USA > California > San Francisco County > San Francisco > The annals of San Francisco; containing a summary of the history of California, and a complete history of its great city: to which are added, biographical memoirs of some prominent citizens > Part 10
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" They are dictating to us despotie and arbitrary laws, and loading us with
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ANNALS OF SAN FRANCISCO.
contributions and onerous burdens, which have for an object the ruin of our industry and agriculture, and to force us to abandon our property, to be pos- sessed and divided among themselves.
" And shall we be capable to allow ourselves to be subjugated, and to accept, by our silence, the weighty chains of slavery ? Shall we permit to be lost the soil inherited from our fathers, which cost them so much blood and so many sacrifices ? Shall we make our families victims of the most barbarous slavery ? Shall we wait to see our wives violated-our innocent children punished by the American whips-our property sacked-our temples profaned -and, lastly, to drag through an existence full of insult and shame ? No! a thousand times no! Countrymen, first death !
" Who of you does not feel his heart beat with violence; who does not feel lis blood boil, to contemplate our situation ; and who will be the Mexican who will not feel indignant, and who will not rise to take up arms to destroy our oppressors ? We believe there is not one so vile and cowardly. With such a motive the majority of the inhabitants of the districts, justly indignant against our tyrants, raise the cry of war, with arms in their hands, and of one accord swear to sustain the following articles :-
" Ist. We, the inhabitants of the department of California, as members of the great Mexican nation, declare that it is, and has been, our wish to belong to her alone, free and independent.
"2d. Consequently the authorities intended and named by the invading forces of the United States are held null and void.
" 3d. All the North Americans, being enemies of Mexico, we swear not to lay down our arms till they are expelled from the Mexican territory.
"4th. All Mexican citizens, from the age of fifteen to sixty, who do not take up arms to forward the present plan, are declared traitors, and under pain of death.
" 5th. Every Mexican or foreigner who may directly or indirectly aid the enemies of Mexico will be punished in the same manner.
" 6th. The property of the North Americans in the department, who may directly or indirectly have taken part with, or aided the enemies, shall be con- fiscated and used for the expenses of the war ; and their persons shall be taken to the interior of the republic.
" 7th. All those who may oppose the present plan will be punished with arms.
" 8th. All the inhabitants of Santa Barbara, and the district of the north, will be invited immediately to adhere to the present plan.
" JOSÉ MA. FLORES. " Camp in Angeles, September 24th, 1846."
[Signed by more than 300 persons.]
This proclamation, thus numerously signed, indicated a spirit of the most decisive hostility, and a consciousness of strength, which, considering the small force of the American commander-
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REVOLT OF THE CALIFORNIANS.
in-chief, was calculated to alarm him, with the insufficiency of his means to cope with an enemy so superior in numbers. It was now apparent that the work of conquest would have to be repeated, and the most prompt and energetic measures were adopted for that purpose. Stockton proceeded at once to San Francisco, and despatched the frigate Savannah for San Pedro, to reinforce the American garrison at that place. Fremont, then at Sacramento, was ordered to San Francisco, with what force could be collected, and about the 12th of October sailed, with one hundred and sixty volunteers, for Santa Barbara, where he was directed to procure horses, and subsequently to move simul- taneously with Stockton upon the enemy at Los Angeles. The Savannah did not arrive at San Pedro till after the defeat and surrender of Talbot and Gillespie. Her crew, however, about three hundred and twenty, though poorly armed, were landed, and under Captain Mervine, attacked a large body of mounted Californians about twelve miles from San Pedro. After a severe engagement, they were repulsed, and retreated with the loss of five killed and six wounded. Several subsequent skirmishes took place, but with no material results.
