Leave New Helvetia
Pleasant weather
Meet Indian volunteers
Tule boats
Engagement between a party of Americans and Californians
Death of Capt. Burroughs and Capt. Foster
Capture of Thomas O. Larkin
Reconnaissance
San Juan Bautista
Neglect of the dead
Large herds of Cattle
Join Col. Fremont.
On my arrival at New Helvetia, I found there Mr. Jacob. Mr. Reed had
not yet returned from the mountains. Nothing had been heard from Mr.
Lippincott, or Mr. Grayson, since I left the latter at Sonoma. An
authorized agent of Col. Fremont had arrived at the fort the day that I
left it, with power to take the _caballada_ of public horses, and to
enroll volunteers for the expedition to the south. He had left two or
three days before my arrival, taking with him all the horses and
trappings suitable for service, and all the men who had previously
_rendezvoused_ at the fort, numbering about sixty, as I understood. At
my request messengers were sent by Mr. Kern, commandant of the fort,
and by Captain Sutter, to the Indian chiefs on the San Joaquin River
and its tributaries, to meet me at the most convenient points on the
trail, with such warriors of their tribes as chose to volunteer as
soldiers of the United States, and perform military service during the
campaign. I believed that they would be useful as scouts and spies. On
the 14th and 15th eight men (emigrants who had just arrived in the
country, and had been enrolled at Johnson's settlement by Messrs. Reed
and Jacob) arrived at the fort; and on the morning of the 16th, with
these, we started to join Colonel Fremont, supposed to be at Monterey;
and we encamped at night on the Cosçumne River.
The weather is now pleasant. We are occasionally drenched with a shower
of rain, after which the sun shines warm and bright; the fresh grass is
springing up, and the birds sing and chatter in the groves and thickets
as we pass through them. I rode forward, on the morning of the 17th, to
the Mickelemes River (twenty-five miles from the Cosçumne), where I met
Antonio, an Indian chief, with twelve warriors, who had assembled hero
for the purpose of joining us. The names of the warriors were as
follows;--Santiago, Masua, Kiubu, Tocoso, Nonelo, Michael, Weala,
Arkell, Nicolas, Heel, Kasheano, Estephen. Our party coming up in the
afternoon, we encamped here for the day, in order to give the Indians
time to make further preparations for the march. On the 18th we met, at
the ford of the San Joaquin River, another party of eighteen Indians,
including their chiefs. Their names were--José Jesus, Filipe,
Ray-mundo, and Carlos, chiefs; Huligario, Bonefasio, Francisco,
Nicolas, Pablo, Feliciano, San Antonio, Polinario, Manuel, Graviano,
Salinordio, Romero, and Merikeeldo, warriors. The chiefs and some of
the warriors of these parties were partially clothed, but most of them
were naked, except a small garment around the loins. They were armed
with bows and arrows. We encamped with our sable companions on the east
bank of the San Joaquin.
The next morning (Nov. 19), the river being too high to ford, we
constructed, by the aid of the Indians, tule-boats, upon which our
baggage was ferried over the stream. The tule-boat consists of bundles
of tule firmly hound together with willow withes. When completed, in
shape it is not unlike a small keel-boat. The buoyancy of one of these
craft is surprising. Six men, as many as could sit upon the deck, were
passed over, in the largest of our three boats, at a time. The boats
were towed backwards and forwards by Indian swimmers--one at the bow,
and one at the stern as steersman, and two on each side as propellers.
The poor fellows, when they came out of the cold water, trembled as if
attacked with an ague. We encamped near the house of Mr. Livermore
(previously described), where, after considerable difficulty, I
obtained sufficient beef for supper, Mr. L. being absent. Most of the
Indians did not get into camp until a late hour of the night, and some
of them not until morning. They complained very much of sore feet, and
wanted horses to ride, which I promised them as soon as they reached
the Pueblo de San José.
About ten o'clock on the morning of the 20th, we slaughtered a beef in
the hills between Mr. Livermore's and the mission of San José; and,
leaving the hungry party to regale themselves upon it and then follow
on, I proceeded immediately to the Pueblo de San José to make further
arrangements, reaching that place just after sunset. On the 21st I
procured clothing for the Indians, which, when they arrived with Mr.
Jacob in the afternoon, was distributed among them.
