USA > California > Contra Costa County > The history of Contra Costa County, California > Part 6
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45
THE BEAR FLAG WAR
Having traveled about two-thirds of the way from Sutter's Fort, Captain Merritt and Kit Carson rode on ahead with the news of the capture of Sonoma, desiring that arrangements be made for the re- ception of the prisoners. They entered the fort early in the morning of June 16th. That evening the rest of the party, with their prisoners, came and were handed over to the safe-keeping of Captain Sutter, who, it is said, was severely censured by Captain Frémont for his indulgence to them.
Mr. Thomas C. Lancey, the author of several interesting letters on this subject that appeared in The Pioneer during the year 1878, re- marks :
"There have been so many questions raised during this year (1878) in relation to the date of the hoisting of the 'Bear Flag,' who made it, and what material it was manufactured from, as well as the date of the capture of Sonoma and the number of men who marched that morning, that I shall give the statements of several who are entitled to a hearing, as they were actors in that drama.
"The writer of this (Mr. Lancey) was here in 1846, and served dur- ing the war, and has never left the country since, but was not one of those who were found to be able to form a correct opinion as to the correctness of these dates. Doctor Robert Semple, who was one of that party from the first, says in his diary that they entered Sonoma at early dawn on the 14th of June, 1846, thirty-three men, rank and file. Wil- liam B. Ide, who was chosen their commander, says in his diary the same. Captain Henry L. Ford, another of this number, says, or rather his historian, S. H. W., of Santa Cruz, whom I take to be the Rev. S. H. Willey, makes him say, that they captured Sonoma on the 12th of June, with thirty-three men. Lieutenant William Baldridge, one of the party, makes the date the 14th of June, and the number of men twenty- three. Lieutenant Joseph Warren Revere, of the United States ship 'Portsmouth,' who hauled down the 'Bear Flag' and hoisted the Ameri- can flag on the 9th of July, and at a later date commanded the garrison, says the place was captured on the 14th of June."
To this list is now added the documentary evidence produced above, fixing the date of capture of General Vallejo and his officers, and there- fore the taking of Sonoma, as June 14, 1846.
On the seizure of the citadel of Sonoma, the Independents found
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HISTORY OF CONTRA COSTA COUNTY
floating from the flagstaff-head the flag of Mexico, a fact which had escaped notice during the bustle of the morning. It was at once lowered, and they set to work to devise a banner which they should claim as their own. They were as one on the subject of there being a star on the groundwork, but they taxed their ingenuity to have some other device, for the "lone star" had been already appropriated by Texas.
So many accounts of the manufacture of this insignia have been published that we give the reader those quoted by the writer in The Pioneer: "A piece of cotton cloth," says Mr. Lancy, "was obtained, and a man by the name of Todd proceeded to paint from a pot of red paint a star in the corner. Before he was finished, Henry L. Ford, one of the party, proposes to paint on the center, facing the star, a grizzly bear. This was unanimously agreed to, and the grizzly bear was painted accordingly. When it was done, the flag was taken to the flagstaff, and hoisted amid the hurrahs of the little party, who swore to defend it with their lives."
Of this matter Lieutenant Revere says: "A flag was also hoisted bearing a grizzly bear rampant, with one stripe below, and the words 'Republic of California' above the bear, and a single star in the Union." This is the evidence of the officer who hauled down the Bear Flag and replaced it with the Stars and Stripes on July 9, 1846.
The Western Shore Gazetteer has the following version: "On the 14th of June, 1846, this little handful of men proclaimed California a free and independent republic, and on that day hoisted their flag, known as the 'Bear Flag'; this consisted of a strip of wornout cotton domestic, furnished by Mrs. Kelley, bordered with red flannel, furnished by Mrs. John Sears, who had fled from some distant part to Sonoma for safety upon hearing that war had been thus commenced. In the center of the flag was a representation of a bear en passant, painted with venetian red, and in one corner was painted a star of the same color. Under the bear were inscribed the words 'Republic of California,' put on with common writing-ink. This flag is preserved by the California Pioneer Association, and may be seen at their rooms in San Francisco. It was designed and executed by W. L. Todd."
