Rotary Snippet of Sacramento History
One Hundred and Sixty-Five years ago, on January 26, 1847, during the War with Mexico, a 27 year-old Army First Lieutenant arrived in Monterey, CA with a company of 113 enlisted men and five officers. They had made a 198 day passage commencing on July 14, 1846 from Governor's Island, around Cape Horn in an old Navy transport, the USS Lexington. They had fully expected to storm ashore against heavy Mexican fire, but at Valpariso learned the American Flag flew over Monterey, courtesy of the US Navy and it had been there since July 7, 1846.
This Lieutenant wad appointed, in May 1847, Adjutant-general to Col. Robert B. Mason, commander of all US forces on shore and Military Governor of California.
Col. Mason had appointed L.W. Boggs as his representative and Alcalde of Sonoma, replacing John H. Nash, who and been "elected" by 40 or 50 Americans living there. Nash refused to be replaced, and when Col. Mason ordered the local Army commander, Captain Brackett to remove Nash by force if necessary, Captain Brackett asked to be relieved of this unpleasant duty because he hoped to resign his commission and remain in Sonoma. Our lieutenant suggested that, this being a test of Col. Mason's authority, the lieutenant should be sent to Sonoma to quickly carry out the instructions already given to Captain Brackett. With one soldier, Private Barnes, he rode north to San Francisco, where he got Commodore Biddle of the line-of-battle ship Columbus to give him an officer, a midshipman, eight sailors, and a longboat to ascend Sonoma Creek. To keep their real mission secret, the Commodore told his wardroom officers that they were going to buy food and look for a Navy boat lost in 1846.
Our lieutenant's amphibious operation reached the Sonoma landing late that night, and leaving the midshipman and 4 sailors to guard the boat they marched to Sonoma. The next evening he and the Navy officer entered the house where Nash was having dinner with two ladies and a lawyer named Green. Despite some theatrical protestations by Green, Nash was removed and carried by wagon to the landing and two days later put aboard the USS-Columbus and taken to Monterey. He apologized for his actions, turned over his records and office and was given a horse to return to Sonoma. In his memoirs, the lieutenant dryly mentions: "The right to appoint or remove from civil office was never again questioned in California during the Military Regime". Yesterday I visited Nash's house in Sonoma which bears a bronze plaque describing the capture. (If he had been born a century later, our lieutenant might have been accepted for a special agent's position with the FBI.)
Our lieutentant, in June 1848 suggested Col. Mason take a trip to Sutter's Fort and the site where gold had been discovered 5 months before. With their horses and mules they went to San Francisco, took a sailing barge to Petaluma, rode to a point opposite Sacramento, and with great effort crossed the river. At the fort, they had a long talk with John Sutter about gold, and were honored at a huge drunken 4th of July celebration. On July 5th, 1848, they started for Coloma, but found the real action was about 15 miles closer, at Morman Island. Our lieutentant, who was a Topographical Engineer, made small maps of the area showing Sutter's Fort and where gold had been found. Our lieutentant, Cap't. Warner, and Lieutentant Ord took short leaves of absence later in 1848 to survey and stake out streets of Sacramento, at $16.00 per day each.
By now most of you have guessed our lieutenant's name, but for those who aren't sure, it was William Tecumseh Sherman. The Civil War General who assured Lincoln's re-election by capturing Atlanta, and later was Commanding General of the United States Army from 1869 to 1884.
Note: The tremendous importance of maintaining the authority of the Military governor was instantly clear to the 27 year-old Sherman. In 1847, England had a great interest in controlling California, the Mexican Army was still active, and the only things stopping them were a few hundred US troops and about 10 Navy vessels. If internal anarchy had developed (like the "bear flag republic"), it would have been easy for the Royal Navy and the Mexican Army to launch an amphibious attack and be welcomed by dissidents. By his tiny, but lightening response to Nash's challenge, Sherman made it clear to all that Col. Mason was in control of California.
Just possibly, as Sherman left behind a burning Atlanta (which assured Lincoln's re-election), he compared that accomplishment using 60,000 soldiers to another, 17 years before where he used 8 men in far away Sonoma.