The War for California | The Men Who Built America: Frontiersmen (S1, E4) | Full Episode

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NARRATOR: Previously on "The Men Who Built America-- Frontiersmen." 40 years after Daniel Boone crossed the Appalachians, the American frontier now reaches as far west as the Great Plains. [shouting] [non-english]. NARRATOR: Famed Shawnee war chief Tecumseh falls in battle, and with him dies the dream of a pan-Indian homeland. Fire! [cannon fire] NARRATOR: Andrew Jackson defeats Great Britain in the War of 1812, a victory that propels him to the presidency. His bitter rival, Davy Crockett, seeks a fresh start in the Mexican territory of Texas. Could use somebody like you, Crockett. NARRATOR: What he finds instead-- Our Texas. MEN: Our Texas. NARRATOR: --is a fight for freedom that will make him a legend. [MUSIC - ZAYDE WOLF, "BORN READY"] (SINGING) I've been the last one standing when all the giants fell. I won't shiver, I won't shake. I'm made of stone, I don't break. Staring at the pressure now, I won't quit, not backing down. I was born, born ready. I was born, born ready. In my eyes, turn me loose, and you'll see why. I was born, born ready. NARRATOR: At a Garrison in Southern Texas known as the Alamo, nearly 260 men, women, and children prepare for a siege. Among their commanders is celebrated frontiersman Davy Crockett. Outside the walls, close to 5,000 Mexican troops, led by the ruthless General Santa Anna, surround the mission. The Texians believed that Santa Anna's troops were two months out. But once Crockett got to the Alamo, and it became clear that Santa Anna's troops were on the march, and they were much closer than had been anticipated, there was no getting out of it at this point for Crockett. All right, close it up. All right, defend the walls. Go, go, go. This massive, well-trained army surrounding this little mission in the middle of the desert. The Alamo looks like a complete disaster waiting to happen. NARRATOR: Outnumbered 15 to 1, Crockett knows the odds of survival are bleak. There's a thing that happens when death's at the door. Most people don't know when the reaper's gonna show up, right? Hopefully, you die in peace, or you die quickly. When you see the reaper standing outside the door, and you know he's coming in here for us, your world just kind of lends perspective in that moment. What was important? What's not important? Who I wished I would've talked to. Man, it's a hell of a thing to go through that. [cannon fire] [cannon fire] [gunshot] NARRATOR: Over the course of an hour, Crockett and the Texans repel the Mexican advances three times. [gunfire] [cannon fire] But Santa Anna is relentless, accepting heavy losses to breach the fortress. [cannon fire] [non-english speech] Santa Anna sent his troops from many different sides, wave after wave after wave of men who scaled ladders and swarmed, literally like locusts. [gunshots] Davy Crockett did what many American patriots have done, and that is decide to stay and fight for a cause in the face of an attacking enemy. And it speaks volumes about him and about his character. [gunshot] NARRATOR: 90 minutes after the battle begins, the Mexican army takes the Alamo. Almost all of the fort's defenders are killed. Most accounts suggest that Crockett was in some of the heaviest fighting, and that he was one of the last remaining survivors. They were led out and executed right in front of Santa Anna. Then they were loaded into three separate human pyres and lit aflame. For Crockett to live this incredible life on the frontier and then die at the Alamo sealed him as legendary. Davy Crockett was not this kind of backwoods outdoorsman entirely. He was a man with great political ambitions who got into trouble because he was also very independent-minded, so he wouldn't always play ball with the political establishment. Crockett was always the congressman of the little guy. It is that underdog struggle, fighting against a tyranny. And so the story of Davy Crockett, going down swinging, fighting to the very last man, the very last breath, feeds the legend of the king of the wild frontier. NARRATOR: Word of the slaughter at the Alamo soon spreads across the country, enraging Americans. In Washington, President Andrew Jackson sees the defeat in Texas as a much bigger concern. By 1836, Mexico is a significant territorial rival in North America. Mexico controls land stretching from California to the border of Oregon, covering more than 1.7 million square miles. The US hasn't added a new state since Missouri in 1821, and the promise of expansion west feels stalled. Andrew Jackson was among those Americans who believed that Texas ought to be part of the United States. But Jackson was also a man with a keen strategic sense, who wanted to strike at the right moment. He didn't want to have a war with Mexico just then, didn't think the time was right. NARRATOR: If Texas can win its own independence, Jackson can bring it into the Union. Until then, his hands are tied. Fortunately for Jackson, one Texan sees the crushing loss of the Alamo as an opportunity. His name is Sam Houston. Crockett and Sam Houston both served in Andrew Jackson's militia during the Creek War. Houston became famous for the Battle of Horseshoe Bend, where he was impaled through the groin with an arrow and had one of his other soldiers yank it out, and he just kept on fighting. And Houston also was really a rugged frontiersman. NARRATOR: Houston is now the leader of some 370 untrained