The Placer herald., 1856-08-30
A Leaf from the Early History Of Cali
fnrnia.

We give the subjoined letter from an officer
of the Navy, in reference to the conquest of
California, which has been drawn forth ty
the nomination of Col. Fremont for the
Presidency, and is addressed to the editor
published in the Missouri Republican:
1t is with very great reluctance that ap-
pear before the public, but sense of that
duty which | owe to the profession of which
| have been member for nearly thirty-two
years, compels me to claim for the navy and
marine corps, and for the navy and marine
corps alone, the entire credit if any is due,
for the conquest of California, saving and
excepting the personal services of the late
Gen'l Kearny and his handful of officers and
men, numbering in all not more than a
dozen persons, all that was left of the gallant
band that met with fate so disastrous at
San PasquaI;" the particulars of tha, affair
are fresh in the memory of many of our
citizens, from the fact that, in this bIoodiest
action of the war, there fell one of the most
gallant and accomplished officers of the army,
Capt. a. h. Johnston, of Dragons, a native
of Piqua, Ohio, and the son of our venerable
and distinguished fellow-c citizen, Col. John
Johnston. again repeat that, with this ex-
ccption, all credit for the conquest of Cali
forna is due to the navy and marine corps.
1t is we'll known that the late war with
Mexico afforded but little opportunity of dis
tincton to the maryland it is hard if the
little distinction it did gain is to be wrested
from them to make capital for an aspirant
to the Presidency. | aludc to the fact that
the friends of Fremont are claiming for him
the lions share of the little glory achieved
by that conquest. am prepared to prove
that, so far from his being entitled to any
credit for his participation in the conquest
of California, that his having failed to co.
operate heartily and efficiently with Com
modore Stockton, so far from assisting in the
conquest, embarrassed him (Stockton) in his
operations, and rendered the victory less
complete than it would have been had we
received from Fremont that assistance we
had right to eXpect-mounted, armed and
equipped as he was. am further prepared
to prove that in every engagement and every
rout of the enemy which took place in Cali
tornia Fremont was invariably too late to
take part and to sum up all, | assert that,
during the whole of his service in California,
hC HNNSi NtS III HcdlIiS ulStuItc VI tUc
enemy's guns. The cause Of his ineficiencv
| will not here discuss.
His other claims to the distinguished
honor which it is intended to confer upon
him, | know nothing of and care nothing
about. | am no politician. | am neither
for Fillmore or Buchanan, for Stockton or
Garritt Smith, and certainly not for Fremont,
knowing him as do. Since have stepped
so far out of my proper sphere as to appear
befora tho rnhlic in the character of news
paper paragraph writer, hope to be excused !
for telling who | am, and how came in
possession Of this information, and great |
deal more upon the same subject yet untold.
went to California in 1916, with Com.
Stockton, and was at that time Lieutenant
of more than eleven years standing; and
during his operations there | was for some
time his Addict Camp and Quarter Master of
the forces | was present and assisted with
my own hands in hosting our flag at Santa
Barbara San Pedro and at Pueblo Los An
geles, and was at this latter place the next
officer in rank to Com. Stockton, when First
Lieutenant and brevet Captain Fremont ar
rived there with his "hundred," Just about
thirty-six hours too late to take part in the
rout of Gen Castro, whom we--the sailors
and marines on toot-had driven before us
for two days, until his forces scattered and
he, together with the civil Governor Pio
Pico, and principal officers, fled to Mexico,
and was never heard of afterwards during
the war.
am compelled in this manner to utterly
annihilate that beautiful story which appears
in the Journal of yesterday, entitled, Gre
mont, or the ride of the one hundred"
copied from the New York Post, which story
pronounce to be utterly and entirely false.
unless the interview with Gen. Vallejo, as
described took place, and of that | never
heard before; but all the adventure and gal
lantry attributed to Fremont in the story |
know to be untrue.
hope it will not be considered indelicate
in me to make an appeal to the people of
Ohio, and especially the people of Southern
Ohio, where | am best known, claiming their
protection from party Of men who are en-
deavoring to make political capital for their
candidate for the Presidency out of deeds
performed by my companions and myself,
and in which he took a very unlmportant
part JAMES FINDLEY ScHENCK,
Commander U. S. Navy.
Etyy- THE GRowTH OF WESTERN CITIES is