The Birth of the Bear Republic

John Charles Fremont appeared in California in December 1845, under the impression that he was resupplying his survey team.  Fremont's instincts told him that war between the US and Mexico was near and that new rewards would be given him if he could accomplish the conquest of California.  Since there was no war yet, he convinced Mexican officials of his peaceful intentions.

By Spring however, Fremont and his men were still there, had ignored an order to leave by the Mexican military governor, Jose Castro, and had actually constructed breastworks under the flying US Stars and Stripes.

Castro dispatched a military force and Fremont was finally urged to leave.  He and his men moved north slowly into Oregon where in May 1846, he was overtaken by US Marine Lieutenant Archibald Gillespie.  Once told of imminent war, Fremont was convinced it was his duty and his ambition to go back to California.

When Fremont entered the territory, the Americans settlers were ready to stand behind him.  His men entered the village of Sonoma, north of San Francisco on June 14.  They took the village's commander prisoner and over brandy arranged for Sonoma's surrender.

The Americans declared California an independent republic and raised a homemade flag for the new Bear Republic.  The nephew of Mrs. Abraham Lincoln actually designed the flag raised over Sonoma in 1848.

Next time...The Bear Republic is short lived
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Today in Pioneer History:  On April 17, 1970, Apollo 13, a U.S. lunar spacecraft that suffered a severe malfunction on its journey to the moon, safely returns to Earth.

The Downward Spiral of John Charles Fremont

War with Mexico was imminent when Fremont undertook his 3rd expedition to the West in 1845.  He organized a volunteer battalion that aided conquest of California but his glory was short-lived.  Fremont was accused of both mutiny and insubordination and was court-martialed and convicted.  Although he was pardoned from serving his sentence, Fremont resigned.  Publically he was viewed as a martyr in the military aristocracy...of course!

His 4th expedition was a disaster.  It was privately financed in 1848-49.  The goal was to find a railroad route through the mountains.  Without Carson's guidance, Fremont began the journey in mid-winter, became snowed-in in the mountains, then left his men to continue on alone to Taos where he recuperated in the home of Kit Carson!

Fremont became wealthy when gold was found on land he had purchased in California.  He moved there, was elected Senator and was even the Presidential candidate for the Free Soil Party in 1856. 
During the Civil War, he served as a general in Missouri, but was removed by President Lincoln for military misconduct.  He lost his California land, failed in his attempt as a railroad promotor and became dependent on his wife for support.  He died in poverty in 1890 in New York.

Fremont's later critics called him the "Great Pathfinder" but he was a poor one, following paths other men before him had already made but not given credit for.  He did make accurate maps of these paths, so a more fitting name might have been the "Great Pathmarker". 

Next time...War in California
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Today in Pioneer History:  On March 30, 1891, signally a growing movement toward direct political action by desperate farmers in Kansas, "Sockless" Jerry Simpson, rallies the farmers alliance to overtake the state government in Kansas.

On the Trail with Fremont and Carson

John Charles Fremont and Kit Carson led an expedition in 1842 to map out the Oregon Trail.  They traveled the familiar route along the Platte River, crossed South Pass and explored the West River Range where they climbed the peak later named Mount Fremont.  These side trips were not part of Fremont's instructions but they were good promotion.  On the return trip Fremont rashly insisted on shooting the rapids on the Platte River in a rubber boat.  The boat overturned, records were lost along with costly scientific equipment and specimens.

Fremont did compile an accurate report of the expedition of the Oregon Trail with route maps and campsites for each day's journey.  It was also a colorful adventure story - starring Fremont and superscout Carson.  It was an immediate bestseller.  Was Fremont's purpose to write a great adventure or map out territory for the government?

A second expedition a year later attempted in vain to find a passage through the Central Rockies and explore the Great Salt Lake region ending at Marcus Whitman's Oregon mission.  Fremont and Carson picked up supplies at Fort Vancouver, followed the eastern foothills of the Cascades down to Nevada.  They then made a foolhardy crossing of the Sierra Nevada in midwinter barely making it through alive.  The final report, although it corrected some of the mistakes of earlier maps, contained many errors.  Nevertheless it was a immediate hit with the public...

