What do you think?
Rate this book
John Charles Fremont: Character as Destiny
As an explorer, John Charles Frémont led five expeditions into the American West--two of them disastrous. He was also one of California’s first two senators (1850), America’s first Republican candidate for president (1856), a Civil War general, and the territorial governor of Arizona (1878-83). But his life was one of rash and rebellious conduct against authority. During the Mexican War he claimed to be the military governor of California, which resulted in a court-martial in 1848. At the outbreak of the Civil War he reentered the army as one of four major generals, outranking even Ulysses S. Grant. However, when he antagonized President Abraham Lincoln by issuing his own emancipation proclamation in advance of the president’s, Lincoln relieved him of command. In this comprehensive biography, Andrew Rolle carefully examines the historical record with a psychobiographical approach that explores and explains the many irrationalities of Frémont’s character.
272 pages, Paperback
First published November 1, 1991
13 people want to read
Ratings & Reviews
Friends & Following
Create a free account to discover what your friends think of this book!
Community Reviews
Displaying 1 of 1 review
May 27, 2019
The man known as the Pathfinder was born out of wedlock in 1813 to one Charles Fremon and Anne
Pryor out of wedlock as she was married to a Virginia planter who kicked her out when she was
discovered pregnant by another man. As you can imagine after the father died, mother and the
rest of the kids and there were some more had one hardscrabble background. Fremont in his adolescence was raised by a black slave nana and his experience with her made him a firm abolitionist
his whole life.
What he wanted to be was an explorer and he was a bright kid who came to the attention of Joel R.
Poinsett who appointed him to the US Army Topographical Corps. Fremont went on expeditions with
French expatriate explorer Joseph Nicollet.
Both Nicollet and Fremont didn't 'discover' anything. What they did was make maps for others to
follow, most important in the opening up of the west. When Nicollet died Fremont with connections he had made with powerful US Senator Thomas Hart Benton of Missouri took over and
led the first of five expeditions which made careful maps of the ways to get through the Rocky
Mountains. Fur trappers had known of these for years and Fremont had one of the best of them
Kit Carson.
These were some rugged trips and whatever else you can say about Fremont he was a brave man and an inspirational leader to his men.
He eloped with the daughter of his sponsor Senator Benton and while it took a while for Benton to
forgive him the marriage with Jessie Benton was a love match. Jessie was far more educated than
most women of her time and was his champion through thick and thin.
On his second trip west the Mexican War broke out and Fremont arrived in California and when the
army and navy claimed jurisdiction, Fremont who thought that rules and discipline didn't apply to
him at times, recognized Navy captain Robert Stockton as military governor of California instead of
army general Stephen W. Kearney in 1846. Kearney was named by President Polk and Fremont
earned a court martial. Only his connections with Benton saved his career.
When California entered the union Fremont served a short term as one its first Senators. By that
time he had invested heavily in mining and ranching there. But Fremont turned out to be no
businessman. Eventually he lost all his money over the years there and spent a lot of time eluding
creditors.
The new Republican Party needed a candidate in 1856 for its first election and Fremont was chosen.
He lost to James Buchanan, but the party went on the map. When the Civil War came Fremont's
prestige entitled him to a command and he got the Missouri theater.
Fremont was no better a businessman for the army than he was for himself. His department was
rife with corruption with crooked military contractors making out like bandits. He also quite on his own decided to free the slaves in his jurisdiction. A policy decision that was reserved for the
president to make and the president made it in what Abraham Lincoln considered the proper
political timing. It also got Fremont removed from command
In 1864 Fremont had a shortlived presidential candidacy of the radical Republicans who felt Lincoln
wasn't moving fast enough on their issues. But Fremont withdrew and Lincoln won his re-election. For the next several years the Fremonts lived mostly in New York beating off creditors.
Some rescue came from Rutherford B. Hayes and his Secretary of the Interior Carl Schurz when Fremont was appointed territorial governor of Arizona. But Fremont spent most of the time trying
to rebuild his fortune out of state trying to line up investors for promising Arizona properties.