men. They comprise the army of Texas, and their fight for independence isn't over. To increase his numbers in the face of a much larger enemy, Houston calls on Texans to avenge Crockett's death and remember the Alamo. The way I see it-- The defeat at the Alamo ended up creating a great rallying cry of patriotism to fight for independence and to fight to the death, to fight to the end. It is really important that we make sure-- NARRATOR: Hundreds of angry Texans are drawn to the cause of independence. In just a month, Houston's army swells to nearly 1,000. Their position's near the San Jacinto River, right in the path of General Santa Anna and 1,500 Mexican troops. Just six weeks after Crockett's death at the Alamo, Sam Houston takes his revenge, unleashing 900 furious Texans against a larger Mexican force. Santa Anna is camped near the San Jacinto River, where the Texans surprise them. [cannon fire] Ultimately, the Battle of San Jacinto only lasted 18 minutes. It was a chaotic 18 minutes. I don't think anyone expected the battle to go this way. NARRATOR: Over 630 Mexican soldiers are killed. The Texans suffer just 11 casualties. The crushing defeat leads to Mexico's surrender. And Texas finally wins independence. Back in Washington, DC, Jackson welcomes the news. He's dreamed of Texas joining the US for years. But the future of Texas is caught in the growing debate over slavery. Congress wasn't willing to go along with annexation because Texas would enter the Union with slavery, and the addition of Texas would tip the balance in the Senate in favor of the pro-slavery side. The result of this was that Texas remained in this limbo for almost a decade. NARRATOR: In 1837, Jackson's presidency ends with one goal unfulfilled-- a nation stretching all the way to the Pacific. Andrew Jackson remained politically involved even after he retired. He was writing constant letters to people, giving very strong opinions about the subject after subject after subject. And he was a man who believed in the expansion of the United States. NARRATOR: Expansion in the Southwest may be stalled, but the United States still has a claim in the Northwest. Located between British Canada and Mexico's holdings, the Oregon Territory is 250,000 square miles of disputed land, claimed by Britain, Native Americans, and the US. Lewis and Clark planted a flag here four decades ago. But to truly own it, the US needs settlers, and that's a problem. Americans really didn't know how to make it to Oregon. They were aware that there was very fertile farmland there, but no one was exactly sure how to make it there. And the entire prospect of traveling all the way across the nation was understandably daunting. NARRATOR: So in 1842, the United States Army sends a lieutenant from the Topographical Corps. His name is John C. Fremont. His mission-- map a route from Missouri to Oregon that wagon trains of pioneers can safely travel. John C. Fremont is actually an illegitimate son. He's born in poverty. He gets a mentor who actually goes on to become Secretary of War, who gets him a job serving on the upper Mississippi River. Fremont was vainglorious, arrogant, extremely ambitious. He didn't just want to be an explorer. He wanted to be a senator, he wanted to be president. NARRATOR: But he's never been west of the Mississippi. So he turns to the most skilled guide on the frontier-- Kit Carson. Kit Carson came from very humble origins. He had no formal education. He was illiterate. Yet he was incredibly knowledgeable about the land of the West. He spoke multiple languages. He had relationships with native tribes. He knew the topography. He knew how to fight. He knew how to hunt. So here is somebody who had an invaluable knowledge that allowed him to go between both worlds. NARRATOR: Growing up, Carson was raised among frontier legends and mastered wilderness skills at an early age. Carson was born in Kentucky, and he moved to Missouri as a child. His family became close friends with the Boone's. They lived in a place called Boone's Lick. The Carson family, of course, was quite well aware of Daniel Boone and his legend. There was this desire to keep that westward movement going, to keep finding the frontier, to keep breaking ground. They were literally carving a civilization out of the wilderness there. NARRATOR: By age 16, he left home for good, hungry for adventure. Now with Fremont, he'll embark on a mission that will test all of his skills. Fremont and Carson were a bit of an odd couple. They were completely opposite. Today, we might say Fremont was a bit of a nerd, and Carson was the cool kid. Carson was rugged and had experience in the frontier. He didn't seek fame or fortune. He didn't look for the spotlight. And so these two, in many ways, couldn't have been more different, but at the same time, complemented each other very well. NARRATOR: Over the course of five months, Fremont and Carson lead some three dozen men more than 2,000 miles through treacherous terrain, known for extreme changes in temperature and altitude. This expedition was very, very dangerous. They were going to parts of the world that had never been explored before. They were a small party. They were relatively well-armed, but they could always be ambushed. And certainly, Fremont understood that and was very, very glad to have a guide like Carson. [thunder rumbling] NARRATOR: On October 24, 1843, Fremont and Carson finally reach the Oregon Territory. We made it. NARRATOR: The path they chart becomes famous-- the Oregon