The Sonoma Democrat, under the caption "A true history of the Bear Flag,"tells its story : "The rest of the revolutionary party remained in possession of the town. Among them were three young men, Todd,
1
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THE BEAR FLAG WAR
Benjamin Duell, and Thomas Cowie. A few days after the capture, in a casual conversation between these young men, the matter of a flag came up. They had no authority to raise the American flag, and they determined to make one. Their general idea was to imitate, without following too closely, their national ensign. Mrs. W. B. Elliott had been brought to the town of Sonoma by her husband from his ranch on the Mark West Creek, for safety. The old Elliott cabin may be seen to this day on Mark West Creek, about a mile above the springs. From Mrs. Elliott, Ben Duell got a piece of new red flannel, some white domestic, needles and thread. A piece of blue drilling was obtained elsewhere. From this material, without consulting with anyone else, these three young men made the Bear Flag. Cowie had been a saddler. Duell had also served a short time at the same trade. To form the flag Duell and Cowie sewed together alternate strips of red, white, and blue. Todd drew in the upper corner a star and painted on the lower a rude picture of a grizzly bear, which was not standing, as has been sometimes represented, but was drawn with head down. The bear was afterward adopted as the design of the great seal of the State of California. On the original flag it was so rudely executed that two of those who saw it raised have told us that it looked more like a hog than a bear. Be that as it may, its meaning was plain-that the revolutionary party would, if necessary, fight their way through at all hazards. In the lan- guage of our informant, it meant that there was no back out; they in- tended to fight it out. There were no halyards on the flagstaff which stood in front of the barracks. It was again reared, and the flag, which was soon to be replaced by that of the republic, for the first time floated on the breeze."
Besides the above-quoted authorities, John S. Hittell, historian of the Society of California Pioneers, San Francisco, and H. H. Bancroft, the Pacific Coast historian, affixed the dates of the raising of the Bear Flag as June 12th and June 15th, respectively. William Winter, secre- tary of the Association of Territorial Pioneers of California, and Mr. Lancey questioned the correctness of these dates, and entered into cor- respondence with all the men known to be alive who were of that party and others who were likely to throw any light on the subject. Among many answers received, we quote the following portion of a letter from James G. Bleak :
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HISTORY OF CONTRA COSTA COUNTY
"ST. GEORGE, UTAH, 16th of April, 1878.
"To WILLIAM WINTER, EsQ.,
"Secretary Association of Territorial Pioneers of California.
"Dear Sir: Your communication of 3rd instant is placed in my hands by the widow of a departed friend, James M. Ide, son of William B., as I have at present in my charge some of his papers. In reply to your question asking for the 'correct date' of raising the 'Bear Flag' at So- noma, in 1846, I will quote from the writing of William B. Ide, de- ceased : 'The said Bear Flag [was] made of plane [plain] cotton cloth, and ornamented with the red flannel of a shirt from the back of one of the men, and christened by the 'California Republic' in red paint letters on both sides; [it] was raised upon the standard where had floated on the breeze the Mexican flag aforetime; it was the 14th of June, '46. Our whole number was twenty-four all told. The mechanism of the flag was performed by William L. Todd, of Illinois. The Grizzly Bear was chosen as an emblem of strength and unyielding resistance.'"
The following testimony, conveyed to the Los Angeles Express from the artist of the flag, we now produce as possibly the best that can be found :
"Los ANGELES, January II, 1878.
"Your letter of the 9th inst. came duly to hand, and in answer I have to say in regard to the making of the original bear flag of California, at Sonoma, in 1846, that when the Americans, who had taken up arms against the Spanish regime, had determined what kind of a flag should be adopted, the following persons performed the work: Granville P. Swift, Peter Storm, Henry L. Ford, and myself ; we procured, in the house where we made our headquarters, a piece of new unbleached cotton domestic, not quite a yard wide, with stripes of red flannel about four inches wide, furnished by Mrs. John Sears, on the lower side of the canvas. On the upper left-hand corner was a star, and in the center was the image made to represent a grizzly bear passant, so common in this country at the time. The bear and star were painted with paint made of linseed oil and Venetian red or Spanish brown. Underneath the bear were the words 'California Republic.' The other persons en- gaged with me got the materials together, while I acted as artist. The forms of the bear and star and the letters were first outlined with pen and ink by myself, and the two forms were filled in with the red paint,
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THE BEAR FLAG WAR
but the letters with ink. The flag mentioned by Mr. Hittell, with the bear rampant, was made, as I always understood, at Santa Barbara, and was painted black. Allow me to say, that at that time there was not a wheelwright shop in California. The flag I painted I saw in the rooms of the California Pioneers in San Francisco, in 1870, and the Secretary will show it to any person who will call on him at any time. If it is the one I painted, it will be known by a mistake in tinting out the words 'California Republic.' The letters were first lined out with a pen, and I left out the letter 'I' and lined out the letter 'C' in its place. But after- wards I lined out the letter 'I' over the 'C', so that the last syllable of 'Republic' looks as if the two last letters were blended.
