Minnesota weekly times. [volume] (St. Paul, Minn.) 1854-1859, 1856-06-28
! JOHN C. FREMONT.


was written long before Mr.. Fremont was ever
thought of for the Presidency, it is Invested of all
political bias, and we simply publish it with the
request that our readers will pcruse and ponder
over it:
s.The feet of three men have passed the slopes
of the Rocky Mountains, whose names are ASSOC
ciated forever with those vast ranges; Humboldt,
the Nestor of scientific Travellers Audubon, the
Interpreter Of Nature and Fremont, the Path
finder of Empire. Each has done much to illus
tratc the Natural History of North America, and
| to develop its llimitable resources. The young
est of all is likely to become as illustrious as
either, for fortune has linked his name with
scene in the history of the Republic as startling
| to the world the first announcement of its ex-
istence. TO his hands was committed the mag
nifcent task Of opening the gates of our Pacific
Empire. His father was an emigrant gentleman
from France. and his mother lady of Virginia.
| Although his fathers death left him orphan
in his fourth year, he was thoroughly educated;
and when, at the age of seventeen, he graduated
at Charleston College, and contributed to the sup
port of his mother and her younger children
From teaching mathematics he turned his atten-
|
50 much talent, lie was recommended by Mr..
Poinsett, Secretary of War, to Nicollet, as his
assistant in the survey of the basin of the Upper
| Mississippi. Two years he was with that learned
man in his field of labors, and he won his APP
plause and friendship. On his return to WASH
ington. he continued his services to the geogra-
pher for two years longer. in drawing up from
| his feld-bOek the great map which unfOlded to
science the vast tract they had explored. Thirst
ing for adventure, he now planned the FIRST of
those distant and perlous expeditions which
have given luster to his name. Having received
a lisutenant's commission in the corps of Topo-
graphical Engineers, he proposed to the Secre-
| tary of War to penetrate the Rocky Mountains.
His plan approved, and in 1912, with a hand
full of men, gathered on the Missouri frontier, he
reached and explored the South Pass. lie
achieved moro than his instructions required
lie not only fixed the locality and character of
that great Pass through which myriads now
pressing to California-hc defined the astronomy,
geography, botany, geology, and meteorology Of
the country, and designated the route since fol-
lowed, and the points from which the flag of the
Union is now flying from chain of wilderness
| fortrcsses.
s. His report was printed by the Senate, trans
lated into foreign languages, and the scientific
world looked on Fremont one Of its benefac-
tors. Impatient, however, for broader and more
hazardous fields, he planned expedition to
the distant territory of Oregon. His first had
| carried him to the SUBMITS Of the Rocky
Mountains. Wilkes had surveyed the Underwater
| regions of the Columbia river between the two
explorers lay tract of thousand miles, which
was blank in Geography.
:In May, 1913, he left the frontier of Mis-
souri,. and IN November he stood ON Fort Vancou-
yer, with the calm waters Of the Pacific at his
feet. lie had approached the mountains by a
new line. scaled Their SUBMITS south of the
Soath Pass, detected to the Great Salt Lake,
and pushed examinations right and left along his
entire course. lie joined his survey to Wilkes
Exploring Expedition, and his orders were full
filed. But he had opened one route to tho Co.
lumbi,, and he wished to find another. There
was a vast region south of his line, invested with
a fabulous interest, and be longed to apply TO it
the test of science. twas the beginning of win
ter. Without resources, adequate supplies, Or
even q guide, and with only twenty Ave co,npa-
, Mons, he turned his face once more towards the
| Rocky Mountains. Then began that wonderful
Expedition, filled with romance, achievement,
daring, and suffering, in which he was lost from
the world nine mon his, trayersing $500 miles in
sight Of eternal SHOWS in whch he explored and
revealed the grand features of Alta California,
its great basin, the Sierra Nevada, the valleys of
San Joaquin and Sacramento, explored the fabl-
| ious Buonayontura, revealed the real FL Dorado,
and established the geography of the western
part of our continent. In August, 1914, he was
| again in Washington, after an absence Of sixteen
months. His Report put the seal to the fame of
the young explorer.
=" lie was planning third Expedition while
writing history of the second and before its
publication, in lS45, he was again on his way to
the Pacific, collecting his mountain comrades, to
examine in detail the Asiatic slope of the North
Ametican Continent, which resulted in giving a
new volume of science ts the world, and Califor-
MIA to the United States. We cannot trace his
achievements during the war with Mexico, nor
Will future times inquire how many and how great
battles he fought. After the conquest of Caifo.-
MIA, Fremont was made the victim of a qu:rrel
between two American commanders. Like Co.
lumbus, he was brought home a prisoner over
the vast territory he had explored; stripped by
a court-martal of his commission, as Leut. COL
of Mounted RiAcmen, and re-instated BY the
President. Fremont needed justice, not mercy,
and he returned his commission. Ills defense
was worthy of man of honor, genius, and
learning. During the ninety days Vt his trial,
his nights were given to science.
| 'Thus ended his services in the Government.
but nor to mankind. lie was private citizen,
and poor man. Charleston offered him lucra-
tive Office, which he refused. He had been
brought criminal from California, where he
had been Explorer, Conqueror, Peacemaker, and
Governor. lie determined to retrieve his honor
on the field where he had been robbed of it.
One line more would complete his surveys-the
route for great road from the Mississippi to
San Francisco.
''Again he appeared on the far West. His old
mountainccrs focked around him, and with 33
men and 12O mules, perfectly equipped, he
started for the Pacific. On the Sierra San Juan,
all his mules and third of his men persisted in
more than Russian cold; and Fremont arrived
on foot at Santa Fe, stripped of everything but
life. 1t was moment for the last pang of de-
spair which breaks the heart, or the moral hero
ism which conquers Fate itself. The men of the
wilderness knew Fremont; they reftted bis ex-
pedtion; he started again. pierced the country
OF the fierce and remorseless Apaches; met,
awed, and defeated savage tribes and in hun