Trail. It paves the way for 400,000 settlers to move West in the decades to come, opening a new frontier and strengthening the United States claim to the Northwest. One year after Carson and Fremont reach Oregon, the 1844 campaign for the presidency is underway. In my opinion, our national security requires the annexation of Texas, and should not stop until our domain extends from ocean to ocean. [applause] NARRATOR: Dark horse candidate James K. Polk believes in one thing above all-- expanding America's borders. It's a vision he shares with his mentor, Andrew Jackson. We're vulnerable here and here. And we're going to continue to be vulnerable unless we secure our borders to the South and to the West. I couldn't agree more. Andrew Jackson was known as Old Hickory, because he was so tough. James K. Polk was known as Young Hickory, the idea being that he was a sapling in Andrew Jackson's model. The last two presidents have done nothing. They're useless. They're afraid to act. We have to take Texas. That has to be our first priority. Polk was a younger generation of politician. As the 1844 election approached, Jackson made clear that if you were a supporter of Andrew Jackson, you would go with James Polk. [applause] Pork is able to capitalize on the legacy of Andrew Jackson, this idea that Americans have a right, in fact, a duty, a responsibility, to continue to expand westward, that ultimately, it's this God-given dictate that they must fulfill. And Polk is able to turn that into a political agenda that serves his own political designs. NARRATOR: Polk rides a wave of popular support to the White House, then immediately delivers on his campaign promise. By his first days in office, Texas is on its way to becoming the 28th state, adding another 300,000 square miles to the nation. So Polk does what I wish more presidential candidates would do, says he's going to do this, this, and this. And he's only going to serve one term so that he can step on a lot of toes, and deny the special interests, and just pursue what he's elected to do. NARRATOR: The move fulfills Andrew Jackson's long-held dream to make Texas a state. But he doesn't live to see it come true. Jackson's legacy was firmly establishing the principle that the ordinary people of America wielded political power. He was a self-made individual. He didn't have an inheritance. He didn't have name recognition handed to him. Today, people don't like Jackson largely because Jackson's hard Indian policy offends modern sensibilities. But what's forgotten about Jackson is his enormous positive contributions to hold the United States together in the face of challenges. Fire! [gunfire] And to defend the United States against foreign attack. Jackson recognized that the American experiment in self-government was an ongoing experiment, and its success was not guaranteed. He was the one who really imprinted that on the American psyche. Jackson was emblematic of the contradictions of the American frontiersmen. It was all jumbled together in this one huge figure, the impressive and the not so impressive, and the good and the appalling. NARRATOR: President Polk intends to build on Jackson's legacy, seizing the final open pieces of land in North America. Polk isn't content to just look at Texas. Of course he wants Texas, but he's going to look broader beyond that. Polk wants the entire continent. NARRATOR: There's just one concern-- Mexico controls most of it, including the biggest prize-- California. This is what I want, and this should not be hard to take. NARRATOR: Overflowing with natural resources, California also has over 3,000 miles of coastline, offering unparalleled access to Pacific trade, something every president since Jefferson has coveted. California is a very desirable place in the world, very beautiful and very fertile. The Mexicans, of course, have their claim to it. The British are quite interested in settling it and expanding the Northwestern territories for themselves. Americans knew all about the glory of California, the immense wealth of California. There was a very important trade already going on in hides, animal hides. And above all, Americans were interested in the main ports. Thank you, gentlemen. That will be all. NARRATOR: Polk is determined to take California. But with Congress unwilling to start a new war, he devises a secret plan. Using the Texas rebellion as a model, he'll try to incite an uprising. And the man he chooses to lead his mission is the most famous explorer in America. Mr. Fremont. I read your reports. I found them very interesting. Thank you, Mr. President. I'm honored. But I, uh-- don't imagine you took time out of your schedule just to tell me that. No. No, I didn't invite you here to talk about your past expeditions, but rather a future one. Another trail to Oregon? Not exactly. Officially, your mission will be to map out new territory and to discover the source of the Arkansas River. Unofficially, when you get to the Rocky Mountains, I want you to ride south into California. Once in California, I want you to talk to the local settlers. And if you can, incite rebellion. And you're sending me because you don't want it to appear to be a military operation. Exactly. I just need one thing from you. And that would be? Kit Carson. President Polk was purposefully placing an explorer in a capacity to take advantage of any sort of instability in California. The idea that he's simply there in official capacity as an explorer and a map maker, Polk needed to provide plausible