Yolo County CA Archives History - Books .....Recruiting The Bear Flag Party 1913
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Book Title: History Of Yolo County

CHAPTER IX 
RECRUITING THE BEAR FLAG PARTY

    While the pioneers from over the eastern and northern mountians were
settling on the rich Yolo plains a crisis was due further south. About June 1
Antonio Armijo from Suisun valley came up through the Capay in search of Indian
laborers for grain fields. It had grown the custom to employ these natives to
harvest the crops. The employment, however, was generally forced upon them, as
the California Indian of that early period was not known to yearn for a job. The
Indians were rounded up and herded into the field and some work gotten out of
them. Armijo and several of the Yolo farmers were seeking among the rancherias
for their harvesters when Capt. Ezekiel Merritt and several companies came
through the valleys on a secret mission. Most of the ranchers in Armijo's band
of "harvesters" joined Merritt and they took up their march through Napa county,
where they received additions to their party, on their way to the pueblo of
Sonoma. This company, which now numbered thirty-three persons, mounted and well
armed, was composed of the following:

    From Sacramento valley—Ezekiel Merritt, Dr. Robert Semple, Henry L. Ford,
Samuel Gibson, Granville P. Swift, William Dickey, Henry Booker, John Potter, W.
B. Ide, William Fallen, W. M. Scott, Henry Beason, William Anderson, J. A.
Jones, W. Barti and Samuel Neal.

    From Napa valley—John Grigsby, Frank Grigsby, Benjamin Dewell, Harvey
Porterfield, W. B. Elliott, Ab Elliott, William Knight, David Hudson, Franklin
Bedwell, Joseph Wood, William Hargrave, Andrew Kelsey, J. H. Kelly, John Gibbs,
Pat McChristian, John Gibbs, Thomas Cowie and George Fowler.

THE CALIFORNIA REPUBLIC

    Early on the morning of June 14, 1846, they rode quietly into the Sonoma
plaza and awoke Gen. M. G. Vallejo, the comandante. This officer, also his
brother, Capt. Salvador Vallejo; Col. Victor Pudon, both of the Mexican army;
Julio Carrillo and Jacob Leese, two brothers-in-law of Vallejo, were made
prisoners of war and conveyed to Sutter's Fort. No other Mexican or Californian
soldiers were found and immediately the captors organized the "California
Republic," with the celebrated Bear Flag as their national ensign.

    This movement had its beginning when Lieutenant Gillespie, a United States
marine officer sent from Washington, met Capt. John C. Fremont ("Pathfinder"),
the well-known United States surveyor, near the northern end of the state. The
messenger, whose mission and journey had been accomplished in the greatest
secrecy, had made his way in disguise across Mexico from Vera Cruz to Mazatlan,
then up the coast to Monterey in a war vessel, the commander of which did not
know the object of Gillespie's visit to the Pacific. The text of the secret
dispatches to Fremont has never been made public, but from his subsequent action
it is supposed that he was instructed, at his own discretion, to forestall any
act in California or Mexico or the European governments that would be inimical
to the interests of the United States

FREMONT, THE PATHFINDER

    That Fremont, a mere engineer officer, should be selected for a secret work
of this import, a work that not only might ruin him officially, but might
involve his country in a conflict with foreign powers, may be explained: He not
only had proven himself, in situations that try the metal of a man, to be
courageous, patriotic and judicious, but he was the son-in-law of United States
Senator Ben-ton, one of the strong men of the administration, and while this
family influence doubtless played some part in the selection, such selection was
proven a good one, and the work was carried out as required. Fremont, in
obedience to these instructions, immediately turned back from his line of survey
and aroused the settlers in the Sacramento valley to capture Sonoma and hold it,
all on their own initiative. This government was playing a "waiting
game"—waiting for the expected war with Mexico to begin, at which time the
United States would possess Alta California. There was need of care and hurry,
as the foreign fleets were hovering in the Pacific guarding the fancied or
alleged interests of their respective governments, and even negotiations were
under way looking to an English or French protectorate on this coast. A direct
intervention here by the United States prior to a declaration of war between
Mexico and this government would be a signal for intervention by Great Britain,
whose warships were watching every move of our own. An insurrection by settlers
within the territory could not be attributed to the United States, yet might act
as a deterrent to other powers.

"EL OSO" OVER SONOMA

    Captain Merritt's party would have preferred the American flag as the ensign
of their new republic, but had been advised by Fremont of the indiscretion of
such action, they being without governmental authority. Hence the Bear Flag.
This historical ensign was a square of white sheeting furnished by Mrs. John
Sears and a strip of red flannel sewed to its lower edge, and William Lincoln
Todd did the rest. He found a can of red paint, a package of lampblack and was
ready. Near the center of the cloth he laboriously drew the outlines of what he
believed to be a bear, and filled it in with paint and lampblack. The bear—El
Oso—was leisurely walking across the flag and had a very mild expression on its
face, as if it were looking for a berry patch. In an upper corner of the cloth
Todd painted a "lone" five-point star, and below the bear he placed the words
"California Republic."

    William B. Ide, of the Sacramento valley portion of the company, was
selected as commander at Sonoma and the American settlers in that portion of the
territory joined Fremont and began a campaign against General Castro, the
Californian commander. Commodore Sloat with his fleet of several United States
warships at Monterey was waiting anxiously for news from Washington or Mexico
which would advise him of the situation. As a matter of fact, the two republics
were then at war, but Sloat did not know it. So he continued to wait and watch
and the British fleet was waiting and watching the situation and him. When he
heard of the capture of Sonoma, and Fremont's connection with that military
movement, he concluded that the government surveyor must have later .news than
had reached Monterey, and that the expected war was on. This moved the
over-cautious naval officer to action and July 7, 1846, he raised his flag over
the town and California passed to the United States.

THEN THE STARS AND STRIPES

    Sloat then ordered Commander John B. Montgomery, of the United States
sloop-of-war "Portsmouth," at San Francisco (then Yerba Buena), to do the same.
Montgomery took possession of the town and harbor and sent Lieut. Joseph W.
Revere of his vessel to Sonoma, where, July 9, he lowered the Bear Flag and
hoisted the United States ensign. He also enlisted the Sonoma company into the
California Battalion, U. S. A. Captain Sutter at New Helvetia, as he called his
fort and settlement on the Sacramento, hoisted the American flag July 11. The
other garrisoned places in the territory changed flags during August, and the
final surrender of the Mexican forces to General Fremont took place near Los
Angeles, January 12, 1847.


Additional Comments:
Extracted from

HISTORY OF YOLO COUNTY CALIFORNIA
WITH
Biographical Sketches
OF
The Leading Men and Women of the County Who Have Been Identified With Its Growth
and Development From the Early Days to the Present

HISTORY BY
TOM GREGORY
AND OTHER WELL KNOWN WRITERS
ILLUSTRATED COMPLETE IN ONE VOLUME

HISTORIC RECORD COMPANY
LOS ANGELES, CALIFORNIA [1913]


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