltorena did not insist upon them. The conference closed with a grand ball-and all parties were pacified.
Micheltorena took the oath of office at Los Angeles, December 31st, 1842. Speeches were made, salutes were fired and the city was illuminated for three nights. With his Falstaffian army, the governor remained at Los Angeles until mid-summer. The Angelenos had, for years, contended with the people of Monterey for the capital and had gone to war to gain it. Now that they had
59
BRIEF HISTORY OF CALIFORNIA
the coveted prize, they would gladly have parted with it if, by so doing, they could rid themselves of Micheltorena's thieving soldiers. The men were not altogether to blame, as their pay was long in arrears and they received but scant supplies of clothing or rations. It was a case of steal, or starve-and they stole.
In August Micheltorena and his cholo contingent reached Monterey. The Californians did not welcome the Mexican governor very heartily.
While indolent and vacillating, he was a man of considerable ability, and began his rule with the intention of improving conditions in California. Education had been sadly neglected both under Spanish and Mexican domina- tion. One of his first attempts was to establish a public school system. Five hundred dollars was apportioned from the public funds for the maintenance of schools in each of the larger towns and arrangements were made for the opening of several schools for girls. Heretofore the public schools had been open only to boys. What was left of the mission estates was restored to the Padres and an earnest effort was made to reconcile sectional animosity, but with all of his efforts to be just and better the condition of California, there was still an undercurrent of hostility to him. Part of this was due to the thieving of his convict soldiers ; but a more potent cause was the ambition of certain "hijos del pais " to rule the territory. They blamed the governor for retaining his cholos in the country, claiming that they were kept for the purpose of subjugat- ing, or terrorizing, the natives.
The appointment of Micheltorena to fill both the civil and military offices was a bitter disappointment to Alvarado and Vallejo. They were not long in discovering that much as they hated each other, they hated the Mexican worse. They buried the hatchet and combined with Castro to do what the trio had done before-drive the Mexican governor out of the country. The depredations of the cholos had so embittered the people that they were ready to join the standard of anyone who would head a revolution. On November 15th, 1844, a meeting of the leaders of the dissatisfied was held at Alvarado's Rancho de Aliso, and a pronunciamento against Micheltorena was issued.
Alvarado and Castro headed a body of revolutionists, numbering about thirty, who moved northward to San Jose, where they were largely reinforced. Micheltorena set out in pursuit of them ; after some maneuvering, a treaty was finally effected between the belligerents. Micheltorena pledged his word of honor to send back to Mexico, within three months, his vicious soldiers and officers; while Alvarado and Castro, on their part, agreed to go into winter quarters at San José, with their troops, who were to constitute the military force of the territory after the departure of the convict soldiers. Micheltorena returned to Monterey, but the censure of his officers for the surrender caused him to break his word and secretly plot for the capture of the insurgents. He
60
BRIEF HISTORY OF CALIFORNIA
secured the aid of Captain John A. Sutter, a Swiss gentleman, who had an establishment at New Helycetia, now Sacramento, and a company of Indians drilled in military maneuvers and the use of arms. Beside his Indians, Sutter secured for Micheltorena the services of a number of foreigners, mostly Amer- icans. Alvarado and Castro learned of the perfidy of Micheltorena through the capture of one of his messengers with a letter to Sutter. Not being prepared to sustain an attack from the combined forces of Micheltorena and Sutter, they hurriedly broke camp at San José and with a portion of their force marched to Los Angeles where they arrived, January 21st, 1845. They endeavored to fire the southern heart against the governor, but the old animosity was as strong as ever and the southerners regarded with suspicion the friendly advances of their old enemies. The Pico brothers were finally won over and Pio Pico, who was primer-vocal, of the "junta departmental" or assembly, called that body together, to meet at Los Angeles, on January 28th. It declared Micheltorena a traitor to the country who must be deposed.
