Wheeling times and advertiser. [volume] (Wheeling, Va. [W. Va.]) 1839-1849, 1846-11-18
tro~ the Washington Uaion.
OPERATIONS OF CAPTAIN FREE.
MONT IN UPPER CALIFORNIA.
LETTER FROM SEN AToR BENroN tn
TIKI pRE SIn<\T

- fluNN t2NDIltl IfhaI
Captsinl fuceinont's operations in upner Cal
iloniia. ] deem II any duty tn law bs.,s,r. va,
the private letters Which | have received inn,
,ns' ohicrr Tor III. purpose oi show ing ,oa
ms setua' position at the iatcsi dates. ia. nm
willing msnner in which bc hssD,ne involve,
ma bosuiitics with the Mexican .u,bo,iti,s !.
that proVince. beiorc he had h..nl ol he ws
with Mexico and especially to dispmye the nc
cussiio'', officially made sgnilrs, him by GOV
srDor Csstro. of ta,,sg oo,n- into California
WIN q b"ty oi United States Troops. under
uf Pe'rhto o a scientific expedition. bui IN
rrsliiy to excite the Americans settled la thus
P'o'i"ce TO an insnrieri io0 sg,i1st the Mcxi
e n gov riment. This. ecu at on is OF the ym
Nesi character, mos, - no,,siy iinpiicsting ilr
god i,lih and honor a our Gt,vcTnrocnt, a nd
"h'tlaiiy made 10y Governor Castro, in n dc.
snatch To the minister If war sid marine. IN
der the date OF The lat Of April last. and pub
Iisb'st in Isl Monitor Rrpublicsno. in the ,iiy
col Mexico, by the oricr al the Mexican Gov
eminent, ou the 10Th - OF MAY last. A copy
oi this paper was sent to MIS- Fremont, mT
daughter. by the Hun. Mr.. Sli,lell. end an
h'glish Translation oi IL Is herewith pr.scn-
tsd
When Capt. Fremont left lhe United States
To- complete bis scientific lsis,rS beyond the.
E1ky Mountains, IL was with a full knowl
edR. oi the Poiiiicat as well as the pcrsOnal
difficuiiics Ot the enterprise. a. knew that
the relations al lhe United States were crit.
cal, both with MeSicosnG Great ~Boiiain-that
ic was going though the territories ~ lac one
snd the sr,tleinents OF the Uihcf-fhat lcal
ously would attach Ia his governinynt-aud
he was perfectly determined To- usr the utmost
circumsprction ia all his conduct. confirming
hImsrll wholly 10 his scientific pursuits, aud.
carefully avoiding rs we'll the apI4Hrsncc as
The reality oi either a political or mili,ar,
mission. With this view aud hsy my traver.
SCI The descTt, and Ctoss III the Gnat Basin
which ties hctween the Rocky Mountains and
he Sierra Nouddd Ol the dha California.
hc lctt his men upon the %lruuiiyT. a hundred
miles tom Monterey, aud went alone To il,at
city TO explain his object aud uishrs IN rr.
son TO Gov. Castro. He did this iu the n,,,st
formal aud official msnncf, ~ cumpany with
VIZ. olarkin, the United States C,hsul, lat
whose house he stopped, } aud, confirming to
'he whole detail OF Spanish ceremonial. Ire
not only called on the Governor, bat also on
The project and the slcadc. The interview
was entirely satisfactory. To ths~tioyeno,'s r..
mark that he was bringing a considcrabl, body
oi United States troops with him, Capt. r.
answered that II was not so-that leo had no
troops at ai--only a few men hired iof sfcu.
my against ilse Indians and killing uamr-ihat
hc Was not even anoiiccr oi the line, but of
Typographical iEngineers-and that bee was
sctkIng a new mute (arnong other olg..ts of
Science) 10 the mouth of the Columbia. n,-pu a
in'e lurttler south than The present travelling
route aud which had bfought him from To, .un-
settled pSfis oi The Uppcr California. and That
De- NO" wished Ia winter in the valley al li,c
S'n Joaquin, where there wss game for hi,
n'en, Sni grass ioT his borsrs. TO dis Inc
dorcDor agreed. and Capt. r. left Monterey
Ia bring lars men to the brantilul valley which
TIC bad explored iu.his previous expedition and
'o winch himseii and bis mcn hooked forward
10 az a paFadrze oi tepose and Ee~ireslimcnl
ai'"f lhcit tollsome and p~euloOs msrh al three
'h"usand mites among savage tribes and tho'
wilderness and acseTI countries.
