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072: The Revolt of Los Angeles: Tales of Mexican California Part 3 · California Frontier

0:05
Damian Bacich's video recording-1: Today I am going to read another excerpt from The Tales of Mexican, California, the memoirs of Antonio Franco Cordone.
0:13
Damian Bacich's video recording-1: The addition of the memoirs that I'm reading, and I don't think I mentioned this last time, is edited by Dets Nunes, translated by Diane Dee and published by Han Books in 1994.
0:27
Damian Bacich's video recording-1: Um, I think it's important to credit the people who worked hard on this.
0:33
Damian Bacich's video recording-1: Now, Antonio Cordell was a witness to many events in California in the 1830s and forties, and he came to California as a young man in 1834 and throughout the 19th century was well known for his love and.
0:49
Damian Bacich's video recording-1: Trying to why and trying to spread the traditions of Hispanic, California.
0:55
Damian Bacich's video recording-1: You can hear, the previous episodes in this podcast and, uh, I'll keep reading over the next few weeks some more excerpts from his memoirs.
1:07
Damian Bacich's video recording-1: Now, when we pick up with Antonio today, we are in 1846 and the US military has.
1:17
Damian Bacich's video recording-1: Begun to invade and occupy California.
1:20
Damian Bacich's video recording-1: If you'd like an overview of the Mexican American War and its effect on California, I recommend you go back and listen to episode 48 of this podcast in which I talk about the war and how it played out in California.
1:39
Damian Bacich's video recording-1: If you want an overview of the Bear Flag Revolt, which was sort of the event that kicked everything off in California, you can go to episode 43.
1:50
Damian Bacich's video recording-1: And there I discuss, I give a, a good overview of the Bear Flag Revolt and what happened there.
1:58
Damian Bacich's video recording-1: Now in this episode, we're gonna hear about a Captain Gillespie.
2:02
Damian Bacich's video recording-1: He was Marine Captain Archibald Gillespie, who served as the right hand man of John c Fremont of the US Army, who helped take over California.
2:16
Damian Bacich's video recording-1: I also talk about Fremont in those previous episodes, so you might want to go back and listen to them if you're not fully informed about the story of the Mexican American War in California.
2:29
Damian Bacich's video recording-1: Now, as you may recall in the last episode of these excerpts from Antonio Al's Memoirs, we talked about an uprising by local Californias against the last governor who was sent by Mexico to rule over California.
2:48
Damian Bacich's video recording-1: A man named Manuel Michel Tona.
2:51
Damian Bacich's video recording-1: That revolt was successful and Michel Torina was forced to leave the territory.
2:57
Damian Bacich's video recording-1: In 1845, the man who took over was PO Pico, who effectively became the last Mexican governor or the last governor of Mexican, California.
3:11
Damian Bacich's video recording-1: PO Pico was in office for a little over a year, and when we pick up the story here, Pico has fled to Mexico via Baja, California, and US forces are occupying the Pueblo of Los Angeles.
3:26
Damian Bacich's video recording-1: Here, Coronel is going to talk about some of the resistance that took place to us.
3:31
Damian Bacich's video recording-1: Occupation.
3:32
Damian Bacich's video recording-1: As always, Antonio Cordell recounts these episodes with a dose of humor and irony.
3:39
Damian Bacich's video recording-1: Even if the events that he talks about in themselves are very serious.
3:45
Damian Bacich's video recording-1: So Antonio Cota now, if I remember correctly.
3:50
Damian Bacich's video recording-1: Fremont arrived first with nearly 200 Riflemen and Indians shortly after Commodore Stockton came with a small force that had landed at San Pedro on August 7th.
4:04
Damian Bacich's video recording-1: The occupation of Los Angeles took place on the 15th of that month.
4:09
Damian Bacich's video recording-1: Now remember this is 1846.
4:12
Damian Bacich's video recording-1: The Commodore declared a state of siege and put us under Marshall Law.
4:17
Damian Bacich's video recording-1: With a series of edicts, we were to obey Stockton and Fremont converged in Los Angeles for a brief period at the end of which Stockton went on to Harry the rest of the coast, and Fremont threw himself into the diversions of the country.
4:36
Damian Bacich's video recording-1: He got to know everyone and a certain, and to a certain extent, adopted the California way of life.
4:44
Damian Bacich's video recording-1: He dressed as a ranchero, rode horseback with the Rancheros, and became such good friends with the Californians that even the women of the towns treated him with familiarity.
4:59
Damian Bacich's video recording-1: He did not neglect relations with the families that consider themselves superior, but many of those were still fervent patriots.