Sutter with his force numbering about two hundred inen, one hundred of whom were Indians, joined Micheltorena at Salinas early in January. The combined forces-about four hundred-began a leisurely march to the south. The fear of a raid by Micheltorena's cholos and Sutter's Indians had stimulated recruiting in the south, and Castro and Pico soon found themselves at the head of about four hundred men. A commission from Los Angeles met the governor at Santa Barbara on Feburary 7th with propositions for a settlement of the difficulty. He treated the commission with scant respect and offered but one condition-unconditional surrender of the rebels.
A week later the departmental assembly met at Los Angeles and passed resolutions deposing Micheltorena and appointing Pio Pico temporary governor. In the meantime, disgusted with Micheltorena's slow movements, about half of the foreigners in his army deserted. Micheltorena's army moving down by way of Encinas, and Castro's forces advancing from Los Angeles, met on the Cahuenga plain. Artillery firing began at long range and thus continued all day. The foreigners in the respective armies got together in a ravine during the fight and agreed to let the Mexicans and Californians settle their dispute in their own way.
Toward evening, Micheltorena undertook to make a flank movement and marched his troops to the eastward, evidently intending to follow the river down to the city. Castro and Alvarado moved back through the Cahuenga Pass and again encountered the opposing force at the Verdugo rancho. A few cannon shots were fired when Micheltorena displayed a white flag in token of surrender. Terms of capitulation were drawn up by which he and his convict army were to be sent back to Mexico. Pio Pico was recognized as temporary governor and Castro was made comandante general of the miltary force. As
61
BRIEF HISTORY OF CALIFORNIA
a sedative to his military pride, Micheltorena was granted permission to march his army to San Pedro with all the honors of war, taking with them their three pieces of artillery, but the guns were to be given up at the embarcadero. The governor and his soldiers were sent to Monterey and there, joined by the garrison that had been stationed at the capital, all were sent to San Blas, Mexico. Captain Sutter was taken prisoner during the battle and was held under arrest for some time after the departure of Micheltorena. He was at length released and allowed to return, with his Indians, by way of Tejon Pass and the Tulares, to New Helvetia.
Pio Pico, by virtue of his position as senior vocal of the assembly, became governor, and Castro, in accordance with the treaty of Cahuenga, was comand- ante general. Alvarado was made administrator of the custom house in Monte- rey. Thus the " hijos del pais " were once more a power and the factional fight between the "uppers " and the "lowers " was once more declared off. lico established his government at Los Angeles and that "ciudad," ten years after the Mexican congress had decreed it the capital, became the seat of governmnet. Castro established his military headquarters at Monterey and José Antonio Carrillo, one of the leaders of the " lowers," was made comandante of the military in the south. Pico began his rule with a desire to benefit the territory. He might have succeeded, had he been able to control the discordant factions.
As has been previously stated, Micheltorena restored, as far as possible, the mission property to the Padres; but it was impossible to establish the old order-even on a small scale. The few Indians remaining at the missions were unmanageable. Through the neglect or incompetency of the administra- dors, debts had been incurred and creditors were importunate. The Padres in charge were mostly old men, unable to cope with the difficulties that beset them on every side. Pico, with the concurrence of the junta, decided to make a change in the mission policy. In June, 1845, he issued a decree, warning the Indians at San Rafael, Soledad, San Miguel and Purisima to return to their respective missions. Failing to do so, they were to be declared vagrants and punished as such. At Carmel, San Juan Bautista, San Juan Capistrano and Solano, where pueblos had been established, the church and the curate's home were to be reserved and the balance of the property sold at auction to pay the debts of the missions. The abandoned missions and the mission pueblos before mentioned were sold in December, 1845, and ten of the missions were rented for a term of nine years. The proceeds of the sale were to be used for the benefit of the Indians and the support of the Padres. In those rented, the Indians were at liberty to remain in the service of the lessees. A portion of the proceeds were to be used for the support of religious services. The change brought no improvement in the condition of the neophytes. They sank still lower in degradation, while the mis-
62
BRIEF HISTORY OF CALIFORNIA
sions, deprived of income and of power, ceased to exist. Notwithstanding Pico's efforts to conciliate the discordant elements, it soon became evident that the old spirit of turbulence was still dominant. The first insurrectionary move- ment originated with José Antonio Carillo, Pico's own brother-in-law. This was suppressed and Carillo and Vareles, one of his auxiliaries, were shipped to Mexico for trial ; but were released and returned to California. Castro ignored Pico in milittary affairs and soon a bitter quarrel was on between the gefe politico and the comandante general.
