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Biographical Notes
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Christopher "Kit" Carson
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After the Gavilan Incident Fremont returned to Sutter's Fort where he met with a number of settlers including Jim Clyman who offered to form a group of vigilantes to join with Fremont's men to overthrow the Mexican control of California. (In 1844, Clyman, a former trail mate of Jedediah Smith, had guided a wagon train into California that had among its members William Ide, Robert Semple and James Marshall. Ide and Semple would later play important roles in the Bear Flag Revolt and Marshall would set off the gold rush.) Fremont refused Clyman's offer and, after resupplying his party, continued traveling north toward Oregon and away from Mexican settlements. Stopping at Peter Lassen's ranch, Fremont was requested to help Lassen's neighbors deal with hostile Indians that had been harassing their farms. Carson led the attack that resulted in a large number of Indians killed and wounded. Fremont then continued on to Upper Klamath Lake and set up camp near the spot that he had camped in 1843. Marine Lieutenant Archibald Gillespie caught up with Fremont at Klamath Lake and delivered dispatches and mail from Washington. That night Indians attacked the camp and killed several members of the party. The next morning Carson led a counterattack that killed a large number of Klamath Indians and burned their village.
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The instructions that Fremont received from Gillespie are another source of controversy. Whatever was in them, Fremont immediately turned back south and made camp at Marysville Buttes (now known as Sutter's Buttes). Settlers gathered at Fremont's camp and urged him to lead them in action against Castro who they feared was organizing to drive them from their land. War between the United States and Mexico had been declared on May 17, 1846, but the news had not yet reached California. Fremont refused to act, but clearly did not attempt to stop the settlers from taking action independently. Some say that he actively encouraged them to act and may even have helped them plan their action. The Bear Flag Revolt took place on June 20, 1846. A few days later Fremont organized his "California Battalion." and formally took charge of the revolt. On July 7, 1846 Commodore John D. Sloat captured Monterey. On July 9, 1846, Captain John A. Montgomery captured Yerba Buena (soon to be renamed San Francisco). On July 19, 1846, Fremont led his California Battalion to Monterey. Sloat and Fremont did not get along well, but on July 23, 1846, Sloat was replaced by Commodore Robert Stockton who got liked Fremont. In the weeks that followed, Stockton and Fremont managed to occupy all of the Mexican centers of population without major bloodshed.
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Throughout the Conquest of California, Carson loyally supported Fremont, but did not play any important role until September 16, 1846, when he was sent with an escort of sixteen men including Thomas Fitzpatrick to Washington D.C. carrying official dispatches from Stockton and Fremont announcing the complete pacification of California. On October 6, 1846, while passing through New Mexico, Carson met Brigadier General Stephen Watts Kearny leading a force overland to assist in the California campaign. Kearny ordered Carson to turn his dispatches over to Fitzpatrick who was instructed to take them on to Washington. Kearny wanted Carson to guide his force to California. Carson reluctantly complied and turned back with Kearny's force toward California. On November 23, 1846, they intercepted a letter that told of the recapture of Los Angeles by a Mexican force led by General Jose Maria Flores. On December 6, 1846, the Battle of San Pascual commenced and quickly led to a Mexican victory over Kearny in all but name. During this battle Carson played an important role in getting through Mexican lines to Stockton to request a relief column.
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Stockton did manage to relieve Kearny and, on January 12, 1847, the two men cooperated in retaking Los Angeles. In the ensuing arguments between these two officers over Fremont, Carson continued to loyally support Fremont. It was Carson who delivered Fremont's refusal to recognize Kearny's authority in California. When the situation had come to an impasse, Kearny sent Colonel Emory to Washington via Panama with his side of the story. Stockton sent Carson to Washington overland with his version. Carson reached Santa Fe in forty days of hard riding. From Santa Fe he went on to St Louis where he debriefed to Fremont's father-in-law, Missouri Senator Thomas Hart Benton, before continuing on to Washington. Carson was by now famous and on arrival in the capitol was treated as a hero. At Senator Benton's request he briefed a Senate subcommittee and at Mrs. Jessie Fremont's instigation met twice with President James K. Polk. As a reward for his services, Polk ordered that Carson be commissioned a lieutenant in the army. After Washington, Carson returned to California overland arriving in Monterey on November 22, 1847, with letters and dispatches for Colonel Richard Mason, Governor of California. Mason's aide was with him that day and Carson met Lieutenant William Tecumseh Sherman for the first time. Mason assigned Carson to the First Dragoons in Los Angeles.
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Carson spent several months at Tejon Pass guarding against Indians stealing horses in the Los Angeles area. In April 1848, Governor Mason called him to Monterey to once again carry dispatches to Washington. He departed Monterey on May 4, 1848, with the first official report of the discovery of gold in California. While passing through Santa Fe he learned that the Senate had refused to confirm his lieutenant's commission. Why the Senate did this is a subject of controversy. Some argue that it was because Carson was not a graduate of West Point and others postulate that it was because he was known to be a Fremont supporter. After Santa Fe, Carson continued on to Washington where he ran into Joe Meek. Meek's cousin was the wife of President Polk. He had come to Washington from Oregon to report the massacre of the Whitemans by hostile Cayuse Indians. Meek's daughter and the daughter of Jim Bridger had been killed along with the Whitemans. On August 15, 1848, before leaving for home, Carson served as sponsor during the baptism of Fremont's son, Benton.
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Carson returned to Taos in early October 1848 hoping to finally be able to establish a permanent home. Soon after reaching Taos, Major Benjamin L. Beall in command of US Army troops stationed in Santa Fe requested Carson to guide his force on a punitive raid against hostile Apaches. On his return to Taos, William Bent asked Carson and Lucien Maxwell to reestablish one of Bent's trading posts in the Texas Panhandle. Hostile Indian attacks forced its closure and Carson and Maxwell returned to Taos where Maxwell had inherited a very large track of land from his father-in-law, Judge Carlos Beraubien. It consisted of 1,700,000 acres and was, at the time, the largest privately owned estate in the United States. In November 1848 Carson turned down Fremont's request to guide his fourth expedition and together with Maxwell began work on a ranch in Rayado Valley about forty miles east of Taos. Fremont's expedition got into serious trouble in the mountains and Fremont was taken to Carson's home in Taos to recover. Carson and Josefa nursed him back to health and helped him get on his way to California.
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Carson and Josephea moved into their new ranch house in April 1849. In May 1849 Josephea gave birth to a boy - Charles (named in memory of Charles Bent who had been killed while Carson was in California). Charles died less than a year later. The Carson-Maxwell ranch prospered. Their stock totaled 10,000 cattle and 40,000 sheep. It was the first large scale cattle raising business in the United States. Being on the Santa Fe trail, Rayado was a frequent stopping place for many emigrants and 49ers. A company of dragoons was stationed there under the command of Major William N. Grier. In October 1849 James White and his family were captured by hostile Apache Indians. Most of the party were killed outright but Mrs. White was kidnaped. Carson was part of the party that attempted unsuccessfully to secure her release. Found near her body was a magazine with an article about Kit Carson's heroic adventures. In May 1850 Carson and Tim Goodale drove thirty mules five hundred miles to Fort Laramie to sell to Oregon bound emigrants. Later the trail that they followed would be known as the "Long Trail" and would be used to drive large herds of cattle to market.
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