5:08
Damian Bacich's video recording-1: And not ready to be on such easy terms with the Americans.
5:13
Damian Bacich's video recording-1: In my opinion, Fremont deliberately set out to win over the Californians and succeeded so well that many prominent men declared themselves in favor of the Americans.
5:26
Damian Bacich's video recording-1: When he went north, he left a garrison of 40 or 50 men under Captain Gillespie, the district commander.
5:35
Damian Bacich's video recording-1: Since Marshall Law was still in effect, Gillespie was effectively the governor.
5:41
Damian Bacich's video recording-1: He kept the justices of the peace, but only to carry out the orders he gave them.
5:47
Damian Bacich's video recording-1: Peace rained and no one dreamt of disturbing it.
5:51
Damian Bacich's video recording-1: The country was entirely convinced that our fate depended on whatever the governments of Mexico and the United States might arrange.
6:01
Damian Bacich's video recording-1: However, captain Gillespie did not fully understand this and dictated a number of very oppressive measures.
6:09
Damian Bacich's video recording-1: For example, people could not walk together two by two down the street, nor gather together in their houses under any pretext shops.
6:22
Damian Bacich's video recording-1: Had to close its sundown, so no liquor could be sold to anyone without his permission.
6:28
Damian Bacich's video recording-1: He himself.
6:30
Damian Bacich's video recording-1: Tried those accused of light offenses such as horse stealing or cattle rustling and passed sentence.
6:37
Damian Bacich's video recording-1: According to his own whim, he imprisoned Don Francisco Rico on suspicion, leaving him incommunicado in a dark dungeon from the first Gillespie.
6:49
Damian Bacich's video recording-1: Had every house.
6:50
Damian Bacich's video recording-1: Searched and confiscated of all types of weapons.
6:55
Damian Bacich's video recording-1: His oppressive rules made him as popular as a toothache with the Angelenos.
7:00
Damian Bacich's video recording-1: One of those measures was the spark that touched off the revolt of Southern California against the Americans.
7:08
Damian Bacich's video recording-1: Gillespie levied an arbitrary fine of 15 pesos on a man named Sérbulo Varela for breaking some rule.
7:18
Damian Bacich's video recording-1: Varela fled rather than pay the fine.
7:21
Damian Bacich's video recording-1: This was all the excuse Gillespie needed to intensify his tyranny.
7:26
Damian Bacich's video recording-1: He began persecuting the principal citizens, many of whom took refuge on their ranches.
7:33
Damian Bacich's video recording-1: Now, remember in Spanish and, and Mexican territories at the time, people would live in the city, but have ranches or.
7:45
Damian Bacich's video recording-1: Plots of land outside of the city.
7:47
Damian Bacich's video recording-1: So when he says they fled to their ranches, it means the people who normally were living in the pueblo in the city went out to the country and stayed there.
7:56
Damian Bacich's video recording-1: Gillespie pursued Sebu Lo Barela with such a vengeance that Barela resolved to annoy the American troops.
8:05
Damian Bacich's video recording-1: Various prominent persons tried to talk him out of it, pointing out the risk.
8:10
Damian Bacich's video recording-1: Varela replied.
8:12
Damian Bacich's video recording-1: That he would rather die than live as he was doing when he was least expected.
8:18
Damian Bacich's video recording-1: He rose up with eight or 10 men, aga PTO Ramirez, a Mexican drummer boy and some others, and this was the 23rd of September of 1846.
8:30
Damian Bacich's video recording-1: Varela took his band to Gillespie's headquarters where the hotel St.
8:34
Damian Bacich's video recording-1: Charles is now.
8:36
Damian Bacich's video recording-1: Between Maine and Los Angeles streets.
8:39
Damian Bacich's video recording-1: It was an Adobe with a big walled corral behind it.
8:43
Damian Bacich's video recording-1: The house fronted on Main Street and the corral coincided with what is now Los Angeles Street.
8:50
Damian Bacich's video recording-1: Borella and his band attacked from this side.
8:55
Damian Bacich's video recording-1: Some on horseback and others on foot.
8:59
Damian Bacich's video recording-1: They banged on the door.
9:00
Damian Bacich's video recording-1: I yelled Viva Mexico several times and beat the drum for a little while.
9:07
Damian Bacich's video recording-1: There was no reaction.
9:09
Damian Bacich's video recording-1: Then the American troops peered over the wall, which they used as cover and started firing on the assault party as it retreated.
9:19
Damian Bacich's video recording-1: Aga Ramirez was wounded, I believe, in the foot.
9:23
Damian Bacich's video recording-1: Gillespie, of course, mounted a defense and Varela retreated to the eastern outskirts of town.
