Sacramento River massacre facts for kids

The Sacramento River massacre was a tragic event where many Wintu people were killed. It happened on the banks of the Sacramento River on April 5, 1846. An expedition led by Captain John C. Frémont of Virginia was responsible for the killings. The number of people who died is estimated to be between 125 and 900.

The Sacramento River Massacre

What Happened Before

In the 1840s, many Americans wanted to expand the United States. They wanted to take land that belonged to Mexico and Native American tribes. This idea was called "Manifest Destiny". It meant that people believed America was meant to control all of North America.

Senator Thomas Hart Benton was a big supporter of this idea. He helped his son-in-law, John C. Frémont, get money from the government. Frémont then led several trips to map and explore the western lands.

In 1845, Captain Frémont was sent to explore the Great Basin and Alta California. Alta California was a part of Mexico at that time. Frémont and his group spent months in northern California. They caused problems with the Mexican authorities. They also encouraged American settlers there to feel more patriotic.

The Attack

On March 30, 1846, Frémont's group arrived at Lassen Ranch. This was in the upper Sacramento Valley. There, they met Americans who said that 1,000 Native Americans were planning to attack white settlements. Frémont then moved his men up the Sacramento River. He was looking for these Native Americans.

Frémont's group had 60 white men, 9 Delaware Indians, and 2 California Indians. They also had 5 people from a nearby trading post. On April 5, 1846, they reached Reading's Ranch. This is near what is now Redding, California. They saw a large Native American camp, which was likely from the Wintu tribe.

Captain Frémont told his men to attack the Native Americans. Each man had a rifle, two pistols, and a knife. The soldiers attacked the Wintu from three sides. The Wintu could not escape because most of them were women and children. They were also trapped against the river. The Wintu men formed a line to protect the women and children behind them.

One member of the expedition, Thomas E. Breckenridge, said that the order was to show no mercy. Frémont's men fired their rifles many times. They killed many Native Americans in front of them. The rifles could shoot far, so the Native Americans' arrows could not reach them. The men then moved closer to the camp. They fired again and then attacked with their swords and pistols.

Breckenridge wrote that the settlers rushed into the village. They surprised the warriors. Then, a terrible attack began. Many people, including women and children, were killed. The attackers did not stop as long as anyone was still alive.

The remaining Native Americans had to run away. Some ran to the hills, and others tried to swim across the river. An eyewitness named William Isaac Tustin said that Frémont's men on horses chased the running Native Americans. They attacked them with axes. Riflemen stood by the river. They shot at the Native Americans trying to swim to safety. Tustin called the event a "slaughter."

The number of people killed is not clear. Expedition members Thomas E. Breckenridge and Thomas S. Martin said 120-150 and over 175 Native Americans were killed. But the eyewitness Tustin said that at least 600-700 Native Americans died on land. He also said 200 or more died in the water. No members of Frémont's group were killed or hurt. Kit Carson, one of the attackers, later said, "It was a very violent event."

Breckenridge, who said he did not take part, felt bad about it. He said that in this case, only one side was fighting. The other side was just trying to escape.

What Happened After

No one from Frémont's group was charged or punished for the killings. Some expedition members thought the attack made local Native Americans afraid. They believed it stopped them from raiding the settlements that Americans were building.

Later Events

Frémont and his group continued up the Sacramento River. They kept killing Native Americans they saw. Further north in Oregon Territory, the Klamath people fought back. They killed three of Frémont's men on May 9, 1846. This led to another event called the Klamath Lake massacre a few days later.

On May 9, 1846, Frémont learned that a war with Mexico was about to start. He quickly returned from Oregon to join the war. On his way south, he killed more Sacramento Valley Native Americans in the Sutter Buttes massacre. By August 1846, the American military had taken control of northern California. By early January 1847, all of modern California was under American control.

John C. Frémont became the Military Governor of California in January 1847. But he had to leave the job less than two months later. In 1850, Frémont became California's first U.S. Senator. He had become rich from gold mining. He helped create a law that limited gold mining claims to white citizens. In 1856, Frémont was the first presidential candidate for the new Republican Party. He lost the election to James Buchanan. Later, he fought as a general for the Union during the Civil War.

Some local settlers liked the massacre. But wealthy landowners were starting to rely on Native American workers. This helped some Wintu people survive for a while. However, smaller attacks continued the next year. By the 1850s, white Americans wanted the Native American land even more. Large attacks that killed hundreds of Wintu people started again. These included the Kabyai Creek massacre, the Old Shasta Town massacre, and the Bridge Gulch massacre.