Fremont and Carson were only half finished...

Next time...Expedition #3 and #4
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Today in Pioneer History:  "On March 27, 1911, In one of the darkest moments of America's industrial history, the Triangle Shirtwaist Company factory in New York City burns down, killing 145 workers. The tragedy led to the development of a series of laws and regulations that better protected the safety of factory workers.

John Charles Fremont

We have discussed John Charles Fremont before in this blog but we will go into a bit more detail this time in context.  Fremont was born in Savannah, Georgia in 1813.  In 1818 his mother, brother and sister moved to Charleston, South Carolina where he grew up in genteel poverty

Fremont developed into a handsome young man who had a real love of danger, a flair for self-dramatization and a talent for attracting influential friends.  One of these friends paid for much of Fremont's education.  At the age of 25, Charles became a second lieutenant in the US Topographical Corps where he gained a reputation as a wilderness surveyor and mapmaker. 

As a young officer, Fremont attracted the attention of Thomas Hart Benton, one of the most powerful men in American politics at that time.  Fremont met Benton's 15 year old daughter, Jesse and the two fell in love.  Despite the parents very impassioned objections, they were married secretly in the fall of 1846. 
Benton forgave his new son-in-law and became his patron and protector, getting him an appointment as chief of an expedition map the new Oregon Trail.

Fremont had two main objectives in 1842.  One was to make the first accurate map of the Oregon Trail.  The second was to promote westward emigration.  He was joined on his expedition by a famous legendary frontiersman, Kit Carson.

Next time...on the trail with Carson and Fremont
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Today in Pioneer History:  On March 23, 1839, the initials "O.K." are first published in The Boston Morning Post. Meant as an abbreviation for "oll korrect," a popular slang misspelling of "all correct" at the time, OK steadily made its way into the everyday speech of Americans.

With a Friend Like That...

In December 1848, they reach Sangre de Cristo and were in trouble from the snow and severe cold.  Crazy Bill Williams in a sober moment began to reconsider his promise to lead them through the mountains and wanted to redirect them through New Mexico, but  John Charles Fremont wouldn't budge.  

The men began to weaken and by Christmas, Williams just wanted to "lay down and die", reported one man on the expedition.  On December 27, Fremont finally began to question the sanity of what he was doing and seeing how bad Williams really was, he dispatched him along with 2 men to return to Taos to find help.

With blizzards raging around camp and lack of food, Fremont's nerve finally gave out two weeks later.  Taking 15 men and some supplies, Fremont started out for civilization, leaving the rest of the men to fend for themselves!!!  When he met the first relief party outside of camp, he refused to offer his men any help! On January 27,  Fremont arrived in Taos where he sent a letter back East blaming Williams for the fiasco.  then he left for California through southern Arizona.   

For the record, Fremont left behind 11 of his men who starved or were frozen to death in the mountains.  Upon reaching California, he called the expedition "satisfactory".  

I am not saying that Crazy Bill Williams was an upstanding sober man, but in my opinion John Charles Fremont ranks up there as one of the sorriest excuses for a man in history...you can decide for yourself.

Next time...Traitor!

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On this Day in History:  On December 1, 1882,  Elfego Baca, legendary defender of southwestern Hispanos, manages to hold off a gang of 80 cowboys who are determined to kill him. The trouble began the previous day, when Baca arrested Charles McCarthy, a cowboy who fired five shots at him in at Frisco (now Reserve),  New Mexico.  For months, a vicious band of Texan cowboys had terrorized the Hispanos of Frisco, brutally castrating one young Mexican man and using another for target practice. Outraged by these abuses, Baca gained a commission as deputy sheriff to try to end the terror. His arrest of McCarthy served notice to other Anglo cowboys that further abuses of the Hispanos would not be tolerated.

2 Bad Apples...

Crazy Bill William and Charles John Fremont departed for the last time from the Rockies -  one dead and one alive. 

