John C Fremont (1950)

in the middle of the 19th century whole sections of america were known only to inarticulate trappers and army scouts though most of it had been explored the trans-mississippi west had never been mapped scientifically had never been described graphically by the trained geologist or botanist this was the task of john charles freemanty to the unknown west john charles fremont was born in 1813 the son of a french emigrate teacher and the richmond virginia society he grew up in genteel poverty in charleston south carolina but his quick and brilliant mind soon brought him to charleston's most enlightened circles when he showed particular talent as a mathematician charleston's most eminent citizen joel r poinsett phoned him a place as a surveyor with the united states topographical corps and he was assigned to work with the great french scientist john nicholas nicolette here are lines angles numbers and yet when your map is finished monsieur nicolette who will realize that for each jot my new observations had to be taken in the field then these observations reduce to latitude and longitude but who will know all these things the land will know the land of course the minnesota dakota land will know it all the way from the upper mississippi to the upper missouri for you and i have cheated her fremont because no man armed with that map will ever fear her again a map takes the fear out of the land but there is so much of it so much uncharted how can we ever hope to cover it all only by hard unflinching work my young explorer and by never allowing one single fact to slip from you into the obscure an inaccurate map is folly someday you will know the face of the west like the floor plan of senator benton's parlor and by the way how is the beautiful miss jesse benton miss jesse is lovelier than ever and no matter what the senator says about my being another poor army man we shall soon be married congratulations my boy i introduce you to washington society and you not only conquer it but you carry away its most magnificent beauty yes but without the help of you and secretary poinsett none of it would have been possible nonsense why a young man of your talents and social graces deserves every opportunity and ober says you have the best prospects of any man in the whole topographical core ah very good a bear i wanted you to take a look at this particular section of work fremont did it all and yes john i'll see it in a moment but first read this official communique what do i care for official communicates i am a sick man oh bear how can i spare my most efficient and experienced aid what's that sir you have been detached from this project and are to proceed at once to head a survey of the des moines river in iowa territory but i can't be what about the map what about jessie were to be married of course oh bear tell me if senator benton's fine hand did not all but write those orders eh well it has been rumored that he brought some pressure but that does not mean i poor you are the object of a government conspiracy to keep the beautiful miss jessie for a more suitable alliance we'll see about that they'll have their map of the des moines but when i return we haven't seen much of you since your return from the des moines lieutenant fremont i trust you've been busying yourself with affairs which concern you yes sir i uh i've heard you did an excellent job as commander with all nicolette so ill let's talk if you're heading a planned expedition to the far west of course that's far in the future fine father john has something to tell you yes well i'm rather busy fremont if it's possible let it wait it's waited quite long enough go ahead john well sir i know how you and mrs benton feel about me that i'm young poor sir jesse and i were married last month married yes sir i hope you weren't married yes father you had no right to separate us so we decided to put an end to such foolishness now give us your blessing so we can announce get out get out of this house jesse you shall stay here no you'll obey me this is your last chance senator benton not only do i lose my daughter to a scoundrel but i shall be made the laughing stock of all missouri sir i can't drive my daughter from my home and i know being a true benjamin that she cannot be moved from her purpose but i shall be a laughingstock don't be silly father why you'll be the envy of everyone when they hear you have that handsome dashing young explorer for son-in-law in 1842 john c fremont was put in command of his first large-scale expedition into the west senator benton backed fremont's appointment to the task and obtained a congressional appropriation the party started out from the board of the kansas river across to the plaque and followed it to the rockies it halted at fort laramie to meet a detachment which fremont had sent by way of the oregon trail under the command of a young trapper his name was kit carson now as i see it lieutenant we're supposed to explore the rocky mountains down here around the platte everything between the frontiers of the missouri and the base of the rockies and you want to get a real good look at south pass i need to ascertain the latitude longitude and altitude of the pass note everything about it many people will be going over it on their way to oregon kind of funny you know trappers like me and jim bridger been trodden these places for a long time nothing's brought people west it takes a fellow with learning like you to do that well that's the whole purpose of this expedition kit has been a crying need for a map of the west an accurate map and for an accurate readable description sketches are prepared sir would you like to inspect them troy's here is one of the best topographers you could find kit this time we're sending science into the west train technicians you're experts all right makes a man like me feel foolish oh you needn't you've planned our protection on the trail given us confidence if ever i make a foolish move it's up to you to stop me i act on impulse man's got to be quick on the trigger out here that's what i like about you when you're going someplace you go i don't see how come you could leave that pretty wife of yours back there boy she wanted me to go well i'm with you sir i'm glad to hear that kit because from what i've heard the way from the fort here to south pass is swarming with sue cheyenne blackfeet on the warpath too bad well the news doesn't seem to affect you we're safe as long as we stay here at laramie nobody but a fool to try and go through until their engines has cooled off we're going through as an army expedition it's our duty to keep the trails open where are you going i'm going out and find somebody who can write sir i should have known when i met you that time come to make my will kit was one of the finest pictures of a horseman i've ever seen may i see the sketch dear of course price did it he looks marvelous kit carson is i would like to have seen his face when you reach south pass finding hardly any indians at all the old fremont luck and how lucky i am to have you i'd probably never have written this report if it hadn't been for you an outdoor man cannot work indoors darling and second lieutenants cannot indulge in secretaries only ambitious wives don't underestimate your help jesse without you i'd probably be nothing