As soon as Com. Stockton had completed his arrangements for the security of the north, he proceeded in the frigate Congress to the seat of war. Upon his arrival at San Pedro, about the 23d of October, he landed his crew in the face of the enemy, who were in force to the number of eight hundred men. They seemed, however, indisposed for an encounter, and retired into the interior. And in order to give time to Fremont to mount his men and co-operate in the contemplated campaign, as well as on account of the greater security of the anchorage and protec- tion from the storms which prevailed at this season on the coast, and from the impossibility of procuring animals either for food or transportation, (the enemy having driven them all into the inte- rior,) Stockton re-embarked his men and sailed for San Diego. In attempting to enter that harbor, the Congress grounded after crossing the bar, and in such a way that it was necessary to sup- port her with spars. While thus engaged, the Californians at- tacked the town ; but in despite of the necessity of employing a part of his force about the frigate, the commodore landed with
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the remainder, and after a short encounter, defeated the enemy. The condition of San Diego was miserable in the extreme, and neither horses nor cattle could be obtained in the neighborhood. The enemy were in great force at San Bernardo, thirty miles dis- tant, from whence detachments repeatedly visited San Diego, keep- ing up for many days their desultory attacks. A party of Americans were despatched down the coast in pursuit of cattle, a supply of which they fortunately met and drove into camp.
Immediately after landing at San Diego, Stockton commenced energetic preparations for a march on Los Angeles. His men were daily disciplined according to the tactics adopted, and what- ever time could be spared was employed in building a fort, and making saddles, shoes, and other equipments. Information was received from Fremont that he could not procure horses at Santa Barbara, and that he had gone to Monterey for that purpose. Capt. Gibson had obtained a few horses, but they were poor and worn down with severe marches, requiring rest before they could be fit for service. Capt. Hensley, however, who had been sent on an expedition to the south, after much arduous service, re- turned with five hundred head of cattle and one hundred and forty horses. While preparations were progressing for the march on Los Angeles, a messenger arrived about the 3d of December, with a letter from General Kearny, apprising Com. Stockton of his approach, and expressing a desire to open a communication, but without disclosing his actual situation. On the same even- ing, Captain Gillespie was despatched with a force of thirty-five men to meet Kearny. On the 6th of December, another messen- ger arrived, bringing information of the defeat and perilous sit- uation of General Kearny at San Pasqual. On his way from New Mexico, with a considerable force, while a few days from Santa Fé, Kearny met Carson, the courier sent by Com. Stock- ton, with despatches to the Government, giving information of the conquest of California, and the establishment there of a civil government. Considering, therefore, the work of subjugation of that territory completed, Kearny turned back the greater part of his troops, and proceeded on his way toward California, taking Carson as his guide. At, or near San Pasqual, he was intercept- ed by the Californians, and defeated, with the loss of eighteen
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OFFICIAL RELATIONS OF STOCKTON AND KEARNY.
men killed and as many wounded, and one of his two howitzers. He took refuge on a rocky eminence, closely invested by the enemy. All his ammunition and nearly all his provisions were exhausted. Under cover of night he despatched couriers, who with much diffi- culty eluded the vigilance of the foc and reached San Diego. On learning these facts, Stockton was about to proceed in person with all his force to the relief of Kearny ; but subsequent messengers brought intelligence that the strength of the enemy was much less than had been represented. He therefore despatched Lieut. Gray, with two hundred and fifty men, upon whose approach toward San Pasqual, the besiegers abandoned the field, and left the re- lief party to return unmolested with Kearny and his dragoons.
As the official relations of Com. Stockton and Gen. Kearny have been the subject of much discussion, it is proper we should say in what light we consider them. Gen. Kearny was directed by instructions from the Secretary of War to invade California with a prescribed force, and " should he conquer it," to establish a civil government there. On his way, learning that the objects of the expedition had been accomplished by Com. Stockton, as above related, he turned back his troops, proceeded with a small party, was attacked and defeated by the enemy, and relieved from imminent danger by the detachment sent by Stockton. Arrived at San Diego, he consented, according to the testimony of all then present, to act under Stockton, then on the eve of a movement against Los Angeles. The following lucid statement of the reception of Kearny by Stockton, and of their relative po- sitions in that movement, we extract from the official letter of the commodore to the Secretary of the Navy, made subsequent to the court martial which tried Col. Fremont, and dated Febru- ary 18th, 1848 :-
" On their arrival, General Kearny, his officers, and men, were received by all the garrison in the kindest and most respectful manner. So far as my ob- servation extended, no civility or attention was omitted. Having sent with Captain Gillespie every horse that was fit for use to General Kearny, I was without one for my own accommodation. I was therefore compelled on foot to advance and receive the general, whom I conducted to my own quarters, until others more agreeable to him could be prepared. The arrival of General Kearny was to me a source of gratification: although it was my decided opinion, which as yet I have seen no reason to change, that under the circum-
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stances that existed I was entitled to retain the position in which I was placed, of commander-in-chief : yet in consideration of his high standing in the army, his long experience as a soldier, the importance of military science and skill in the movements that were to be made in the interior of the country, I immediately determined to yield all personal feclings of ambition, and tc place in his hands the supreme authority. In accordance with this determi- nation I tendered to General Kearny the position of commander-in-chief, and offered to accompany him as his aid.