deniability. NARRATOR: With around 60 heavily-armed men, Fremont moves towards California, tasked with inciting a rebellion without starting a war. John Fremont and Kit Carson are on their way to California, part of President Polk's covert scheme to extend US borders all the way to the coast. Polk was an outspoken expansionists. He wanted Texas. He wanted California. He wanted Oregon. He was going to push out the American frontier all the way to the Pacific. NARRATOR: Disguised as a surveying mission, their real goal is to find American settlers and incite them into rebelling against Mexico. By winter, Fremont and Carson arrive at Sutter's Fort, in modern-day Sacramento, the first American settlement in California. In California of 1845, there were about 8,000 to 10,000 people living in California, mostly Mexican Californians, and about 1,000 or so Americans, a couple hundred foreigners-- German, British, Swiss. And the Mexicans did welcome them because California was a far-flung province and underpopulated. American settlers who pushed West were looking for land. But in Northern California, it's really kind of a rabble. A lot of these guys are drunks, unsavory characters. You look empty there, friend. Can I buy you a drink? Can I ask why you came? Good land. You don't really own that land, do you? Mexican government does. NARRATOR: Mexico allows Americans to settle and work the land, but not to legally own it, infuriating settlers and playing right into Fremont's hands. Mexico's hold over California is quite tenuous. And lo and behold, there's John C. Fremont in the middle of all this, this explorer who has these secret orders from Washington, who's very well connected, who's part of the army. Now did you know there's a Mexican fellow in charge of California? Did you? That's because he doesn't come around. When Fremont showed up in California in 1845, he found a populace that was deeply disenchanted with Mexican rule. It doesn't matter if you bought the land, if you own the land, if you work the land, it doesn't even matter if you become a Mexican citizen, all for the love of your land, the Mexican government will take it away whenever they find that convenient. Fremont was very skilled. He was outgoing. And so he attracted a lot of people to him. Who, by right, owns this land? Who, by right, owns it? Fremont convinced Californian residents there was fighting to do. MEN: Here, here. California, gentlemen. MEN: California. NARRATOR: In Washington, Polk impatiently awaits news from Fremont, hoping California settlers will rise up on their own. He knows Congress won't approve a war with Mexico unless the US is attacked. Tired of waiting, Polk sends the army to a disputed border between Texas and Mexico, certain he can provoke Mexico to strike first. How many men in the fifth regiment? Polk was waiting for Mexico to rise to the bait and attack American forces. He believed that any war fought was going to result in more territory for the United States. NARRATOR: On April 25, 1846, convinced American troops are invading, Mexico assaults a US patrol, killing 11, giving Polk exactly the provocation he needs. Polk went to Congress, and he said, American blood has been shed on American soil. And despite our best efforts to prevent war with Mexico, they have attacked us. Now this was a lie. In fact, the land in question was not American land. I won't say that this is the only instance in American history in which, let's say, we fudged some things in order to get something we wanted through an act of aggression, but this is certainly a great example. NARRATOR: Mere weeks after the attack, the US declares war on Mexico. In California, Fremont receives a message from Polk. His mission is no longer secret. It's time to attack. Fremont equips a ragtag army with rifles, then marches toward present-day Sonoma. His goal-- win California for Polk at any cost. Following orders from President Polk, John Fremont leads a militia of 100 men south. His mission-- seize California for the US. He plans first to attack Sonoma, the largest settlement in Northern California. Then he hopes to continue south to Monterey, Los Angeles, and finally, San Diego. Let's go. The Americans are relatively few in number, but because of John C. Fremont, they're going to make their presence known much more loudly than their numbers would indicate. NARRATOR: Relying on grit and determination, Fremont and Kit Carson begin their improbable conquest. If there's one thing that marks John C. Fremont, it's his ambition. He was driven to succeed. He was driven to be independent. And I think the frontier, for John C. Fremont, represented the route to secure his ambition-- notoriety, fame, wealth. That's what California offered. NARRATOR: As word of Fremont's revolt begins to spread, other settlers join the fight. They call themselves Los Osos, Spanish for "the bears." On June 14, 1846, Fremont's fighters reach Sonoma, but are surprised to find the Mexican outpost virtually undefended. [shouting] They capture it in what becomes known as the Bear Flag Revolt. To mark their victory, they raise a makeshift flag made from a cotton sheet and decorated with a red grizzly bear. The design will later inspire the state flag of California. All right, let's go. This revolt that begins to emerge, it was enough of a movement to take hold at least in Northern California and to start this process of the American conquest of California. NARRATOR: In just two months, with few casualties, Fremont and Carson conquer most