USA > California > The conquest of California and New Mexico, by the forces of the United States, in the years 1846 & 1847 > Part 13
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152
ATTACK BY TLAMATH INDIANS.
His next letter is dated the 14th of May, and informs me that, in his progress to Oregon, he found himself and party unexpectedly attacked by the Tlamath Indians-the most warlike of that quar- ter-had lost five men in killed and wounded-and still expected to be in the United States in the month of September."
All the information in continuance of the narrative, is contained in a letter from Capt. Fremont to Senator Benton, dated "Mission of Carmel, July 25, 1846." (The Mission of Carmel is three miles south of Monterey, Upper California.) The substance is given by Senator Benton, thus :-
"At the middle of May, Capt. Fremont, in pursuance of his design to reach Oregon, and return by the Columbia and Missouri through the Northern Pass in the Rocky Mountains, had arrived at the great Tlamath Lake, in the edge of the Oregon Territory, when he found his further progress completely barred by the double obstacle of hostile Indians, which Castro had excited against him, and the lofty mountains, covered with deep and fall- ing snows, which made the middle of May in that elevated region the same as the middle of winter. These were the difficulties and dangers in front. Behind, and on the north bank of the San Francisco Bay, at the military post of Sonoma, was Gen. Castro assembling troops with the avowed intention of attacking both Fremont's party, and all the American settlers, against whom the Indians had been already excited. Thus, his passage barred in front by impassable snows and mountains-hemmed in by savage Indians, who were thinning the ranks of his little party-menaced by a general at the head of tenfold forces of all arms-the Ame- · rican settlers in California marked out for destruction on a false accusation of meditating a revolt under his instigation-his men and horses suffering from fatigue, cold, and famine-and after the most anxious deliberation upon all the dangers of his position, and upon all the responsibilities of his conduct, Capt. Fremont deter- mined to turn upon his pursuers and fight them instantly, without regard to numbers, and seek safety for his party and the Ameri- can settlers, by overturning the Mexican government in California. It was on the 6th day of June that he came to this determination ;
153
CAPTURES CASTRO'S HORSES.
and, the resolution being once taken, all half-way measures were discarded, and a rapid execution of the plan was commenced. On the 11th of June, a supply of 200 horses for Castro's troops on the way to his camp, conducted by an officer and fourteen men, were surprised at daylight, and the whole captured-the men and officer being released, and the horses retained for American use. On the 15th, at daybreak, the military post of Sonoma, (the point of rendezvous, and intended head-quarters) was surprised and taken, with nine pieces of brass cannon, 250 stand of muskets, other arms and ammunition, with several superior officers, Gen. Vallejo, (Val-ya-ho,) his brother, Capt. Vallejo, Col. Greuxdon, and others; all of whom were detained and confined as prisoners. Capt. Fremont then repaired to the American settlements on the Rio de los Americanos to obtain assistance; and receiving an express from his little garrison of fourteen, in Sonoma, that Gen. Castro was preparing to cross the Bay of San Francisco, and attack him with a large force, he set out in the afternoon of the 23d of June, with ninety mounted riflemen, and, travelling day and night, ar- rived at 2 o'clock in the morning of the 25th, at Sonoma-eighty miles' distance. The vanguard of Castro's force had crossed the bay-a squadron of seventy dragoons, commanded by De la Torre-which was attacked and defeated by twenty Americans, with a loss of two killed and some wounded on the part of the Mexicans, and no injury to themselves-De la Torre barely escap- ing, with the loss of his transport boats, and spiking six pieces of artillery: In the mean time, two of Capt. Fremont's men, going as an express, were captured by De la Torre's men, and, being bound to trees, were cut to pieces, alive, with knives ! in return for which, three of De la Torre's men being taken were instantly shot. The north side of the Bay of San Francisco was now cleared of the enemy, and on the 4th day of July, Capt. Fremont called the Americans together at Sonoma, addressed them upon the dangers of their situation, and recommended a declaration of independence, and war upon Castro and his troops, as the only means of safety. The independence was immediately declared, and the war proclaimed. A few days afterwards, an officer from
154
PURSUES GEN. CASTRO.
