Customer Reviews

Bear Flag Rising: The Conquest of California, 1846

5 star:		(7)
4 star:		(7)
3 star:		(0)
2 star:		(1)
1 star:		(0)

 

 

1846 - a landmark in American History - The Conquest of California. This book goes into great detail about the preceding period in California's history leading up to the conquest by Com. Robert Stockton, aided by Col. John Fremont. How the previous reviewer came to the conclusion that Com. Stockton was "puffed up" is beyond me. As the book states, the Stockton family of Princeton, NJ were blue bloods, a dynasty the equal of the Kennedys and Adams, serving the USA over many generations with Senators and Ambassadors and the confidant of Presidents. The phrase puffed up suggests someone who is trying to be something he isn't. Well Commodore Stockton was the real thing and my reading of this book leads me to the conclusion that without Stockton's valour and daring, California would still be part of Mexico. I particularly like this quotation from The Rev. John Colton who was present in California during this period in history:

Sat July 17 1847
"Com. Stockton has left us on his return home over the continent. His measures in California have been bold and vigorous and have been followed by decisive results. He found the country in anarchy and confusion and the greater part under the Mexican flag and has left it in peace and quietness beneath the stars and stripes. His position in the march of American forces from San Diego and in the battle of San Gabriel has not been changed by any subsequent information in the judgement of the candid and impartial. He tendered the command of the expedition to Gen. Kearny, which that gallant officer deferred to the Commodore out of his regard to his position at the head of the naval forces, upon which the success of the enterprise must depend. The propriety of this arrangement is seen in the fact that the general had but sixty dragoons at his command, all on foot, while the Pacific squadron poured 600 seaman and marines upon the field.

There was no confusion of orders or evolutions on the route; every general movement emanated from Com. Stockton, with the good understanding and harmonious action of Gen. Kearny. It is not my purpose to comment on this feature in the affairs of California but it is due to truth that history should be set right. To rely on 60 dragoons in the face of a thousand Californians armed with the rifle and lance and accustomed to the saddle from their birth is to trifle with the stern solemnities of war. For matter of these the Mexican flag would still be flying over these hills and valleys. The seamen of the Pacific squadron under the command of Com. Robert Field Stockton as reliable on land as faithful on deck, have wrenched this land from the grasp of Mexico, and unfurled the stars and stripes where they will wave evermore. Let the laurel light where it belongs".

As a native of England I am always amazed at the ignorance of US history books and travel guides which pay merely a passing tribute to Commodore Sloat's landing in Monterey and raising the US flag, while mentioning nothing about the real hero of California ...... Commodore Robert Field Stockton.

This book is about this conquest of California by the US from Mexico. It gives vivid descriptions of this conquest and tells what each great American general, Mexican general, frontiersmen, and other important people did and what they accomplish and failed. For example, Commodore John D. Sloat, commander of the navy's Pacific Squadron and his orders to seize important Mexican ports and blockade others. It compares the armies of the two warring countries and Mexico City's refusal to assist it California asset.
I chose this book to read because its cover was good looking. However, we all know the saying don't judge a book by its cover, so I took a look inside and I was immediately captivated by it. It tells the story extremely well and puts lots of description into it.
My favorite part of the book was the section called "Conquest" which describes the war against Mexico and the movements of troops and all. It is very richly told and it is the section that tells the most information in the whole book. I would recommend this book to anyone who wants to know about the conquest of California.

This book merits six stars, not five. It will surely become the standard work on the conquest of California. I was able to read it in advance of publication, and want to share my enthusiasm for it.

Dale L. Walker is one of the finest nonacademic historians writing in our times. His genius is manifest throughout this work.

One aspect is his gift of portraiture. He gives us unforgettable pictures of the tough martinet Stephen Watts Kearny, the star-crossed and ambitious Army map-maker John C. Fremont, and the wily and well-connected Robert Stockton, whose own ambitions burned fiercely in California.