" This proposition was on more than one occasion renewed, and with all sincerity and singleness of purpose. The responsibility of moving from San Diego, and leaving the safety of the ships deprived of so large and efficient a portion of their crews, was of itself a momentous one. This, however, in the discharge of duty I felt no inclination to shrink from. But the fate of the territory itself might depend upon the issue of a battle to be fought on shore against an army organized to encounter us. The nature of the service, and the importance of the stake, it seemed to me appertained rather to a general in the army than a captain in the navy. Whatever ambition I might feel for distinction, cither on my own account, or on that of the gallant officers and men under my command, was voluntarily and deliberately offered as a sacrifice to a paramount sense of duty. The offers thus made were, however, on every occasion positively and distinctly declined by General Kearny, who on his side offered to accompany me in the capacity of my aid, and tendered to afford me the aid of his head and hand. A few days before I expected to take up the line of march, I addressed a note to the general, expressing a wish that he would accompany me. In his reply, he repeated the language which he had before employed-that he would so accompany me, and afford me the aid of his head and hand. Accordingly, on the morning of our departure he appeared upon the ground. After the troops had been paraded, and were nearly ready to commence the march, as I was about to mount my horse, General Kearny approached me, and inquired, who was to command the troops. I replied, Lieutenant Rowan was to have command. On his expressing a wish that he should liimself command them, I replied that he should have the com- mand. The different officers were at once convened, and informed that Gen- cral Kearny had volunteered to command the troops, and that I had given him the appointment, reserving my own position as commander-in-chief. This arrangement having been made, we proceeded on the march."
Gen. Kearny himself, on examination before the court mar- tial, testified on the fourteenth day of the trial, in relation to the expedition to Los Angeles,-" Under Commodore Stockton's di- rections every arrangement for the expedition was made. I had nothing whatever to do with it." Col. Fremont, in his defence, says,-" Both Gen. Kearny and the officers under him received and obeyed the orders of Com. Stockton, in some instances in opposition to those first given by Gen. Kearny, both on the
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THE MOVEMENT ON LOS ANGELES.
march and in the battles." Lieutenants Gray, Minor and Emo- ry testified to the same effect. From this, and much other cor- roborating evidence, it is historically true that whatever of re- sponsibility or credit belongs to the movement upon Los Angeles, at this time, must be attributed to Com. Stockton. He origi- nated the expedition, provided the means for its prosecution, con- ducted it as commander-in-chief, and is fairly entitled to the praise due for its success.
On the 23d of December, general orders were issued, as follows :-
" GENERAL ORDERS .- The forces composed of Capt. Tilghman's Company of Artillery, a detachment of the 1st Regiment of Dragoons, Companies A and B of California Battalion of Mounted Riflemen, and a detachment of sail- ors and marines from the frigates Congress and Savannah, and the ship Ports- mouth, will take up the line of march for the Ciudad de los Angeles on Monday morning, the 28th inst., at 10 A. M.
" By order of the Commander-in-Chief, " J. ZEILAN, " Brevet Captain and Adjutant.
" San Diego, 23d December, 1846."
