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FREMONT, JOHN CHARLES. 



FREMONT, JOHN CHARLES, an American 

 explorer, born in Savannah, Ga., Jan. 21, 1813 ; 

 died in New York city, July 13, 1890. He was 

 descended from a good family of Lyons, France. 

 His father, driven from his home by political 

 trouble, was seeking refuge with a relative in 

 Santo Domingo, when he was captured by a Brit- 

 ish cruiser and imprisoned. After several years 

 he made his escape, intending to return to his na- 

 tive land ; but, on reaching Norfolk, Va., he was 

 compelled to remain there waiting for a vessel 

 and money for his voyage. He began teaching 

 French in Norfolk, and soon an attachment 

 sprang up between him and Anne Beverly Whit- 

 ing, which resulted in their marriage and the 

 abandonment by Fremont of his purpose to go 

 home. Soon after their marriage the couple set 

 out on a journey, of the nature of an exploration, 

 to the South and West, visiting the Indian tribes 

 and examining aboriginal remains. During this 

 tour their first child, John Charles, was born. 

 After the death of her husband in 1818 Mrs. 

 Fremont, with her three children, settled in 

 Charleston, S. C. 



At the age of fourteen John was placed in the 

 law office of John W. Mitchell, who, recognizing 

 his talent, and pleased with his energy and de- 

 votion to study, placed him under the tuition of 

 Dr. Robertson, a private classical teacher, with 

 whom he remained a year, when he entered the 

 junior class in Charleston College. In after-life 

 he wrote to Dr. Robertson : " 1 am far from 

 either forgetting you, or neglecting you, or in any 

 way losing the old regard I had for you. There 

 is no time to which I go back with more pleas- 

 ure than that spent with you, for there was no 

 time so thoroughly well spent ; and of anything 

 I may have learned I remember nothing so well 

 and so distinctly as what I acquired with you." 

 Dr. Robertson adds : " I can not help saying that 

 the merit was almost all his own. It is true that 

 I encouraged and cheered him on ; but if the soil 

 into which I put the seeds of learning had not 

 been of the richest quality they would never 

 have sprung up to a hundred-fold in the full 

 ear." Fremont's mother was exceedingly anx- 

 ious that her son should become a clergyman, 

 and at this time he united with the Protestant 

 Episcopal Church. He showed at first the same 

 ardor in study that had characterized him earlier, 

 but, becoming enamored of a West Indian beauty, 

 he absented himself so often from recitations 

 that he was reprimanded. As he refused to 

 apologize or to return to his duties, he was ex- 

 pelled from college. After the death of a brother 

 and a sister, he privately resumed his studies, 

 but he abandoned all thought of the ministry, 

 and devoted himself with ardor to scientific and 

 mathematical work, teaching mathematics in an 

 evening school, and becoming a private tutor. 

 In 1833 the United States sloop-of-war " Natch- 

 ez" was sent to Charleston because of the 

 " nullification " troubles, whence it was ordered 

 to cruise along the coast of South America. 

 Fremont obtained the post of teacher of mathe- 

 matics on board, and set out on a voyage of two 

 and a half years. On his return the college be- 

 stowed on him the degree of A. B. and after- 

 ward that of A. M. He applied for one of the 

 then recently established naval mathematical 

 professorships, and was one of a few who were 



able to pass at Baltimore the rigid examination 

 required. He was appointed to the frigate " In- 

 dependence," when he suddenly determined to 

 exchange his profession for a more active one. 

 He became a surveyor and civil engineer, and 

 examined a railroad route between Charleston 

 and Augusta, He then obtained the place of as- 

 sistant engineer under Capt. William G. Will- 

 iams, of the United States Topographical Corps, 

 on surveys for a railroad to be built between 

 Charleston and Cincinnati, his work being esj 

 cially the exploration of the mountain passes 

 tween North Carolina and Tennessee. WTiei 

 this work was finished, Fremont accompany 

 Capt. Williams in an examination of the Cher 

 kee country of Georgia, North Carolina, am 

 Tennessee. The region was mountainous, anc 

 the reconnoissance was made rapidly, in mid- 

 winter, in anticipation of war with those Indiar 

 In 1838 Fremont accompanied Jean Nicol 

 Nicollet in a governmental survey of the country 

 between the Missouri and the northern boundary, 

 and in July of that year he was commissioned 

 by President Van Buren as second lieutenant of 

 Topographical Engineers. He spent two years 

 with the expedition, and then went to Washing- 

 ton to prepare his report. Here he met Miss 

 Jessie Benton, daughter of Thomas H. Benton, 

 Senator from Missouri. She was but fifteen 

 years old, and her parents objected to her receiv- 

 ing the addresses of the young lieutenant, who 

 was captivated at first sight, and when he was 

 ordered on a Government survey of Des Moines 

 river the young lovers believed that Senator 

 Benton had obtained the order for the purpose 

 of separating them. The survey was done rap- 

 idly, and on Fremont's return they ran away 

 and were married privately on Oct. 19, 1841. A 

 year later Fremont was placed in command of 

 an expedition to explore the Rocky mountains, 

 especially the South Pass. In his report he says : 

 " I set out from Washington city on the 2d day 

 of May, 1842, and arrived at St. Louis, by way of 

 New York, the 22d of May, where the necessary 

 preparations were completed, and the expedition 

 commenced. I had collected in the neighbor- 

 hood of St. Louis 21 men, principally Creole arid 

 Canadian voyageurs, who had become familiar 

 with prairie life in the service of the fur com- 

 panies in the Indian country. Mr. Charles 

 Preuss, a native of Germany, was my assistant 

 in the topographical part of the survey ; L. Max- 

 well, of Kaskaskia, had been engaged as hunter ; 

 and Christopher Carson (more familiarly known, 

 for his exploits in the mountains, as Kit Carson) 

 was our guide." During this journey Fremont as- 

 cended the highest peak of the Rocky mountains, 

 in the Wind River range, and examined the head- 

 waters of the Platte river. An extract from his 

 report of these occurrences will serve better than 

 the words of another to show Fremont's courage, 

 his skill as a writer, and his ability to serve the 

 several sciences that his expedition called for. 

 His report excited admiration in Europe as well 

 as at home, and forms an interesting page in the 

 voluminous records of the man who, from his 

 services of this kind, was popularly called the 

 " Pathfinder " : 



I was desirous to keep strictly within the scope of 

 my instructions, and it would have required ten or fif- 

 teen additional days for the accomplishment of this 



