334 CONQUEST OF CALIFORNIA 



the Government-house. On the 16th, Major Fremont again 

 set off in pursuit of Castro, but it was soon found that 

 the valiant Governor had made good his escape towards 

 the city of Mexico. Most of his officers, however, were 

 captured, and brought to the City of the Angels, where 

 Commodore Stockton had been busy in establishing a civil 

 government. 



The Commodore directed Major Fremont to increase his 

 force and post it in garrisons in the different places : — Fifty 

 were to be stationed in the City of the Angels under Cap- 

 tain Gillespie, fifty at Monterey, fifty at San Francisco, 

 and twenty-five at Santa Barbara. He embarked for San 

 Francisco to recruit, making, in the meanwhile, a temporary 

 disposition of his forces. He took but forty men with 

 him, and nine of these he left at Santa Barbara, in charge 

 of Lieutenant Talbot. ' During his absence, on the 23d of 

 September, a Californian army invested the City of the 

 Angels, and by their superior numbers caused Captain Gil- 

 lespie to surrender that place. He returned with his thirty 

 riflemen to San Pedro, and from there sailed for Monterey. 

 The Californian Chief, Manual Gaspar, then led two hun- 

 dred of his men against Santa Barbara, but Lieut. Talbot 

 and his nine men defended themselves with heroic courage. 

 He held the town until he was completely besieged, and then 

 refusing to surrender, fought his way through the enemy to 

 the mountains of the vicinity, where he remained eight days, 

 suffering from cold and hunger. A detachment of forty men 

 advanced to take him, but was driven back. They then offered 

 to permit him to retire, if he would pledge himself and his men 

 to neutrality during the war, but he. sent word to the Mexican 

 Chief that he preferred to fight. At length, finding that 

 neither force or persuasion would cause him to leave his posi- 