Mind you this was in the years of the Apache wars and the famous Wyatt Earp/Clanton gang feuding. Fremont was nowhere to be found. Fremont got removed in 1881 by President Chester A.
Arthur on petition of prominent Arizona citizens. He died in 1890 in genteel poverty with his
beloved Jessie.
The subtitle of the book is character as destiny. Fremont was a brave man with one gigantic ego.
He was also incredibly vain and had no idea about business. His character made him the nominee
of one of the two major parties and it led him to die in poverty.
Andrew F. Rolle has written a fine book on a most complex man.
Pryor out of wedlock as she was married to a Virginia planter who kicked her out when she was
discovered pregnant by another man. As you can imagine after the father died, mother and the
rest of the kids and there were some more had one hardscrabble background. Fremont in his adolescence was raised by a black slave nana and his experience with her made him a firm abolitionist
his whole life.
What he wanted to be was an explorer and he was a bright kid who came to the attention of Joel R.
Poinsett who appointed him to the US Army Topographical Corps. Fremont went on expeditions with
French expatriate explorer Joseph Nicollet.
Both Nicollet and Fremont didn't 'discover' anything. What they did was make maps for others to
follow, most important in the opening up of the west. When Nicollet died Fremont with connections he had made with powerful US Senator Thomas Hart Benton of Missouri took over and
led the first of five expeditions which made careful maps of the ways to get through the Rocky
Mountains. Fur trappers had known of these for years and Fremont had one of the best of them
Kit Carson.
These were some rugged trips and whatever else you can say about Fremont he was a brave man and an inspirational leader to his men.
He eloped with the daughter of his sponsor Senator Benton and while it took a while for Benton to
forgive him the marriage with Jessie Benton was a love match. Jessie was far more educated than
most women of her time and was his champion through thick and thin.
On his second trip west the Mexican War broke out and Fremont arrived in California and when the
army and navy claimed jurisdiction, Fremont who thought that rules and discipline didn't apply to
him at times, recognized Navy captain Robert Stockton as military governor of California instead of
army general Stephen W. Kearney in 1846. Kearney was named by President Polk and Fremont
earned a court martial. Only his connections with Benton saved his career.
When California entered the union Fremont served a short term as one its first Senators. By that
time he had invested heavily in mining and ranching there. But Fremont turned out to be no
businessman. Eventually he lost all his money over the years there and spent a lot of time eluding
creditors.
The new Republican Party needed a candidate in 1856 for its first election and Fremont was chosen.
He lost to James Buchanan, but the party went on the map. When the Civil War came Fremont's
prestige entitled him to a command and he got the Missouri theater.
Fremont was no better a businessman for the army than he was for himself. His department was
rife with corruption with crooked military contractors making out like bandits. He also quite on his own decided to free the slaves in his jurisdiction. A policy decision that was reserved for the
president to make and the president made it in what Abraham Lincoln considered the proper
political timing. It also got Fremont removed from command
In 1864 Fremont had a shortlived presidential candidacy of the radical Republicans who felt Lincoln
wasn't moving fast enough on their issues. But Fremont withdrew and Lincoln won his re-election. For the next several years the Fremonts lived mostly in New York beating off creditors.
Some rescue came from Rutherford B. Hayes and his Secretary of the Interior Carl Schurz when Fremont was appointed territorial governor of Arizona. But Fremont spent most of the time trying
to rebuild his fortune out of state trying to line up investors for promising Arizona properties.
Mind you this was in the years of the Apache wars and the famous Wyatt Earp/Clanton gang feuding. Fremont was nowhere to be found. Fremont got removed in 1881 by President Chester A.
Arthur on petition of prominent Arizona citizens. He died in 1890 in genteel poverty with his
beloved Jessie.
The subtitle of the book is character as destiny. Fremont was a brave man with one gigantic ego.
He was also incredibly vain and had no idea about business. His character made him the nominee
of one of the two major parties and it led him to die in poverty.
Andrew F. Rolle has written a fine book on a most complex man.
Displaying 1 of 1 review