Com. Sloat brought intelligence that the American flag was hoisted at Monterey-an example which was immediately followed wher- ever the news flew. The pursuit and defeat of Castro was then the only remaining enterprise. He had fled south, towards the numerous Mexican towns and settlements beyond Monterey, with his four or five hundred men; and Capt. Fremont, leaving some fifty men in garrisons, set out with 160 mounted riflemen in the pur- suit, when he received instructions from Com. Sloat to march upon Monterey. He did so, and found Com. Stockton in command, approving the pursuit of Castro, and aiding it by all the means in his power. The sloop of war Cyane was put at his service. Capt. Fremont, with 160 American riflemen and 70 marines, embarked on that vessel, and sailed down the coast, on the 26th of July, to San Diego, 400 miles south of Monterey, and 100 south of Pueblo de los Angeles, where Castro was understood to be, with an increasing force of 500 men. The descent of the coast. as far as San Diego was with a view to get ahead of Castro, and to be in a position either to intercept him if he fled south to Mexico, or to Lower California, or to turn back upon him if he remained in Pueblo de los Angeles, or any of the numerous towns in its neighbourhood."
Com. Sloat had assigned the command of the Pacific squadron to Com. R. F. Stockton, about the 19th of July, 1846. On the day that the latter took the command as "Commander-in-chief, and Governor of the Territory of California," he organized the "Cali- fornia Mounted Riflemen," with the men whom Fremont had brought, and received them as Volunteers into the service of the United States, appointing Capt. Fremont major, and Lieut. Gil- lespie, of the Marine Corps, captain of the battalion.
The orders under which Capt. Fremont embarked for San Diego were as follows :-
UNITED STATES FRIGATE CONGRESS, Monterey Bay, July 23, 1846.
SIR: You will please to embark on board the United States ship Cyane, with the detachment of troops under your command, on Saturday afternoon.
155
OCCUPATION OF THE CITY OF THE ANGELS.
The ship, at daylight, on Sunday morning, will sail for San Diego, where you will disembark your troops and procure horses for them, and will make every necessary preparation to march through the country at a moment's notice from me.
You will endeavour to encamp so near San Diego as to have a daily communication with the Cyane, which will remain at anchor there until you receive orders to march.
The object of this movement is to take, or get between the Colorado and Gen. Castro.
I will leave Monterey in this ship for San Pedro, so as to ar- rive there about the time that you may be expected to have arrived at San Diego.
I will despatch a courier to you from San Pedro, to inform you of my movements.
Faithfully, your obedient servant,
R. F. STOCKTON, Commodore, &c.
Captain FREMONT, United States Army.
On the 29th he arrived at San Diego, where he was detained by the difficulty of finding horses, the Californians having driven off, and secreted, as far as possible, all their animals. Thus Capt. Fremont was unable to move until the 8th of August, when he started in pursuit of Castro who had fled from Com. Stockton's forces at the "Camp of the Mesa." On the 13th both com- manders united their forces and entered the City of the Angels, of which they took unmolested possession.
On the 16th, Fremont again set off in pursuit of Castro, who it soon was found had succeeded in making his escape out of the country, his principal officers separating in different parties. These were most of them taken, and brought to the "City of the Angels," whither Fremont returned by the 28th.
Early in September, 1846, Com. Stockton, having determined to keep the California battalion of mounted riflemen in the service of the territory, and constantly on duty to prevent and punish any aggressions of the Indians, or any other persons, upon the property
156
CAPT. GILLESPIE EVACUATES THE CITY.
of individuals or the peace of the territory, withdrew all his forces and proceeded with the squadron to San Francisco. Captain Gillespie was left in command of the "City of the Angels" with about thirty riflemen.
Fremont left the city, for the purpose of recruiting his forces as fully instructed by the order already given on page 125.
Fremont had but forty men with him ; of these he left nine with Lieut. Talbot to garrison Santa Barbara, and from thence, on the 16th, continued his way north.
It was at this time that Com. Stockton had announced to the Secretary of the Navy, Mr. Bancroft, that the war was ended,* through his letter of the 28th of August, 1846.
On the 23d of September, the Californians invested the "City of the Angels," and on the 30th Capt. Gillespie was forced by overwhelming numbers to capitulate and to retire to San Pedro, and thence to embark for Monterey.
