Born on January 21, 1813 to unwed parents in Savannah, George, Fremont traveled the South until his father died and his mother settled finally in Charleston, South Carolina.
In 1829, he entered the College of Charleston but was dismissed three months before he graduated because of “incorrigible negligence.” In 1833, he taught mathematics on the USS Natchez and was offered an appointment as professor of mathematics in the Navy, which he turned down.
Instead, he surveyed a railroad route from Charleston to Cincinnati with Captain William G. Williams and from 1836 – 37 surveyed Cherokee Indian lands in Georgia. He was commissioned a second lieutenant in the United States Topographical Corps in 1838 and mapped the region between the Mississippi and Missouri Rivers.
In 1841, Fremont married Jessie Benton, the daughter of Missouri Senator Thomas Hart Benton, who would later become a supporter of Fremont.
Fremont the Pathfinder
Fremont surveyed the Des Moines River region in 1841, his first solo assignment. In June of the next year with Kit Carson as a guide, explored the Platte River and crossed the Rocky Mountains at South Pass in Wyoming. He planted an American flag on top of one of the highest peaks in the Wind River Range.
His second expedition came in 1843- 44. He explored the Great Salt Lake and crossed the Rockies again at South Pass. After reaching Oregon, he turned southward, traversed and named the Great Basin and then crossed the Sierra Nevada’s during the winter and arrived in Sacrament Valley. He returned via the Old Spanish Trail through New Mexico and became a national celebrity.
Fremont made a third expedition, beginning in June of 1845. He followed the Arkansas River and crossed the Rockies in Central Colorado. He again explored the Great Salt Lake and crossed the desert.
He arrived in California amid much turmoil, participated in the taking of California from Mexico. His action however, brought him disgrace. He was court-martialed in 1848 and found guilty of mutiny, disobedience, and conduct prejudicial to military order. Fremont resigned his commission.
He made a fourth exploration expedition to find central railroad passages through the San Juan Mountains, but it ended in disaster. He lost ten men to cold and starvation before retreating to Taos, New Mexico.
His final expedition came in 1853 when he attempted to discover a central route across the continent for a Pacific railroad. He crossed the Colorado Rockies and arrived in Utah in Febuary of 1854 at the Mormon settlement of Parowan. His route was not used for the Pacific railroad.
Fremont and the Civil War
Although a native Southerner, Fremont supported the Union during the Civil War because he believed in the Union and was anti-slavery. He was appointed as major general in command of the Western Department. Fremont declared martial law in Missouri and was removed from command by President Lincoln.
Due to public outcry, Lincoln gave Fremont command of the Mountain Department. Fremont was outmaneuvered by Stonewall Jackson in the Virginia Valley Campaign of 1862. He did not fare well at the Battle of Cross Keys. He asked to be relieved of duty when Lincoln placed him under the command of John Pope.
Fremont passed away in New York on July 13, 1890 from an attack of peritonitis.
Source:
Volpe, Vernon L. “John C. Fremont.” Explorers. Vol 1 Salem Press, Inc. Pasadena, CA, 1998
