2/24/2020 The Path to Cahuenga - Native American Participation in the Conquest of California 1

The Path to Cahuenga

Native American Participation in the Conquest of California

The 26-star US flag could not be

displayed in Mexican territory. So Jessie

Fremont designed and made this

variation.

The flag incorporated the stripes of the

national flag, with an eagle holding a

peace pipe in it’s talons.

The original flag is archived at

the Autry Museum of the American West.

Source: Autry Museum of the American West

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-The “Naval Battalion of Mounted Volunteer Riflemen,” or California

Battalion, led by Lieutenant-Colonel John C. Fremont, arrived at

Mission San Fernando on January 11, 1847.

- The California Battalion accepted the surrender of the last Mexican

Army, in what is now the United States, at Campo de Cahuenga, on

January 13, 1847.

The Path to Cahuenga - Background

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- Fremont, a United States Army officer, led five important scientific

expeditions to what is now the western United States (1842-1854).

-On August 16, 1845, Fremont’s 3rd Expedition (3X), of +60

“Topographical Engineers” and escorts, left what is now Kansas City

for California. Fremont and an advanced detachment arrived at New

Helvetia (Sacramento) on December 10th, 1845.

-On July 5, 1846, following the “Bear Flag revolt,” at Sonoma, the 3X

began its transformation into the California Battalion.

The Battalion –Origins

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- At full strength, in November 1846, the California Battalion (CB) was

comprised of about 425 men.

- The 3X was mostly Anglo-America and French-Canadian, as was

the CB. Several African-Americans also served with the CB.

- At least 60 Native Americans served with the 3X and/or the CB.

These included Metis, Delaware, Chinook, Miwok, Walla Walla,

Yokuts, Ohlone, and Chumash Indians.

- Company H (Scouts) was almost entirely Indian.

The Battalion - Native Americans

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Native American Contributions

-The Native Americans were deployed mainly as “scouts and spies,” guides,

hunters, muleteers, and vaqueros. But they fought when it was required.

- Six Walla Walla and two Delaware fought at the Battle of Natividad, near

Salinas. Tom Hill, a Delaware-Walla Walla, distinguished himself, and was

promoted from scout to trooper ($10 a month vs. $25 a month!).

-Natividad was the CB’s only fight on its own. Only 2 of 8 companies were

present at Natividad; the entire Battalion never fought a battle. About a

dozen men, from both sides, were killed or wounded.

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This presentation focuses on

the Native Americans that

participated in

the 3rd Expedition and

the California Battalion

But there were many

other interesting people

participating

The most famous was

undoubtedly Kit Carson

Carson and Fremont,

later in life

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The United States to-be

in “The Year of

Decision” 1846

Note THREE

western territories:

Greater Texas

The southern 1/2 of the

Oregon Territory

The Department of

California;

and New Mexico

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Early photo of American

soldiers in Mexico

There are no known

photographs of the

Mexican-American War

in California

The story will be told

here using a variety of

photos and paintings

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Idealized painting of

John C. Fremont

supervising the signing of

the Articles of Capitulation

Note this depiction shows

the American’s in new/clean

uniforms

And WHERE IS

EVERYONE?

The place should be

crowded with troops

and on-lookers!

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The California Battalion

on the move

in Central California

Kit Carson and Delaware

scouts out in front

Fremont and BOTH

American flags

close behind

Cavalry troops

following the Colors

Note NO wagons –

we are WAY out west

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The Indians came from at

least 8 different tribes

They are presented here in

the order that Fremont

encountered them

Fremont worked with

French-Canadians and

METIS from the 1st

Expedition in 1842

Here we see

“The Trapper's Bride” -

An idealized image of the

union of French and

Native American people

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METIS man with two

wives 1825-26

This is a generation

before the Mexican-

American War

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Metis family, and carts western North Dakota 1883,

Two generations after the Mexican-American War -

Today the Metis are a legally recognized ethnic group

in Canada

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A dozen or more

DELAWARE men served

with Fremont beginning with

the 1st Expedition

This is Chief Sagundai,

who served with the 2X

The 3X and the CB

The Delaware were

Fremont’s personal

bodyguards

Sagundai and the rest of the

Delaware were at Cahuenga

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An image of

Fremont’s

Union Army

DELAWARE

Scouts

about 1862

Although this is

later in time, it gives

an idea of what the

Delaware may have

looked like during

the Mexican-

American War

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CHINOOK Indians

from Columbia River

region

19-year old William

Chinook joined the

2X in 1845 and later

served with the 3X

and CB

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Both the 2X and 3X

visited New Helvetia

(Sacramento)

New Helvetia was

founded by the

Swiss-German

John Sutter and a

dozen Kanakas

(Hawaiians)