For a number of years there had been a steady influx of foreigners-mostly Americans. Many of them had married into prominent families and had become by naturalization, Mexican citizens. In 1841. the first train of immigrants arrived in California overland. The immigration over the plains contin- ted to increase after this. The leading Californians saw that it was their manifest destiny to become a territory of the United States. Texas had been wrested from Mexico by the same foreign element that was now invading California. Early in 1846, Castro called a junta of his officers at Monterey. This council issued a pronunciamento declaring hos- tility to the United States and the members pledged themselves to defend the honor of the Mexican na- tion against the perfidious attacks of its rivals-the LIEUT. JOHN C. FREMONT. North Americans. In this council. Pico had been ignored and the hostile feelings between the political and military chiefs grew more bitter. Pico had been appointed constitutional governor by President Her- rera and, April 18th, 1846, in the presence of the territorial assembly and a large concourse of people gathered at Los Angeles, he took the oath of office.
Castro and his associates were soon to be given an opportunity to test their courage in the defence of Mexican honor against the attacks of the perfidious North Americans. Lieutenant John C. Fremont, who had previously led two expeditions through the Rocky mountains, Oregon and California, in January, 1846, arrived in California. His company numbered sixty-two men, scientists, guides and servants. These he left encamped in the Tulare county, east of the coast range, while he repaired to Monterey to secure some needed supplies and to explain his presence. As the expedition was scientific in its object and Fre- mont expressed his intention of proceeding to Oregon as soon as his men were rested and recruited, Castro made no objection to his remaining in California during the winter. But when, a few weeks later, the whole force of men marched into the Salinas valley, they were ordered to leave the country at once.
63
BRIEF HISTORY OF CALIFORNIA
Instead of leaving, Fremont marched his men to Gabilan Peak, about thirty miles from Monterey, where he raised the stars and stripes and proceeded to fortify his camp. Castro marshalled his force on the plains below out of range of Fremont's men. After holding the fort on Gabilan Peak two days, Fremont, on the night of March 9th, abandoned it and leisurely proceeded northward by way of the San Joaquin valley to Sutter's Fort and from there, after a short stop, to Lassen's Rancho on Deer Creek, where he remained until April 14th. He then resumed his march toward the Oregon line.
On May 5th, he was encamped near Klamath Lake when Samuel Neal and William Sigler, two settlers of the Sacramento valley, rode into his camp and informed him that a United States officer, bearing dispatches, was endeav- oring to overtake him. The officer had but a small escort and the Indians being hostile, he was in great danger. Fremont took nine of his men and the two mes- sengers and hurried to the relief of the officer. The parties met and encamped on the bank of a creek. About midnight the Indians attacked the camp, killing three of Fremont's men and losing their own chief. The dispatch bearer proved to be Lieut. Archibald H. Gillespie, of the U. S. Navy. He had left Washington in November, 1845, with instructions from the government ; had crossed Mex- ico, disguised as a inerchant, and from San Blas had taken passage to Hono- lulu and thence reached Monterey, April 17th. Fremont, with his entire force, after punishing the Klamath Indians for their treachery, returned to Sutter's Fort, where Lieut. Gillespie, who had gone ahead, met them with supplies pro- cured from San Francisco through Captain Montgomery of the Portsmouth. The substance of the dispatches sent to Fremont from Secretary of State Buchanan was to prevent the occupation of California by any European power and in the event of war with Mexico to take possession of the country for the United States. It was well known that England had designs on California and it was partly to circumvent these and partly to warn Fremont that war with Mexico was pending that the dispatches had been sent. The report that a large immigration was on its way to California from the United States was, no doubt, the cause of the hostility of the authorities to Fremont and to the recently arrived immigrants. There were rumors that Castro was organizing a force to drive the foreign settlers out of the country. Many Americans were in Cali- fornia without authority under the Mexican laws.