Manuel Gaspar, the Californian chief, then marched on San Barbara. Here was stationed a young officer, Theodore Talbot, (son of the late Isham Talbot, a very distinguished senator from Kentucky,) and who, though a mere boy, had won the entire con- fidence and esteem of Fremont, whom he had accompanied in his expeditions for scientific purposes to the Rocky Mountains, Oregon and California-and they had " some rough ones," as Lieut. Talbot truly says, in the interesting letter which well describes the incidents at Santa Barbara, and affords a familiar and authentic insight of others. .
- Extract from a letter of Lieut. Theodore Talbot, dated
CITY OF THE ANGELS, CALIFORNIA,
January 15, 1847.
"Since last I wrote you I have had an active life. Col. Fremont · left the City of the Angels in September under command of Capt. A. H. Gillespie with thirty-odd riflemen, the commodore having
· See his letter, Chapter 7.
157
LIEUT. TALBOT IN SANTA BARBARA.
entirely withdrawn his forces and proceeded with his squadron to San Francisco. We moved to the north, the colonel having with him only some forty men, (his old party,) the rest of the force having in part preceded us, and part been disbanded, with the ex- ception of two small parties stationed south of the City of the Angels. I was left as military commandant of the town and juris- diction of Santa Barbara, a pretty place lying on the ocean one hundred miles north of the City of the Angels, and the principal : town between that place and Monterey. There were only nine men left with me, it being the colonel's intention to recruit at the north, and return immediately. The prefect, the principal civil authority of the southern department, resided there, and I was left for the purpose of supporting him. My position was a very plea- sant one; Santa Barbara being the residence of some of the state- liest Dons and prettiest Señoras in all California. I had been here, however, but a few days when I received a correo, post-haste from Capt. Gillespie, bringing news of a rebellion in the south-the City of the Angels being surrounded by 500 of the Californians under arms. The courier had barely escaped with his life, and brought me Gillespie's motto seal, concealed in a cigarita, to vouch for the truth of what he told. Having warned me, he hurried on to the north, to give this news to the colonel and commodore. I spent several anxious days-every moment expecting to be attacked in my barracks; hearing only through the women, who, noble and disinterested always in the hour of need, would give me such little information as they could obtain with regard to the motions of the insurgents.
"Here let me remark, that nothing has surprised me so much, in my little intercourse with the Mexicans, as the humanity and charity of the women, as compared with the almost brutal ferocity of the men. You will recollect that Kendall sustains the same opinion with reference to the Santa Fé expedition.
" Although my position was very precarious, I kept a firm upper lip, in order to keep down the people of Santa Barbara, which has some 70 fighting men, and several resident Mexican officers, until aid could be received from the north. I succeeded in this until the
158
ADVENTURES OF LIEUT. TALBOT.
City of the Angels was taken, and Gillespie forced to capitulate. Manuel Garpis, the commander, then marched with two hundred men on Santa Barbara. They surrounded the town, and sent in a letter demanding my surrender, and guarantying our lives, &c., &c. They gave us two hours to deliberate. We had all determined not to surrender our arms ; and, finding the place we then occupied untenable, with so small a force, we determined to push for the hills, (our best ground for fighting,) or die in the attempt. I ac- cordingly marshalled my little force and marched out of the town without opposition-those who lay on the road retreating to the main force which was on the lower side of the town. The few foreigners living in the town dared not assist me; and the Cali- fornians, all of course, took arms against us. Having so unex- pectedly been allowed to pass their force, I camped in the hills overlooking the town, and determined to remain there a few days, and co-operate with any force which might be landed at Santa Barbara. I remained here eight days, when the Californians having discovered my whereabouts, finally determined to rout me out. Not knowing my exact position, they had divided into two or three parties; and one of them, consisting of some forty men, happened to strike upon the very spot where I was. I was aware of their coming, and had given my men orders not to fire until they were in among us. But my men were so eager to get a shot, that two of them who were posted in the arroy, or ravine, nearest the enemy, forgetting my instructions, fired just as they came marching in on us. They had fired too far for their own shots even to be effective, killing only the horse of one, and wounding the-horse and grazing the hip of another of the enemy. : But the Californians fled, nor would they again come within reach of our rifles, pouring a fire from their long carbines from the neighbouring hills. They sent a foreigner to me, offering to allow me to retain my arms and freedom, giving my parole of honour not to interfere farther in the war about to be waged.