On the 29th the march commenced. The distance to be travelled between San Diego and Los Angeles was one hundred and forty-five miles, the track lying through deep sands and over steep and rugged ascents. The entire force consisted of five hun- dred and forty sailors and marines, and sixty of Kearny's dra- goons, and six pieces of artillery. The men, for the most part, were poorly clothed, their shoes generally being made by them- selves of canvas. Stockton, in his despatch of February 5th, 1847, to the Secretary of the Navy, says,-" We came to San Diego with the Congress alone-her resources being almost ex- hausted in a previous campaign. The town was besieged by the insurgents, and there were no stores or provisions of any kind in it, and we were reduced to one fourth allowance of bread. We had to build a fort-to mount our artillery,-to make saddles, bridles, and harness : we had, in truth, to make an army, with all its necessary appendages, out of the mechanics and sailors of this ship, and to take our horses and beef cattle from the enemy." Captain Turner, of the dragoons, declined using the horses, in
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ANNALS OF SAN FRANCISCO.
their feeble condition, preferring to proceed without them, and those taken along for purposes of draught were so miserable that they daily became disabled, which devolved much hard work on the men, in dragging the guns and the carts heavily laden with provisions and ammunition. "Their route," says a writer alrea- dy quoted, "lay through a rugged country, drenched with the winter rains, and bristling with the lances of the enemy. Through this the commodore led his seamen and marines, shar- ing himself, with the general at his side, all the hardships of the common sailors. The stern engagements with the enemy derive their heroic features from the contrast existing in the condition of the two. The Californians were well mounted, and whirled their flying artillery to the most convenient positions. Our troops were on foot, mired to the ankle, and with no resources except in their own indomitable resolution and courage. Their exploits may be cast in the shadow by the clouds which roll up from the plains of Mexico, but they are realities here, which im- press themselves with a force which reaches the very foundations of social order."
The enemy were frequently seen during the march, and the utmost vigilance was constantly necessary, to prevent a surprise. The celebrated Kit Carson had been selected to command a small corps of scouts, and to act as spies and skirmishers, which duty was performed in a most efficient manner. On the 3d of January, at San Luís del Rey, Stockton despatched a messenger to apprise Fremont of his advance, and to caution him against the hazard of an action until a junction of their forces had taken place. This messenger, however, did not reach Fremont until the 9th January. Lieut. Selden, of the navy, was also sent with a small vessel to the maritime defile of Rincon, to protect that pass through which Fremont was expected to march. While ad- vancing, propositions were received from Flores to negotiate, which were rejected in the most peremptory terms. The bearers were informed that no communication would be held with Flores, he having forfeited his honor as a soldier, by breaking his parole. They were likewise assured that Flores and every Mexican who had broken his parole, if caught, would immediately be shot.
On the evening of January 7th, the whole force of the enemy
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BATTLE OF SAN GABRIEL.
being not far distant, the commodore despatched a confidential emissary to ascertain, under cover of night, their exact position and strength. They were formed between the invading army and the Rio San Gabriel, apparently waiting to give battle, and were estimated at from one thousand to twelve hundred men, composed almost wholly of cavalry. On the morning of the 8th, Stockton ordered all the guns of his men to be fired and re-loaded, and passing through their ranks, reminded them that it was the anniversary of the battle of New Orleans. They were then formed in a square, with the baggage and cattle in the centre. On approaching the river, the enemy were observed prepared for their reception, and strongly posted on the opposite heights. The banks commanding the ford (which was occupied by the artillery of the Californians), were about fifty yards from the river, quite steep, and about fifty feet high. When within a quarter of a mile of the ford, the men were formed in line, and orders given that not a gun should be fired until the crossing was effected. The enemy, however, kept up a perpetual and brisk fire, though with little effect. In the act of crossing, the water being about four feet deep, word was sent by Kearny to the commander-in- chief that the bed of the river consisted of quicksand and could not be passed with the guns. Stockton instantly repaired to the head of the column, seized the ropes, and with his own hands as- sisted to drag over the artillery. The passage effected, the troops were again formed for battle. The commodore took charge of the artillery, and pointed his guns with such precision that the enemy were soon compelled to abandon theirs ; when he sent Lieut. Gray with orders to Kearny to charge up the bank and seize them, while he prepared to receive a charge which was about being made on his flank. Before Kearny could reach the summit of the ascent, the Californians returning, withdrew their guns, making but a feeble stand against the general. The great- er part of their force, after making a circuit of some hundred yards, descending to the level of the river, attacked Stockton on his left flank ; but they were so warmly received that they re- treated upon the hill, the commodore following, charging up the declivity with his artillery, in the very face of the enemy. On his reaching the heights, the latter were seen at a short distance,
