The San Francisco call., 1903-09-09
Desperate Rally Brings
Danger to Weakened
Southern Posts.

NCARCELY had the tiny army OF
occupation been withdrawn when
- Lieutenant J. NJ Flores OF the
native Californian forces broke his
parole, organized a considerable body
OF malcontents and on September
q attacked Los Angeles and forced the
capttulation OF Gillespie Santa Barbara
was likewise quickly recaptured and the
whole south was ahame with rebellion
A messenger. spurring his faded stesds
all the way from Los Angeles To San
Francisco without days rest. brought
the news Of the uprising to Commodore
Stockton. Opposed to the pitiful hand
ful OF men left to garrison the southern
cities were from 300 TO 400 armed and
mounted CalifOrnians. who were now
complete masters OF the country which
had seemed TO be so easily subdued
Stockton and Fremont were a thousand
miles away. With their number OF less
than a thousand men and with means
of obtaining reinforcements from the
East the new Territory OF California
seemed lost 10 the Union.
Lost 1t would have been had not Stock
ton and Fremont acted with great
promptness and daring Stockton I'm
mediately dispatched Captain Mervine
with the frigate Savannah to stem the
tide until he could appear on the scene
with fresh troops. Fremont was sent to
Santa Barbara with leo hastily enlisted
troops, while Stockton himself set out for
San Pedro. Fremont failed to reach San
ia Barbara when expected. but put In to
Monterey for more men. After a trying
fafr in,
the midst Of winter. Fremont, with so
men, again took possession Of Santa Bar
bara and pursued his march south.
Stockton, meanwhile, had proceeded to
San Diego, built temporary fort and
was anxiOusly awaiting relief from Fre-
mont. Help from an unexpected quarter
came to him in the person Of General Ste
pnen w. Kearny, who, having completed
the subjugation of New Mexico, had
pushed on to California with a small
force to assist in its conquest Learning
of the state of affairs, Kearny had sent
word to Stockton in San Diego that he
wished to effect a junction with him.
Meeting Gillespie and a small force which
Stockton had sent out to him, Kearny
engaged the CaAIOrnians at San Pasqual,
near san Diego, with disastrous results
and had to be rescued from his perilous
position by a second relief force from
stockton
With their combined forces OF about 500
men, Stockton and Kearny set out for
Los Angeles. But near San Gabriel on
January S, 1917, they engaged in the final
and most serious battle of the war in
California. The enemy with 600 mounted
fall
American force with all the despairing
energy of a dying cause. Again and
again the beautifully mounted and ut
terly fearless vaqueros charged the
American squares. only to be moved
down by the steady, CALLING fire Of the
trained marksmen. At last the CalifOr-
mans broke and fed. In their rapid re-
treat northward they met the tardy Fre-
mont coming down from Monterey with
reinforcements, and to him surrendered
on January Ii. With the signing Of the
articles Of capitulation at the Rancho de
Cahuenga there was closed the only real
war which has ever redeemed California
soil.
The anomaly OF two Governors sitting
in authority lasted until Colonel Richard
B. Mason arrived to supplant Kearny as
head of affairs. The two rival Cove rnOrs
went East Fremont was court mart, aled
for mutiny and disObedience and recon-
mended for dismissal from the service.
President Polk sanctioned the ser ence,
but ordered the penalty Of dismiss to
be remitted. Fremont, with his native
high spirits, refused the indulg sr &c OF
the President and resigned his position as
lieutenant colonel in the army.
With the echoes of the war OF &C nqU est
still lingering in the air. there was nov to
come a tremendous circumstances. VIII IN
was 20 make the newly acquired Gait
fornia a word in the mouth Of the worli
and the goal Of scrambling thousands.
On January 70. 1913. James w. Marshall
found gold In the tail race OF his miu az
ColomA