"Yours respectfully,
"WM. L. TODD."
The San Francisco Evening Post of April 20, 1874, has the follow- ing: "General Sherman has just forwarded to the Society of California Pioneers the guidon which the Bear Company bore at the time of the conquest of California. The relic is of white silk, with a two-inch-wide red stripe at the bottom, and a bear in the center, over which is the in- scription : 'Republic of California.' It is accompanied by the following .letter from the donor:
"'Society of California Pioneers, San Francisco, California,-
" 'Gentlemen : At the suggestion of General Sherman, I beg leave to send to your society herewith a guidon, formerly belonging to the So- noma troop of the California battalion of 1846, for preservation. This guidon I found among the effects of that troop when I hauled down the bear flag and substituted the flag of the United States at Sonoma, on the 9th of July, 1846, and have preserved it ever since.
"'Very respectfully, etc., "'Jos. W. REVERE, Brigadier-General. " 'Morristown, N. J., February 20, 1874.'"
The garrison being now in possession, it was necessary to elect of- ficers ; therefore, Henry L. Ford was elected first lieutenant, Granville P. Swift first sergeant, and Samuel Gibson second sergeant. Sentries were posted, and a system of military routine inaugurated. In the fore- noon, while on parade, Lieutenant Ford addressed the company in these
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HISTORY OF CONTRA COSTA COUNTY
words: "My countrymen : We have taken upon ourselves a very re- sponsible duty. We have entered into a war with the Mexican nation. We are bound to defend each other or be shot. There is no halfway place about it. To defend ourselves we must have discipline. Each of you has had a voice in choosing your officers. Now they are chosen, they must be obeyed." To which the entire band responded that the au- thority of the officers should be supported. The words of William B. Ide, in continuation of the letter quoted above, throw further light upon the machinery of the civil-military force: "The men were divided into two companies of ten each. The First Artillery were busily engaged in putting the cannons in order, which were charged doubly with grape and canister. The First Rifle Company were busied in cleaning, re- pairing, and loading the small arms. The commander, after setting a guard and posting a sentinel on one of the highest buildings, to watch the approach of any persons who might feel a curiosity to inspect our operations, directed his leisure to the establishment of some system of finance, whereby all the defenders' families might be brought within the lines of our garrison and supported. Ten thousand pounds of flour were purchased on the credit of the Government, and deposited with the garrison ; and an account was opened, on terms agreed upon, for a sup- ply of beef and a few barrels of salt constituted our main supplies. Whisky was contrabanded altogether. After the first round of duties was performed, as many as could be spared off guard were called to- gether, and our situation fully explained to the men by the commanders of the garrison.
"It was fully represented that our success-nay, our very life-de- pended on the magnanimity and justice of our course of conduct, coupled with sleepless vigilance and care. (But ere this we had gathered as many of the surrounding citizens as possible, and placed them out of harm's way between four strong walls. They were more than twice our number.) The commander chose from these strangers the most in- telligent, and by the use of an interpreter went on to explain the cause of our coming together ; our determination to offer equal protection and equal justice to all good and virtuous citizens ; and we had not called them there to rob them of any portion of their property or to disturb them in their social relations with one another; nor yet to desecrate their religion."
