Chapter 120: Aid to Los Angeles

Gavin, who was carrying a heavy responsibility, arrived in the desolate town of Los Angeles on a small steamer loaded with food, daily necessities and tools. Also accompanying him was Collins, a columnist for the Daily Californian.

After landing, Ge Wen couldn't believe his eyes.

Nearly two-thirds of the buildings in Los Angeles town were damaged to varying degrees, and half of the buildings were burned.

Is this what the army of a "civilized" country could do to the residents of its own towns in the 19th century?

Ge Wen felt like he had arrived in the barbaric and ignorant Middle Ages.

He was born in Ohio, raised in Ohio, works in Ohio, and is a native Ohioan.

However, he had already bought a mansion and property in California. The monthly dividends of more than 80,000 US dollars from the United Mining Company made him not much attached to his hometown of Ohio. Ohio State left Gervin with far more bad memories than good ones.

Just like the Europeans who immigrated to the United States and made a fortune in the United States, they do not have much nostalgia for their former motherland on the European continent because their lives in the continent were not satisfactory.

Of course, they will also choose to return home after becoming successful, but their purpose of returning home is not out of nostalgia for their hometown.

It's just to show off to the folks who once looked down on them. After showing off, they will still return to the United States.

Gervin ordered the accompanying servants to load food, daily necessities, and tools onto the carriage and pull it to the unrecognizable Los Angeles Town Square.

This is also where the tragedy started. There were still dried blood stains on the land in the square, and there was still a strong smell of blood in the air. The smell of blood and the smell of rotten meat mixed together and got into Ge Wen's nose, making Ge Wen Feeling very unwell.

But Gervin still insisted on coming to the square in Los Angeles. Only by meeting the local residents face to face can he close the distance with them and let them remember that there is a senator named Gervin in California.

Collins and his assistant set up the tripod. Then he installed the camera on the tripod and adjusted the correct exposure parameters according to the surrounding light environment.

After completing the composition, Collins put his head under the cloth cover, and the inverted image of the collapsed church on the side of the square appeared in the viewfinder.

It's just that the image in the viewfinder is blurry. Photographic equipment in this era is just in its infancy, and what you see is not what you get, which tests the photographer's photography skills.

After everything was ready, Collins pressed the shutter and completed the first photo.

Collins then took several photos near the square. When the church priests and nuns saw reporters coming to Los Angeles to investigate, they immediately gathered around and complained to Collins about the atrocities committed by the American Army.

Pastor Wilkes of Los Angeles took Collins to a new public cemetery, pointing to the cemetery and the coffins and corpses piled next to the cemetery and complained to Collins.

"Mr. Journalist, you must make their atrocities known to the world! A total of 345 innocent town residents were brutally murdered by them, and more than 100 of them were women and children who were defenseless."

Sherman killed so many people that there were not enough coffins in the entire town of Los Angeles, and many bodies have not yet been buried.

No one would have thought that more than 300 people would die in a small town with a population of just over 1,000 people in one month.

When cholera was at its worst, only a dozen people died from cholera every day in the town of Los Angeles.

"I will! I will! I will definitely do it!"

With tears in his eyes, Collins pressed the shutter and took a dozen consecutive photos of the cemetery. Finally, he did not forget to take a few close-ups of the almost unrecognizable bodies that were burned.

"Are you Mr. Senator? Thank God, someone finally cares about Los Angeles."

"Sir, they captured our brave mayor of Los Angeles!"

"All my food was stolen by those villains! They didn't even leave me a penny!"

"And my fishing boat! They commandeered my fishing boat, and my father was also drafted by them! Without the fishing boat, I can't go out to sea to fish! If I can't fish, I can't live! It's really frustrating."

"My house was burned down by the thugs, and now our whole family is living in a stable!"

"The food is gone. I haven't had a full meal for four days. I don't even have the strength to make a coffin!"

"My husband's leg was injured by them and the wound has festered. The doctor in Los Angeles town was also taken away by the thugs. I don't know what to do now."

In the square of Los Angeles town, the surviving local residents tearfully complained about the atrocities committed by Sherman and others.

Their lives have been forced into a desperate situation, and Gwen's arrival gave them hope.

They also have state government, and maybe the state government can help them get through this.

Ge Wen took out his notebook and pen and took notes seriously. He made a promise to the residents of Los Angeles.