of California's coast. Under the direction of Fremont, this rabble of guys have accomplished this great feat. Never before in history had so much terrain been won with so little conflict, with so little bloodshed, and won by such a small party of individuals. NARRATOR: Polk's plan to win California seems to be working, but without communication, he has no idea if Fremont and Carson are even alive. To hedge his bets, he dispatches a cavalry force from Texas, led by General Stephen Kearny. Stephen Watts Kearny has been an officer. He's known Lewis and Clark. And Polk orders him West to go and capture Santa Fe, and then continue on down the Rio Grande, and eventually strike westward to California. NARRATOR: In early August 1846, Fremont and Carson reach Los Angeles. After joining forces with US Marines sent by Polk, they seize the city, and with it, the final Mexican stronghold in California. It's kind of incredible. Fremont took California against relatively light resistance. It fell into American hands partly because of the skill and bravery of someone like John C. Fremont, but partly because of pure good fortune, because it was there for the taking. It was at that point Fremont assumed that California was theirs, that they had taken it. They believed that Mexicans weren't really good soldiers. They believed that they were sort of indifferent, politically. And they took this as a sign that California was theirs. NARRATOR: Fremont, always ambitious, wants to share his good news with Polk quickly. Fremont decides now is the time to let Washington know what has happened, to let Polk know what has happened, to sort of solidify the victory. Fremont was interested in expanding his own celebrity, making this conquest part of his own personal story. Fremont decides to send a courier east. Who am I going to hire to do this? Well, why not the most competent and pragmatic, strongest member of my expedition-- Kit Carson? NARRATOR: Adept at survival, Carson picks the fastest route possible, even though it means crossing hundreds of miles of inhospitable desert. The famed frontiersman is unaware he's about to face his most grueling test yet. By 1846, Kit Carson is one of the few Americans to ever reach California. Now he's undertaking a new epic quest-- to cross the continent and hand-deliver an urgent message to President James K. Polk, sharing that Fremont and his army have taken California. He sets out from Los Angeles with orders to travel to Washington and back-- a distance of 6,000 miles-- in 140 days. We have to remind ourselves that there was no transcontinental railroad. There was no telegraph. There was only one way to get a message to Washington, and that was to travel overland. And this is exactly the kind of expedition that Carson was perfect for. NARRATOR: But the most direct route across the country cuts through one of the most hostile places in America-- the Sonoran Desert. Well, for Kit Carson to cross the desert in what's now the Southwest would be a very difficult situation. There's the danger of heatstroke, of getting lost. There are many dangers. Dehydration would be a huge one. NARRATOR: Carson's frontier skills make him uniquely suited for this test. He survives for weeks by harvesting water from creek beds and cactus roots buried below the ground. Carson knew where to find water in a cactus. He had a little trick where he would nick the ear of a mule and drink its blood. He had all these little tricks up his sleeve. NARRATOR: But it's not enough to overcome the relentless heat of the Sonoran summer. Typically, say, a 155-pound male would need about 1 and 1/2 liters of water a day to stay alive. If you're crossing a desert in the heat, instead of 1.5 liters a day, you need 1.5 liters an hour. NARRATOR: After traveling more than 1,000 miles, Carson's life is in danger. In the desert, as one's body becomes dehydrated, one's blood is actually thickening like oil. The water inside your cells is being drawn out to thin your thickening blood, so your body is sucking itself dry. And these changes can occur in the brain as well. Hallucinations typically accompany severe dehydration. The victim can hallucinate pools of water. In the latter stages, they will try to bite their own arm and suck the liquid out. NARRATOR: Then finally, relief is on the horizon. Kit Carson gets to a spot in New Mexico and sees this cloud of dust coming from the West. Well, who is this? What's going on? It turns out to be the army of the West. NARRATOR: Under the orders of President Polk, General Stephen Kearny has spent the last six months driving towards California. CARSON: If you have any extra supplies you could share, I'd appreciate it. KEARNY: Where is it you're headed? Washington. I have a message I need to relay. Where from? California. That's where we're headed. We ride out in the morning. What you say your name was? Kit Carson. Your Fremont's guide. The meeting between Carson and Kearny is one of the most serendipitous meetings in American history. General Kearny had heard of Carson. He knew about his exploits. He knew that Carson had just been over this very inhospitable terrain. He needed a guide. Just as Fremont earlier had needed a guide, now Kearny needed a guide to get him back to California. So Kearny has to pull rank, basically. Look, I'm a general. You're going to do what I tell you to do. I need you. You get some rest. We move out first thing in the morning. Kearny recognized that Carson was an experienced guide, had been on these expeditions with