5I
THE BEAR FLAG WAR
As will be learned from the foregoing, the number of those who were under the protection of the Bear Flag within Sonoma had been consid- erably increased. A messenger had been dispatched to San Francisco to inform Captain Montgomery, of the United States ship "Portsmouth," of the action taken by the little garrison, with the further statement that it was the intention of the insurgents never to lay down their arms until the independence of their adopted country had been established. An- other message was dispatched about this time, but in a different direc- tion. Lieutenant Ford, finding that the magazine was short of powder, sent two men named Cowie and Fowler, to the Sotoyome Rancho, owned by H. D. Fitch, for a bag of gun-powder. The messenger to San Francisco returned, the latter two never. Before starting they were cautioned against proceeding by traveled ways-good advice, which, however, they followed for only the first ten miles of their journey, when they struck into the main thoroughfare into Santa Rosa. At about two miles from that place they were attacked and slaughtered by a party of Californians. Two others were dispatched on special duties; they too were captured, but were better treated. Receiving no intelligence from either of the parties, foul play was suspected; therefore, on the morn- ing of the 20th of June Sergeant Gibson, with four men, was ordered to proceed to the Sotoyome Rancho, learn, if possible, the whereabouts of the missing men, and procure the powder. They went as directed, secured the ammunition, but got no news of the missing men. As they were passing Santa Rosa on their return, they were attacked at day- light by a few Californians, and, turning upon their assailants, captured two of them, Blas Angelina and Bernardino Garcia, alias Three-Fin- gered Jack, and took them to Sonoma. They told of the taking and slay- ing of Cowie and Fowler, and that their captors were Ramon Mesa Domingo, Mesa Juan Padilla, Ramon Carrillo, Bernardino Garcia, Blas Angelina, Francisco Tibran, Ygnacio Balensuella, Juan Peralta, Juan Soleto, Inaguan Carrillo, Mariano Merando, Francisco Garcia, and Ygnacio Stigger. The story of their death is a sad one. After Cowie and Fowler had been seized by the Californians, they encamped for the night, and the following morning determined in council what should be the fate of their captives. A swarthy New Mexican, named Mesa Juan Padilla, and Three-Fingered Jack, the Californian, were loudest in their denunciation of the prisoners as deserving of death, and unhappily
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HISTORY OF CONTRA COSTA COUNTY
their counsels prevailed. The unfortunate young wen were then led out, stripped naked, bound to a tree with a lariat, while for a time the in- human monsters practiced knife-throwing at their naked bodies, the victims praying to be shot. They then began throwing stones at them, one of which broke the jaw of Fowler. The fiend Three-Fingered Jack, then advancing, thrust the end of his riata (a rawhide rope) through Fowler's mouth, cut an incision in his throat, and then made a tie by which the jaw was dragged out. They next proceeded to kill them slowly with their knives. Cowie, who had fainted, had the flesh stripped from his arms and shoulders, and pieces of flesh were cut from their bodies and crammed into their mouths, they being finally disem- boweled. Their mutilated remains were afterward found and buried where they fell, upon the farm now owned by George Moore, two miles north of Santa Rosa. No stone marks the grave of these pioneers, one of whom took so conspicuous a part in the events which gave to the Union the great State of California. Three-Fingered Jack was killed by Captain Harry Love's rangers July 27, 1853, at Pinola Pass, near the Merced River, with the bandit Joaquin Murietta, while Ramon Carrillo met his death at the hands of the Vigilantes between Los Angeles and San Diego May 21, 1864. At the time of his death, the above murder, in which it was said he was implicated, became the subject of news- paper comment ; indeed, so bitter was the tone of the press that on June 4, 1864, the Sonoma Democrat published a letter from Julio Carrillo, a respected citizen of Santa Rosa, an extract from which we reproduce:
"But I wish more particularly to call attention to an old charge, which I presume owes its revival to the same source : That my brother, Ramon Carrillo, was connected with the murder of two Americans, who had been taken prisoners by a company commanded by one Padilla in 1846. I presume this charge first originated from the fact that my brother had been active in raising the company which was commanded by Padilla, and from the further fact that the murder occurred near the Santa Rosa farm then occupied by my mother's family. Notwith- standing these appearances, I have proof which is incontestable that my brother was not connected with this affair, and was not even aware that these men had been taken prisoners until after they had been killed. The act was disapproved by all the native Californians at the time, ex- cepting those implicated in the killing, and caused a difference which
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THE BEAR FLAG WAR
was never entirely healed. There are, as I believe, many Americans now living in this vicinity, who were here at the time, and who know the facts I have mentioned. I am ready to furnish proof of what I have said to any who may desire it."
The messenger dispatched to the United States ship "Portsmouth" returned on the 17th in company with First Lieutenant John Storny Missroom and John E. Montgomery, son and clerk of Captain Mont- gomery, who dispatched by express letters from that officer to Frémont and Sutter. These arrived the following day, the 18th, and on the 19th Frémont came to Sutter's with twenty-two men, bringing José Noriega, of San Jose, and Vicente Peralta, as prisoners.
