<P> Initially as the war with Mexico started there were five vessels in the U.S. Navy's Pacific Squadron near California . In 1846 and 1847 this was increased to 13 Navy vessels--over half the U.S. Navy's available ships . The only other U.S. military force then in California was the about 30 military topographers etc. and 30 mountain men, guides, hunters, etc. in Captain John C. Frémont's United States Army Corps of Topographical Engineers exploratory force . They were exiting California on their way to what is now Oregon when they got word in early June 1846 that war was imminent and a revolt had already started in Sonoma, California . Hearing rumors of possible Californio military action against the newly arrived settlers in California (this had already happened in 1840), some settlers decided to neutralize the small Californio garrison at Sonoma, California . On June 15, 1846, some thirty settlers, mostly American citizens, staged a revolt and seized the small Californio garrison, in Sonoma, without firing a shot and declared the new California Republic government . On hearing of this revolt, Fremont and his exploratory force returned to California . The "republic" never exercised any real authority and only lasted 26 days before accepting U.S. government control . </P> <P> The former fleet surgeon William M. Wood and John Parrot, the American Consul of Mazatlán, arrived in Guadalajara, Mexico on May 10, 1846 . There they heard word of the ongoing hostilities between the U.S. and Mexico forces and sent a message by special courier back to Commodore (Rear Admiral) John D. Sloat, commander of the Pacific Squadron then visiting Mazatlán Mexico . On May 17, 1846, this courier's messages informed Commodore Sloat that hostilities between the U.S. and Mexico had commenced . </P> <P> Commodore (Rear Admiral) John D. Sloat and four of his vessels were then at anchor in the harbor of Mazatlán, Mexico . On hearing the news, Commodore Sloat dispatched his flagship, the Frigate Savannah, and the sloop Levant (1837) to Monterey harbor, where they arrived on July 2, 1846 . They joined the sloop Cyane which was already there . There were U.S. fears that the British might try to annex California to satisfy British creditors . The British Pacific Station's squadron of ships off California were stronger in ships, guns, and men than the American ships . Apparently the British never had any orders on whether to interfere or not if hostilities broke out between The Californios and the United States and requesting new orders would have taken from one and a half and two years to get a message to England and back . </P> <P> Initially there was little resistance from anyone in California as they replaced the dysfunctional and ineffective Mexican government which had already been replaced by the Californios . The Mexican government by 1846 had already had 40 presidents in the first 24 years of its existence . Most new settlers and Californios were neutral or actively supported the revolt . John A. Sutter and his men and supplies at Sutter's Fort joined the revolt . They raised the "Bear Flag" of the California Republic over Sonoma . The republic was in existence scarcely more than a week before Frémont returned and took over on June 23 from William B. Ide the leader of the Bear Flag Revolt . The California state flag of today is based on this original Bear Flag and still contains the words "California Republic ." </P>

The spanish tried to gain control of the area that is now california