Bernard DeVoto: The Year of Decision • Calendar for 1846‑1847

[image ALT: Much of my site will be useless to you if you've got the images turned off!]

mail:
Bill Thayer

Italiano

Help

Home

This webpage reproduces a section of
The Year of Decision
by
Bernard DeVoto
published by Little, Brown and Company,
Boston, 1943

The text is in the public domain.

This page has been carefully proofread
and I believe it to be free of errors.
If you find a mistake though,
please let me know!

This site is not affiliated with the US Military Academy.

USMA
Home

p. xiii Calendar for the Years 1846‑1847

＊ [1846] ＊

January	5	Resolution to terminate joint occupation introduced in Senate.
	7‑10	Frémont at Sutter's Fort.
	12	Word received of Slidell's rejection by Mexico.
	13	Taylor ordered to the Rio Grande.
	24‑27	Frémont to Monterey.

February	3	Taylor receives orders.
	4	Mormons begin crossing the Mississippi.
	13	Polk's interview with Atocha.
	22	Frémont starts for the coast.
	22	Gillespie embarks at Mazatlán.

March	1	First Mormon wagons start across Iowa.
	3	Burning of the Phalanstery at Brook Farm.
	5‑9	Frémont at Gavilán Peak.
	8‑11	Taylor starts for Rio Grande.
	20	Slidell notified of Mexico's refusal to negotiate.
	28	Taylor reaches the Rio Grande.
	30	Frémont reaches Lassen's ranch.

April	7	Polk learns Slidell will not be received.
	5‑11	Frémont to Mt. Shasta and return.
	17	Clyman meets Hastings.
	17	Gillespie reaches Monterey.
	19	Taylor orders the Rio Grande blockaded.
	23	"Termination" passes Congress.
	24	Frémont starts for Oregon.
	p. xiv 25	First hostilities on the Rio Grande.
	29	Hastings-Clyman party starts over the Sierra.

May	8	Battle of Palo Alto.
	9	Battle of Resaca de la Palma.
	9	News of hostilities reaches Washington.
	9	Gillespie overtakes Frémont.
	13	Polk signs resolution that a state of war exists.
	15	Boggs and Thornton parties reach the rendezvous.
	18	Taylor occupies Matamoros.
	22	National Fair opens.
	24	Frémont reaches Lassen's ranch on way south.
	31	Clyman and Hastings reach Great Salt Lake.

June	7	Clyman and Hastings reach Fort Bridger.
	10	Bear Flaggers capture Castro's horses.
	11	Susan Magoffin sets out from Independence.
	12	Congress votes to accept 49th parallel.
	14	Attack on Sonoma and birth of the "California Republic."
	14	First Mormons reach the Missouri.
	15	Parkman reaches Fort Laramie.
	16‑29	Army of the West leaves Fort Leavenworth for Santa Fe.
	18	Clyman reaches South Pass.
	25	Frémont arrives at Sonoma.
	26	Russell-Reed-Donner-Boggs train reaches Fort Bernard.
	27	Thornton, Clyman and Parkman reach Fort Bernard.

July	2	Sloat arrives at Monterey.
	2	Clyman meets the Mississippi Mormons.
	6	Taylor starts up the Rio Grande.
	9	Sonoma taken over by the United States.
	16	Parkman rejoins the Oglala village.
	17	Bryant reaches Fort Bridger.
	18	Thornton crosses continental divide.
	19	Frémont marches into Monterey.
	20	Bryant and Hudspeth leave Fort Bridger.
	21‑22	Mormon Battalion starts for Fort Leavenworth.
	p. xv 26	Susan Magoffin reaches Bent's Fort.
	26	Frémont dispatched to San Diego.
	26	Bryant reaches Great Salt Lake Valley.
	28	Donners reach Fort Bridger.
	28‑30	Army of the West reaches Bent's Fort.
	29	Frémont raises flag at San Diego.
	31	Taylor takes Camargo.
	31	Donners leave Fort Bridger.

