Litchfield enquirer. [volume] (Litchfield, Conn.) 1829-current, 1856-06-26

he thought war had begun between Mexico and
the United States He therefore Immediately
pulled down the Bear flag, and raised the
stripes and stars.
Commodore Sloat was acting under orders
received the year before from the Navy De
partment, the Secretary (Bancroft) having di-
rected as soon as he should know that war was
declared against Mexico, he should take pos
session Of California. Hearing of the exploits
OF Captain Fremont in the north, he suppose d
that he must be acting under orders from the
government. THIS appears from his own letters
to Captain Montgomery, i'll Which he expressed
a hope that Fremont would approve of what
they were about to do, aud join them. Cap
tain Montgomery, at S.oat's order, took pos
session of Ycrba Buena (now San Francisco
at once hosting the United States flag, with
out opposition, in the public square Conmo-
'ore Sloat, at the same time, wrote to Captain
Fremont, telling him what he had done, and re-
4nesting his cooperation in consequence of
which Captain Fremont forthwith repaired to
Monterey, aud put himself and his ri0cmen I'M
der Soat's command but told him, at the
same time, that he had no orders from WASH
ngton, but had acted on his own responsibility.
Commodore S!eat was i'll, (he had already
dShttl ttd|c vi uIIScINC vi tuuL account 1tiu
he was worried by this communication. He
therefore very gladly resigned his command to
Commodore Stockton, who arrived at this mo-
ment (JuIy 800 to relieve him
Commodore Stockton, fit;ding the state of the
affair." had no hesitation about continuing the
conquest of California and to Commodore
Slo'ts proclamation, which had promised the
conquered, under the protection of the United
Sites, n b. tier government than Mexico had
ever given them he added another, threatening
war upon any who should modest ANA rcan cit
rs. Capt. Fro mont and Lieut. Gillespie were
both, by their own appointments under govern
mcnt, independent of Com Stockton, and Ere
mont actually was, by the popular voice, at the
head of affairs But both of them, without
hesitation, with their one hundred and sixty
rfemcn, put themselves under Stockton, and
from this moment obcytd him implicitly; having
no other interest than that of the United States.
The victory on the plains of Salinas soon fol-
lowed
On the 25th of July, Capt Fremont sailed
from Monterey in the Cyane, in order to inter
ccpt the rrtrcating general, Castro Castro and
Governor Pico did not, however dare to en-.
counter him, but fled across the desert to Sono-
RI, more than two hundred miles Captain
Fremont and Commodore Stockton then joined
their mrccs, and MARCHED to Los Angeles, the
capitol of the CALIFORNIA;, and took possession
OF it, without opposition. On the 22d of All
gust California was in the undisputcd posses
sion of the United States.
Two days after (thc 2ith, Fremont was ap-
pointed military comnrandant of the territory
by Commodore Stockton WHO charged him to
n,iist cnHi.;nut III,
On the 2Sth, he wrote to the government, as
we'll as to Najor fremoat, that he intended to
appoint him governor, This dispatch, with
others President Polk, in his annual message
of lS46, laid before Congress with these words ::
Our squadron III the Pacific with the coop
Grafton OF Il gallant officer of the army, and a
small force hastily collected in that country,
have acquired b!eedless possession of the Cali
so.n:asS
1t is important to remark, that, two days
after Commodore S.oat took possession of Mon
tcrey, the British admiral, Seymour, had arriv-
ed and had he not found the United States
lag flying at Monterey, he would have planted
the British. Maj Fremont found, in the mr.
chives of the government at Los Angeles, bust
ness papers, showing that the Missions had
bcou harric,y sold to British purchasers at the
time that he WAS Purifying himself at first
aud that an Irish priest (McNamara) was in
treaty for the whole beautiful valley of Joathim,
which was to be settled by an Irish colony, un-
der British protection. These papers are all
in print. As Com S!oat had been determined
to take Monterey, by hearing of Capt FIRE.
mnat's exploits, aud Com. Stockton, when he
arrived, was still ignorant of the beginning of
the Mexican war, but acted on the success
which had already been obtained it is plain
that Capt. Fremont was in every sense the per-
| son to whom the United States owes the pos
session of California.
But all was not done yet An Instruction
broke out in the south of California, soon after
Major Fremont left Los Angeles, the enemy all
at once realizing that in poin. of usnbcrS, ga
| little one had chased multitude y Lieut.
Gillespie, with his very small garrison, was then
Obliged to retire to Monterey and Major Ere
mont instead of being able to GO to San Fran
cisco on the cath of October, as Commodore
Stockton ordered him to do, to be installed
governor went into the valley OF the Sacramen
to to enlist an army to suppress the Instruction
At this moment General kearney arrived This
officer, on the breaking out of the Mexican war
had been ordered by the government to leave
Fort Leavenworth where he was stationed and
60 and conquer New Mexico then to proceed
to California, Conquer it, organize a governulcn,
for it, and himself take the Office of governor
He had hravely executed the first part of these
instructions, and was proceeding to California
when he met the celebrated trappcr Kit Car
son, with the dispatches from Commodore
/ Stockton to government announcinr the I'm