One hundred and sixty years ago today, men chose sides and squared off to determine the fate of Alta California. There's no trace of the "battlefield" today, just a corroded and forgotten E. Clampus Vitus plaque along the historic King's Highway—El Camino Real—in the old town of Santa Clara. The warriors of 1847 would not recognize the site today. Concrete, discount stores, non-indigenous palm trees (what is with all the palm trees?), and top-flight Vietnamese noodle houses have claimed his hallowed ground, while the barely readable monument momentarily delays Jack in the Box burger wrappers drifting from the nearby bus stop on their way toward San Jose.
I make note of the Battle of Santa Clara today so that effete Eastern readers will come to understand that not all of our nation's storied military history occurred on their side of the Rockies.
ON JANUARY 2, 1847, SOMEWHERE
HEREABOUTS WAS FOUGHT THE LAST
NORTHERN BATTLE OF THE MEXICAN WAR.
THE OFFICIAL CASUALTY REPORT: "DEAD:
NONE, WOUNDED: NONE, MISSING BUT ONE ON
THE AMERICAN SIDE AND HE CAME UP
SHORTLY AFTERWARDS STATING THAT HE
HAD BEEN SEARCHING FOR HIS RAMROD
WHICH IN THE EXCITEMENT, HE HAD
FORGOTTEN TO DRAW FROM HIS GUN AND FIRED
AT THE ENEMY."
DEDICATED OCTOBER 14, 1978,
MOUNTAIN CHARLIE CHAPTER No. 1850
E CLAMPUS VITUS
"RIGHT WRONGS NOBODY"
HEREABOUTS WAS FOUGHT THE LAST
NORTHERN BATTLE OF THE MEXICAN WAR.
THE OFFICIAL CASUALTY REPORT: "DEAD:
NONE, WOUNDED: NONE, MISSING BUT ONE ON
THE AMERICAN SIDE AND HE CAME UP
SHORTLY AFTERWARDS STATING THAT HE
HAD BEEN SEARCHING FOR HIS RAMROD
WHICH IN THE EXCITEMENT, HE HAD
FORGOTTEN TO DRAW FROM HIS GUN AND FIRED
AT THE ENEMY."
DEDICATED OCTOBER 14, 1978,
MOUNTAIN CHARLIE CHAPTER No. 1850
E CLAMPUS VITUS
"RIGHT WRONGS NOBODY"
No comments:
Post a Comment