Fremont was again appointed to survey the West for the railroad by his father-in-law, Senator Benton.  Fremont had never been in Colorado or Utah territory before, but the 38th parallel was the practical route for rail travel, so he offered to lead an expedition through the territory in the DEAD OF WINTER!

On November 1848 Fremont tried to recruit men at Fort Bent to join him - all of them turned him down.  They knew that Sangre de Cristo in the winter was suicide.  Fremont ignored them, of course, and reached Pueblo on the 21st of November.  There he found Crazy Bill Williams who was 61 years old by now and an alcoholic.  He, of course, volunteered to "guide" Fremont through the mountains.  Even though Fremont knew better, he still accepted William's offer...I think they made a perfect pair if you have been following the blog for any length of time...

By the way, Crazy Bill was suffering from a gunshot wound he received when he lead the military against his wife's own Indian people....

We continue this story next time with "With Friends Like These"...

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This Day in History:   On November 27, 1878,  Without bothering to identify the village or do any reconnaissance, Lieutenant Colonel George Custer leads an early morning attack on a band of peaceful Cheyenne living with Chief Black Kettle. Convicted of desertion and mistreatment of soldiers earlier that year in a military court, the government had suspended Custer from rank and command for one year.

Fremont Finally Gets His

The Bear Flag Rebellion followed after a formal declaration of war between the USA and Mexico on May 1846.  Fremont returned from Oregon to march south at the head of the so-called California Battalion, made up of the remaining men of his "survey expedition" party.

In 1847 the general arrested Fremont, charging him with "disobeying orders, military and conduct prejudical to military interests".  He was ordered back to Washington to stand court martial.  the court was lenient because of his popularity and permitted him to retain his commission.  Fremont rejected the offer, resigned from the army, and convinced himself he was a martyr of the Manifest Destiny.  Unbelievable...

Next time...Goodbye to Missouri and the Rockies
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 This Day in History:  On November 20, 1843, the Blacksnake Hills, the growing community along the banks of the Missouri River adopts the more impressive St. Joseph as its name.

I Don't Think So...

Fremont responded to Catro's demand by taking 60 of his men to the top of Hawk's Peak in the Gabilan Mountain overlooking Santa Clara Valley and erected a statue of himself along with the United States flag.   (I told you that you would come to look at Fremont differently!)  From there, he proceeded to taunt the Mexicans with boasts of military might.  He saw California as his, the way Jackson saw Florida and Houston saw Texas as their own.

Without orders, and as an active military officer, Fremont had entered a foreign country at that time, and committed what amounted to an act of war.  Fremont remained on Hawk's Peak for 3 days until the flag fell to the ground causing Fremont to abandon the position because he saw that as a "bad omen".

Hightailing it to Oregon without interference and in a towering rage, Captain Walker severed all ties with Fremont on the spot. and was later to say "Fremont, morally and physically was the most complete coward I ever knew.  I would say that he was as timid as a woman if I were not casting an unmerited reproach on that sex."

Next time...Fremont Finally Gets His

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This Day in History: On Nov.17, 1856, the United States gained control over the Gadsden Purchase with the establishment of Fort Buchanan. Named for the recently elected President, Fort Buchanan was located on the Sonoita River in present-day southern Arizona.

Trouble in California

Somewhere between Utah and California the party split up with Walker taking the pack mules, furs and horses through Walker Pass,  and Fremont going through Oregon, both agreeing to meet up in California. Captain Walker's party had a good trip through the Sierra and was waiting on Fremont for almost a month.  Walker went north to find Fremont (who claimed it was Walker who got lost).

The Mexican authorities  allowed Fremont's expedition under the title "scientific expedition" even though Fremont had no orders to be in California at all.  Walker was there as a free trapper/trader. 

About this time, rumors were  circulating that the United States and Mexico would soon be at war.  There were some 500 American settlers in California at that time, with the Indian population about 7000.  Col. Jose Catro was the local military commander and decided Fremont's "scientific expedition" was really a United States spy mission.  He ordered Fremont out of California immediately and began gathering regular military troops to enforce his demand.  Did John Charles Fremont helped incite the war with Mexico?  History doesn't say but from the story here, it sure didn't help.

