True American. [volume] (Steubenville [Ohio]) 1855-1861, 1856-07-16
q a0lutlg youtua 6oh to 9nutm nttst Yarapr gnt a0
\ RAGAN, Editor and Proprietor
'ablshed the =, geography of the western
part o! our Continent.

tablished the geography of the western
part 0! our Continent
In 1874 he was again at Washington,
planning another expedition, even while
preparing his report of the last, and in
the spring of lS45, Fremont, now cap
tain, set out on third expedition, design
ed 20 survey more particularly The regions
which he had reviouSly visited. 49,.
While engaged in this expedition, and
before he had heard Of the commence
ment of The war with Mexico, he was in
duced by the entreaties of the American
settlers in the valley Of the Sacramento,
whom the Mexicans threatened to drive
ont of the country, to put himself at their
head. Thus led, they defeated The Mex
leans. Fremont put himself inlo COM
munication with the naval commanders on
the coast, and soon, in conjunction with
Commodore Stocklon, obtained complete
possession of California;, of which, on the
24th of August, he was appointed by
Stockton military commander. Tile fight
ing, however, was not yet over. The
Ualifurnians rose in insurrecticn but the
arrival of Gen, Kearney, with his dra-
goons from New Mexico, enabled the
Americans, after some hard fought bat.
Ties, to maintain themselves in possession.
Pending these operations, commission
arrived for Fremont as lieutenant colonel
"a. promotion which neither he nor his
friends had solicited, but which he gladly
received as ara'i6catien on the part oflhe
government of his inferv ention, OF his
own responsibility, in The affairs Of Cali
fOrnia. "a ...s.zs. % t:z. ...s>t -..r :
On The arrival Of Kearney dispute
arose between him and Commodore Stock
ton as to whom belonged the chief com
nand. Kearney ungener,usly sought to
cas-, upon Fremont the delicate responsi.
hility of deciding which of the contestants
had the right of command. This he
very wisely declined to do, stating his
readiness to obey either they would agree
between themselves &; al the same time he
decided to continue to obey The chief un-
der whom the war had been prosecuted,
until the right Of priority of command
should be settled. ..s ,-,t -tu
Kearney, though dissatisfied, did not
seek resentment until they reached Fort
Leavenworth on their way home. Here
he arrested Fremont on a charge of disc.
bedience of orders, and brought him be-
fore a court martial for trial. This court
held tha, Kearney, and not Stockton, was
the righlful superior in command, and,
as matter of form, found Fremont gull.
ty of the charges, and sentenced him to
be dismissed from the service. They had
no right to consider the fact tha! .it was
impossible for Fremon. 10 know which
had the right of command, and that had
he obeyed Kearney instead Of Stockton,
he might with equal reason, apparently,
have feared an arrest by Stockton.
That this convention had nothing to
Justify it but the cold, lechpical fact of not
knowing which OF two rivals to obey, is
evinced by the fact, that President Polk
rendered to Fremont a new commission
of the same grade as that of which he had
been deprived but he refused TO accept
it, and. like man of genius, conscious of
possessing higher diploma than presi.
dent could give or court martial take
away; returned to private life, and at once
sci about the completion of-his great la.
bors for the good of an empire, by plan
ming fourth expedition, and that on his
own account. 't'..
This he directed to the discovery of q
passage across the Rocky Mountains
south of,he South Pass, which he thought
might serve for railroad 10 California.
1t needed but this line to complete the
surveys he had so successfully made, and
though stripped ofgovernment patronage,
he resolved to finish his work unaided.
He mustered tllirty.three hardy noun
taineers, who gloried in him as their lea
der, and, with one bundled and thirty
three mules and the necessary equipment,
started from Puebla, on the upper Arkan.
sas, through perils scarcely equaled in
Siberia or the Alps. Being misled by
his guides, all his mules and third Of
his men pershed in the snow and cold of
the Sierra San Juan, and he arrived on
foot at Santa Fe. with barely the breath
Of life in him, with the loss Of everything.
Nothing daunted, and by no means dis
hear,ened, he reftted and started again ON
his perilous but glorious march; penetra-
led the country ,ofthe fierce and remorse-
less Apaches, met many savage tribes
which he awed or overpowered, and ina
hundred days from Santa Fe he stood
triumphant on the glittering banks of the
lgOlden Sacramento t4.$ 'f'"
Having arrived among his frendsJ,hey
were not slow in reversing the decision Of
the court martial toward their gallant de-
liverer, by sending him to Washington as
hhe first senator Of the Golden State"
This was u just tribute of a gallant peo-
pie TO integrity, heroism, and self sacri-
icing philanthropy in their hour Of grea-
test need. and may be quoted infavor Of
the youthful hero as Of higher authority
on the score of justice Than the formal,
yet unwilling verdict of the court mar.
tial. n, hls5s sa4e ssltti.
! He was elected to the short term Of