Believing themselves in danger and regarding Fremont as their protector, a number of the settlers repaired to his camp. Their first aggressive act was the capture of 250 horses that were being moved by Lieut. de Arce and four- teen men, from the north side of the bay to Castro's camp at Santa Clara. A party of twelve Americans, under Ezekiel Merritt, captured the horses and made prisoners of the escort, who were brought into Fremont's camp and there released. Hostilities having been begun, it became necessary for the settlers to
64
BRIEF HISTORY OF CALIFORNIA
widen the breach so as to provoke retaliation on the part of the Californians rather than be punished as horse thieves. The next move was to seize the mil- itary post and the principal men of Sonoma. On the morning of June 11th, twenty men under command of Merritt, armed with pistols and rifles, and mounted on fresh horses, set out from Fremont's camp on Bear Creek for Sonoma. On the way their number was recruited to thirty-two. On the morn- ing of the 14th, about daybreak, they surrounded the town and took Gen. M. G. Vallejo, Captain Salvador Vallejo, and Lieut. Col. Victor Prudon, prisoners. There seem to have been no private soldiers at Sonoma-all officers. The cas- tillo, or fort, contained about a dozen rusty old cannon and two hundred and fifty muskets. Gen. Vallejo and his officers, as prisoners of war, gave their word of honor not to take up arms against the revolutionists, on a guarantee from their captain to respect the lives and property of the prisoners, their fam- ilies and the residents of the jurisdiction. This guarantee, signed by Merritt, Semple, Fallon and Kelsey, was given in writing. The prisoners, although given their parole, were taken to Sutter's Fort, by a guard. Twenty-four men remained at the fort. The leaders of the party having gone with the prisoners, W. B. Ide, who had come to the front on account of a speech he made advocat- ing a movement to make the country independent, was chosen commander.
Ide immediately set about formulating a declaration of independence, and William Todd, one of his men, having procured a piece of manta, or coarse cot- ton cloth about two yards long, set to work to fashion a flag for the new repub- lic. Todd, assisted by some others, painted a star in the upper corner and in the center a figure supposed to represent a bear, but which the natives called a " cochina " (pig). Below these figures he painted in large letters, " Califor- nia Republic." Along the lower edge of the flag was stitched a strip of red woolen cloth said to have been a part of a red woolen petticoat. When com- pleted the famous " Bear Flag " of California was run up on the flagstaff where the Mexican colors had formerly floated. The cannon and muskets were loaded, guards posted, military discipline established, and the California Republic duly inaugurated. On June 18th, the same day that Ide issued his proclamation, Thomas Cowie and George Fowler, two of Ide's men, volunteered to go to Fitch's ranch to procure a keg of powder from Mose Carson. On the way they were captured by a band of Californians under Juan Padilla and brutally mur- dered. The news of this outrage reached Sonoma and later a report that Todd, who had been sent to Bodega with a message, had been captured. Captain W. L. Ford, with a force of twenty-three men, hastily set out from Sonoma to cap- ture Padilla. At Olampali Rancho, Captain Ford unexpectedly came upon the combined forces of Captain de la Torre and Padilla, numbering eighty-three men. The Americans fell back into a willow thicket. The Californians, sup- posing that they were retreating, charged upon them but were met by a volley
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.