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 9
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of rifle balls that some reports say killed eight men. Todd, while the fight was going on, made his escape and joined Ford's men, who fell back to Sonoma.
Fremont, who had been camped at the Buttes, having learned of Ide's attempt to establish a Pacific Republic and that Castro would not attack them to rescue the prisoners, but was gathering a force to recapture Sonoma, broke up his camp and moved down to New Helvetia, where he put his prisoners in the fort under guard.
On June 23rd, Fremont hastened to Sonoma with a force of seventy-two mounted riflemen. The Americans, including Fremont's men, now numbered two hundred. Fremont and Ford with a force of 135 men, started out to hunt Captain de la Torre, who was in command of the Californians north of the bay. Torre, it is claimed, wrote letters stating that Castro was about to attack Sonoma with a large force. These were placed in the boots of three of his men, who al- lowed themselves to be captured. The strategem succeeded-Fremont and Ford hurried back to Sonoma, but the three Californians were shot with- out trial. Authorities differ as to this story. If such letters were captured, they were not preserved, and it is more than probable that the prisoners. Berryessa and the two de Haro boys. were shot in retaliation for the mur- der of Cowie and Fowler. Whether COMMODORE JNO. D. SLOAT. from the captured letters, or from some other source, Fremont believed that Castro's force was north of the bay. Castro, however, had not left Santa Clara. Captain de la Torre, taking advantage of the absence of his pursuers, crossed the bay at Sausalito and joined Castro. Fremont finding himself deceived, returned to the pursuit, but he was too late- the game had escaped and he marched back to Sonoma, where he arrived July 3rd. The Fourth of July was celebrated with great eclat by the " Bears." Wine, gun- powder, eloquence and a grand ball stirred up all the latent patriotism of the revolutionists. The "California Republic " reached the zenith of its power that day. The next day it collapsed. Ide was deposed by a vote of the Bears and Fremont was chosen to head the movement for independence.
On the 7th of July, Commodore Sloat raised the Stars and Stripes in Monte-
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rey and took possession of the country in the name of the United States. 'He had arrived on the Savannah on the 2nd from Mazatlan, where he had heard rumors of hostilities between the United States and Mexico; but not having learned of any formal declaration of war, he was undecided what course to pursue. Having heard of the Bear Flag movement and of Fremont's connection with it, he presumed that Fremont had later information, and finally decided to take possession of the country.
Fremont, on July 6th, leaving Captain Grigsby with fifty men at Sonoma, started with the rest of his battalion, about 130 men, for Sacramento with the intention of making preparations to attack Castro. Captain Montgomery of the Portsmouth had raised the flag at San Francisco ; Lieut. Revere arrived at Sonoma on the oth; the Bear flag was lowered and the Stars and Stripes unfurled. On the 11th the flag was raised over Sutter's Fort and the same day over Bodega. All Northern and Central California was now in possession of the Americans.
For months there had been ill feeling between Governor Pico and the com- mandante-general, Castro. Pico had made Los Angeles his capital, while Castro had established his headquarters at Monterey. Their quarrel was the old sec- tional jealousy of the north and the south-and their respective sections supported them in their dispute. Castro was accused of plotting to overthrow the govern- ment. At the time Sloat raised the United States flag at Monterey Pico, with an armed body had reached Santa Barbara, intending to fight Castro, who was at Santa Clara. With a part of his force, Castro retreated southward and joined Pico. They patched up a truce and, uniting their forces, retreated to Los Angeles, where they began preparations to resist the " perfidious North Americans."
CHAPTER VIII.
THE CONQUEST OF CALIFORNIA.
T HE American era of California history begins with the raising of the flag at Monterey on July 7th, 1846. Within a week after that event all of the territory north of Monterey had been taken possession of without opposition. Castro, with a part of his force, had retreated to Los Angeles, and those remaining behind had disbanded and retired to their homes. Fremont had moved his battalion of about 130 men to a camp on the American river above Sutter's Fort. Here he was encamped when, on the IIth of July, a mes- senger bearing Sloat's proclamation and an American flag reached him. This flag was raised over the fort and saluted with twenty-one guns. Immediately afterward Fremont's battalion began its march to Monterey, where it arrived
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on the 19th. Fremont had an interview with Commodore Sloat which was not very satisfactory to either. Sloat was inclined to blame Fremont for acting without sufficient authority in precipitating hostilities and Fremont was disap- pointed because Sloat would not endorse his scheme of making a campaign against Castro ..