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drawn up in battle array, with their artillery in front. The Americans were now ordered to lie down, while their leader ran out his guns, and poured upon the adversary a well-directed fire, he himself aiming each piece as fast as it was loaded, with such fatal effect, that the enemy were repeatedly driven from their guns. Several ineffectual attempts were made by them to charge ; but the steady front, cool courage, and well aimed rifles of the assailants repelled their attacks. Dispersed in every di- rection on the heights, a portion of their right wing wheeled upon the rear of the American forces, and attacked Capt. Gillespie, encumbered with his baggage and cattle, who received them so warmly that they fled across the river. Their main body retreat- ed before the assailants, until reaching a ravine, they renewed a brisk fire, when Stockton again took charge of the guns, and by his well-directed shots, drove them from their position. They then rapidly fled, carrying off their killed and wounded, the numbers of which could not be ascertained. The Americans lost two killed and nine wounded.
On the 9th, Stockton pursued the retiring foc in the direction of Los Angeles, and after a march of six miles came up with them on the Plains of the Mesa. They were well posted, with a ravine to the left of their line, which masked their artillery. When about six hundred yards distant they opened a fire on the advancing column. Preparations for a charge were visible in their ranks, and they were observed to be joined by a strong rein- forcement. Stockton formed his whole force in square, with the baggage, horses and oxen in the centre, and gave imperative com- mands to his men not to fire a shot until he gave the signal, which he said would not be until he could see the eyes of the enemy. The Californians made a gallant charge. It is said by those who witnessed it, to have been a brilliant spectacle. Gayly caparisoned, with banners flying, mounted on fleet and splendid horses, they bounded on, spurring to the top of their speed, on the small but compact square into which the American force was compressed. The very earth appeared to tremble beneath their thundering hoofs-and nothing secmed capable of resisting such cavalry. But inspired with the cool courage and dauntless hero- ism of their leader, his men patiently awaited the result. The
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FREMONT NEGOTIATES WITH FLORES AND PICO.
signal was at length given, and a deadly fire, directed according to orders at the horses, was poured into the ranks of the advanc- ing foe, which emptied many saddles and threw them into com- plete confusion. Retreating a few hundred yards, they again formed, and despatching a part of their force to the rear, they attacked simultaneously three sides of the square. Orders were renewed to reserve fire until the enemy's near approach, and with the same decisive results,-their ranks breaking up and retreat- ing in disorder. A third time, having rallied, they returned to the charge, but once more their ranks were thinned by the dead- ly aim of the assailed ; and despairing of their ability to cope with men so cool, unflinching and resolute, confused and discom- fited, they scattered and fled in every direction.
On the 10th of January, at the head of his advanced guard, on the broadest and principal road leading into Los Angeles, the Commodore, with banners waving, marched into the city. He directed Captain Gillespie to raise the same flag which he was compelled to strike on the previous September.
A few days after these events, Fremont, without knowledge of Stockton's movements and success, encountered Gen. Flores and Andreas Pico and their disheartened remnant of followers, who in humble terms sued for peace. Not knowing that the commander- in-chief had refused to treat with them, Fremont entered into negotiations, and finally agreed upon articles by which they stip- ulated to surrender their arms, including the gun captured at San Pasqual from Gen. Kearny, and cease from all further resistance. These articles it was thought desirable to approve, as they were considered a final pacification in the territory between the con- tending parties, and as clemency on the part of the conqueror was more likely to insure that result than the sanguinary exercise of inexorable justice. .
The following general order must close our narrative of the military operations of Com. Stockton in California. We have ex- tended it far beyond the limits originally contemplated; but as the history of these events is closely connected with the subse- quent prosperity of the country, and the present condition of San Francisco, we have thought best to give it in all its interesting details.
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