The Caledonian. [volume] (St. Johnsbury, Vt.) 1837-1867, 1850-07-20
Prom Bmdy's illusuious Americans,
JOHN CHARLES FREMONT

are hH-nriatcd inreNrr with those vast mugrs
ilaHi'pit the ArHiof oi scientific travellers
AlduDon, the Interpreters OF Nature, and
Fremont, the Pathfinder Of empiro. "a Each
has done much a. illustrate the natural bistD.
ry Ut North America, aud to de, elup ils illim.
table resources, The Youngest ofall il lil,e.
~ "a become a. illustiious a. either, Tor for
tune has linked his nam ith a soulo Ia the
history of tnr lWpuiiiic, ~ startling to tho
world aH the first anuuunr cmrnt uf its eAist-
opoc, To his hands was committed the tisk
Ul opening the golden gates Of our pariAp
empire llls father was an cmiprlut gentle
man from France, aud hi, mother ln,lv Of
Virginia, Although his death lclt lns son an
orphan IA his fourth year, he was thorough
~ cducatcd aud whon, nt the age 1T seven
teen, he graduated at Charleston College, ho
contributed % lhc support Of hia mother aud
her Aoungvf clildicn,
From teaching mathematics ho turned h,
attention ip civil engineering, iH which he
displayed ~ v,uch talent, be- was recommend,
cd by Mr fuiu,ctt Secretary of War, tu Me
ollrt, a- his assistant ia the survey of tho ba-
-in OF th" upper Mississippi Two wears hr
was With lhlt learned mlu In his field uf Ia
h"r-, AMI he won hi1 applause aud ifiendship
On his return t1 Wa hingfon hc continued
his 0'uicrs to the gcugruphcr TOR lWu wears
longer, ia drawing up from hs fcld.bonk the
lTEe'st isafs (which uaiullaI IA .i.n.a tAa-.,-
tract they had explored, lhirsGng for adj
venture, hr now planned The. firsi of those
distant hnd prrilUu7 expeditions which have
gwen lu'trr Ia BIZ nnmc, Having. received
hculcnnuts commission IN Lhc' c6rti, OF To.
pasaph''al Engineer, hr prqsssr'l IA tlu'
Secretary of War 10 penetrate tho Rock q
Mountains, lli- pllp was approved. and In
1872, with a huudlul of men gathered on the
Missouri frontier, be- reached aud explored
the south Pass. lie achieved more than his
insiuHuouH required, lie not only Fixed the
locality AMI character OF that great pass.
through which mSHil .arv now pressing to
California be defined thr ASTRONOMY .srnur,.
ply botany, geology and mrtcurulIl,v o' the
country, and designated lh. route since lil.
lowed, and tho point, from which the dae Of
the Inion Is now dying frum chain OF vii
dcrnc-s iorircs.rt,
iii, report wns printed by the Senate,
translated lutp iurvlgu lln9ulVC-, aud IrC
scientific w0,td looked ON rvmant as one ol
ib brucldrt0r4y lrNutiyui. however for
broader aud hlorr halariuns fcld., he plan
ned new expedition to the distant tcrritur,
oi Oregon. iii, first had carried him Ia the
submits OF the Roxy AIGNTrdu.. WiIkcs
hal surveyed the tide water REGIONS nf the
lu,uuhlA rlAcE hgtWogn lhe Inn csuurrr.
nv i trIot oT Il th"usihd nuIvs, WWch' -.8-Fd
blank IN geography IU Mr, lNi3. hr iri'
tAc Gunticr ot Missouri, and ia November he
stood ON Fort Vancouver. viii, m. r.,ln,l wa
tiers OF the Pacific at hit feet he had an
proaghcd Nh" mouNiutby a ucw line, scaled
their summit, south of the South PAS. de-
hcctcd to the Great S1lt Lake, and pushed
examination right aud lclt along hi- entire
tuur,c.
lie joined his survey to Wilkcs's cvplor-
.ng cNlrdllioh, and hi~ orders were fulfilled.
But be- had nponcd one route to the Colum.
lH'F and hc wi,hcdto fud another There
Wa, a vast region south 9th, line, invested
with a fabulous interest, aud he long,d to ap-
ply in u the test Of exact scirncc. II was
nc hcgnnug or winter. Without resources,
adequate supplies, or even q guide aud with
only % companions hr turned his face once
more toward the Rocky Mountains, Then
began that wonderful expedition, filed with
achievement daring aud suffering,
M Which he was lust from tho wnrll niun
mnnths, traycrsiug 3iuG mil--, in -i-hl ni ,.--
ternal snowa; IN which hr explored and re-
ycalcd the graml features of Alta California.
Us great basin, the Sierra Nt,a,lrr. the val.
icNT ut san joaquin and Sacramento. cNpiud-
cd the iahulun, Buculvcuturl, revealed the
real III l)prillnaud established the rcoyraphy
ot the western part ofour Continent In Au-
gn'i, 1911, lac was again in Nashington.aitcr
an absence of sixteen months III, rrn,rt
Put the seal to the fame OF the Young cx-
plurrr.>
lie was planning third expedition while
writing history nf the second; and before
It's puhhration, in lsI5, hc wa. again on his
way 10 the Pacific, collecting Ais mountain
comrades, To examine in detail thu Nsiatir
slope OF the y, \. Continent, which resulted
III HlIIng volume Of new science to the
w3r7'f' Hr5t SuirfoTniT 10 IfG United St5tcs,-
We cunngt trace his achievements iuring the
whr with M,.Nico, nor viii future tiinrs IN
l""r now many nor how great battles he
ln"ght hIer the conquest of California,
Fremont was made the ystn. of a quar-
rel between two American cominAuders.-
Like columbus, be wasA-ought home pris-
oncr' over the vast territory hc had explored;
stripped by court Martial or hi. commission
as Lieut.. Colonel OF Mounted Riflemcn. and
rc-inslatcd by The President.
Fremont needed, Justice, not mercy. and
he returned his commissions His defence
was worthy ot a man Of honor, gcr-ius and
learning During the ninety DIS of his srial.
A'S nights uere- tsiren t,, rrit;rr- huy iurt-
ed his services to the govcrnment--butno not to
mankind. lie was now arpriy,tn ,;tizrn AMI
Il poor man. Charleston offered him a In.
crit4pe "tlieei-'FAfeA h- r,.iit-r+l.- Ifr-lt,,i
been brought criminal from California.
where he had been cNplorcr,cnnuucror.p .pcnce-
maker, governor lie determined to retrieve
tTs honor on the field where he had been
robbed of it, One line more would completc
hir snvcys-the route for a great road from
the Mississippi 10 san Francisco. Again he
appeared on the far West His old monn-,
taineers tiocktd around him. and with 33 men
and l5o mules, perfectly equipped, he statt-
ed for the Pacific.
- On the Sierra san -Iat,, h1i7 hi invites and
2 third ot hiS men pcrished in \ more than
Russian cold aud Fremont arrives, ln. fnnl Al
Santa ~, stripped OF everything but life
1t was n moment for the last pang Of despair
which breaks the hcaVt or the unGral her6ism
which conquers fate itsolt The 6sdn of the
wilderness knew Fremont; they rcfittcd his
expedition; he started again; pierced the
COUNTRY OF the fierce and romorscless Apa.
hes; met awed or defeated savage tfibes;hnd
a hundreI dap~ from Santa lse.- he, stool
IN the the glittcring hanks of the Sacramen
o. The men et3aliiornia reversed the iudy
ncnt OF the court-uartial aud Fremont was
made the first Senator uf the golden State
"A La ttth e.. I..|