Weekly national intelligencer. [volume] (Washington [D.C.]) 1841-1869, 1846-11-14

ed his launch Immediately wrote to him. by return
OF the boat describing to him fully my position and nten-
ons order that he might not by supposne me to be act
ing under orders from Government unwittngy commit
himself in aoding other than such assistance as his in
structions would authorize him naturally offer an officer
charged with an important public duty, in fine any c
Of the UnitedaStates.
Information ha Dc reached me from the commanding Off
Ger at Sonoma tina, his post threatened with an attack by
force under Gen. Castro raised camp on the American
fork on the afternoon of the 23d, and accompanied by Mr.
Gillespie, al two in the morning of the 25th reached Sonoa
with ninety mounted rlcmen, having marched eighty miles
Our people sill held the place, only division of Castro
force, squadron of cavalry, numbering seventy men, and
commanded by Joaquin de Ia Tore, Gone Of his s officers
having succeeded IN crossing the straits francisco bay This
force had attacked advance party twenty Americans and
was) defeated with the loss Of killed and two or three
wounded The Americans lost none. This was an unex
peced check to the Caornans who had their in
ention 10 defeat people without firing gun to beat out
their brains with their "tapadros" and destroy them con
euctos pros They led use this expression from
the circumstance that few days previous they had captured
TWO OF our men, IAN express and after wounding, had
bound them to trees and cut them pieces while alive with
exaggeraon Of cruelty which Indian would be capable
or In few days dc Ia Tore driven from the country
having barely succeeded in eecng his escape across the
straits the guns x large and handsome peces spiked the
tort on the south side Of entrance Francisco bay and the
communication with the opposite side entirely broken off the
and launches being either destroyed
Three OF Castros party having landed the Sonoma side
advance were killed near the beach, and beyond this there
was no loss on either sde In all those proceedings Mr. Gil
espe acted with We reached Sonoma again on the
ning OF July 4, and in the morning called the people
geher and spoke to them relation to the position Of the
country, advising Of operations which unani-
mously adopted California declared independent, the
country put under martial law, the force organized and off
elected pledge binding themselves to support these
measures and to obey their officers signed by those pre-
sent The whole placed under my direction Several
officers from the Portsmouth present this meeting
Leaving Captain Gnggsby, with fifty in command Of
Sonoma left that place the 9Th, and reached my cncamp-
ment the American Fork in three days Before we arrived
at that place, General Castro bad evacuated Santa Clara
which he bad been engaged in foryne and with force
about 400 men, aud two pieces Of artillery commenced his
artillery, principally BRASS On tie evening Of the we
were electrified by the arrival Of express from Capt Mont
gocy with information that Commodore Sloat had hoisted
the flag Of the United States at Monterey, and taken posses
sion Of the country Capt Montgomery had hosed The flag
at Yerba Bucna and Sonoms 70 be hoscd at