Scarcely bad he arrived in this valley when
information bryan TO reach him from all quar-
tiers that The governor was raising the prov.
luce against INN and coming against him with
uoops oi ell arns-cavaiTy, artillery, and in
iantry-and that his situation vas mos, rrti-
cal and dangerous. The CO Dsul sen, 4 sperisl
messenger 10 warn him Of his dsnref; ,ne A.
%Inercan settlers below offered TO ioin him. hat
he utterly refused their assistance because he
would not compromise them. But he id
what isotsor aud sell preservation reauired.
end what the courage aud fidelity al his men
enthusiastically secondrd; he took a p~osition.
and waited the approach of the sssaiiauts and
That position was nearer To them on the sum.
mit ct Tie Sierra, overlooking Monterey. al
itIirty miles distance, and whence with th.i,
g'assrs. they could plainly see the troops
WIN their artillery. which lmd CROSSED slr
hay, (oi Monterey To San yuan. an ,Aei,
Way To attack him. The governor, With ihe~p
troops, snd all his ihrrsts. alleT-ce,ping -,
wards the camp 81 Sierra. did not come fo i
and CSptsin Fremont, faithful tn his bcsip
To a'pld collision. finding himself NOT aita,k.
co. dr~trTinined TO retire, aud tn protrcd "a
oregon, on his intended route of liz valley al
the S~acramento, the Klamath lake. and m,
valley oi the Wahlahmaih river. Ac,S,rlinr
! ~ aiSapt the 10th Of March. he lclt nj, nos3
hon on The Stern, desceDdrd iulo the vale,
"i TIE Sun JoaquiD and commenced his msrcl
ey slow aud easy stages. Of Tour aud six mile,
a day, towards Oregon.
htsOi thisencampmeDt on Tie Sierra tha
.s"ttfnYr Cas'ro makes particular complain
~ hls despatch To the Minister OF War AN,
Maftasy ss 90 evidence OF hostile inteut;oos
aud where the Amencsn flag was r,i-.d. /,
iorttiicetlon built anil the American settle,
called 80 loo IFS deience. Unhappily we hay,
No letter from Capt Fremont d~cisiling IN,
! events Oi these days: bnt the want of siIch
I, isttcr - we'll supplied by the Official commu
/, mcatl0n from tte American consult NJ Mon
: tefey to our Secretary OF SLATE, and hy Csut
4 ftF"'ont . Dfiei note 10 tie cOusui. (wri,t-l
|, ~ pcncil1 winle eHpsctiaI the attack ~
6ot c.siro, aud which hss bren heptefor
/ puDiisied In our papers. Nj. Bnchsnsp I'm,
( hisied Us as sOon as they uere received. viii
4 copitR ~ iiese dispatches, which arc here
MtthhSt lSfore you, aud from which il vii
br seen That Cos emor Castm's accusation
against Cart. Frmont SIRE %cntirsly nntoupde,
/, bot - . ifofn having excited tie Amedrao
10 fr'nli' lse absolutely refused to receive tl,os
who offered 10 join biml and, more, that wine
, "i'r' lesfing uis position, add gmnling dis
,h"'sss '" hfe or sik III bis men, he refused 4
I NV lF'' places rom tl'e men IN The countryis
determined was he To avoid a. we'll 4, an,,,,
snce, as ~ isct, the smalles II act o0rp-,y. a
lnJ"n"us To- The McKicsn authorities. N
same correspondence Show the entire Lls,os.
o' az 'he suPcmii,e Eascorusde " hich Cover