On my arrival at the Pueblo, I found the American population there much
excited by intelligence just received of the capture on the 15th,
between Monterey and the mission of San Juan, of Thos. O. Larkin, Esq.,
late U.S. Consul in California, by a party of Californians, and of an
engagement between the same Californians and a party of Americans
escorting a _caballada_ of 400 horses to Colonel Fremont's camp in
Monterey. In this affair three Americans were killed, viz.: Capt.
Burroughs, Capt. Foster, and Mr. Eames, late of St. Louis, Mo. The
mission of San Juan lies on the road between the Pueblo de San José and
Monterey, about fifty miles from the former place, and thirty from the
latter. The skirmish took place ten miles south of San Juan, near the
Monterey road. I extract the following account of this affair from a
journal of his captivity published by Mr. Larkin:--
"On the 10th of November, from information received of the sickness of
my family in San Francisco, where they had gone to escape the expected
revolutionary troubles in Monterey, and from letters from Captain
Montgomery requesting my presence respecting some stores for the
Portsmouth, I, with one servant, left Monterey for San Francisco,
knowing that for one month no Californian forces had been within 100
miles of us. That night I put up at the house of Don Joaquin Gomez,
sending my servant to San Juan, six miles beyond, to request Mr. J.
Thompson to wait for me, as he was on the road for San Francisco. About
midnight I was aroused from my bed by the noise made by ten
Californians (unshaved and unwashed for months, being in the mountains)
rushing into my chamber with guns, swords, pistols, and torches in
their hands. I needed but a moment to be fully awake and know my exact
situation; the first cry was, 'Como estamos, Senor Consul.' 'Vamos,
Senor Larkin.' At my bedside were several letters that I had re-read
before going to bed. On dressing myself, while my captors were saddling
my horse, I assorted these letters, and put them into different
pockets. After taking my own time to dress and arrange my valise, we
started, and rode to a camp of seventy or eighty men on the banks of
the Monterey River; there each officer and principal person passed the
time of night with me, and a remark or two. The commandante took me on
one side, and informed me that his people demanded that I should write
to San Juan, to the American captain of volunteers, saying that I had
left Monterey to visit the distressed families of the river, and
request or demand that twenty men should meet me before daylight, that
I could station them, before my return to town, in a manner to protect
these families. The natives, he said, were determined on the act being
accomplished. I at first endeavoured to reason with him on the infamy
and the impossibility of the deed, but to no avail; he said my life
depended on the letter; that he was willing, nay, anxious to preserve
my life as an old acquaintance, but could not control his people in
this affair. From argument I came to a refusal; he advised, urged, and
demanded. At this period an officer called out * * * * (Come here,
those who are named.) I then said, 'In this manner you may act and
threaten night by night; my life on such condition is of no value or
pleasure to me. I am by accident your prisoner--make the most of
me--write, I will not; shoot as you see fit, and I am done talking on
the subject.' I left him, and went to the camp fire. For a half-hour or
more there was some commotion around me, when all disturbance subsided.
"At daylight we started, with a flag flying and a drum beating, and
travelled eight or ten miles, when we camped in a low valley or hollow.
There they caught with the lasso three or four head of cattle belonging
to the nearest rancho, and breakfasted. The whole day their outriders
rode in every direction, on the look-out, to see if the American
company left the mission of San Juan, or Lieutenant-Colonel Fremont
left Monterey; they also rode to all the neighbouring ranches, and
forced the rancheros to join them. At one o'clock, they began their
march with one hundred and thirty men (and two or three hundred extra
horses); they marched in four single files, occupying four positions,
myself under charge of an officer and five or six men in the centre.
Their plan of operation for the night was, to rush into San Juan ten or
fifteen men, who were to retreat, under the expectation that the
Americans would follow them, in which case the whole party outside was
to cut them off. I was to be retained in the centre of the party. Ten
miles south of the mission, they encountered eight or ten Americans, a
part of whom retreated into a low ground covered with oaks, the others
returned to the house of Senor Gomez, to alarm their companions. For
over one hour the hundred and thirty Californians surrounded the six or
eight Americans, occasionally giving and receiving shots. During this
period, I was several times requested, then commanded, to go among the
oaks and bring out my countrymen, and offer them their lives on giving
up their rifles and persons. I at last offered to go and call them out,
on condition that they should return to San Juan or go to Monterey,
with their arms; this being refused, I told the commandante to go in
and bring them out himself. While they were consulting how this could
be done, fifty Americans came down on them, which caused an action of
about twenty or thirty minutes. Thirty or forty of the natives leaving
the field at the first fire, they remained drawn off by fives and tens
until the Americans had the field to themselves. Both parties remained
within a mile of each other until dark. Our countrymen lost Captain
Burroughs of St. Louis, Missouri, Captain Foster, and two others, with
two or three wounded. The Californians lost two of their countrymen,
and José Garcia, of Val., Chili, with seven wounded."
