Before resuming the thread of this narrative, it may be as well to give
a brief summary of events that had transpired previously to our arrival.
Pending disturbances between the United States and Mexico, when the
quarrel had not reached an open rupture, much excitement prevailed in
Upper California, through the agency of a few foreigners, who wished to
revolutionize the country. At this epoch, Mr. Fremont, of the U. S.
Topographical Engineers, was in the heart of California, engaged upon
scientific explorations, ostensibly in relation to the practicability of
the best route for emigration to Oregon. There is reason to believe,
also, that he was instructed to feel the geographical pulse of the
natives, as well as the mountain passes. Be this as it may, Mr. Fremont
was encamped near Monterey, with sixty followers, when Jose Castro, a
Mexican officer in command of the province, issued a proclamation,
ordering Fremont to leave the territory immediately, and at the same
time threatened to drive every foreigner away also. Fremont and his
party, after holding Castro's bombast in contempt, and his troops at
bay, at last began to march, quite leisurely, towards the northern route
for Oregon: these occurrences happened early in the spring of 1846. On
the 13th of June the first movement began, on the river Sacramento,
near Sutler's Fort, and one of the tributaries to the head waters of San
Francisco. This attack was composed of a few lawless vagabonds, who,
carrying a banner of white, with a red border and grizzly bear, styled
themselves the "Bear Party:" they were of all nations, though claiming
citizenship in the United States. After stealing a drove of horses,
belonging to the Californians, their numbers were increased by other
marauding gentry to forty, when moving rapidly around the northern
shores of the Bay of San Pablo, they surprised and captured the little
garrison of Sonoma, under charge of General Guadalupe Vallejo. Then they
committed excesses, without the slightest recognized authority, but
purely, it appears, from love of a little independent fighting and
thieving on their own private accounts. Meanwhile a large naval force
had been hovering on the Mexican coast for a year previously, awaiting
the first blow to be dealt on the other side. Intelligence of the
battles on the Rio Grande reached Mazatlan in June, and Commodore Sloat,
who was there at the time, sailed for Monterey with the squadron,
arrived in July, and on the 7th hoisted the American flag, and took
formal and legitimate possession of the territory. The same course was
pursued at San Francisco. A week afterwards the frigate Congress
arrived, and Sloat, transferring his pennant to Commodore Stockton,
returned home. The new Commander-in-Chief then sailed for San Pedro,
three hundred miles down the coast; where disembarking a force of three
hundred seamen and marines, he marched towards the capital of Upper
California, Pueblo de los Angeles, a town some thirty miles inland. On
the route, he found a body of five hundred men, under Pico, and Castro,
the military governor of the territory. The Californians broke up their
camp and dispersed, before getting a glance of the sailors' bayonets.
Stockton occupied Los Angeles, received the submission of the native
authorities and citizens, placed a small garrison, returned to San
Pedro, where he re-embarked for San Francisco; in the interim the
settlements of the valleys of Santa Clara and Sonoma were occupied by
American forces.
Fremont overtaken on his way through Oregon by Lieut. Gillespie,
retraced his steps to California, and learning the U. S. flag had been
hoisted in Monterey, proceeded with a battalion of settlers to the lower
country, where they were duly enrolled. At San Francisco news reached
Stockton that the natives, six hundred strong, had risen after his
departure. The Savannah sailed to aid the small garrison, which,
however, had been obliged to capitulate, and Captain Mervine, with three
hundred men, was beaten by a much smaller force.
The Commodore sailed again in the beginning of November, and landed at
San Diego with about 500 men. While at this place, General Kearny with
100 dragoons arrived from a toilsome march of nearly three months from
Santa Fe. At the Pass of San Pascual, he fell in with a Californian
force under Andreas Pico, and after a severe skirmish, beat them off,
though with great loss to himself--eighteen of his saddles were emptied,
including three officers, and as many more badly wounded. Forming a
junction with Commodore Stockton, they left San Diego for San Angelos.
After a toilsome march of 150 miles, through a broken and mountainous
country, on the 8th and 9th of January, their passage was opposed by
Governor Pico and Castro, at the river San Gabriel and plains of La
Mesa, heading a body of 500 cavalry and four field guns; after an
obstinate resistance, the Californians were put to flight. Subsequently,
they fell back upon Colonel Fremont, who, with the volunteers, were en
route to unite with the naval forces from San Siego. The Californian
leaders again capitulated and signed an armistice. This was the position
of affairs on our arrival at Monterey--a few days later General Kearny
arrived, after his difficulties with Commodore Stockton and Fremont, in
relation to the governorship of the territory.
The news we received was by no means inspiriting, nor even the
perspective view of matters becoming better. Among minor details, the
wreck of the schooner Shark, at Columbia river--the drowning of a launch
load of sailors and two officers, in San Francisco, and a host of more
trivial misfortunes. The vessels of the squadron were dispersed up and
down the coast, necessarily scattering men and officers at different
posts, for the purpose of retaining and subjugating the country; but of
course rendering the ships generally inefficient, from the great
diminution of their complements. The natives had been confounded and
bewildered by speeches and proclamations--relays of fresh
commanders-in-chief, who, amid their own official bickerings, never
ceased forming new governments, organizing armies, appointing officers,
civil and military--but what served in a great degree to urge matters to
a crisis, was the banding together of a few mongrel bodies of
volunteers, who enhanced the pleasure of their otherwise agreeable
society, by pillaging the natives of horses, cattle, saddles, household
utensils, and the like, in quite a maraudering, buccaneering,
independent way; all of course under the apparent legal sanction of the
United States' government, and not a doubt but demanded by the
imperative necessity of their patriotic plunderers themselves. The
result was easily foretold. These miserable Californians, who at first
were not averse to subscribe to our laws, and to come under the flag
peacefully and properly, were soon screwed up to such a maze of fear,
uncertainty, and excitement, as to make all future arrangements an
affair of exceeding difficulty. Besides, another important obstacle
intervened; they were to be convinced that the Americans really intended
to hold permanent possession of their country, and not to make another
revoke, as could be reasonably inferred from the invasion of a few years
previous, when we so quickly resigned the conquest--a tergiverse
proceeding, which they, as well as more enlightened nations, were
somewhat at a loss to comprehend. Thus judging from experience of the
past, they had no desire to make themselves obnoxious to their Mexican
rulers, in case a like event should occur again; and consequently, in
the absence of a sufficiency of those convincing arguments done up in
military jackets and trousers, with muskets by their sides, to overawe
even a thin population over so great an extent of territory, the
natives, even those at first most favorably disposed, seized the lance,
took a decided stand, and with the prospect of doing more fighting than
was originally contracted for.
These were the causes principally instrumental in bringing about the
last outbreak. But the Californians, without organization, arms, or
competent leaders, though with all the elements to prolong the contest,
seeing fresh arrivals of ships and troops appear on their coast, were
induced to throw by the lance for the lasso, and agree to an honorable
capitulation. Milder influences prevailed; steps were taken to
tranquilize people's minds by a spirit of conciliation dictated by good
sense. Useless and annoying restrictions were abolished, property of
every description was returned or liberally paid for, prisoners
discharged, paroles annulled, the blue jackets, playing soldiers on
shore, were ordered to their respective ships, and the volunteers
disbanded. All this tended in a great measure to reassure the natives of
an amicable endeavor on our part to make the new yoke rest as lightly as
possible on their shoulders.