Monday, March 22, 2010
Bear Flaggers Cowie & Fowler
Thomas Cowie & George Fowler were two of the 33 or 34 men, the Bear Flaggers, who took Sonoma on the morning of June 14, 1846. According to R. A. Thompson in his 1896 The Conquest of California, 'On the 18th of June[1846], Thomas Cowie and George Fowler volunteered to go from Sonoma to the Fitch ranch to get a keg of powder from Mose Carson. They were told to keep to the hills and avoid Santa Rosa. They were, however, discovered near there by a band of Californians, under command of Juan Padilla, and were captured.' Thompson further states that on June 19th, Cowie & Fowler were killed by their captors, becoming the first casualties of the Bear Flag Revolt. Also, as two potential witnesses to the making of the Bear Flag, we lost their memories of the events. 12199
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Cowie and Fowler weren't the first casualties of the revolt. They happened to first stop by the Rancho Cabeza de Santa Rosa and raped and murdered Rosita Carillo. This is why they were tortured before being killed. Todd on the other hand was treated well when he was captured.
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