9:30
Damian Bacich's video recording-1: The next day, Gillespie began taking security measures.
9:34
Damian Bacich's video recording-1: One of them was the arrest of influential people such as Captain, no, Jose.
9:40
Damian Bacich's video recording-1: Maria Flores.
9:42
Damian Bacich's video recording-1: Flores lived with a family north of the town.
9:46
Damian Bacich's video recording-1: He was warned of the impending arrest.
9:48
Damian Bacich's video recording-1: But not until the squad of Americans was on the way.
9:52
Damian Bacich's video recording-1: The lady of the house seeing the danger hid Flores so ingeniously that the Americans thoroughly missed him.
10:02
Damian Bacich's video recording-1: This is how she did it.
10:04
Damian Bacich's video recording-1: She made him drape himself in a serape and get down on all fours, and she sat on him.
10:11
Damian Bacich's video recording-1: When the Americans were gone, Florida's escaped on foot in the direction of the nearest fields.
10:18
Damian Bacich's video recording-1: Soon he met a Californian who took him to safety riding double on his horse.
10:24
Damian Bacich's video recording-1: This was the 24th of September.
10:27
Damian Bacich's video recording-1: Gillespie continued to persecute anyone.
10:30
Damian Bacich's video recording-1: He considered a suspicious character until all the Californians went to join Varela in his camp on top of the Paron Blanco.
10:39
Damian Bacich's video recording-1: Now if you've listened to this podcast, you'll know that Para Blanco is what is today known as Boyle Heights in Los Angeles.
10:47
Damian Bacich's video recording-1: So, um, there is a podcast episode where I talk about, where I read the memoirs of a man who grew up.
11:01
Damian Bacich's video recording-1: In Los Angeles in Boyle Heights, near what is known as Para Blanco, and you can go back and listen to that one.
11:09
Damian Bacich's video recording-1: All told there was some 300 men there or more.
11:14
Damian Bacich's video recording-1: The next step was to organize them.
11:16
Damian Bacich's video recording-1: Bar appointed several officers that same day of September 24th, including Captain Jose Maria Flores as commander in chief.
11:26
Damian Bacich's video recording-1: I was one of those persecuted by Gillespie.
11:30
Damian Bacich's video recording-1: I had already left town in view of the way matters were going and only visited my home at night.
11:37
Damian Bacich's video recording-1: The last night I was there.
11:39
Damian Bacich's video recording-1: My family warned me that Gillespie's Black servant boy had been by the house that afternoon and told my mother in the greatest secrecy that the order was out to arrest me that very night, as well as Leonardo Cota and some others.
11:55
Damian Bacich's video recording-1: As soon as I heard this news, I got out a pair of pistols and a sword I had hidden and immediately mounted on my horse.
12:04
Damian Bacich's video recording-1: I went to a farm, the one I still own and live on.
12:08
Damian Bacich's video recording-1: When I was about two hours on my way at about 11:00 PM they entered and searched my parents' house.
12:15
Damian Bacich's video recording-1: Shortly after my father sent me a note via our Indian cook, telling me what had occurred and warning me to be on my guard.
12:26
Damian Bacich's video recording-1: I left my horse saddled and took other precautions.
12:30
Damian Bacich's video recording-1: The next day, an Indian servant of mine came running to the farm with the news that armed Americans were on the next farm.
12:40
Damian Bacich's video recording-1: I mounted and rode a short distance away where I could see the movements of the Americans.
12:46
Damian Bacich's video recording-1: They went to the farmhouse, searched it in a couple of fields, not finding me.
12:54
Damian Bacich's video recording-1: They crossed to Ignacio Machado's farm and searched the house there.
12:59
Damian Bacich's video recording-1: Still not finding what they were looking for.
13:02
Damian Bacich's video recording-1: They went back to town.
13:04
Damian Bacich's video recording-1: The Californian army was organized although short of guns, and it was suggested to Gillespie that he turned over the town.
13:14
Damian Bacich's video recording-1: But before that.
13:15
Damian Bacich's video recording-1: We heard from RA Clara Reyes and her daughter Inno Reyes, that they had an old cannon made to fire stone shot buried on their farm.
13:27
Damian Bacich's video recording-1: The gun was immediately recovered and mounted on the bed of a cart tied with raw hide thongs.
13:34
Damian Bacich's video recording-1: A powder keg not very full, was also obtained at this time.
13:40
Damian Bacich's video recording-1: Some cartridges were made for the little cannon and a few old cannon balls were collected around San Gabriel and other places.
13:48
Damian Bacich's video recording-1: A powder keg not very full, was also obtained at this time.