August	1	Mormon Battalion reaches Fort Leavenworth.
	1‑2	Kearny leaves Bent's Fort.
	3	Bryant crosses the Salt Desert.
	3	Fall of Paredes government.
	3	Parkman returns to Fort Laramie.
	6‑11	Donner party in camp on the Weber.
	7	Thornton reaches Fort Hall.
	8	Frémont starts north from San Diego.
	8	Wilmot Proviso introduced.
	12	Cooke and Magoffin reach Santa Fe.
	12‑27	Donner party crosses the Wasatch.
	13	Mormon Battalion leaves Fort Leavenworth.
	14	Frémont and Stockton occupy Los Angeles.
	16	Santa Anna arrives at Vera Cruz.
	18	Kearny occupies Santa Fe.
	19‑25	Taylor reaches Cerralvo.
	20	Parkman at Pueblo.
	22	Thornton reaches the Humboldt.
	26	Bryant crosses the Sierra.

September	1	Bryant reaches Sutter's Fort.
	5	Carson starts east with Stockton's report.
	3‑8	Donner party crosses the Salt Desert.
	17	Remaining Mormons driven from Nauvoo.
	20‑24	Battle of Monterrey.
	23‑25	Wool leaves San Antonio for Chihuahua.
	25‑28	Kearny leaves Santa Fe for California.
	30	Donner party reaches main trail.

October	4	Gillespie evacuates Los Angeles.
	circa 5	Harlan-Young party crosses the Sierra.
	6	Kearny meets Kit Carson.
	p. xvi 9‑12	Mormon Battalion reaches Santa Fe.
	9	Susan Magoffin starts south.
	19	Stanton returns to the Donner party.
	19	Mormon Battalion leaves Santa Fe.
	27	Stockton reaches San Pedro.

November	1, 3, 12, 21	Unsuccessful attempts by Donner party to cross the divide.
	13	Mormon Battalion leaves the Rio Grande.
	15	Conner captures Tampico.
	16	Taylor occupies Saltillo.
	17	"Sick detachment" joins the Mississippi Saints at Pueblo.
	18	Thornton reaches the Willamette Valley.
	18	Scott given command of Vera Cruz expedition.
	20‑22	Rendezvous of Doniphan's detachments at Bear Spring.
	22	Kearny reaches junction of Gila and Colorado.
	27	Last refugees from Nauvoo reach Winter Quarters.

December	2	Kearny reaches Warner's ranch.
	5	Wool occupies Parras.
	6	Battle of San Pascual.
	9	Mormon Battalion reaches the San Pedro.
	12	Kearny reaches San Diego.
	12‑23	Doniphan's command assembles at Doña Ana.
	16	Mormon Battalion reaches Tucson.
	16	"The Forlorn Hope" sets out.
	25	Battle of El Brazito.

＊ [1847] ＊

January	10	Los Angeles reoccupied.
	10‑11	Mormon Battalion crosses the Colorado.
	17	Eddy reaches the settlements.
	19	Revolt at Taos.
	29‑30	Mormon Battalion reaches Tucson.

February	4	Reduction of the pueblo at Taos.
	4	First Relief leaves Johnson's.
	5	Doniphan leaves El Paso for Chihuahua.
	p. xvii 22	First Relief starts back over the Sierra.
	22‑23	Battle of Buena Vista.
	28	Battle of the Sacramento.

March	1	Second Relief reaches Donner cabins.
	1‑2	Doniphan occupies Chihuahua.
	11‑17	Third Relief.
	23	Fourth Relief starts.
	29	Surrender of Vera Cruz.

April	7‑15	Mormon pioneers rendezvous at Elkhorn River.
	8	Scott advances into the interior of Mexico.
	13‑25	Final relief expedition, under Fallon.
	16	Pioneer party starts west.
	18	Battle of Cerro Gordo.
	25‑28	Doniphan marches from Chihuahua.

May

Scott occupies Puebla.

June	1	Pioneer party reaches Fort Laramie.
	16	Kearny starts east.
	22‑28	First Missouri discharged at New Orleans.
	26‑27	Pioneer party crosses South Pass.
	28	Pioneer party meets Bridger.
	30	Sam Brannan meets the pioneer party at Green River.

July	14	Kearny meets first westward-bound emigrants.
	21	Pratt and Snow reach Great Salt Lake Valley.
	22	Main party arrives.
	24	Brigham Young arrives.

August

19‑20

Battles of Contreras and Churubusco.

September

Fall of Mexico City.

Images with borders lead to more information.
The thicker the border, the more information. (Details here.)

UP TO:

The Year
of Decision

American
History

Home

A page or image on this site is in the public domain ONLY if its URL has a total of one *asterisk. If the URL has two **asterisks, the item is copyright someone else, and used by permission or fair use. If the URL has none the item is © Bill Thayer.