On the 15th of July Commodore Stockton, on the Congress, arrived at Monterey from Honolulu and reported to Commodore Sloat for duty. Sloat was an old man, having entered the Navy in 1800; his health was fail- ing and he was anxious to retire from active service. He made Stockton commander-in-chief of all the land forces in California. Stockton on taking command, made Fremont a major and Gillispie a captain. On July 26th, the battal- ion was loaded on the Cyane, which sailed the next day for San Diego. Sloat, after transferring the com- mand of the Pacific squadron to Stockton, sailed on July 29th, on board the Levant for home.
Commodore Stockton, on as- suming command, issued a procla- mation in which he arraigned the Mexican government for beginning hostilities against the United States. COMMODORE R. F. STOCKTON. He was very severe on Gen. Cas- tro, whom he called a usurper, and the Californians for outrages committed on the American settlers. " Three inoffensive Americans," said he, "residents of the country, have been within a few days brutally murdered; and there are no California officers who will arrest and bring the murderers to justice, although it is well known who they are and where they are." He ignored the brutal murder of the three Cali- fornians, Berryessa and the two De Haro boys, who were shot down in cold blood by Fremont's men while begging for quarter. Bancroft says of the proc- lamation, " The paper was made up of falsehood, of irrelevant issues and of bombastic boasting in about equal parts." Commodore Sloat read the procla- mation at sea and did not approve of it.
Gen. Pico and Gen. Castro, on their arrival at Los Angeles, immediately set to work to organize an army. Every man between fifteen and sixty was summoned for military duty and any Mexican refusing or excusing himself on
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any pretext was to be treated as a traitor. Those physically unable to do mili- tary duty were required to aid with their property. The response to the call of the leaders was not very enthusiastic : sectional jealousies, quarrels and feuds had destroyed, or at least, paralyzed patriotism. The foreign residents who were mostly Americans, secretly sympathized with the invaders. Money and the munitions of war were scarce .. Castro had brought about 100 men with him from the north and Pico had recruited about the same in the south ; these constituted the available force to resist Stockton and Fremont. Stockton, with 360 sailors and marines, arrived at San Pedro on August 6th, landed and drilled his force in military maneuvers. Castro sent a message by two commissioners, Flores and de la Guerra, expressing his willingness to enter into negotiations with Stockton. The commodore showed the messengers scant courtesy and dismissed them with an "insulting threat." Castro and Pico finding it impos- sible to defend the capital with the small force at their command, determined to quit the country. On the night of August 10th they took their departure ; Castro accompanied by his secretary, Francisco Arce, and eighteen men, going by way of the San Gorgonio pass and the Colorado river; Pico by way of San Juan Capistrano and Santa Margarita, to Lower California.
Stockton began his march to Los Angeles on August 11th. On the 13th Major Fremont, with his battalion of 130 mounted men, met him just outside the town and the combined forces entered the capital. The United States flag was raised and possession taken of the town. The reception of the Americans was not cordial. Some of the better class of citizens had fled from the city, but these in a few days returned to their homes. Fremont's cavalry scoured the country and brought in a number of the leading men who had held civil or military office ; these were paroled. Stockton, on the 17th, published a much milder proclamation in which he announced himself as commander-in-chief and governor of the territory; he stated that California belonged to the United States and would be governed by military law until a civil government could be estab- lished. Captain Gillispie was commissioned by Stockton as commandant of the southern department with headquarters at Los Angeles. He was assigned a garrison of fifty men taken from Fremont's force. On September 29th, Com- modore Stockton. with his sailors and marines, returned to their ships at San Pedro and sailed for Monterey. A few days later Fremont, with the remainder of his battalion, began his march northward for Sutter's fort, where he expected to recruit his force from the immigrants now arriving in the country.
