[p. 62 Lieut. John C. Fremont, 1908e]
Castro and his associates were soon to be given an opportunity to test their courage in the defense of Mexican honor against the attacks of the perfidious North Americans. Lieutenant John C. Fremont, who had previously led two expeditions through the Rocky mountains, Oregon and California, in January, 1846, arrived in California. His company numbered sixty-two men, scientists, guides and servants. These he left encamped in the Tulare county, east of the coast range, while he repaired to Monterey to secure some needed supplies and to explain his presence. As the expedition was scientific in its object and Fremont expressed his intention of proceeding to Oregon as soon as his men were rested and recruited, Castro made no objection to his remaining in California during the winter. But when, a few weeks later, the whole force of men marched into the Salinas valley, they were ordered to leave the country at once. [p. 63] Instead of leaving, Fremont marched his men to Gabilan Peak, about thirty miles from Monterey, where he raised the stars and stripes and proceeded to fortify his camp. Castro marshalled his force on the plains below out of range of Fremont's men. After holding the fort on Gabilan Peak two days, Fremont, on the night of March 9th, abandoned it and leisurely proceeded northward by way of the San Joaquin valley to Sutter's Fort and from there, after a short stop, to Lassen's Rancho on Deer Creek, where he remained until April 14th. He then resumed his march toward the Oregon line.
On May 5th, he was encamped near Klamath Lake when Samuel Neal and William Sigler, two settlers of the Sacramento valley, rode into his camp and informed him that a United States officer, bearing dispatches, was endeavoring to overtake him. The officer had but a small escort and the Indians being hostile, he was in great danger. Fremont took nine of his men and the two messengers and hurried to the relief of the officer. The parties met and encamped on the bank of a creek. About midnight the Indians attacked the camp, killing three of Fremont's men and losing their own chief. The dispatch bearer proved to be Lieut. Archibald H. Gillespie, of the U.S. Navy. He had left Washington in November, 1845, with instructions from the government; had crossed Mexico, disguised as a merchant, and from San Blas had taken passage to Honolulu and thence reached Monterey, April 17th. Fremont, with his entire force, after punishing the Klamath Indians for their treachery, returned to Sutter's Fort, where Lieut. Gillespie, who had gone ahead, met them with supplies procured from San Francisco through Captain Montgomery of the Portsmouth. The substance of the dispatches sent to Fremont from Secretary of State Buchanan was to prevent the ocuupation of California by any European power and in the event of war with Mexico to take possession of the country for the United States. It was well known that England had designs on California and it was partly to circumvent these and partly to warn Fremont that war with Mexico was pending that the dispatches had been sent. The report that a large immigration was on its way to California from the United States was, no doubt, the cause of the hostility of the authorities to Fremont and to the recently arrived immigrants. There were rumors that Castro was organizing a force to drive the foreign settlers out of the country. Many Americans were in California without authority under the Mexican laws.
Believing themselves in danger and regarding Fremont as their protector, a number of settlers repaired to his camp. Their first aggressive act was the capture of 250 horses that were being moved by Lieut. de Arce and fourteen men, from the north side of the bay to Castro's camp at Santa Clara. A party of twelve Americans, under Ezekiel Merritt, captured the horses and made prisoners of the escort., who were brought into Fremont's camp and there released. Hostilities having been begun, it became necessary for the settlers to [p. 64] widen the breach so as to provoke retaliation on the part of the Californians rather than be punished as horse thieves. The next move was to seize the military post and the principal men of Sonoma. On the morning of June 11th, twenty men under command of Merritt, armed with pistols and rifles, and mounted on fresh horse, set out from Fremont's camp on Bear Creek for Sonoma. On the way their number were recruited to thirty-two. On the morning of the 14th, about daybreak, they surrounded the town and took Gen. M.G. Vallejo, Captain Salvador Vallejo, and Lieut. Col. Victor Prudon, prisoners. There seems to have been no private soldiers at Sonoma-all officers. The castillo, or fort, contained about a dozen rusty old cannon and two hundered and fifty muskets. Gen. Vallejo and his officers, as prisoners of war, gave their word of honor not to take up arms against the revolutionists, on a guarantee from their captain to respect the lives and property of the prisoners, their families and the residents of the jurisdiction. This guarantee, signed by Merritt, Semple, Fallon and Kelsey, was given in writing. The prisoners, although given their parole, were taken to Sutter's Fort, by a guard. Twenty-four men remained at the fort. The leaders of the party having gone with the prisoners, W.B. Ide, who had come to the front on account of a speech he made advocating a movement to make the country independent, was chosen commander.
Ide immediately set about formulating a declaration of independence, and William Todd, one of his men, having procured a piece of manta, or coarse cotton cloth about two yards long, set ot work to fashion a flag for the new republic. Todd, assisted by some others, painted a star in the upper corner and in the center a figure supposed to represent a bear, but which the natives call a "cochina" (pig). Below these figures he painted in large letters, "California Republic." Along the lower edge of the flag was stitched a strip of red woolen cloth said to have been a part of a red woolen petticoat. When completed the famous "Bear Flag" of California was run up on the flagstaff where the Mexican colors had formerly floated. The cannons and muskets were loaded, guards posted, military discipline established, and the California Republic duly inaugurated. On June 18th, the same day that Ide isssued his proclamation, Thomas Cowie adn George Fowler, two of Ide's men, volunteered to go to Fitch's ranch to procure a keg of powder from Mose Carson. On the way hey were captured by a band of Californians under Juan Padilla and brutally murdered. The news of this outrage reached Sonoma and later a report that Todd, who had been sent to Bodega with a message, had been captured. Captain W. L. Ford, with a force of twenty-three men, hastily set out from Sonoma to capture Padilla. At Olampali Rancho, Captain Ford unexpectedly came upon the combined forces of Captain de la Torre and Padilla, numbering eighty-three men. The Americans fell back into a willow thicket. The Californians, supposing that they wer retreating, charged upon them but were met with a villey [p. 65] of rifle balls that some reports say killed eight men. Todd, while the fight was going on, made his escape and joined Ford's men, who fell back to Sonomoa.
Fremont, who had been camped at the Buttes, having learned of Ide's attempt to establish a Pacific Republic and that Castro would not attack them to rescue the prisoners, but was gathering a force to recapture Sonoma, broke up his camp and moved down to New Helvetia, where he put his prisoners in the fort under guard.