File:Colonel John C. Fremont on the Rocky Mountains .jpg

Identifier: unitedstateshist00ridp (find matches)
Title: United States; a history: the most complete and most popular history of the United States of America from the aboriginal times to the present day..
Year: 1893 (1890s)
Authors: Ridpath, John Clark, 1840-1900
Subjects:
Publisher: Boston, New York, The United States history co.
Contributing Library: The Library of Congress
Digitizing Sponsor: Sloan Foundation

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on, whobrought intelligence from the far West that California had already beensubdued. Kearney accordingly sent back three-fourths of his forces, andwith a party of only a hundred men made his way to the Pacific. Onthat far-off coast stirring events had happened. For four years Colonel John C. Fremont had been exploring thecountry west of the Rocky Mountains. He had hoisted the Americanflag on the highest peak of the great range, and then directed his route bySalt Lake to Oregon. Turning southward into California, he receiveddespatches informing him of the impending war with Mexico. Deter-mined to strike a blow for his country, he urged the people of California,many of whom were Americans, to declare their independence. Thehardy frontiersmen of the Sacramento valley flocked to his standard; anda campaign was at once begun to overthrow the Mexican authority. Inseveral petty engagements the Americans were victorious over greatlysuperior numbers. Meanwhile, Commodore Sloat, commanding an
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POLKS ADMINISTRATION. 453 American fleet, had captured the town of Monterey, on the coast, eightymiles south of San Francisco. A few days afterward Commodore Stock-ton took command of the Pacific squadron and made himself master ofSan Diego. Hearing of these events, Fremont raised the flag of theUnited States instead of the flag of California, and joined the naval com-manders in a successful movement against Los Angelos, which was taken■without opposition. Before the end of summer the whole of the vastprovince was subdued. In November General Kearney arrived with hiscompany and joined Fremont and Stockton. About a month later theMexicans rose in rebellion, but were defeated on the 8th of January,1847, in the decisive battle of San Gabriel, by which the authority of theUnited States was completely established. A country large enough foran empire had been conquered by a handful of resolute men. In the mean time, Colonel Doniphan, who had been left by Kear-ney in command of New Mexico,

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