Bear Flag Revolt
Sixteen-year-old David Brennan is already a “Mountain Man” in 1845 after traveling west with famed explorer, Kit Carson and Captain John Frémont, “the Pathfinder.” It is a matter of question whether CPT Frémont is under orders from President Polk as the band of Americans is conducting a map-making expedition and cataloging topographical features. It is a tumultuous time in California as Mexico has taken over the region from Spain, driving out the Spanish friars, the British are arming hostile Indian tribes against both rebelling American settlers and Mexico and the United States are on the verge of the Mexican American war. It is then that Davie, Kit and others of the party join the rebels whose unlikely “Army” has captured Sonoma under an improvised “Bear Flag Republic” banner and declared their independence with the ultimate intention of joining the United States.
This is the second of author Murphy’s early West themed books I’ve reviewed, and I remain amazed at how exquisitely he presents the beauty of the scenic venues, historical events, wildlife and people of the times. Davie Brennan even maintains a bit of a teen romance with a beautiful well-bred Mexican girl as some of the local Mexicans also wish to join the United States. Murphy illustrates how chronometers and sextants, the high tech of the time, were used to take accurate topographical measurements. Along with Kit Carson and Frémont, other historical characters such as General Kearney and Admiral Stockton join fictional players like Davie and his sweetheart, Paloma, as the story of California’s beginnings unfolds. With so many different military and militia personnel and the difficulty of communications with Washington, conflicts of command authority among American senior officers ensue. Yet somehow the mission is accomplished. An absolute gem and hard to put down. Highest recommendation.