Next time...I Don't Think So

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This Day in History:  On October 13, 1909,  the Ballinger-Pinchot scandal erupts when Colliers magazine accuses Secretary of the Interior Richard Ballinger, an appointee of President Taft,  of shady dealings in Alaskan coal lands. It is, in essence, a conflict rooted in contrasting ideas about how to best use and conserve western natural resources.

Oil and Water = Horse Thief?

John Charles Fremont's third expedition was westward from Montana to Pueblo Colorado which at that time was a collection of huts where the undesirables of the Southwest hung out - among them Crazy Bill Williams.  Fremont appointed Williams to pilot the rest of his expedition along with his Ute wife.  By this time Crazy Bill's drinking and temper had worsened to the point of causing real problems on the trail.

The group caught up with Walker on the White River in Utah where Fremont finally convinced Walker to pilot his remaining expedition.  Walker was headed to California with furs and horses, and probably Fremont was headed that same course.  Remember that Fremont had been hired to survey the Southwest, not California!

Shortly after joining up with Fremont, Captain Walker and Crazy Bill Williams got into it with Williams claiming that Walker had taken over his job (which he had).  Sometime in the night Williams left, taking two of Walker's best horses with him.  A horse thief is never well liked...

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This Day in History: On November 10, 1808, in a decision that would eventually make them one of the wealthiest surviving Indian nations, the Osage Indians agree to abandon their lands in Missouri and Arkansas in exchange for a reservation in Oklahoma.The Osage were the largest tribe of the Southern Sioux Indians occupying what would later become the states of Missouri, Kansas, and Nebraska.

Next Time...Trouble in California

Packing the Big Gun

Fremont and Carson set off in the summer of 1842.  Fremont had a deep need for instant glory and he could arrange situations where he was the center of attention and a hero.  In the 1840s he presented himself as a kind of frontier hero, a trailblazer for all.  He compared himself to John Jacob Astor and was an instant celebrity as he went west...why you might ask?

John Charles Fremont took along on his survey party a 12 pound cannon which he had gotten illegally from the army.  There was no possible use for a cannon on a survey expedition other than a photo op - it was fired on only one occasion at a herd of buffalo.  His military superiors were furious and his men who had to deal with him over the trails said he was "ridiculous".  Beginning to get a picture of why Captain Joseph Walker wanted nothing to do with Fremont's "survey" expedition?

Next time...An Explosion of Wagon Trains

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Today in History:  On November 3,  1883  authorities almost catch Charles Boles, California bandit and infamous stagecoach robber called Black Bart.  He manages to make a quick getaway, but drops an incriminating clue that eventually sends him to prison.

Fremont's Survey

In 1842 Senator Thomas Benton (the Patrick Henry of Manifest Destiny) supported a survey of the wagon road across the Plains to the South Pass.  The South Pass had been traveled for 15 years, so this seemed a bit redundant.  The actual purpose of the survey was to increase public awareness and make it desirable to go west.

The surveyor's  job went to John Charles Fremont who just happened to be Senator Benton's son-in-law.  Captain Walker thought Fremont was a fool and a coward...I agree but let's just tell the story...

Charles Fremont was to become the Great Pathfinder, or the Great Publicist of the West, depending on your perspective, but he did have more influence than any single man on the overland migration of the 1840-50's.  He was a notable glory hound...

Fremont offered Walker the job of chief guide which Walker suggested Kit Carson instead, saying "Kit could guide him to any point he wanted to go".  After checking Carson's references, Fremont hired Carson.

Carson was well-qualified to guide an expedition like this one and was better suited to satisfy Fremont's temperamental requirements than Joe.  Carson would serve very well as far as the mission's real purpose was - publicizing and romanticizing the West.  He was an attractive and modest guy who provided Fremont the raw material to become the new Daniel Boone.

The Story of Fremont continues next time...

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This Day in History:  On this day in 1864, the town of Helena, Montana, is founded by four gold miners who struck it rich at the appropriately named "Last Chance Gulch."