Collection: Books and Periodicals

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Title: A Memorial and Biographical History of Northern California (1891) Collection Type: Books and Periodicals Publisher: Lewis Publishing Company Published: 1891 Copyright: In the public domain or published before 1925 Source(s): Google Books # of Pages: 713 Download PDF: User Login Required Download OCR Text: User Login Required

Date Scanned: 2024-07-22 00:25:09 Item Sourced From: PDF First Created: 2025-03-17 03:11:29 Last Updated: 2025-03-17 06:30:36

Original Held At: Searls Historical Library Location: 161 Nevada City Hwy, Nevada City, CA 95959

Page: of 713  

HISTORY OF NORTHERN CALIFORNIA. 38 the company was increased to twenty men, still led by Ezekiel Merritt, who took their departure in the direction of Sonoma. That night they reached Gordon’s, on Cache Creek, where they halted for refreshments, and then made a night march to Napa Valley, which they reached on the forenoon of June 12th. In Napa Valley they remained two days, evidently for the purpose of strengthening their force, which they did by the enrollment of twelve or thirteen additional men. The force now numbered either thirty-two or thirty-three, who, so far as is now ascertainable, responded to the following names: Ezekiel Merritt, William B. Ide, John Grigsby, Robert Semple, H. L. Ford, William Todd, William Fallon, William Knight, “William Hargrave, Sam Kelsey, G. P. Swift, Sam Gibson, W. W. Scott, Benjamin Dewell, Thomas Cowie, William B. Elliott, Thomas Knight, Horace Sanders, Henry Hooker, Dav. Hudson, John Sears, and most of the following: J. H. Kelly, C. C. Griffith, Harvey Portertield, John Scott, Ira Stebbins, Marion Wise, Ferguson, Peter Storm, Pat. McChristian, Bartlett Vines, Fowler, John Gibbs, Andrew Kelsey and Benjamin Kelsey. It was about midnight of Saturday, the 13th of June, that this motley crowd of frontiersmen took to saddle and proceeded across the hills intervening between Napa Valley and the Pueblo of Sonoma. Just at break of day they reached that fortified stronghold ot Northern California, and neither baying of watch-dog nor cackling of goose aroused the sleeping Sonomans to a sense of impending danger. Every reader will expect to hear, in detail, exactly what transpired on that memorable occasion. Bancroft has in his possession many of the original documents connected with that event, or authenticated copies. He is certainly in a position to give as near the absolute facts in connection therewith as will ever be attainable, as very many of the participants in the capture of Sonoma are now dead. We have had from Gencral Vallejo’s own lips a statoment of the individual part he played in the event, and it is substantially the same as recited by Mr. Bancroft. Believing that historian Bancroft gives a true and reliable version of the whole occurrence, we incorporate it here. It is as follows: At daylight Vallejo was aroused by a noise, and on looking out saw that his house was surrounded by armed men. This state of things was sufficiently alarming in itself, and al] the more so by reason of the uncouth and even ferocious aspect of the strangers. Says Semple: Almost the whole party was dressed in leather huntingshirts, many of them very greasy; taking the whole party together, they were about as rough a looking set of men as one could well imagine. It is not to be wondered at that any one would feel some dread in falling into their hands. And Vallejo himself declares that there was by no means such a uniformity of dress as a greasy huntingshirt for each man would imply. Vallejo’s wile was even more alarmed than her husband, whom she begged to escape by a back door, but who, deeming such a course undignified as well as impracticable, hastily dressed, ordered the front door opened, and met the intruders a8 they entered his sala, demanding who was their chief and what their business. Not much progress in explanation was made at first, though it soon became apparent that the Colonel, while he was to consider himself a prisoner, was not in danger of any personal violence. Lieutenant-Colonel Prudon and Captain Salvador Vallejo entered the room a few minutes later, attracted by the noise, or possibly were arrested at their houses and brought there; at any rate, they were put under arrest like the Colonel. Jacob P. Leese was seat for to serve as interpreter, after which mutual explanations progressed more favorably. Early in the ensuing negotiations between prisoners and filibusters, it became apparent that the latter had neither acknowledged leader nor regular plan of operations beyond the seizure of government property and of the officers. Some were acting, as in the capture of Arce’s horses, merely with a view to obtain arms, animals, and hostage—to bring about hostilities, and at the same time to deprive the foe of his resources; others believed themselves to have undertaken a revolution, in which the steps to be immediately taken were 8 formal declaration of independence and the election ot officers, Merritt being regarded rather as a guide than captain. All seemed to agree, however, that they were acting under Fremont’s orders, and this to the prisoners was the most assuring feature in the case, Vallejo had for some time favored the annexation of California to the United States. He had expected and often predicted a movement to that end. There is no foundation for the guspicion that the taking of Sonoma and his own capture were planned by himself, in collusion with the filibuster chiefs, with a view to evade responsibility; yet it is cer. tain that he had little, if any, objection to an enforced arrest by oflicers of the United States as a means of escaping from the delicacy of his position as a Mexican oflicer. Accordingly, being assured that the insurgents