While the combined forces of Stockton and Fremont, numbering about 500 men, had occupied the town, the inhabitants had been quiet and submissive. But with a small force left to keep them in subjection, they soon began to mani- fest their old turbulent and revolutionary disposition. September 16th, the anni- versary of Mexican independence, a number of young men, under the stimulation of wine, and probably more in a spirit of mischief than with any serious intent,
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made an attack about midnight on Gillispie's headquarters, which were in the old government house. The garrison drove them off with a volley of musketry, in which three men were killed-so Gillispie reported-but the dead were never found. The next day Gillispie ordered the arrest of a number of leading citi- zens to be held as hostages. He also vigorously enforced military law. In a very short time he had a full-grown Mexican revolution on his hands. Some 300 men, under the leadership of Flores and Serbulo Vareles, besieged his garri- son. In the corral of the government house were five or six old cannon that Castro had spiked and abandoned. Gillispie had two of these unspiked and hauled up Fort Hill, where they were mounted. He made cannon balls out of some lead pipe that he found and cartridge covers out of a piece of red flannel captured from a store. The Californians had a brass four-pounder, known as " the Old Woman's gun " because, on the approach of Stockton's army, an old woman by the name of Rocha had buried the gun in her garden; it had been used in firing salutes at church festivals, and the old lady declared that the "gringos " should not have the gun of the church.
While besieged on Fort Hill, Gillispie on September 24th, sent a messenger, Juan Flaco (lean John) with dispatches to Stockton asking aid. By one of the most wonderful rides in history, this man. John Brown, reached San Francisco where Stockton had gone from Monterey, six hundred miles distance, in five days. Stockton at once ordered Mervine, commanding the Savannah, to go to the relief of Gillispie. On account of a dense fog, the vessel did not leave San Francisco until October 4th. Gillispie held out bravely for seven days, then capitulated, with honorable terms. On September 30th, with flags flying, drums beating and his two old cannon mounted on carretas, he began his march to San Pedro. He spiked the two old cannon and threw them in the bay, then went on board the Vandalia, a merchant ship lying at anchor in the harbor, but did not leave San Pedro. On October 7th, Mervine entered the harbor. At 6:30 a.m. of the 8th, he landed a force of 299 men, which included Gillispie's volunteers. A small force of the enemy appeared and Captain Mervine ordered Lieut. Hitch- cock, with a reinforcement of eighty men from the vessel, to attack: but the enemy retreated and the detachment returned to the ship. Captain Mervine and his men then started for the pueblo. They took no cannon and had no horses. After a fatiguing tramp through tall mustard and clouds of dust they encamped at the Dominguez rancho. The enemy, under the command of José Antonio Carrillo, and numbering about eighty men, appeared on the foothills and some skirmishing at long range took place. During the night, Flores arrived from the pueblo with a reinforcement of about sixty men and the " old woman's " gun. They opened fire during the night on Mervine's camp with this cannon, but did no damage. The next morning Mervine's men resumed their march and had not proceeded far before they encountered the enemy. The Californians opened fire and Mervine, fearing a charge from their cavalry, formed his troops in a
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hollow square with their baggage in the center. A running fight ensued; the Californians firing, then dragging the gun back with riatas, loading, and firing again. Mervine, finding he was losing men without injuring the enemy, ordered a retreat. The Californians fired a parting shot or two, but did not pursue the Americans, as they had exhausted their ammunition. Mervine reached San Pedro that evening and went aboard his vessel. His loss was four killed and six wounded. The dead were buried on the Isla de los Muertes, or Deadman's island. The Savannah remained in the harbor and the Californians kept a small detachment at Sepulveda's ranch and another at Cerritos to watch the Americans.
On the 25th Commodore Stockton arrived at San Pedro on the Congress and remained there about a week. Although he had a force of nearly 800 men, he did not deem this sufficient to recapture the capital, as he greatly overestimated the strength of the enemy. On November Ist he sailed for San Diego. At the time of Flores' attack on Gillispie the American garrisons at San Diego and Santa Barbara were driven out of these towns. The force at San Diego went aboard the Stonington, a whale ship lying in the harbor. Lieut. Talbot with ten men was stationed at Santa Barbara. When called upon to surrender, this party fell back into the hills and reached the head of the San Joaquin river, where they obtained food from the Indians; then traveled down the valley, sub- sisting on the flesh of wild horses and finally, by way of Pacheco's pass, they crossed over to the coast and joined Fremont's battalion at Monterey.
