Lamoille newsdealer. [volume] (Hyde Park, Vt.) 1860-1877, 1872-12-04
Miscellany
The Conquest Of California.


found the aeet assembled under the com :
mand of Com. Sloat. My ship was short
ly after ordered to the coast Of California.
then an insignificant Mexican province, in
which but lit;le interest was taken,
and the population of which was but
few thousand. The llth OfJune, 1876
must be regarded as a memorablc day in
the history Of California; for then her
amanitest destiny" became apparent, inn
pelliug her TO "gravitate" toward the Un-
ion The movement was inaugurated at
the little town Of Sonoma, the scene Of the T
ancient mission Of San Fracisco Solano;
the Mexican Gag having been struck, aud
what was known as the bear.aag" substi- .
tutod for it; while a provisional govern
mcnt was established, countcnanccd, and
authorized by Fremont, rnder iustrus slions
! from Washington. Soon atterward the
whole United States squadron arrived at
Monterey aud on the 7th of July, 1876,
Com. Sloat issued his proclamation, TAX
ing formal possession o. CaIiforn las in the
name of the United States, Ian ding his
forces at the same time aud hosting the
American i3ag. BY previous arrange-
mcnt, the flag was also raised, and the
: proclamation read and promulgated. Yer
ba Bucna, now San Francisco and other
principal localities. In command of q
party from the ship. had tho honor TO
hoist the flag at Sonomo and, in less than
2 week al Upper California was in our
possession. A significant fact, that only
: the day after taking possession, and even
before the excitement Of that event had
subsidcd her mojesty's ship "CornWallis''
Admiral Sir Michael Scymur arrived al
a Monterey with orders like Com Sloats,-
to take possession ofithe country as seeur
j; Lity for Britt sh holders of Mexicun bonds
r. Admiral Seymour's orders, however, wer
. conditional; and seeing the stars an'
stripes at the flagstaff on shore, and learn
ing what had taken place. he soon saile'
" away. o." ..
\ California thus seized in consequence o
war between the United States and Mex
leo, was held until the newyear; when
revolt broke out at the Pueblo de los AT
eelcs,. and Lieut.. Gillespie ofthe NJ arine,
:. commanding the garrison, was. forced t
retreat TO San Pedro, where he emborke(
= In a subsequent attempt to recover th
Pueblo by Capt. Mervnc of the trlgat
rs ..Savanmh" his force was repulscdd
. whereupon Com. Stockton--who had SUI
ceeded Sloat7-assembled all the nayi
!. force at San Diego, while Fremont marcl
o. o. cd by land. to attempt its .recapture,
ri being regarded .asl the, capital of nUpp'
.aoI California, The lsqnadFoh smadeE the
rendezvous At San Diegob and Stockte
'' Immediately set about preparing a fore
.1,t to march upon n.the peoplo, while Fremo
o swas approaching, the same point from tn
ro north. Just at this time, Brig Gen St
.' phen W. Kearney arrived IN Calitorn
by the overland route from Sante Fe
i He was attacked by'a party Of Cqht'
.sgl n3ahs under Andres Pico at San Berna
dino; several Of the. officers and soldlee
en- Of his escort were killed and wounds
4; aud,hs baaeage,aud a fieldipiecc fell
49 Ito tho enomys hGals q Kit C Carson, 5fSSl, "
81 was with the general, B r9ught the news
Ao his arrival to San d lego; and he'was sa
E " brought into our garrison by a PIT
sent tor the purpose. .nV
Com. Stockton, having completed
~ nrenarations. set forth toward Pueblo
the head of four hundred seamen',
ssty dismoanted dragons Of Kearn ey's
"a oort, city California volunteers, q nd
light battery. He first encountercd
}. H. enemy--about five hundred cavalry, "
- artillery--at'the ford Of the river
"" Gabriel nor far from the Angelic capl
'"0n OH the 8!h Of January, and celebrated
doy bv a lspirited little Gght. Ha'
ndy forced the passage of fthe San Cab @e'aOr
oar little eolama deb,d:hea' upond.
"Messa, p4lstao c.Iand sscino four lcaf
nus IN extent, through which Eqgqls Ithe
''o'' ''o'' from San Diego to the Pueblo de los
gelos l,lis- we cu@coin sighttof its !, "
,er0l walls6al tie afternoon, we saw long g
, al eessionr of horsemen issuing from the !
,ain, and directing their couprss toward Us.
NV soon. 80 became evident they'meantto op
,lied our progress and our jolly tars S wer'
~ 90 high spirits as they formed pipl ,sq'
the artillery at the angles, to rec
them. The ground was a perfectly
,crly trceless plain. and thus admirably
fered for the evolutions Of both infantry
only lcayalry. The enemy's cavaliers, I
y about two thousand, principally ranch