Fremont. And I think Kearny has made a sound decision. He said, you know where you're going, take me in to San Diego. Carson, always the dutiful soldier, accepts the orders begrudgingly and returns with Kearny. So Carson is guiding Kearny West, and he probably is fuming. He's resentful. He probably hates this expedition. But there he is again, moving back and forth across this huge nation. NARRATOR: Carson heads back into the desert, unaware that he's walking straight into a war. It's been two months since John Fremont dispatched Kit Carson east to Washington in a race to deliver the news that they've taken California. But Carson's mission has changed. Now he's heading back west, leading General Kearny's troops to San Diego. Stephen Kearny was the commander of the American army of the West. He was sent by Polk to advance into Mexican territory to secure California for the United States. And Kit Carson is saying, don't worry about California. Fremont's already captured California. Well, Kearny's in a little bit of a quandary. He's been told to do this. He's a good military officer. He's going to follow orders. NARRATOR: The slow-moving army takes eight weeks to retrace Carson's steps through the Sonoran Desert. Kearny sends Carson ahead to scout the best route. 50 miles outside of San Diego, Carson discovers that Mexico is far from defeated, and its army is on the move. They get near San Diego. Carson rides ahead. And wait a minute-- California is not conquered. Everything is kind of turned around now. The Americans have lost ground. NARRATOR: Initially, Fremont's troops encountered almost no resistance, taking towns from Sausalito to Los Angeles. But now, the Mexican Army has surged north, reclaiming the territory, and Fremont is trying to regroup. Fremont sends Carson back to basically say, we've won, and everybody should celebrate. Well, those greetings were a little bit premature. Essentially, the Mexican Army had regrouped and reorganized, were ready to defend their land. How many of them were there? Hundred, maybe more. Well-mounted, too. Kearny's men have marched from Santa Fe, New Mexico. His men are cold and tired. It's raining. His powder is wet. And despite all of this, Kearny thinks he can engage with the Mexican Army. We have to attack. You with me? Yes, sir. Carson was the sort of guy you would want to have on your side if you were in a firefight. He has an incredible violent streak. He was a violent man even for his times. Once he's perceived that this was a violent situation he was about to enter into, he went for the jugular. Charge! [shouting] [gunfire] Keep moving forward. Keep the pressure up. Kearny completely underestimates the Mexican presence. And there's disorganization amongst the Americans, a bit of overzealousness. And the result is Kearny's men get stretched out, and the Mexicans are able to take advantage of this. [shout] [gunshot] Carson is momentarily unconscious. Then he stands up and finds his rifle. And he begins to pick off the enemy one by one. It's classic Carson. Carson grew up with a gun in his hand. He could shoot straight. He was calm. He was composed. He would dispatch you as quickly as possible. He would talk about a firefight and say, that was the prettiest fight I ever saw. Almost like a mafia killer. The Mexicans suffered some wounded, but it's this point that Kearny realizes he's in trouble. Kearny himself was nearly killed in this conflict. It's nip and tuck whether they're going to survive this thing. Retreat! Retreat! Retreat! [explosion] They have to regroup and create a perimeter, and it's the beginning of a siege, basically. The siege at San Pasqual goes on for several days. And Kearny realizes that they're not going to survive this. They don't have enough food and water, and ammunition to hold out much longer. What he needs to do is find out whether there are any other American forces in the area. How many troops you think are still out there? More than we've got. We need to sneak someone through enemy lines, get word to San Diego. I'll do it. There's a belief that somewhere near San Diego is the US Navy and the Marines. And if he can get reinforcements and get help, that they might be able to break the siege. So again, who raises his hand? It's Carson. I'll do it. Whenever there's a risky mission into enemy territory, he's the guy that raises his hand. NARRATOR: But San Diego is 40 miles away. And no one knows if help is there, or if Carson will survive the journey. Kit Carson has just volunteered for a mission that could cost his life. To save General Kearny's trapped army, he will try to reach US Marines he hopes are in San Diego. You have to imagine the danger inherent in this mission. Carson has to sneak through Mexican lines, through enemy territory, through hills, rock, and cactus, and thorns. It is an unforgiving environment. And he's not on a horse. He's on hands and knees. He's got to now make his way across this expanse of desert with prickly pear and all kinds of cactus. He is traveling in enemy territory. It's just another one of the exploits that contributes to the mythology of Kit Carson as this kind of incredibly plucky, self-reliant guy. NARRATOR: Against all odds, Kit Carson reaches San Diego in one day. Halt! Who goes there? Hold your fire. Wait, I'm an American. General Kearny sent me. The Mexican army has his entire battalion surrounded. What? About 35 miles back across the desert. By the time he makes it to American lines, his feet are all torn up. He's lacerated. He can't