"I sent the man back with word that I preferred to fight. Find- ing I would not give up, they put fire in all round me, and suc- ceeded in burning me out. I eluded them, however, and after
159
ADVENTURES OF LIEUT. TALBOT.
lingering another day, in hopes that a force would arrive, I deter- mined to push for Monterey. I came down on a rancho, called San Marco, where we got something to eat, for we had been starving for several days. We were also so fortunate as to find an old soldier of Gen. Micheltorena, who was naturally inimical to the Californians. He piloted us across the coast mountain, which is here ninety miles wide, and very rugged, into the head of the Tulare valley to the Lake of Buena Vista. Here I was familiar with the country, and after a month's travel, coming some 500 miles, mostly afoot, enduring much hardship and suffering, we at length effected a junction with Col. Fremont at Monterey."
"They were all very glad to see us, for they certainly thought we were all killed. In fact, the Californians had circulated that report. You must excuse me for dwelling on my little adventure ; for the fact is, I suffered more from downright starvation, cold, nakedness, and every sort of privation, than in any trip I have yet had to make, and I have had some rough ones. Col. Fremont had started from San Francisco in the ship Sterling ; but after being out twenty days, and much bad weather, he was compelled to put into Monterey. I found him recruiting more men from the new emigrants, and preparing to go by land to the south. A day or two after I arrived, a part of two companies, under command of Capts. Burrows and Thompson, were attacked by the Califor- nians, 80 in number, the Americans having 57; they fought-4 Americans were killed, and 3 Californians. Capt. Burrows was among the killed. "We marched to their assistance, to the mission of St. John's, from which place they were afraid to move, as they had a cavallada of 400 head of horses. We left St. John's for the south the 26th of November, and arrived at San Fernando on the 11th of January.
"This place is twenty-five miles from the City of the Angels, which we heard the commodore and Gen. Kearny, with 700 men, were in possession of. The commander of the Californians, Don Andres Pico, finding it impolitic to wage the war further, sent. a deputation of his officers offering to surrender to Col. Fremont. Their surrender was accepted, and we marched into the city the
160
COL. FREMONT'S REGIMENT.
14th of January. The volunteer force was soon disbanded, and I will have a chance of returning home, I hope."
Col. Fremont had, without money or men, and, in a country where the first was not to be seen, and the latter, few and widely scattered, set about raising in the north a force sufficient for the occasion, from the emigrants and strangers. With untiring energy, and in a very short time, he had succeeded in organizing about 450 men, well mounted, and supplied with every equipment of war, including four pieces of artillery. The troops constituting Col. Fremont's command, gathered up hastily as they were, and from the midst of a population so few and scattered, were perhaps, taken as a whole, the most strange and discordant that ever marched under any one banner. They were representatives from almost every nation . on earth, including many tribes of North American Indians, and speaking all manner of tongues. Yet this motley crew had been disciplined into a very efficient corps.
Col. Fremont then embarked in the ship Sterling from San Francisco for the south, the more immediate scene of action; but after having been out at sea for twenty days, he was forced by bad weather to disembark at Monterey. Here it was that Col. Fre- mont made his successful excursion to the Mission of St. John's, of which Lieut. Talbot speaks.
(It is to be remembered that, on the 27th of May, 1846, Capt. Fremont had been appointed, in his absence, by the President of the United States, the lieutenant-colonel of the new regiment of "Mounted Riflemen." Of this, distance had precluded hitherto any knowledge in California .- Henceforth, Fremont will be spoken of under his proper title as an officer of the United States army.)
From the Mission of St. John's, Col. Fremont commenced, about the 26th of November, his march on the "City of the An- gels." On this march of nearly 400 miles, the Californians hovered around its flanks, watching for some false move or decline of vigilance. Our limits preclude details to any great extent. On the 14th of December, Don Jesu Pico, with several others, was taken prisoners, at Wilson's Rancho, and the next day he was tried by a court-martial, and condemned to be shot the day
161
PARDON OF JESU PICO.