13:54
Damian Bacich's video recording-1: Some cartridges were made for the little cannon and a few old cannon balls were collected around San Gabriel and other places.
14:02
Damian Bacich's video recording-1: What weapons we had besides the little cannon were a few pistols, lariats and knives, and an old Flintlock rifle or two Gillespie's answer was for us to disarm.
14:16
Damian Bacich's video recording-1: If we didn't, he would be forced to act as the circumstances dictated three or four days passed in which we sent verbal messages back and forth.
14:28
Damian Bacich's video recording-1: Gillespie meanwhile fortified the highest hill opposite the Pico house as well as his headquarters.
14:36
Damian Bacich's video recording-1: And Alexander Bell's two story house on the corner of Los Angeles Street and Aliso, he covered the top story balconies with planks, made loopholes to fire through and left a small garrison there.
14:51
Damian Bacich's video recording-1: During this period, we heard that a body of foreigners had been organized under Do Benito Wilson.
14:59
Damian Bacich's video recording-1: It included John J.
15:01
Damian Bacich's video recording-1: Warner, Julian Williams, the three Callahan brothers, David Alexander, uba, drew, I don't remember any more names, but there were no more than 40 men.
15:15
Damian Bacich's video recording-1: In view of this news, Flores sent about 40 men under Ramon Carillo, Buela, and Diego Sepulveda to reinforce Jose De Carmen Lugo.
15:27
Damian Bacich's video recording-1: He was watching the foreigners who were concentrated on the Rancho de Chino property of Julian Williams.
15:35
Damian Bacich's video recording-1: Williams was Lugo's brother-in-law.
15:38
Damian Bacich's video recording-1: And here he writes in parentheses, actually, I think his first name was Isaac, but he was known as Don Julian, and then he closes the parentheses.
15:47
Damian Bacich's video recording-1: I found out from those who were present how Lugo and Rio's men surrounded the ranch and called on the enemy to surrender.
15:57
Damian Bacich's video recording-1: Wilson, the leader said that he would only answer after lunch.
16:02
Damian Bacich's video recording-1: But when the foreigners realized how serious their situation was, they shut the main door of the house and spread out to cover all the doors and windows.
16:13
Damian Bacich's video recording-1: The house on the Rancho la Chino is on a flat constructed of Adobe and a tarred roof.
16:21
Damian Bacich's video recording-1: It was built on a square and all the rooms had outside windows with iron grill work.
16:27
Damian Bacich's video recording-1: The main door was closed and barred securely.
16:31
Damian Bacich's video recording-1: There was a ditch around it and a fence made of sheets of tin lashed with raw hide.
16:38
Damian Bacich's video recording-1: The Californians decided to set fire to the house on a mounted charge at the signal they all galloped up and threw a bundle of flaming grass wrapped in a sheet onto the roof.
16:53
Damian Bacich's video recording-1: They then fell back against the walls to escape the shots from inside coming through the windows and doors, and at the same time preventing the defenders from getting out.
17:05
Damian Bacich's video recording-1: Some shots were fired before the attack, however.
17:09
Damian Bacich's video recording-1: One of them killed Sergeant Carlos by Ros.
17:13
Damian Bacich's video recording-1: His horse jumped the fence, but fell at the ditch and the bullet from a front window hit him.
17:20
Damian Bacich's video recording-1: The house was burning well, and the defenders realized that they had no time to lose.
17:27
Damian Bacich's video recording-1: The owner, Julian Williams showed himself with his three young children crying out that they were California born.
17:36
Damian Bacich's video recording-1: And that innocence shouldn't be sacrificed.
17:39
Damian Bacich's video recording-1: The Californians outside yelled for them to surrender, which they did.
17:44
Damian Bacich's video recording-1: Lugo took charge of his nephews, and the foreigners were taken prisoner and disarmed.
17:51
Damian Bacich's video recording-1: Then the Californians themselves put out the fire.
17:54
Damian Bacich's video recording-1: This happened on September 26th.
17:57
Damian Bacich's video recording-1: The prisoners were conducted to Los Angeles where the other Californians were Haring Gillespie.
18:04
Damian Bacich's video recording-1: They decided to assault the guard post and advance by a circular route with one of their artillery pieces, sorry, I meant to say, with their one artillery piece.
18:16
Damian Bacich's video recording-1: Gillespie already knew about his friend's defeat at Rancho de Chino and could not hope for help to come quickly.
18:23
Damian Bacich's video recording-1: He surrendered on September 30th, as I remember the terms called for him to retreat with his men to San Pedro, leaving his field artillery behind when he took ship.