His laborers were

mostly MIWOK

Note MIWOK soldiers

at lower right

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Detail of MIWOK

soldiers at

New Helvetia

ca. 1845

When the Russians

left Fort Ross, they

sold their equipment

to Sutter

Including about 20

Imperial Russian

Army uniforms,

which Sutter soldiers

wore on formal

occasions

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Contemporary MIWOK

dancer from the

Western Sierra Nevada

foothills

Although many Miwok

worked for Sutter many

were still independent,

in the

Sierra Nevada

foothills, where they

continue to live today

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Early in 1846 the Mexican

authorities ordered the 3X

to get out of California,

con pronto -

So they rode north,

to Klamath Lake, Oregon

Here, on May 10, 1846,

United States

Marine Lieutenant

Archibald Gillespie

caught up with Fremont

War with Mexico was

expected at any time –

The 3X had to return to

California

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That night Klamath

(or maybe Modoc) Indians

attacked and killed

Denny, a Metis,

Basil Lejeunesse,

a French-Canadian,

and Crane, a Delaware

Fremont named the place

Denny’s Creek

After taking revenge and

several scalps,

the 3X returned to

northern California

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Where, the Mexican-American

War was about to begin

The ORANGE areas were

about to be acquired by the

United States

A BIG area was about to be

conquered by about

1000 Americans

Note Fremont in the north,

Kearny on the south, and the

US Navy on the coast

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- The 3X arrived in northern California- Mexican territory- at a time that 100s of illegal

American settlers were moving into the Sacramento Valley. General Castro, the

Mexican commander, fed up, ordered the illegal settlers out, now.

- But now, with the 3X at hand, the Osos (Bears- the settlers) took matters into their

own hands. So, on June 14, 1846, some 40 Osos boldly took over the town of

Sonoma, seized the munitions stored there, and declared the California Republic.

- Sadly, in late June, Mexicans captured and murdered 2 Osos.

- Badly, Kit Carson and other Americans then shot-dead 3 Mexicans.

- War had come to California AND NO ONE IN CALIFORNIA KNEW IF THE UNITED

STATES AND MEXICO WERE ACTUALLY AT WAR.

So, what happened?

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And then, on July 7, 1846,

Commodore Sloat and the

Pacific Squadron arrived,

and the US Marines

occupied Monterey

Sloat thought that Fremont

was SURE that the US

and Mexico were at war

But NO, Fremont had

acted on his own authority!

Sloat, in a huff, appointed

Commodore Stockton as

senior officer, and set sail

for home.

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- After Sloat arrived, Fremont linked up and from now on probably displayed both flags.

-After Sloat left, Commodore Stockton authorized the “Naval Battalion of Mounted

Volunteer Riflemen.” AKA the California Battalion.

- Now that the CB was ready to ride, Stockton decided that the CB would make an

amphibious landing (sans horses) in San Diego (! The military). And then it would ride

north. It worked! Outflanked, what little Mexican Army there was dissolved, and on

August 13, 1846, Stockton and Fremont’s forces jointly occupied Los Angeles.

- On August 14th, the Mexicans surrendered. The War in California was over!

The 3rd Expedition becomes

the California Battalion

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Not.

The American occupation forces were disrespectful

and on September 23, 1846,

the Mexicans in southern California revolted

The CB, now back in central California, would have

to ride south after all

By now, the CB had semi-distinct uniforms: a blue

Navy blouse, jean or buckskin trousers and

Mexican wide-brimmed hats

Boots were hard to come by, so most of the men

wore moccasins

Note Indian at left

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About the time the CB was ready to ride,

word arrived that 1000 WALLA WALLA warriors

were about to descend on Sacramento

and kill everyone,

so the CB and the Navy rode (or sailed)

to the rescue

In fact, it was only friendly old Chief Piopiomoxmox

and 40 of his men, with their families, come to trade

And they were willing to work for wages –

So a dozen or so of the Walla Walla

signed up with the CB

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Stand-ins for the

WALLA WALLA

Plains Indians

parade in the

City of Walla Walla

1914

This is what the

settler’s thought

was coming at

them –the

Walla Wall

did have a

reputation as

kick-asses

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And now, numerous California

