The weekly Portage sentinel. [volume] (Ravenna, Ohio) 1854-1861, 1856-07-24
Fremont in California.

10 WG EatOTS OJ WC DuybOH JOuTH0I: IL
is with great reluctance that appear before
the public; but sense Of that duty which
owe to the profession of which l have been
a member for nearly thirty-two years com.
pels 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 accepting
the personal services of the late General
Kesrney and his handful Of officers and men,
numbering in all not more than dozen per.
sons, all that was left of the gallant band
that met with u fate go disastrous at San
Pasqual. The particulars of that affair are
fresh in the memory of many Of our citizens
from the first; that in this bloodiest action
of the war there fell one of the most gallant
and accomplished officers of the army, Cap.
tain A. r. Johnston, of Dragons, a native
of Piqua, Ohio, and the son of our venerable
and distinguished fellow citizen, Colonel
John Johnston. | again repeat, that, with
this exception, all credit for the conquest oI
California is due to the navy and marine
corps. 1t is well known that the late war
with Mexico afforded but little opportunity
of distinction to the navy--and it is hard il
the little distinction it did gain IS to be wres-
ted from them to make capital for an aspi.
rant to the Presidency. l allude to the
fact that the friends Of Fremont are claiming
for him the lions share of the glory schiev-
ed by that conquest.
| am prepared to prove that, so far from
his being entitled to any credit for his par.
tciputon in the conquest of California; tha.
his having failed to cooperate heartily and
efficiently with Comodore Stockton, so fal
from assisting in the conquest, embarrassed
him (Stockton) in his operations and render.
ing the victory less complete than it would
have been had we received from Fremon,
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 California, Fremont
was invariably too late to take part, and, to
sum up all, assert that during the whole
of his service in California he never was
within hearing distance of the enemy's guns.
The cause Of inetficiency l will not here
discuss.
His other claims to the distinguished hon.
or which it is intended to confer upon him,
| know nothing of and care nothing about.
] am no politician. am neither for Fill,
more nor Buchanan, for Stockton or Gerritt
Smith, and certainly not for Fremont, know
ing him as | do. Since I have stepped SO
far out of my proper sphere as to appear be.
fore the public in the character of news
paper paragraph-writer, hope to be excus.
ed for telling who am, and how came II
possession Of this Information, and a great
deal more upon the sumo subject yet untold.
went to California, in lS40 with Commo.
dore Stockton, and was at that time lieu
tenant of more than eleven years. standing
and during his operations there | was for
some time his aid-de-camp and quartermaster
Of the forces. I was present and assisted
with my own hands in hosting our flag at
Santa Barbary, at San Pedro, and at Puebla
los Angeles, and was at this latter place
the next officer in rank to Comodore Stock.
ton, when first lieutenant and brevet Cap.
tain Fremont arrived there with his "hun-
dred" jus, thirty. six hours too late to take
part in the rout of General Casio, whom we
the sailors and mariners on fo0t-had
driven before US for two days, and until his
forces scattered, and he, together with the
Civil Governor, Pho Pico, and his principal
officers, fled to Mexico, and was never heard
of afterwards during the war.
am compelled in this manner to utterly
annihilate the beautiful story which appears
in the Journal of yesterday, entitled "Fre-
mont, or The ride of the one hundred" cop.
led from the New York Post which story
pronounce to be utterly and entirely false,
unless the interview with General Vallejo,
as described, took place, and that never
heard before; but all the adventure and gal
lantry attributed to Fremont in that 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 to the people Of South
ern Ohio, where am best known, claiming
their protection from a party OF men who
are endeavoring to make political capital
for their candidate for the Presidency out Of
deeds performed by my compaIions and my
self, and in which he took very unimpor-
liant part. Is,
ground my claim to your protection up.
on my having the accidental distinction OF
being the first native of Ohio that ever en-
Tered the naval service of the United States,
and the first that ever reached the rank oil
and trust that that State
pride which you have right to indulge in,
will extend itself to your sons who have left
pour peaceful borders and embarked in the
military and naval service Of their country.
JAMES FlNDLAY SCHENCK.
Commsnder, US. Navy.