18:36
Damian Bacich's video recording-1: He also left the cannon mounted in the guard post, so accompanied by some of the long-term American residents.
18:46
Damian Bacich's video recording-1: Gillespie formed up his garrison and marched to San Pedro where there happened to be a ship.
18:53
Damian Bacich's video recording-1: He boarded it with his men.
18:55
Damian Bacich's video recording-1: After spiking the guns he was supposed to hand over intact.
18:59
Damian Bacich's video recording-1: During the period when Gillespie was besieged in Los Angeles.
19:03
Damian Bacich's video recording-1: He had a herd of 80 or a hundred horses, which at night were kept in the patio of the house that served as his headquarters.
19:12
Damian Bacich's video recording-1: By day they were taken to water at a nearby stream and fed stored hay and grain.
19:20
Damian Bacich's video recording-1: Ramon Carillo and Ira, the blonde one, and maybe another man, decided to steal the horses at all times.
19:29
Damian Bacich's video recording-1: One of them paraded the Mexican flag up and down.
19:34
Damian Bacich's video recording-1: Exposing themselves to the enemy's fire from the guard post in spite of the risks they ran.
19:40
Damian Bacich's video recording-1: Not one of them was wounded once when a few of the Americans were taking the horses out to water.
19:48
Damian Bacich's video recording-1: Carillo Nira waited at a certain place in the de Los Negros when they saw the corral of headquarters open.
19:56
Damian Bacich's video recording-1: They galloped out of their hiding place.
19:58
Damian Bacich's video recording-1: Swinging Lariats and stampeded the herd.
20:02
Damian Bacich's video recording-1: Many shots were fired, but luckily none hit them and they got away with most of the horses.
20:09
Damian Bacich's video recording-1: A similar episode preceded this one.
20:12
Damian Bacich's video recording-1: A dozen men on horseback came out of the headquarters with rifles across the saddle bows.
20:18
Damian Bacich's video recording-1: They went south on Main Street, perhaps intending to OID at the ground.
20:24
Damian Bacich's video recording-1: About a mile on, they came to a field of corn ready to harvest.
20:29
Damian Bacich's video recording-1: In the middle of it were two young Californians eating watermelon.
20:34
Damian Bacich's video recording-1: They were lookouts armed with old flintlock rifles for when the territory belonged to the King of Spain.
20:42
Damian Bacich's video recording-1: Seeing the party of foreigners coming towards them, they decided to give them a good scare.
20:48
Damian Bacich's video recording-1: The boys' names were Baldez and Ibarra.
20:51
Damian Bacich's video recording-1: They threw away the watermelon and got ready.
20:55
Damian Bacich's video recording-1: When the party was close enough, they shouted to arms boys.
20:59
Damian Bacich's video recording-1: Since the corn was tall and dry and the boys galloped through the middle of it, I suppose the foreigners thought there must be a considerable force hidden in it.
21:10
Damian Bacich's video recording-1: They ran like rabbits in complete disarray.
21:13
Damian Bacich's video recording-1: The young Californians enthusiastically in pursuit.
21:17
Damian Bacich's video recording-1: One of them tried to shoot a straggler he caught up with, but his shotgun misfired, so he clubbed the man with the stock and brought him down.
21:28
Damian Bacich's video recording-1: The other youth tried to catch another, but all the Americans took refuge behind an adobe wall.
21:35
Damian Bacich's video recording-1: They dismounted and fired a few shots.
21:38
Damian Bacich's video recording-1: The first boy dismounted to look over the fallen man and to take his arms and possessions, but found himself under fire.
21:47
Damian Bacich's video recording-1: He quickly remounted taking a revolver and a rifle, and both boys ran.
21:54
Damian Bacich's video recording-1: The Americans came out and picked up their comrade.
21:58
Damian Bacich's video recording-1: It was said afterwards that he died, but I don't know if that was true or not.
22:03
Damian Bacich's video recording-1: However, from then on, the Americans didn't dare go out on horseback, so we'll stop there.
22:14
Damian Bacich's video recording-1: In the coming weeks, I will probably read, as I mentioned, one or two more excerpts from Antonio Cord's Memoirs, which I think provides some very interesting background.
22:26
Damian Bacich's video recording-1: To the first years, the early period of US rule in California.
22:34
Damian Bacich's video recording-1: As always, as far as I'm concerned, understanding the past of the place you're in helps you to really live a fuller life in the present.
22:43
Damian Bacich's video recording-1: So I hope you'll stick with us and, uh, continue on listening to more of these excerpts from documents about life in early California.
22:55
Damian Bacich's video recording-1: Thanks.