after, at 12 o'clock. The incident of Pico's pardon is too well told to seek other language than Lieut. Talbot's, who thus describes the scene :-
"There was no time to lose ; the hour of twelve next day was fixed for the execution. It was 11 o'clock, and I chanced to be in the colonel's room, when a lady with a group of children, fol- lowed by many other ladies, burst into the room, throwing them- selves upon their knees, and crying for mercy for the father and husband. " It was the wife and children and friends of Pico. Never did I hear such accents of grief. Never did I witness such an agonizing scene. I turned away my eyes, for I could not look at it, and soon heard from Col. Fremont (whose heart was never formed to resist such a scene) the heavenly words of par- don. Then the tumult of feeling took a different turn. Joy and gratitude broke out, filled the room with benedictions, and spread to those without. To finish the scene, the condemned man was brought in, and then I saw the whole impulsiveness and fire of the Spanish character, when excited by some powerful emotion. He had been calm, composed, quiet, and almost silent, under his trial and condemnation ; but at the word pardon, a storm of impe- tuous feeling burst forth, and, throwing himself at the feet of Col. Fremont, he swore to him an eternal fidelity ; and demanded the privilege of going with him and dying for him.
"But it was not yet all over with Col. Fremont. His own men required the death of Pico-he had done us much harm, and, in fact, was the head of the insurrection in that district, and had broken his parole. The colonel went among them and calmed the ferment in his own camp. He quieted his own men ; but others, who were not there, have since cried out for the execution of Pico, and made his pardon an accusation against Col. Fremont. The pacified state of the country will answer the accusation, and show that it was a case in which policy and humanity went to- gether."
On the 27th, Col. Fremont arrived at Santa Barbara, where he .
caused the American flag to be hoisted, with much ceremony, by Lieut. Talbot and the nine men who had before refused to sur-
o 2
11
:162
CAPITULATION OF GEN. PICO.
render at that place, the principal authorities of the town being required to be present.
This march, in mid-winter, was one of. very great hardship. Both men and horses suffered exceedingly. On Christmas day, the battalion lost, in crossing the Santa Barbara mountains, from a hundred and fifty to two hundred horses. The artillery was brought over by hand, engaging at one time over 100 men at the ropes.
From Santa Barbara, Col. Fremont again pressed on towards the "City of the Angels," when, on the 12th of January, 1847, at the Ranch of Couenga, near the point of their destination, the California forces, under Don Andres Pico, were met, in advance of the position where Col. Fremont had expected to have encoun- tered them in deadly strife.
Such, however, was not the result. The Californians sent for- ward a flag of truce-propositions of peace or of cessation of hos- tilities were submitted to the commandant of the California batta- lion of United States forces, which Col. Fremont so far acceded to as to appoint a board of commissioners to consult with a similar board appointed by the Californians, and to agree to an entire ces- sation of hostilities until the next afternoon, by which time the negotiations were to close. The American commissioners were P. B. Reading, major of the California battalion, Wm. H. Russel, ordnance officer, and Louis McLane, Jr., commanding artillery, of the California battalion. The Californian commissioners were José Anto. Carrillo, commandant de Escuadron, and Augustine Olvera, deputado-who, on the 13th, agreed on the terms of capi- tulation, whereby the Californian forces delivered up their artillery and public arms, and disbanded themselves, which was approved of on the same day, by Col. Fremont, as "Military Commandant of California," and by Andres Pico, who signed as "Command- ante de Escuadron en géf de las fuerzas nacionales en Cali- fornia."
These terms did not treat the Californians as rebels or citizens of the United States, and did not exact oaths of allegiance, but postponed it for a definitive treaty of peace, requiring nothing but
COM. STOCKTON'S OPINION OF THE CAPITULATION. 163
present obedience to the American authorities, and forgetfulness of the past.
It will be seen in another chapter devoted to the operations of the Pacific squadron, and their co-operation in the conquest of California, that the official details there given of the capitulation, &c., accompanied the official despatches of Com. Stockton, to whom, as his presumed superior in authority, they were given by Col. Fremont, after his arrival at the "City of the Angels." On his arrival, (the 13th,) he found Gen. Kearny and Com. Stockton, and reported, that day, his battalion to Gen. Kearny.
It will be seen that Com. Stockton, in his despatch of the next day to Mr. Bancroft, Secretary of the Navy, speaks thus of these occurrences :- "I have the honour to inform you of the arrival of Lieutenant-colonel Fremont at this place, with four hundred men- that some of the insurgents have made their escape to Sonora, and that the rest have surrendered to our arms."
"Immediately after the battles of the 8th and 9th, they began to disperse ; and I am sorry to say, that their leader, José Ma. Flores, made his escape, and that the others have been pardoned by a capitulation agreed upon by Lieut. Col. Fremont.
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