Another of Walker's gifts is research. He has provided us with so much new material, and has unearthed so many obscure facts that help explain the mysteries of the conquest, that this book will be a powerful clarifying force in our understanding of what happened there.

He does not neglect the lesser figures, either, such as Kit Carson, and that magnificent Californio, General Mariano Vallejo.

He writes with such ease and clarity and lucidity, and with such storytelling gifts, that this book invites a look at every page, and will enthrall people of all sorts.

I give it the highest recommendation that I am capable of giving.

Bear Flag Rising is as readable a piece of popular history as you will find. Dale Walker gives us entertaining and flawed figures of the time and all their amazing accomplishments. The concept of walking across the Mojave desert is enough to make the average Californian swoon. The book belongs on the bookshelf of all the latter day Californios and immigrants. If any flaw, it is the use by Walker of the term "half-breed" in one description, in his version without the quotes. It is a phrase that is as offensive to native Americans as the "n" word. Just a small thought.

All said this is a terrific introduction to the filibustering, flim-flamming, foolish, brave, idealistic participants in Califoria History, from Pio Pico and Jose Alvarado to John C. Fremont and Robert Stockton. It has sent me to read more of Walker.

Bear Flag Rising is probably the best and most complete history of the U.S. conquest of California to date, and is therefore a must for the bookshelf of any Californian or historian. Despite the rot of the Mexican Empire and the compelling ideology of Manifest Destiny, California didn't just fall into the lap of the United States: it was the determined and often self-centered efforts of men great and mediocre that brought California into the Union. That story is brilliantly told here. The focus on the American perspective limits Walker's coverage of Mexican California, however, and the personalities of the Californios - with the exceptions of Vallejo and Castro - are disappointingly two dimensional. But Walker's triumph is avoiding the temptation to be all things to all people, and the result is an enlightening book and very good history. My one "legitimate" complaint with the book was the lack of decent maps. The one map in the book is poorly drawn, and looks like an afterthought - it should have been excluded if they could not have put San Gabriel to the east of Los Angeles rather than to the south. Nonetheless, I can only hope Walker spends more time on California - this book is a true gem, and worth picking up for the bibliography alone.

I started reading "Bear Flag Rising" in preparation for a trip to California. I was hoping to gain an understanding of the events which occurred as California moved from a Mexican to American territory. At its end I was very satisfied.

This is definitely popular history, not an academic tome. The facts are related without a lot of depth or analysis. Many quotations from other histories are included, suggesting that the information is primarily derived from secondary sources. Although I was disappointed while reading the early pages, my appreciation of the book grew rapidly.

The story of the Conquest of California is an interesting one, more for the infighting among the Americans than the fight against the Mexicans.

The "Bear Flag Republic" took its name from the flag adopted by a group of American settlers who declared Californian independence from Mexico and then enforced their declaration by the capture of Sonoma under a flag bearing the image of a California bear.

The three main individual characters in the story are Lt. Col. John C. Fremont, Commodore Robert Stockton and Gen. Stephen Kearney.

Fremont, The Pathfinder, son-in-law of Sen. Thomas Hart Benton, arrived on the scene at the head of a team of Topographical Engineers. Assuming command of the Bear Flag rebels, he organized them into the "California Battalion" and lead them throughout the conflict.

Com. Robert Stockton assumed command of the Navy's Pacific Squadron from Com. John Sloat who had raised the American flag over Monterey. Stockton then commanded a force of sailors, marines and the Pacific Battalion which accomplished the conquest of the coastal regions of California.

The last force to arrive was that of Gen. Stephen Kearney, fresh from the conquest of New Mexico. He arrived in California with about one hundred dragoons and orders from President Polk to establish a government in California.

"Bear Flag Rising" reports, with adequate detail, the relatively small scale battles which decided the war in California. It gives a good survey of the California Theatre of the Mexican War, one of three main theatres, along with Gen. Zachary Taylor's campaign south of Texas and Gen. Winfield Scott's march from Vera Cruz to Mexico City. (See my Amazon review of "The Mexican War, A Compact History" by Charles L. Dufour.)