The departmental assembly, having been called together by Flores, met at Los Angeles, October 26th. The members were all from the south. The first business in order was to fill the offices of governor and commandante-general left vacant by the flight of Pico and Castro. It was decided to combine the two offices in one person and José Maria Flores was chosen commander-in-chief and governor ad interim. He took the oath of office November Ist and was really the last Mexican governor of California. Flores and the members of the as- sembly made some provisions for continuing the war, but their resources were very limited. Their recent successes over the Americans had somewhat encour- aged them and they hoped to be able to hold out until reinforcements arrived from Mexico.
Stockton, on his arrival at San Diego, had set to work to organize an expe- dition against Los Angeles. The Californians had driven the cattle and horses back into the mountains and the Americans found great difficulty in procuring animals. Frequent forays were made into Lower California and horses, cattle and sheep procured. The remnant of Fremont's battalion, after taking from it garrisons for San Diego, Los Angeles and Santa Barbara, had returned to the Sacramento valley in September. Here it was recruited to 160 men, and on October 13th sailed from San Francisco on a merchant vessel, with orders to operate against the rebels in the south ; but between Monterey and Santa Barbara they met the Vandalia and learned of Mervine's defeat, and of the impossibility
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of procuring horses in the lower country. They put about and the battalion landed at Monterey October 28th. Vigorous efforts were at once made to recruit men and horses. A number of immigrants had arrived from the states. These were induced to enlist on the promise of $25 per month pay. Horses were pur- chased, or where owners refused to sell, were confiscated. A company of Walla Walla Indians was enlisted-these were known as the "Forty Thieves." Sut- ter's " warriors in bronze " (Indians) were also enrolled for service. In the latter part of November, the recruits were collected at San Juan. They num- bered about 450 riflemen and 40 artillerymen, representing many nations and many different kinds of arms, and were divided into ten companies. Fremont had been commissioned as lieutenant-colonel in the regular army and was commander-in-chief of the battalion. While Fremont's officers and men were engaged in collecting horses, an engagement took place between a detachment numbering about 60 men, under Captains Burroughs and Thompson, and the Californians under Manuel Castro, who had been made commandant of the Californian forces in the north. The Americans had gathered several hundred horses and were taking them to the camp at San Juan. The advance guard, consisting of eight scouts, encountered the Californians near Na- tividad. They posted themselves in an "encinalito". or grove of little oaks, and a fight ensued. The main body of the Americans coming up, a reckless charge was made. Captain Burroughs and four or HON. THOMAS O. LARKIN. five others were killed and five or six were wounded. The Californians lost about the same number; the result was a drawn battle.
The American consul, Thomas O. Larkin, had started for San Francisco and had stopped at Gomez's ranch overnight. A squad of Californians, under Lieut. Chavez, surrounded the house about midnight and made him prisoner ; he was held until the close of the war. The only other engagement in the north was the so-called " Battle of Santa Clara", which took place between a force of about 100 Americans under Captains Weber, Marston and Aram, and an equal number of Californians under Francisco Sanchez. Fighting was at long range with artillery and so far as known there were no fatalities on either side.
In the south the garrison at San Diego, after it had remained on the Stoning- ton about ten days, stole a march on the Californians by landing at night and recapturing the town and one piece of artillery. A whaleboat was sent up to San Pedro with dispatches and an earnest request for reinforcements. It reached San Pedro October 13th. Lieut. Miner and Midshipmen Duvall and Morgan, with 35 sailors of Mervine's force and 15 of Gillispie's volunteers, were sent to
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reinforce Merritt at San Diego. This force upon arrival set to work to build a fort and mount the cannon taken from the old presidio. Although continually harassed by the Californians, they succeeded in this.
