Western Reserve chronicle. [volume] (Warren, Ohio) 1855-1921, 1856-07-16

moment obeyed him implicitly; having
no other interest than that of the United
States. The victory on the plains of Sa-
linas soon followed.
On the 25th of July, Capt. Fremont
sailed from Monterey in the Cayne, in
order 10 intercept the retreating General,
Castro; Castro and Gov. Pico did not,
however, dare to encounter him, but fled
across the desert to Sonora, more than
two hundred milesl Capt. Fremont and
Com. Stockton then joined their forces
and marched to Los Angeles, the capital
of the Californians, and took possession
Of it without opposition. On the 22d Of
August California was in the indisputed
possession of the United States.
Two days after { the Gath } Fremont
was appointed military commandant of
the territory by Commodore Stockton,
who charged him to enlist a sufficient
force to garrison the country. On the
28th he wrote to the government, as well
as to Major, that he intended to appoint
him Govelncr. Ills despatch, with OH
ers. President Polk, in his annual mes
sage of 1916, laid before Congress with
these words:-"Our squadron in the Pa
cifc, with the cooperation of gallant
officer Of the army and a small force
hastily collected in tn at distant country,
have acquired blOodless possession of the
Californians.'
1t is important to remark that, two
days after Commodore Sloat took pos
session of Monterey, the British Admiral
Seymour, had arrived; and had he not
found the United Safes flag flying at
Monterey, he would have planted the
British. Maj. Fremont found, in the
archives of the government at Los An
gelos, business papers, showing that the
Missions had been hurriedly sold to Brit
iSh purchasers at the very time he was
fortifying himself at first; and that an
Irish priest (McNemara) was in treaty
for the whole beautiful valley Of Joachim,
which was to be settled by an Irish COL
ony, under British protection. These
papers were all in print. AS Com. Sloat
had determined 10 take Monterey. by
hearing of Captain Fremont's exploits,
and 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 person to whom the United
States owes the possession of California.
But all was not done yet. An inSur
rection broke out in the south Of Califor-
MIA, soon after Major Fremont left Los
Angeles. the enemy all at once realizing
that, in point of numbers, "a little one
had chased multitude" Lieut.. Gil
lespie, with his very small garrison, was
then obliged to retire to Monterey; and
Major Fremont instead of being able to
90 TO San Francisco on the 24lh of Oc.
tober, as Com. Stockton ordered him 10
do, to be installed Governor, went into
the valley OF the Sacramento TO enlist an
army to suppress the insurreetion. 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 Leavenworlh,
where he was stationed, and 90 and con-
quer New Mexico; then TO proceed to
California, conquer it, organize a gov
eminent for il, and himself take the cffice
of governor. He had bravely executed
the first part of these instructions, and
was proceeding to California, when he
met the celebrated trapper, Kit Carson,
with the dispatches from Com. Stockton
to the government, announcing the con.
quest of California He sent on his dis.
patches by another person, and retained
Carson as guide, on account of his ex-
perience in the Indian country.
1t was not until after the insurrection
had broken out that lie arrived in Cali
fornia, when he encountered the enemy,
flushed with their first success of driving
Lieut.. Gillespie from Los Angeles to
Monterey. He had battle with them
at San Pasyual, in which eighteen of his
men fell, and as many more were wound
ed. He then wrote to Com. Stockton
that he was entrenched on rocky emf
nence near San Pasqual, surrounded by
the enemy. Stockton sent Lieut.. Gray,
with two hundred and fifty men, to his
relief, and on their approach, the beseig-
srs abandoned the field, and left the re-
lief party TO return unm olested, with
with Gen. Kearney and his dragons
Gen. Kearney then communicated to
Commodore Stockton his instructions
from the government: but Commodore
Stockton did not feel himself compelled
to give up the chief command, especi
ally as the spirit Of the instructions seem
ed to be that the conqueror of California
should be its Governor. Gen. Kearney
did not insist, but placed himself under
Stockton's command, and his dragons
helped 10 make up his force of six hund-
red men, who joined Fremont and enter
ed Los Angeles, after The victory of San
Gabriel and still more remarkable one,
on the plains of Meza, where the Amer
leans drew up in a small square, pha-