CHAPTER XXX.
Capture of Los Angeles--Court Martial of Fremont--Carson Appointed a Bearer of Dispatches to Washington--His Journey to St. Louis--Visits Washington--Appointed Lieutenant by President Polk--Ordered Back Across the Continent--His Journey--Assigned to Duty at Tajon Pass--Again Ordered to Washington--His Appointment not Confirmed by the United States Senate--Visit to Washington--Return to New Mexico.
The chief force of the Mexicans was at Los Angeles over a hundred milesto the north of San Diego. They numbered six or seven hundred and werestrongly intrenched. General Kearney and Commodore Stockton joined theircommands and marched to attack them. Arriving in front of the town, theyscattered the Mexicans intrenched on the outside, and then marched intothe place. But the enemy had fled and gone northward to meet Fremontwho was on his way from Monterey with four hundred men to attack LosAngeles.
The Mexicans had not long to search when they found Fremont, but,instead of giving him battle, their commander surrendered, possiblypreferring to give him the honor, instead of selecting the othercommanders. Fremont continued his march to Los Angeles, where they wentinto winter quarters, and Carson, who had been devoting his valuableservices to General Kearney, now rejoined his old friend, Fremont.
It may be stated in this place that the jealousy between CommodoreStockton and General Kearney assumed such a shape at that time thatFremont was compelled to acknowledge either one or the other as hissuperior officer. He selected Commodore Stockton as the one to whom heowed superior allegiance. The result of the petty quarrel was the trialof Fremont by court martial, the particulars of which are too well knownto require further reference at our hands.
In the following March, Kit Carson was selected to carry despatches toWashington. Lieutenant Beale, who was still suffering from the exposureand hardships he had undergone, accompanied him, together with a guardof a dozen veteran mountaineers. Lieutenant Beale was so weak thatCarson for many days was obliged to lift him on and off his horse; butthe clear air, the healthful exercise and the cheery companionship ofthe hardy scout were the best tonics in the world, and probably did theinvalid more good than any other treatment that could have been devised.
Carson took an extremely southern route, and his superior skill andknowledge of the country and its inhabitants enabled him to avoid alldanger until he reached a tributary of the lower Colorado. While in campat midnight, they were assailed with a shower of arrows from a partyof Indians; but, as Carson expected the attack, he had made suchpreparations that not one of his men were injured.
Without any other incident worth the mention, Carson and his escortreached St. Louis. There the renowned mountaineer became the hero ofthe hour. He was taken at once to the home of Hon. Thomas H. Benton, thedistinguished statesman and the father in law of Colonel Fremont, whointroduced him to the leading Citizens.
The first person to greet Carson when he stepped from the cars inWashington was Mrs. Fremont, who recognized him from the descriptiongiven by her husband in his letters. She compelled him to accompany herto the house of her father, where he remained an honored guest duringhis stay in Washington, which was for a considerable time.
Among the compliments paid Carson while in the capital was that of hisappointment by President Polk, as lieutenant in the rifle corps of theUnited States army, and he was ordered to return across the continentwith despatches. At Fort Leavenworth, Carson was furnished with anescort of fifty men who were volunteers in the war against Mexico.
The journey westward was marked by no stirring incident until he reachedthe eastern declivity of the Rocky Mountains, where a company of UnitedStates Volunteers were overtaken. They had in charge an enormous trainof wagons on the way to New Mexico. On the morning after the encampmentof Carson near them, the Indians made an attack upon the volunteers,capturing all their cattle and more than twenty horses. The mountaineerand his men dashed to the rescue, recaptured all the cattle, but wereunable to retake the horses.
Shortly after, Carson and his company reached Santa Fe. There he partedfrom the volunteers and hired sixteen others with which he continued thejourney, thereby obeying the instructions received at Fort Leavenworth.