and get nowhere you write so well when you dictate the information is so precise all about the terrain and vegetation and such but you go much further than that the writing's got you in your darling fiery and zestful what a husband i have what have you got there actually i have a right to read something written in my own library the dog was in a large pot over the fire oh no i picked a rather unfortunate indian custom i see let's try this one here on the summit where the stillness was absolute unbroken by any sound and solitude complete we thought ourselves beyond the region of animated life that's about fremont peak the reading is a bit stentorian for the piece father seriously john the most important thing about the work you're doing is to stifle forever the idea that the planes between the missouri and the rockies are a great american desert well it's there for everyone to read the soil is fertile good armed with your report my western group in congress will push migration to oregon we'll print it for public distribution get it in the news for the first time the country will be conscious of the west and then my boy you'll get a chance at your second expedition you'll do for the whole of the oregon trail what you did for the stretch to south pass you'll make it real in may of 1843 fremont received orders to carry his explorations into the anglo-american territory of oregon september found his party on the shores of the great salt lake we almost have the lake dead to rights some of the most accurate work i've ever seen has been done on this trip and it's all because of the instruments you're mighty proud of them sextants and telescopes and barometers and chronometers aren't you sir what about the men that use them every one of them's a captain and himself yeah you're right kid tell me sir is that salt lake valley any good for settling well according to our observations it's suitable for a military post and a settlement there's plenty of good pasture land for the livestock timber and water good the soil is fine for grain some of them folks that are choking up that oregon trail ought to stop here and give it a try how long do you figure it be before we finish mapping the trail to the columbia oh a couple of months and then all we'll have done is a an accurate observation of a much travel trail you're never satisfied are you sir mexico has some sort of a decree to keep american citizens out of california doesn't it kid yeah most folks just overlook it why when we finish our job instead of backtracking we're gonna have a look at the great basin that desert region but then how'd you like to lead us over the sierras and into california by that time will be the middle of winter i don't expect it to be easy certain winter them sierras are impassable on february 20 the men of the expedition camped on the summit of carson pass they had conquered the sierras in mid-winter their descent brought them into the beautiful valley of the sacramento and the imposing fort of the powerful and indomitable swiss landowner johann august sutter shall have eaten san francisco for a dollar twenty cents the bushel is california rich u.s lieutenant freemont and look at me your stronghold is indeed impressive mr sutter not only with its agricultural wealth but with its bastions its high walls its cannon well i'm glad it pleases you my new hellbeast contains almost 49 000 acres the people know i will protect it you're a shrewd man mr sutter by the people you mean both the mexican authorities and the american settlers plotting revolt if it comes to a fight whose side are you on i'm the governor of the fortress of new helmisia self-appointed i'm neutral but but if it comes to a showdown you wouldn't mind heading a movement of independence in favor of the united states as a matter of fact i've drawn up a plan of conquest for the province to be sent to washington all i ask for my part in it is command of the troops and half the territory conquered you're an imposing man governor in an imposing land when i return to washington the cause of california shall be first in my mind good good now we shall have dinner come come is california rich have them look at me when the report of his second expedition was published fremont found himself the hero of the hour his description of the great salt lake helped brigham young to choose it as the promised land for the mormons and the third expedition was projected for the new captain fremont its unofficial purpose was to see that california in case of an imminent war with mexico did not fall into the hands of the british by encouraging the american settlers to revolt and establish california as the bear flag republic fremont again helped america to win the west suddenly john charles fremont found himself embroiled in a jurisdictional squabble between the army and navy to establish his rights both he and his father-in-law senator betten demanded a public court martial fremont was found guilty the press and the public were aroused and indignant over the verdict and even though president polk pardoned it and had the army reinstate him he resigned from the service the next year saw fremont come very near to the pinnacle of opportunity when he was chosen california's first united states senator and in 1856 he became the first presidential candidate of the new republican party i suppose you know i'm coming out against you jesse has informed me a republican administration now would destroy the country i don't want an emancipator in the white house at the cost of southern rebellion even if it's my own son-in-law look at the west senator big wide free new that's the spirit of america today the south and slavery are old worn and obsolete don't you see father we could have war if you're elected john in a way though i'm sorry you won't be have i ever told you how very very proud i am of you john though james buchanan defeated him for the presidency fremont was commissioned as a general when the civil war broke out and put in command of union forces in missouri it was here that the 50 year old general struck a vital blow at slavery by issuing america's first emancipation proclamation and their slaves if any they have are hereby declared free men well there it is my emancipation proclamation for missouri to wipe out the stigma of slavery general secretary seward will never allow this the time has come for decisive action this is a war measure and as such i make it john from now on your name will represent the crusade for the extinction of slavery just as your name already represents the new spirit of the west with the end of the civil war john charles fremont left the army and turned his attentions to the planning of a railroad to the pacific never an astute businessman his plan met with failure and he soon lost everything he had however his fortunes were revived when he was appointed to the governorship of the arizona territory where his strong advocacy of scientific irrigation helped bring new life to a hitherto barren land john charles fremont chartered the great west described it with a fervor throughout his 74 years he pioneered in the field of accuracy and the paths he marked became highways of commerce his most fitting epitaph was given by the one who helped him most jesse benton fremont from the ashes of his campfires have sprung cities you