At Sonoma, on June 18th, Captain William B. Ide, with the consent of the garrison, issued the following :
"A proclamation to all persons and citizens of the district of Sonoma, requesting them to remain at peace and follow their rightful occu- pations without fear of molestation.
"The commander-in-chief of the troops assembled at the fortress of Sonoma gives his inviolable pledge to all persons in California not found under arms, that they shall not be disturbed in their persons, their property, or social relations with one another by men under his command.
"He also solemnly declares his object to be: first, to defend himself and companions in arms, who were invited to this country by a promise of lands on which to settle themselves and families; who were also promised a republican government ; when, having arrived in California, they were denied the privilege of buying or renting lands of their friends, who, instead of being allowed to participate in or being pro- tected by a republican government, were oppressed by a military despo- tism ; who were even threatened by proclamation by the chief officers of the aforesaid despotism with extermination if they should not depart out of the country, leaving all their property, arms and beasts of bur- den ; and thus deprived of their means of flight or defense, were to be driven through deserts inhabitated by hostile Indians to certain de- struction.
"To overthrow a government which has seized upon the property of the missions for its individual aggrandizement; which has ruined and
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HISTORY OF CONTRA COSTA COUNTY
shamefully oppressed the laboring people of California by enormous exactions on goods imported into the country, is the determined pur- pose of the brave men who are associated under my command.
"I also solemnly declare my object, in the second place, to be to invite all peaceable and good citizens of California who are friendly to the maintenance of good order and equal rights, and I do hereby invite them to repair to my camp at Sonoma, without delay, to assist us in es- tablishing and perpetuating a republican government which shall secure to all civil and religious liberty ; which shall encourage virtue and liter- ature ; which shall leave unshackled by fetters, agriculture, commerce, and manufactures.
"I further declare that I rely upon the rectitude of our intentions, to the favor of heaven and the bravery of those who are bound and asso- ciated with me by the principles of self-preservation, by the love of truth and the hatred of tyranny, for my hope of success.
"I furthermore declare that I believe that a government, to be pros- perous and happy, must originate with the people who are friendly to its existence ; that the citizens are its guardians, the officers its servants, its glory its reward.
"WILLIAM B. IDE.
"Headquarters, Sonoma, June 18, 1846."
The Pioneer says that William B. Ide was born in Ohio, came over- land to California, reaching Sutter's Fort in October, 1845. On June 7, 1847, Governor Mason appointed him land surveyor for the Northern District of California, and in the same month he was appointed justice of the peace at Cache Creek. At an early day he got a grant of land called the Rancho Barranca Colorado, just below Red Creek, in Colusa Coun- ty, as it was then organized. In 1851 he was elected county treasurer, with an assessment-roll of $373,260, and moved with the county seat to Monroeville, at the mouth of Stoney Creek. On September 3, 1851, he was elected county judge of Colusa County and practiced law, having a license. Judge Ide died of smallpox at Monroeville on December 18, 1852, aged fifty years.
Let us for a moment turn to the doings of Castro. On June 17th he issued two proclamations, one to the new, the other to the old citizens and foreigners. Appended are translations :
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THE BEAR FLAG WAR
"The citizen, José Castro, Lieutenant-Colonel of Cavalry in the Mexi- can Army, and acting General Commandant of the Department of California.
"FELLOW CITIZENS: The contemptible policy of the agents of the United States of North America in this department has induced a num- ber of adventurers, who, regardless of the rights of men, have design- edly commenced an invasion, possessing themselves of the town of So- noma, taking by surprise all the place, the military commander of that border, Col. Don Mariano Guadalupe Vallejo, Lieutenant-Colonel Don Victor Prudon, Captain Don Salvador Vallejo, and Mr. Jacob P. Leese.
"Fellow-countrymen, the defense of our liberty, the true religion which our fathers possessed, and our independence, call upon us to sacrifice ourselves rather than lose those inestimable blessings. Banish from your hearts all petty resentments; turn you, and behold your- selves, these families, these innocent little ones, which have unfortu- nately fallen into the hands of our enemies, dragged from the bosoms of their fathers, who are prisoners among foreigners and are calling upon us to succor them. There is still time for us to rise en masse, as irresistible as retribution. You need not doubt but that Divine Provi- dence will direct us in the way to glory. You should not vacillate be- cause of the smallness of the garrison of the general headquarters, for he who will first sacrifice himself, will be your friend and fellow-citizen,
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