“As a California senator, I will fight for justice and give you justice.

I also understand your current difficulties. Los Angeles is part of California, and the state government will not forget your suffering. Lieutenant Governor Liang Yao and I have brought some food supplies for your emergency response.

In addition to this we have also brought some doctors to help you, but of course this is not all. "

This time, Gwen did not just make verbal promises to the people like he did when he was a congressman in Ohio, but provided real help to the poor Los Angeles residents.

"Oh, my God, it's so great?"

"Thank you to the state government, thank you to Congressman Gwen! Thank you to Vice Governor Liang!"

"Will the state government provide us with help in the future?"

The residents cast expectant eyes at Gwen and asked eagerly.

"Of course! After defeating the enemy, the state government will help you rebuild your homes. Governor Robinson and others are already raising supplies for you. Subsequent aid will continue to arrive in Los Angeles. Los Angeles will not only be rebuilt, but it will also be more prosperous than before!"

Gwen said very confidently that although the California state government has just been established for less than three months, Gwen feels that this young state government is far more capable than the state government of his hometown of Ohio.

"Now everyone line up, register here and receive the supplies you need."

After that, Gwen put away his pen and notebook.

After distributing these supplies, he will go to Washington, where there are more important things waiting for him to do.

The news of Sherman's massacre of Los Angeles residents first reached Texas, and then quickly spread to the eastern states through the telegram of the Houston Telegraph Office.

The whole country of America was in an uproar, and the angry crowd took to the streets again.

This time, they did not just protest. The marching crowd even gathered in Washington, DC, and attacked the Capitol Hill.

In order to maintain order and protect the safety of Congress and the government, Washington, DC mobilized all security forces in the DC to Capitol Hill to prevent the situation from escalating further.

The gold diggers who once boarded the ship to California with shovels and gold pans now boarded the ship with rifles and even cannons. They claimed that they would go to California to fight with Californians and support Californians in defending their freedom.

The New York government was extremely nervous about this, and the local state legislature pressured the state government to block the ports of New York State and prohibit these crazy people from going to California.

But New York State could only block the ports of the state, and these volunteers who threatened to support California did not give up their plan to go to California.

They gathered and left New York State, went to New Haven and New London in Connecticut, and boarded a ship to California.

Not long after the news of the Los Angeles massacre came, Colonel Mason was captured, and the news that half of his regiment was wiped out in San Francisco followed.

The day the news came was Christmas, and people took to the streets to celebrate.

But they were not celebrating the grand festival of Christmas, but celebrating the defeat of the American Army.

It was the first time in American history that the American people celebrated the defeat of the American army.

When Congress learned that Colonel Mason's troops were wiped out and even he was captured, the members were shocked.

They still underestimated California's military strength. Senators from New York State are discussing submitting a bill to send more troops to California.

This time, many members shook their heads and disagreed with sending more troops to California.

Colonel Mason's infantry regiment was already a relatively elite infantry regiment in the American Army, and it was wiped out in less than a day.

It can be seen that California is not easy to mess with.

Besides, California is not the only place in the United States that needs troops.

The border issue between the United States and Canada has not been perfectly resolved, and garrisons are needed in conflict areas.

New settlements in the Midwest need garrisons to encircle and suppress Indians to ensure the safety of immigrants and ensure the development of the Midwest hinterland.

The issue of Texas sending more troops to New Mexico is also a headache. If the federal government wants to force the Texans to withdraw from New Mexico, it must have a relatively large army to maintain deterrence against Texas.

The U.S. Army now has only 14 infantry regiments except the California Infantry Regiment and the Texas Infantry Regiment.

Of course, if the regular army is not enough, they can also consider recruiting militia and volunteers to fight.

It's just that this time is different from the Mexican-American War. In the Mexican-American War, everyone fought for the country and occupied more territory.

Therefore, the states and the people of the states will unite and respond to the government's call to fight for the country.

California is different from Mexico. It is now a state in the United States. Now public opinion is overwhelmingly on the side of California. Even if the conscription order is issued, it is estimated that there will be few responses.

Many sober congressmen were not optimistic about recruiting militia and volunteer troops to California to fight.

Secretary of War Conrad solemnly stated to Congress that the War Department opposed the Civil War and would not consider sending any troops to California.

This was also what President Fillmore meant.