walk. This is one of the great feats in American history. NARRATOR: After a brief reprieve, Carson returns to San Pasqual with 200 reinforcements. As they approach General Kearny's position, their opposition scatters. The sight of these approaching Marines, very well-armed, was enough to scatter the Mexican soldiers. They didn't want any part of this. NARRATOR: Carson learns Kearny has survived and now intends to continue his mission. We'll make straight for San Diego, re-supply, then on to Los Angeles. You think we can take it? We'll see. NARRATOR: As he prepares to leave, Carson is unaware his friend John C. Fremont is alive and planning his own mission. Carson hadn't seen Fremont in a long time now. He didn't know if Fremont was alive or dead. NARRATOR: He's near Monterey, trying to gather an army to retake Southern California. By late November, he's amassed a force of more than 400 men. Determined to reconquer Los Angeles and burnish his reputation, Fremont head south. At the same time, Kearny and Carson plan their own route north. Between them-- the Mexican Army. At stake-- control of California and the final piece of American Western expansion. President James K. Polk is determined to seize California. But his plan depends on the outcome of a battle erupting 3,000 miles away. Los Angeles is Mexico's final stronghold in the territory, a prize the Americans want to reclaim. John Fremont closes in from the north as Kit Carson and General Kearny move to attack. Think about Los Angeles. You have Kearny approaching from the south. And Fremont was advancing along the coastal range and controlled the Cahuenga Pass. There wasn't really anywhere for the Mexican Army to go. NARRATOR: Kearny's army arrives first. Forward! NARRATOR: And overwhelms the enemy, defeating them in a matter of hours. The combined force Kearny's soldiers and some American volunteers pin the Mexican Army down between Fremont's advancing army from the north and their combined force in the South. The Mexican Army realizes, look, we're surrounded, and decided that it was time to capitulate. NARRATOR: The US flag is raised over Los Angeles. But the war isn't over. Polk had basically gotten what he wanted. California was in American hands. New Mexico was in American hands. Texas was secure. And Polk decided it was time for the war to end. Unfortunately, Mexicans had no interest in ending the war. They were angry, and they refused to come to terms. NARRATOR: To force Mexico's hand, Polk launches an invasion. Grabbing California, United States actually had to land an army on the coast of Mexico, Veracruz, and then march up and take Mexico City. NARRATOR: The resulting treaty finally pushes the frontier to the western coast, fulfilling the dream of building a nation that spans from the Atlantic to the Pacific. American expansionism, this is something that has been on the agenda right from the American Revolution with Daniel Boone. So what we see in 1840s is a fulfillment of the promise of the Founding Fathers, and even the colonists who arrive and go out there to get their piece of the American landmass. NARRATOR: The empire of liberty first imagined by Thomas Jefferson and championed by Andrew Jackson is achieved by the unlikeliest of leaders-- James Polk. President Polk is one of our most underrated presidents. This was a very powerful man, a guy with very clear intentions. When Polk assumed office, he looked West, and he saw all that land. And he said, you know what? I want it all. It was really one of the greatest land grabs in the history of the world, to take that whole western third of the continent and to get it all in one generation. If you want to understand how important Polk's presidency was, just consider this-- California, if it were an independent country, would be the fifth largest economy on Earth. Imagine American history without California, and then imagine Mexican history with California. The history of the entire world would be different. NARRATOR: In California, John Fremont is appointed temporary governor of the territory. He and his trusted partner, Kit Carson, parted ways six months before. But now-- Sir. Hello, Carson. It's good to see you again, sir. NARRATOR: With the war over, they finally reunite. Carson hadn't seen Fremont in a long time now. He didn't know if Fremont was alive or dead. And theirs was a deep and lasting friendship. So Carson was probably very, very glad to see him. Well, there's plenty of work to be done. If you'd like to stay on, I could certainly use you. Yes, sir. NARRATOR: Fremont goes on to become California's first Senator, while Carson fights for the Union in the Civil War. But it's their adventures on the frontier that make them legends. Fremont's explorations changed the way Americans thought about the West. Prior to his explorations, Americans tended to think of the West as merely a direction. After Fremont, the West becomes a place with known features. He forces Americans to see America not as an Atlantic-bound seaboard nation, more as a continental nation state. The newspapers back East called Fremont "the pathfinder." But really, that title would more appropriately go to Carson. Carson was the real pathfinder. He's the one that kept the expeditions on track and out of harm's way. These two men just sort of desperately and rather profoundly needed each other in order to accomplish everything that they accomplished. NARRATOR: By the end of 1847, California is officially a US territory. But only 7,000 Americans are living