Analysis: The Fremont Expedition Across the Sierra Nevada Range

Date: February 1844

Author: John C. Fremont

Genre: journal

Summary Overview

Having previously led an expedition to document the geography of the Platte River, Second Lieutenant John C. Fremont had been given the task of mapping the western section of the Oregon Trail, an easier and more southerly route to the Columbia River than that taken by Lewis and Clark forty years earlier. Although a few groups of families had previously used the trail, thousands were making plans to move west to Oregon Territory. The nation was eager for information about the West, and when Fremont's journals were published they were a sensation. They accurately presented information about the geography in the area where his expedition had traveled, but they also contained the story of struggles and perseverance, against incredible odds, by Fremont and his men. This “bestseller” made Fremont a national hero, and his exploits increased the push for the United States to incorporate this western territory within its boundaries.

Defining Moment

During the 1840s, the westward push of the United States was in full force. Manifest Destiny, which most took to mean a divine right to spread the political and social system of the United States all the way to the Pacific Ocean, was at its peak. The British in the Northwest and the Mexicans in the Southwest were rivals opposing the American expansion. Settlers from the United States were ready to move into these areas, but for many, additional information about the land through which they would travel was needed. Thus, a series of expeditions were commissioned by the United States government to explore and record the areas west of what had been acquired through the Louisiana Purchase. The Lewis and Clark expedition in 1803 had been sent to the Pacific Ocean, even though it was clear that the territory that the United States had recently bought did not go that far. This, and other early expeditions, laid the groundwork for further expansion. Within a decade, the Astor Pacific Fur Trading Company was active along the Columbia River, beginning a full scale competition with the British for the economic wealth of the region, as well as for the territory itself.

With the migration of farmers to the Willamette and Columbia River Valleys having started, John Charles Fremont was given the task of mapping the region west of where he had ventured on his previous expedition, to allow an even larger number of people to travel to Oregon. Because of Fremont's efforts, the Oregon Trail became an avenue, though dangerous and rough, to carry people to Oregon and for the policy of America's westward expansion to succeed in the Northwest. Within three years of his expedition, the number of Americans traveling to Oregon was sufficient to force the British to give up their claim. Joint control, provided for in an 1818 treaty, was changed to British control in the North (Canada) and American in the South.

Fremont's plans to return by a more southerly route, from which the excerpt included in this article is taken, was an intentional move into territory that was recognized as Mexican. Although the Republic of Texas had not yet been admitted as a state, discussions had been underway for several years, and when that happened, many talked about expanding into the Southwest, including California. Thus, when Fremont's journals were published in March 1845, not only was information about territory around the Oregon Trail made available, but so too was extensive information about what the interior areas of California had to offer. Fremont excited the imaginations of Americans and increased the political pressure on the government to take whatever steps were necessary to fulfill the dreams of Manifest Destiny.

Author Biography

John Fremont (1813–1890) was born in Georgia to unwed parents. His father, Charles Fremon (no “t”) died when Fremont was five, leaving his mother, Anne Whiting Pryor, to raise him. In the 1830s, Fremont taught for several years and then, in 1838, was commissioned in the Corps of Topographical Engineers to help survey the West. In 1841, he married Jessie Benton, daughter of a powerful senator who helped his career in many ways. Fremont led four expeditions, with the second being the most ambitious. The journals of the first two made Fremont a popular hero.

In 1845, Fremont took a group of soldiers to California to agitate against the weak Mexican authorities and fought in California during the Mexican-American War. He was court-martialed for insubordination, but his sentence commuted by the president. He served as a senator from California and also acquired wealth from the gold fields. Fremont was nominated in 1856 as the first Republican candidate for president, but lost the election to James Buchanan. He served in the Army, without distinction, during the Civil War and later served as governor of the Arizona Territory. Retiring to Staten Island, New York, Fremont died in New York City in 1890.

Document Analysis

Exploring is intended to be a round-trip journey. While Fremont and his expeditionary party were well prepared to travel west to the Oregon Territory, when Fremont decided to take an indirect route home, leaving the Columbia River on November 25, 1843, it was a much different story. The provisions included cattle and plenty of horses and mules, but Fremont underestimated the severity of the journey and weather along the east side of the Cascades and Sierra Nevada Mountains. However, his optimistic outlook on life and his confidence that it would all work out allowed him to continue when others might have changed course. The excerpts from his journal that are reproduced here demonstrate how even in the midst of great hardship Fremont was confident. Recognizing the problems that winter travel was causing for his expedition, he decides to head west to California. The most desperate days of the trip were those at the end of February, as they cross through what is now called Carson Pass in the Sierra Nevada range. However, by the end of the first week of March, they were at Captain Sutter's estate recuperating from their arduous journey, but still with a long way to go.

Opening with Fremont's decision to cross the mountains to the Central Valley of California, the optimist saw that there were only seventy miles to travel. However, that distance was the case only “as the crow flies,” i.e., only if they could have flown directly. Going across the mountains, on the other hand, it took more than a month to travel a much greater distance to make it to the Central Valley. In retrospect, Fremont's decision not to winter in what is now Nevada could be called into question. The difficulty in moving forward, getting enough food, and the harsh weather are dramatically illustrated by Fremont in his journal. Even though many of the friendly Native Americans thought Fremont and his men crazy for trying to cross the mountains in winter, many helped by trading food. Others who were traveling themselves gave hope to the men that it was possible to make it across. Finding forage for their animals was, of course, as important as obtaining food for themselves.

Virtually every paragraph of this section of the journal contains a reference to snow, with the cold conditions referenced just as often. What might have seemed to be an obsession was actually Fremont facing the realities of the situation. The cold and snow were the party's unrelenting enemies as they strove to make it to California. Although none of the incidents mentioned was fatal, things easily could have turned out otherwise. Fremont's lack of accurate knowledge of the terrain through which they were passing could have led to an unfortunate end for all of them. However, the skills that the leaders had developed over the years allowed them to survive, although not comfortably.

The rain mentioned at the end of this excerpt indicated that they were finally getting to a lower elevation, where the warmer Pacific air might assist them in their survival. They still had some days to reach Sutter's estate, but at least the constant fear of freezing was gone. The warmer conditions also meant that game could be found in the forest, even if grass for their animals was not yet plentiful. The main struggle was over, and Fremont's seemingly endless hope had been justified.

Bibliography and Additional Reading

Chaffin, Tom. Pathfinder: John Charles Fremont and the Course of American Empire. 2002. Norman: U of Oklahoma P, 2014. Print.

Fremont, John C., with Anne F. Hyde (introduction). Fremont's First Impressions: The Original Report of his Exploring Expeditions of 1842–1844. Lincoln: U of Nebraska P, 2012. Print.

Fremont, John C., Donald Jackson, & Mary Lee Spence, eds. The Expeditions of John Charles Fremont. Vol. 1 “Travels from 1838 to 1844.” Urbana: U of Illinois P, 1970. Web. 13 Oct. 2014.

Roberts, David. A New World: Kit Carson, John C. Fremont, and the Claiming of the American West. New York: Simon & Schuster, 2001. Print.

Spence, Mary Lee. “John Charles Fremont” Utah History to Go. State of Utah, 2014. Web. 13 Oct. 2014.