Pursuing the even tenor of his way, he arrived at a tributary of theVirgin River, when he abruptly came upon an encampment of severalhundred Comanches, who, as Carson happened to know, had massacred anumber of settlers only a short time before. Understanding as thoroughlyas he did the treacherous nature of these people, he made a bold front,and, when they attempted to visit his camp, peremptorily ordered them tokeep away.
He added that he knew all about them, and the first one who moved closerwould be shot. Furthermore, if they did not depart, within a specifiedtime, he notified them that they would be fired upon. These were suchaudacious words that the Comanches doubted their sincerity. To test it,some of them overstayed their time. Not wishing to break his pledge,Carson ordered his men to fire, One of the warriors fell, while severalothers, who were badly wounded, came to the conclusion that when thegreat mountaineer made a statement there was likely to be considerabletruth in it.
Food soon became so scarce that mule meat formed the only diet untilthey reached Los Angeles. Carson pushed on to Monterey where hedelivered the despatches to the proper officer, and then returning toLos Angeles he was assigned to duty in Captain Smith's Company ofUnited States dragoons. He was given command of twenty-five dragoons anddirected to proceed to Tajon Pass, through which marauding Indians wereaccustomed to pass when returning from their raids in California. Itwas an important point, and the winter of 1847-48 was spent in theperformance of the duties thus placed upon him. In the spring, he wasonce more ordered to carry despatches to Washington, an escort beingfurnished him as in the previous instance.
In crossing Grand River, one of the rafts became unmanageable, upset,losing considerable valuable property and endangering the lives of anumber of the company. A large force of Utah and Apache Indians wereencountered, but Carson managed them with the same skill he had shownthem so many times before.
On arriving at Taos, he spent several days with his family and friends,after which he proceeded to Santa Fe. There he learned that the UnitedStates Senate had refused to confirm his nomination as lieutenant inthe army. Many of his friends were so angered over this slight that theyurged him to refuse to carry the despatches further; but his reply, asgiven by Dr. Peters, is so admirable that we quote it:
"I was entrusted with these despatches, having been chosen inCalifornia, from whence I come, as the most competent person to takethem through safely. I would try to fulfill this duty even if I knew itwould cost me my life. It matters not to me, while I am performing thisservice for my country, whether I hold the rank of lieutenant in theUnited States Army or am known merely as an experienced mountaineer. Ihave gained some little honor and credit for the manner in which Ihave always conducted myself when detailed on any special and importantbusiness, and I would on no account now wish to forfeit the good opinionformed of me by a majority of my countrymen because the United StatesSenate did not deem it proper to confer on me an appointment which Inever solicited, and one which, had it been confirmed, I would haveresigned at the termination of the war."
Having determined to perform his duty, he made careful inquiries as tothe state of feeling among the Indians through whose country the trailled. The reports were of the most alarming character: the Comanches wereon the war path with a vengeance. They were swarming all along the oldSanta Fe Trail, on the watch for parties whom they could overwhelm anddestroy.
Such being the case, Carson resorted to the bold artifice of making atrail of his own. He reduced his escort to ten experienced mountaineersand then struck out upon his new route. He rode northward from Taosuntil within a region rarely visited by hostiles, when he changed hiscourse by the compass several times. By this means, he reached FortKearney on the Platte and finally arrived at Fort Leavenworth. Not onlyhad he avoided all trouble with Indians, but by following the new route,had found abundance of game so
that the entire trip was but little morethan a pleasure excursion.
All danger was over at Fort Leavenworth, where he parted from his escortand went alone to Washington. Previous to this, the war with Mexicohad ended, the treaty of peace having been signed February 2, 1848, andproclaimed on the 4th of July following.
Carson tarried in Washington only long enough to deliver his despatchesto the proper authorities, when he turned about and made his way toTaos, New Mexico, where he joined once more his family and friends.
The Life of Kit Carson: Hunter, Trapper, Guide, Indian Agent and Colonel U.S.A. Page 30