here. If America wants to hold this ground, it has to settle it. Polk wanted to get as many warm bodies on the ground, living there, to start this process of California, to kind of assert their own interest in refashioning California as American terrain. There was a policy on the part of the US government to get as many people out there. Because if you had boots on the ground, populating these territories, well, that makes it a fact that this is the future of America. NARRATOR: And nothing motivates settlers more then the chance to make a fortune. In January of 1848, the promise of California pays off when gold is discovered. This gold rush now makes this amazing land grab really, really worth it. I mean, this is like America winning the lottery all of a sudden. NARRATOR: A gold rush will soon compel thousands to move West. The man who crosses the country to deliver the message is none other than Kit Carson. The amazing postscript to this is that Kit Carson meets with President Polk in December of 1848. And what news is he bringing? He's bringing news that gold, gold has been discovered in California. NARRATOR: Gold fever is about to transform the frontier. With the addition of California, the United States, at last, stretches from sea to sea. The land itself is sparsely settled by Americans, until a surprising discovery in 1848. Gold. Gold was discovered in California in early 1848. No one expected anything like this. California, when the United States acquired it at the end of the war with Mexico, was about as far from the civilized portions of America as you could be and still be on the face of the planet Earth. Nobody expected that California would be settled in any hurry. NARRATOR: Word of the find travels quickly, igniting gold fever across the United States. Soon, over 300,000 pioneers stream into California, one of the biggest migrations in American history. Once the gold rush is ignited, all of these men go West on these trails that had been mapped and charted by Fremont and Carson. This ensures that California is going to be American territory forever. NARRATOR: Over the course of the Gold Rush, settlers mine over 750,000 pounds of gold, generating more than $2 billion, over $61 billion today. In 1850, California becomes the 31st state, completing a chapter in American history that began 75 years before on the Appalachian frontier. In many ways, this was a continuation of the American Revolution. We were 13 colonies, but we kept pushing west and pushing west. But it wouldn't be a complete picture until we were a nation from sea to shining sea. NARRATOR: The daring frontiersmen who first braved the wilderness helped to shape the future of America. The American frontier spirit was right there at the very beginning, during the American Revolution. That notion where nothing is going to stop you from going out and getting your piece of the pie. NARRATOR: As they relentlessly moved West, seeking new land and opportunity, they clashed with Native American tribes, determined to defend what was rightfully theirs. The frontier was both the dark side and the light side of American expansion. Native people, just like settler people, need to be counted as Americans. Like any human being, American Indians fought for their families, for their nations, for their lands, for their assets, for their life. We are still here. We have not been exterminated. American Indians are to be honored for that. And they continue to fight today. NARRATOR: Brave explorers mapped the unknown, blazing trails for settlers to follow. Bold and resourceful, the frontiersmen became American legends. Come on, men. There was always a fascination with this image of the pathfinder, with buckskin and rifle, sort of going out into the great unknown. NARRATOR: Icons who inspired generations with tales of their endurance and skill. The kind of people who would go to the frontier were tough, and they seemed to relish danger and the unknown. The frontier was not for the faint of heart. The frontier was hard, and it bit back, and it hurt. Fire! [cannon fire] They were willing to put up with insane risks. This was a world without outlaws. There were no laws to be outside of. You kind of created your own code. NARRATOR: The frontier itself helped forge the nation's identity and has come to define the American spirit. Congratulations, Captain. The frontier is in America's DNA. It is the way we think of ourselves. We no longer think of ourselves as a frontier society, but we like to think of ourselves as these individuals. That was, in essence, frontier. The frontier represented the quintessence of American opportunity. The frontier disappeared from American history over 100 years ago. But the frontier remains very much alive in the way Americans define ourselves.
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Channel: HISTORY
Views: 1,531,996
Rating: undefined out of 5
Keywords: history, history channel, history channel shows, history special, history documentary, watch history channel, watch history show, men who built america, frontier, frontiersman, american west, westward expansion, manifest destiny, The Men Who Built America: Frontiersmen: Empire of Liberty (S1, The Men Who Built America: Frontiersmen: Empire of Liberty, Davy Crockett, The Alamo, Britain and Mexico, John Frémont, Kit Carson, Season 1, Episode 4, Empire of Liberty
Id: z-gfxq8lhN8
Channel Id: undefined
Length: 81min 53sec (4913 seconds)
Published: Wed Feb 15 2023
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