Indians were added to the

CB and to the northern garrisons

Including PAIUTES

This figure shows one of the few

acknowledgements of the

California Indian participation in the

United State military in California

The Chief Truckee

plaque in

Truckee, Nevada

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At least 40

California Indians

also joined the CB

20 of these men had

Spanish names –they

probably belonged to

missionized tribes

from around San

Francisco Bay

Here we see OHLONE

ceremonial dancers at

Mission San Jose in

1816

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Another painting of

Mission Indians -

Here OHLONE

dancers at

Mission

San Francisco

in 1816

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After secularization

many of these

Indians returned or

moved to

the Sierra Nevada

foothills and became

“Horsethief Indians,”

who raided the coastal

pueblos and ranchos

The CB Company H

included over 30 of

these people

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YOKUTS people also

served in the CB

These are

CHULAMNI YOKUTS in

1816, near

San Francisco Bay

Note: all the best

depictions of

California Indians

are by Russian or

French artists

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Finally, late in November 1846,

the +400- man CB moved out of

San Juan Batista

One person that saw them

wrote,

“A vast cloud of dust appeared

first, and thence in a long file

emerged this wildest wild party”

A US Chaplin wrote that they

were: “all well mounted – the

ground seemed to tremble

under their heavy tramp –their

untrimmed locks and their black

beards, with white teeth

glittering through, gave them a

wild savage aspect”

Would you mess with

these guys?

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In San Diego, things were

not going so well.

On December 6, 1846,

General Kearny and only

+100 Dragoons , having

advanced for some 2,000

miles, blundered into

Andres Pico and the

“Greyhounds”

at Rancho San Pascual

It was a disaster-

Almost half of the

command were killed or

wounded

San Pascual was the most

significant Mexican victory

during the war

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In the north, the CB

continued to advance

and several CHUMASH

joined at Santa Ynez,

on Dec 23, 1846

By Christmas Eve the

CB had successfully

reached the top of

San Marcos Pass

Christmas Day was a

disaster, as the CB was

nearly wrecked by an

intense storm,

as it descended the

Santa Ynez Mountains

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The CB horses and

mules were mostly

dead, the equipment

was mostly lost or

abandoned, the

powder was wet

But on December

27th the CB pulled

itself together and

rushed the Presidio

The 2-man Mexican

garrison surrendered

without a fight

And then the sun

came out –

So they spent a week

recuperating

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In the south, Stockton and

the Navy reoccupied

San Diego and Kearny and

finally arrived -

They combined forces

and marched north

In early January 1847

The American force

fought the

Battle of the

San Gabriel River and

the Battle of La Mesa,

south of Los Angeles

The Mexicans fought well

but were forced to fall back,

and on

January 10, 1847,

Los Angeles

was occupied again

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Fremont and the CB

were now in the Santa

Clara Valley and did not

know this

On January 11 the CB

occupied Mission

San Fernando;

2 emissaries

soon arrived

to sue for peace

Negotiations took place

on January 12 and both

sides agreed to meet at

Campo de Cahuenga,

the next day

Stockton and Kearny

were not informed

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On January 13,

1847, the CB crossed

the San Fernando

Valley

and rode south

to Cahuenga

where the

Articles of

Capitulation were

signed

The historic record

shows that the CB

(say 400 men) was

there, as were 50-60

Mexican troops

So why aren’t they

in the painting?

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So the Mexicans

prefered to surrender to

the CB, who they had

not had a battle with

Therefore, victorious,

without having shed

(much) blood, the CB

entered Los Angeles in

an intense rainstorm on

January 14,1847

‘Riding with his beloved

Delaware bodyguard in

front of his 400 men,

Fremont sat on his

horse straight as a lath’

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Peace had been made at

Cahuenga, in the

absence of those that

shed blood for the victory

The Cahuenga Adobe

in 1900

The original building was

demolished in the 1920’s,

the area was built over,

and the original location

of the adobe was

forgotten

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The City of Los

Angeles built a new

Campo de

Cahuenga and

created a small

historic park in the

1950’s

But no one knew

where the original

adobe building had

been

And the real story

kind of got paved

over too

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The original adobe

foundations were

relocated in the

park and under

Lankershim Blvd.

during construction

of the

Metro/Subway

The original story

can be found too,

hidden in bits and

pieces in a dozen

history books

But no book tells

the whole story

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On January 13, 1847, perhaps

500 people would have been

crowded around the building

whose footprint is preserved

in Lankershim Blvd.

Many of the Mexicans that

participated in the war in

California were also

Indian or part Indian

The presence and

participation of

Native Americans,

on both sides in

the Mexican-American War

has been almost entirely

forgotten

Which is a real shame!

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Closing Notes

1. Kit Carson and about 40 members of the California Battalion were with the American force

that occupied Los Angeles on January 10, 1847.

2. About 60 Native Americans served as part of or with the California Battalion. There were

also other native California Indians that served with the American forces, at Fort

Sacramento and other places in the north, Chief Truckee and his men, for example. Other

Native American scouts served in southern California.

3. The Native American contribution to the United States armed forces, in the Mexican-

American War, has never received official recognition.

This presentation is dedicated to the Native American men and women that have served, and

who are serving, with the armed forces of the United States.

−Presentation prepared by Albert Knight and Ray Vincent February 2020.

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