With California secure, a dispute arose over the right to govern California between Stockton, claiming by right of conquest, and Kearney, claiming by right of Presidential appointment. Lt. Col. Fremont's decision to accept orders from Stockton resulted in his court martial at the instigation of Gen. Kearney.

All in all, I recommend "Bear Flag Rising" to anyone with an interest in the California campaign of the Mexican War.

Dale Walker writes history as illuminating stories about human beings. He's witty, insightful, a lot of fun, and unburdened by political agendas. He's a national treasure. We have to look back half a century to Bernard DeVoto to find his equal.

This book was terrific because it was to the point and didn't get muddled with a lot of insignificant information. I had just gotten back from a weary on-the-road forever vacation (HA!) and had been in the Sonoma area and driven along the coast highway where this story takes place. Not to mention the fact I live right near "Pico" Blvd. This makes the book more personal and I found myself reading it at night and forgetting about the 11:00 news. I found myself rooting for Kearny and Kit and seething at Stockton and Fremont. Stokton and Fremont were both puffed up egomaniacs and the jailing of Vallejo was really unjustified. The incident at San Pascual was particularly (sp) chilling and just the sort of thing that should never occurred in the first place. Both Stockon and Fremont were a little put off by the Californio's attitude akin to "Sure, raise your flag if you want, we're taking our siesta now". Mexico did not come to California's aide even though they had been called upon for assistance. You snooze, you lose I guess. Not much has changed in attitudes here in sunny California. We are still independent and don't take no guff, and we're pretty laid back and easy going. For anyone who thinks history is bo-o-oring; read this gem of a story as it can read like a novel.

"Bear Flag Rising" is a great read and highly recommended to history buffs and those who just want to read a good story.

The story briefly sets the scene, and then recounts the details of the exploratory raids of Fremont, his successes and failures, the later arrival of Commodore Stockton and General Kearny, and their egomaniacal battle for control and status... whose machinations chewed up Fremont in the process.

This book goes a long way in dispelling a lot of myths about the American conquest of California... particularly those held by America-lasters... that the war was about the evil American gringos stealing California from the righteous Mexicans and killing all the Indians along the way. Walker gives a good account of the realities of the situation, that most Califonios - at first, at least - hated the Mexicans and welcomed the Americans. The Mexican Government, which clearly never cared about California that much in the first place, allowed the state to sink into almost total neglect and did almost nothing to counter the American offensive. When they finally got around to it, is was way too little, way too late.

Positives: Walker's book is an engaging read which leaves you anticipating what's coming with every new chapter. He does a great job at bringing the characters to life, and not just the Americans - the resistance leaders get their due as well.

Another plus is its concision; the book does an admirable job at staying on topic, and not going off into a lot of tangents. If, say, Kevin Starr had written this book, it would have been about 600 pages (though I'm sure it would have been great in its own way).

Negatives: As some reviewers have already pointed out, this book really NEEDS at least one good map. There is only one map, and a bad one at that, in the beginning of the book.

This is the first book I've read specifically about the conquest of California, so I can't compare it to any others. It is not for those who want an extensive account of pre-American California; the book only touches on the Spanish and Mexican eras because that is simply not the subject of the book.

PS - This is a great book for San Franciscans (and other Californians) to read as many street names, especially in San Fran, are named after the people in this book.

I hate to do this because it is the best book on this subject I have read as far as historical facts are presented. VALUE: The author portrays the acquisition of the state of California by allowing the reader to follow each major player in the campaign. He does this well. It is easy to stay interested. FAULT: It has the typical revisionist approach to history by judging 19th century Americans against late 20th century "ethics" while others are judged according to the ethics of the time period. As usual all non-Americans get the benefit of the doubt when performing acts that would today be considered un-ethical, while Americans are judged harshly.