The following additional particulars I extract from the "Californian"
newspaper of November 21, 1846, published at Monterey: "Burroughs and
Foster were killed at the first onset. The Americans fired, and then
charged on the enemy with their empty rifles, and ran them off.
However, they still kept rallying, and firing now and then a musket at
the Americans until about eleven o'clock at night, when one of the
Walla-Walla Indians offered his services to come into Monterey and give
Colonel Fremont notice of what was passing. Soon after he started he
was pursued by a party of the enemy. The foremost in pursuit drove a
lance at the Indian, who, trying to parry it, received the lance
through his hand; he immediately, with his other hand, seized his
tomahawk, and struck his opponent, splitting his head from the crown to
the mouth. By this time the others had come up, and, with the most
extraordinary dexterity and bravery, the Indian vanquished two more,
and the rest ran away. He rode on towards this town as far as his horse
was able to carry him, and then left his horse and saddle, and came in
on foot. He arrived here about eight o'clock on Tuesday morning,
December 17th."
The Americans engaged in this affair were principally the volunteer
emigrants just arrived in the country, and who had left New Helvetia a
few days in advance of me.
Colonel Fremont marched from Monterey as soon as he heard of this
skirmish, in pursuit of the Californians, but did not meet with them.
He then encamped at the mission of San Juan, waiting there the arrival
of the remaining volunteers from above.
Leaving the Pueblo on the afternoon of the 25th, in conjunction with a
small force commanded by Captain Weber, we made an excursion into the
hills, near a rancho owned by Captain W., where were herded some two or
three hundred public horses. It had been rumoured that a party of
Californians were hovering about here, intending to capture and drive
off these horses. The next day (November 26th), without having met any
hostile force, driving these horses before us, we encamped at Mr.
Murphy's rancho. Mr. Murphy is the father of a large and respectable
family, who emigrated to this country some three or four years since
from, the United States, being originally from Canada. His daughter,
Miss Helen, who did the honours of the rude cabin, in manners,
conversation, and personal charms, would grace any drawing-room. On the
28th, we proceeded down the Pueblo valley, passing Gilroy's rancho, and
reaching the mission of San Juan just before dark. The hills and
valleys are becoming verdant with fresh grass and wild oats, the latter
being, in places, two or three inches high. So tender is it, however,
that it affords but little nourishment to our horses.
The mission of San Juan Bautista has been one of the most extensive of
these establishments. The principal buildings are more durably
constructed than those of other missions I have visited, and they are
in better condition. Square bricks are used in paving the corridors and
the ground floors. During the twilight, I strayed accidentally through
a half-opened gate into a cemetery, inclosed by a high wall in the rear
of the church. The spectacle was ghastly enough. The exhumed skeletons
of those who had been deposited here lay thickly strewn around, showing
but little respect for the sanctity of the grave, or the rights of the
dead from the living. The cool damp night-breeze sighed and moaned
through the shrubbery and ruinous arches and corridors, planted and
reared by those whose neglected bones were now exposed to the rude
insults of man and beast. I could not but imagine that the voices of
complaining spirits mingled with these dismal and mournful tones; and
plucking a cluster of roses, the fragrance of which was delicious, I
left the spot, to drive away the sadness and melancholy produced by the
scene.
The valley contiguous to the mission is extensive, well watered by a
large _arroyo_, and highly fertile. The gardens and other lands for
tillage are inclosed by willow hedges. Elevated hills, or mountains,
bound this valley on the east and west. Large herds of cattle were
scattered over the valley, greedily cropping the fresh green herbage,
which now carpets mountain and plain.
Colonel Fremont marched from San Juan this morning, and encamped, as we
learned on our arrival, ten miles south. Proceeding up the _arroyo_ on
the 29th, we reached the camp of Colonel F. about noon. I immediately
reported, and delivered over to him the men and horses under my charge.
The men were afterwards organized into a separate corps, of which Mr.
R.T. Jacob, my travelling companion, was appointed the captain by
Colonel Fremont.