Collection: Directories and Documents > Tanis Thorne Native Californian & Nisenan Collection

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Title: Inter Pocala & History of California (Various Pages) Collection Type: Directories and Documents Collection Name: Tanis Thorne Native Californian & Nisenan Collection Author: H.H. Bancroft # of Pages: 33 Download PDF: User Login Required Download OCR Text: User Login Required

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480 EXTERMINATION OF THE INDIANS. The upper valley of the San Joaquin had for years been noted as the abode of Indians whose independent spirit delighted in inroads upon the adjoining coast districts; and when, in the spring of 1849 gold-— seekers began to enter the country, those of King river among others manifested their objection by several atrocities.‘ Troops were dispatched to reconmiddle of April 1850. . The latter exhibited considerable courage and tenacity, assuming at times the offensive against large bodies, even laying siege toen. trenchments, and employing tactics which led to the belief in uropean counsellors. ‘The efficient movement of troops, however, assisted by the militia under General Green, and by numerous volunteer corps, obliged the leading tribes of the Yuba region to accept peace on May 25th, after which comparative security was secured for the summer. But order could not feng Peval with so many incentives for outrages in the form of lazy, vicious, an unken vagabonds at the camps, who took pleasure in poosmng the natives, especially in regard to women, or where the Indians presumed to find a desirable gold claim. Appeals for redress being as usual disregarded, there ' was no resource save retaliation, in murders and plunder. Although no regular combination among the tribes was. probable, yet with October 1850 raids and attacks became general, ftom the head of Sacramento-valley down-— ward. ‘The alarm spread, and-the government, while believing it best to let , each district defend itself, deemed it necessary to order Sheriff Rogers, of El Dorado, to call out 200 men for su ressing the savages along the leading immigrant route. The force, with gers as elected colonel, divided into several parties to pursue the marauders. The Indians generally scattered before them into retreats difficult of access to the less active white men, who were, moreover, petpeet by baggage, and little inclined for climbing and other exhausting tasks. The ardor of the latter was further checked by finding that when gathered in force the Indians fought desperately, and defeuded themselves against rifles with glass-tipped arrows, which were so effectively shot as to cause more than one perralas of the militia. Indeed, their exploits were far from brilliant, and were mostly restricted to destroying abandoned rancherfas, with their stores of berries and other provender, a measure which could only drive the Indians to other desperate means or starvation. Reports indicating that the El Dorado region had been cleared of the enemy, the governor ordered a reduction, and soon after a disbandment of the troops. At once rose the ery of renewed raids, started by interested traders and their shiftless customers, whose appetite had n whetted for the state’s money. The legislature, indeed, was so impressed by the magnitude of the danger as to authorize the governor to raise 500 men. The governor fortunately looked more closely into the affair before encroaching further upon the state’s war fund of half a million, and the war arty was greatly disappointed. The movements here during the spring of ' 851 accordingly fell to small proportions, to be overshadowed by more important events elsewhere. ; 8 Those of the Merced and Tulare were expected by the authorities of 1849 to be the most troublesome. In Jan., 1849, the settlers of S. Juan Bautista petitioned for relief against them. U. S: Gov. Doc., cong. 31, sess. 1, H. Ex. Doc., 17 Pp. 688-9, 907. Naglee had in 1849 pursued stock robbers into Mariposa. _W ozencraft, 4, “Such as flaying victims alive., This fate is applied to Garner in 1849, and to Wood in Jan., 1851. Sac. Transcript, Feb. 28, 1851; S. José Pioneer, Nov. 17, 1877. In May, 1849, the Pacheco party was attacked by 300 In-: dians and 6 killed, Unbound Doc,, 308-10, IN THE SOUTH. . 481 noitre, and volunteers scoured over the country, but with so little effect as to render the enemy bolder than ever. James Savage, who owned two trading posts on the Fresno and Mariposa, and possessed great influence over the tribes, took some of the chiefs to San Francisco to receive a salutary impression of paleface strength, but without avail. The plundering of isolated men and small parties was too tempting to be resisted.” The southern counties had been exposed not alone to raids from the Tulare region, but from the many bands roaming in the deserts east of the San Bernardino range. In the summer of 1849 the Yumas began to harass immigrants and to rob settlers, but an expedition followed by a treaty brought them to terms for the time. In the following April they were roused by the outrageous conduct of some Americans who owned a ferry on the Colorado, and in a night descent eleven of the offenders were slain. San Diego and Los Angeles took alarm and the governor was induced to order out a hundred of the militia to exact punishment and protect the immigrant route. The expedition reached the river in September, under command of Morehead, but finding everything quiet disbanded after remaining a few weeks in observation. Soon after a military post was established ® With the avowed intention of driving out the white men they extended their raids so far as to destroy, in Decem r, 1850, also the Fresno station of the friendly Savage. Their action seemed preconcerted,. for at the same time tribes were ravaging along the Stanislaus and Tuolumne, within a few miles of Stockton, along the Morced and streams southward, driving the miners from the headwaters of the San Joaquin and slaughtering a large party at Rattlesnake creek. Further down settlements ant cattle: stations were attacked and demolished, particularly on Kaweah and Kern rivers and toward Owen’s Lake, attended by massacre and pillage. Again a number of volunteer companies took the field, to mect with occasional advantages, such as the destruction of a deserted rancherfa and the killing of a few warriors, which were magnified into victories; but also to encounter repulses at the hands of the sturdy tribes in ambuscade or in good position, strengthened by captured or purchased arms; or, more generally, to be tired out by fruitless pursuit. The regular troops did not distinguish themselves any more than . the bodies called out by the governor, whereof 200 men were to be raised by the sheriff of Mariposa. The order for raising troops was issued in June, to Gen. Bean of the 4th div. of militia, who entrusted the formation and command of Hist. Cau, Vou. VII. 81