About the first of November, Commodore Stockton arrived at San Diego. He began fortifications on the hill and built a fort out of casks filled with carth, on which he mounted guns. The whole work was completed in three weeks. Provisions ran short and frequent forays were made into the surrounding country for supplies. About December Ist word reached Stockton that Gen. Kearney with 100 dragoons was at Warner's pass, about eighty miles from San Diego. Stockton sent a force of fifty men and one piece of artillery, under Captain Gil- lispie to conduct this force to San Diego. On their return march the entire force was surprised, on the morning of December 6th, by about 90 Californians under Captain Andrés Pico, near the Indian village of San Pasqual. Pico had been sent into that part of the country to intercept and capture squads of Americans sent out after horses and cattle. The meeting was a surprise on both sides. The Americans foolishly charged the Californians and in doing so became strung out in a long irregular line. The Californians rallied and charged in turn. The Americans lost in killed, Captains Johnston and Moore, Lieut. Hammond and sixteen dragoons; Captains Gillispie and Gibson and seventeen dragoons were wounded. The Californians escaped with three men slightly wounded. Three of Kearney's wounded died, making the total American death list twenty-one. Less than one-half of Kearney's force were engaged in the battle.
After the engagement, Kearney took position on a barren hill, covered with rocks. The enemy made no attack, but remained in the neighborhood and awaited a favorable opportunity to renew the assault. The night after the attack, Lieut. Godey, Midshipman Beale and Kit Carson managed to pass through the pickets of the enemy and eventually-by different routes-reached San Diego with the news of the disaster. On December 9th detachments of sailors and marines, numbering in all about 200, from the Congress and the Portsmouth and under the immediate command of Captain Zielin, began a march to relieve Gen. Kearney. They marched at night and camped in the chapparal by day. Early in the morning after the second night they reached Kearney's camp, taking him by surprise. Godey, who had been sent ahead to inform Kearney of the relief, had been captured by the Californians. Gen. Kearney had destroyed all of his baggage and camp equipage, saddles, bridles, clothing, etc., preparatory to forcing his way through the enemy's lines. But the enemy disappeared on the arrival of reinforcements, and Gen. Kearney and the relief expedition reached San Diego after a march of two days.
It is necessary to explain how Gen. Kearney came to be in California with so small a force. In June, 1846, Gen. Stephen W. Kearney, commander of the Army of the West, left Fort Leavenworth with a force of regulars and volun- teers to take possession of New Mexico. The conquest of that territory was
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accomplished without a battle. Under orders from the War Department, Kear- ney began his march to California with a part of his force, in order to co-operate with the naval force already there. Near Socorro, New Mexico, October 16th, he met Kit Carson with an escort of fifteen men, en route from Los Angeles to Washington with dispatches from Commodore Stockton, giving a report of the conquest of California. Gen. Kearney selected 120 men from his force, sent the remainder back to Santa Fe, and compelled Carson to turn back as his guide. After a toilsome journey across the arid plains of Arizona and the Colorado desert, they reached the Indian village where the engagement took place, desti- tute of provisions and with men and horses worn out.
Stockton had been actively pushing preparations for his expedition against Los Angeles. His force now numbered 600 men, mostly sailors and marines ; but he had been drilling them in military evolutions on land. On the 19th of December this army started on its march for the capital. Gen. Kearney was made second in command. The baggage and artillery was hauled on carretas, but the oxen being ill-fed and unused to long journeys, gave out on the way and the marines had to assist in dragging the carts. Near San Juan Capistrano, a commission, bearing a flag of truce, met Stockton with proposals from Gov. Flores, asking for a conference. Stockton replied that he knew no " Gov. Flores ", that he ( Stockton) was governor of California. "He knew a rebel by the name of Flores and if the people of California would give him up, he would treat with them." The embassy replied that they preferred death to sur- render under such terms. On January 8th, 1847, Stockton's army encountered the Californians at El Paso de Bartolo on the San Gabriel river and a battle was fought. The Californians had planted four pieces of artillery on the bluff above the river with the design of preventing the Americans from crossing. In the face of the artillery fire, the Americans crossed the river, dragging with them through the quicksands two nine-pounders and four smaller guns. They placed their guns on a battery on the river bank and opened fire on the Californians with such telling effect that one of their guns was disabled and the gunners were driven away from the others. The California cavalry made a charge on the rear, but were repulsed by Gillispie's riflemen. The Americans charged the Cali- fornian center, advanced their artillery in battery. The enemy was driven from the heights, but succeeded in taking their artillery with them. The battle lasted about one and a half hours, the Americans losing two killed and eight wounded. The loss of the Californians was about the same. The Americans encamped on the battlefield while the Californians fell back toward the city and camped in plain view of their opponents ; but they moved their camp during the night.
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