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19: The Conquest of California
- University of Nevada Press
- Chapter
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..~ XIX ~.. The Conquest of California THE TIME OP DECISION arrived the day after the Fourth of July on a warm summer morning at Sonoma. Captain Fremont called the meeting to order inside Salvador Vallejo's adobe home. Fremont's men were present; eight or ten United States Navy officers from the Portsmouth were among the gathering; and the rest of the crowd was made up of what were called the Independents -some Osos and some other Americans who had not committed themselves yet. Fremont got right to the key issue. It was vital, he pointed out, to form a compact army that would function under military discipline and would be a dependable striking force. This would require an experienced officer, and he was willing to take the responsibility for the overall command of such an army. Even as he stated this, he walked a very thin line between total commitment and a vaguely defined role as military advisor. He told the assembled Bear Flaggers and others that he was not out to conquer California. He was determined to conquer General Jose Castro. The fact that the defeat of Castro would mean the fall of California was not discussed in any open forum. There were advantages, Fremont informed the OS05, if they agreed to his proposition. He would support their drive for independence according to the principles set forth in their proclamation of June I). He offered military stores and provisions, the added strength of his own fighting force, and complete support in any military operations. For alI this, he only asked three things of the Bear Flaggers: They were not to violate the chastity of women; they were to conduct their revolution honorably; and they were to pledge obedience to their officers. Here was a curious situation. On the one hand, Fremont agreed to back the Bears and lead them into battle. On the other hand, he was extremely vague about his position. He tried to give the impression that his role was limited to the protection of American citizens from the tyranny of General Castro. The fact that Americans were in Mexican California without an invi- THE CONQUEST OP CALIPOENIA tation, that they were rebelling against the central government, and that Castro should have run them out of the country was never mentioned. Instead, Fremont assumed that Americans were in the right, Mexicans were in the wrong, and that it was his duty to protect his fellow countrymen even if they were invaders. To William Ide and the other Osos, who had placed their lives in jeopardy while Fremont had remained in the background, his sudden offer to help them must have been very puzzling. One moment he had appeared to be sitting out the war, and the next moment he was declaring himself in but as a shadowy figure who agreed to fight Castro and his troops but would not agree to the conquest of California. To put the final touch of mystery to the whole affair, Fremont had three different pledges written by three different men so he could select the one which he thought best for future use in signing up members of the California Battalion. The three versions of the pledge were composed by William Ide, John Bidwell, and Pierson B. Reading, and of the three men, only Ide was an Oso. Lieutenant Gillespie looked over the pledges and selected Bidwell's which read like a declaration of war against the Californios. It was agreed that all the men would sign or make their mark on this document if they wished to become members of the California Battalion and fight under the command of Captain Fremont. The compact was signed by many of the men at Sonoma on July 5, and by others at Sutter's Fort later on. Then under Fremont's direction the battalion was organized. It was to be composed of four companies. Lieutenant Gillespie was to be Captain Fremont's adjutant, and each company was to elect its own captain. Four tough men were selected for these posts. Richard Owens was captain for most of the Fremont men, and the other companies were commanded by John Grigsby, Granville P. Swift, and Henry L. Ford. All of this was completely illegal, and there was no escaping that fact. If the United States and Mexico had been on friendly terms, Fremont would have been thrOwing away his career, destroying any chance for future government service, and risking a court-martial and a possible...