The Ottawa free trader. [volume] (Ottawa, Ill.) 1843-1916, 1846-02-27

F'nn the sshiGgion Uniun.
CAPTAIN EE.Tn1NV. t


plause, is u native OF South Carroll
ma, the son OF a widow, and the az
chitcct of his own fortunes. Left an
orphan at four years Of age, with
brother and sister younger than him
self, his mother, until lie was seven
teen, provided for his support and
education. At that age he began to
provide for himself, and for those
connected with him. For three
years he taught mathematics, per-
tecting his own education, and Civ
ing all his earnings beyond his ne
cessary support to lis mother and
the two younger children. At the
age of twenty his skill in mathcmat-
les procured him employment on the
railroad explorations undertaken by
the state of South Carolina, to con-
meet the Atlantic ocean and the Ohio
river at the two points of Charleston
and Cincinnati; and this gave lin
Occupation in the mountainous re-
glon OF North Carolina and Tennessee,
the first Injured him to mountain life,
and led him TO commence the scien-
tiilc observations of the heavens and
the earth he has since extended over
so vast field. While engaged in
this business, an increase was made
by Congress in some branches of the
regular army. Gen. Jackson was
the President of the United States,
and dire cted one half of the new ao-
pointments to be taken from the class
Of citizens; and out of this class the
young Fremont obtained place a.
mong the junior officers Of the topo-
graphical engineers. The wise and
patriotic decision Of General Jack
son opened the door for this appoint
ment, but it required the merit Of
the applicant to obtain it. The to-
geographical corps is eminently sci
entifc; and the young Fremont, ne
yer having been at the national mil
itary academy, had to stand an ex-
animation before he could be appoin-
ted. 4 board Of eminent officers ex-
amined him. lie stood the test Of
this severe ordeal. He triumphed
in his examination and thus won
his way to place which the enlight-
ened patriotism of jackson had laid
open to the competition of friendless
merit. This was first fruit-a rich
one--of having been a teacher of
mathematics. What an encourages
ment to young men who have to ad-
vance themselves by their own ex-
ertions.
No sooner was he appointed than
he went into active service in the
field, and spent the first year in the
Cherokee country, in the topograph-
zeal surveys under Captain Williams,
which the unprecedented hostilities of
the southern Indians rendered nee.
essary to the expected military OPP
erations. The next year he was
sent as an assistant to the celebrat-
ed astronomer, MIR. Nicollet, to the
valley OF the Upper Mississippi, and
was engaged two years in that re-
mote region in aiding that eminent
savan in collecting the materials,
verifying the facts, and instituting
the seventy thousand meteorological
observations upon which the great
photographic and topographic map
of Nicoilet and Fremont was con-
structed, and from which so many
! publishers ofmaps have levied "con-
tributions," without acknowledging
the source from which they came.
In 1912 Lieutenant Fremont first be-
came commander of seperate en-
pedition, and explored the country
between the Mississippi river and
the Rocky mountains, to the South
Pass and Fremolh's Peak /; and the
brief, modest, military, and scienti-
fc report which he made of this en-
ploration, Immediately made his
name known in EUrope and Ameri-
ca as one of the distinguished explo-
rers of the age. In 1924 he
went upon his great expedition to
Oregon and North California; the
report of which, published by order
of Congress, is now attracting uni
versal attention. In 1915, lie has
gone upon lis third expedition, de-
termined upon Il complete military,
and scientific exploration Of all the
vast and almost unknown regions
between the Oregon river and the
, Pacific ocean, and between the Or
egon river and the Gulf of Calilor-
MIA. This expedition is expected
to continue near two years and its
successful result is looked to with
the highest degree of interest by all
the friends of science in America
and in Europe.
Perhaps no man of his age, in any
country, has gone through such an
amount of labor and exertions Of
body and mind as Captain Fremont.
, from the aye of twenty the cano-
, NJ of haoynn has heen his coyeripot