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John C. Fremont
[1813-1890]

painting of John C. Frémont [1813-90] on the Oregon Trail in 1843          short profile

expeditions & members

works about John C. Frémont

works by John C. Frémont

movies about John C. Frémont

image gallery

family & friends

links

         1857 oil portrait of General John C. Frémont [1813-90] by Charles Loring Elliott (owned by the Brooklyn Museum)


"I was with Frémont from 1842 to 1847. The hardships through which we passed I find it impossible to describe, and the credit which he deserves I am incapable of doing him justice in writing. I can never forget [Frémont's] treatment of me when in his employ and how cheerfully he suffered with his men while undergoing the severest hardships. His perseverance and willingness to participate in all that was undertaken, no matter whether the duty was rough or easy, is the main cause of his success. And I say without fear of contradiction that none but him could have surmounted and succeeded through as many difficult services as his was."
'Kit' Carson [1809-68]

"[Frémont] exemplifies the Nineteenth-Century American spirit." — book blurb

Public and scholarly opinion of John C. Frémont ranges from very positive to very negative, best summed up in the statement
by biographer Allan Nevins that 'Frémont lived a dramatic life, of remarkable successes and dismal failures'.


Basic  Timeline  of  Frémont's  Eventful  Life

John Charles Frémont was born on 21 January 1813 in Savannah, Georgia
served in the U.S. Army, 1838-1848
First expedition, June 1842 to October 1842
Second expedition, May 1843 to August 1844
Third expedition, 1 June 1845 to June 1846


Military Governor of California, 1847

Frémont's court-martial began in Washington, DC on 2 November 1847; he was accused of several crimes by California Governor Stockton; the trial concluded 31 January 1848 with Frémont convicted on disobedience of a superior officer and military misconduct (but not for mutiny) and he was sentenced to a dishonorable discharge; President Polk quickly commuted Frémont's sentence of dishonorable discharge and reinstated him into the Army; dissatisfied with the partial pardon, Frémont resigned his commission and moved his family to California.

"Defence of Lieut. Col. J. C. Fremont, Before the Military Court Martial, Washington, January 1848" [] by John Charles Frémont
http://www.amazon.com/Defence-Fremont-Military-Martial-Washington/dp/1354279905/


The ill-fated fourth expedition, October 1848 to February 1849
U.S. Senator from California, 1850-1851
Fifth expedition, 1853-1854
Republican Party nominee for President of the United States, 1856

The American Civil War began on 12 April 1861 and lasted until 9 May 1865
second stint in the U.S. Army, May 1861 to June 1864
Frémont was appointed Commander of Department of the West in July 1861
Frémont proclaimed Missouri to be under martial law on 30 August 1861 and emancipated all slaves; the emancipation clause was revoked
by President Lincoln on 11 September; Frémont was removed from office by President Lincoln on 2 November.
"Vindication of Major General John C. Fremont : Against the Attacks of the Slave Power and Its Allies" [] by Shanks and John Peter Clever
http://www.amazon.com/Vindication-Major-General-John-Fremont-ebook/dp/B00NDI6RWQ/
President Lincoln placed Frémont in command of the Mountain Department in March 1862

Frémont lost much of his wealth in the Panic of 1873

Territorial Governor of Arizona & New Mexico, 1878-1881 when Prescott was the Territorial Capitol
The John C. Fremont House was built in Prescott in 1875 and was moved to the Sharlot Hall Museum grounds in 1971

John C. Frémont died destitute in New York City in 1890; his widow received a Civil War pension of $2,000 per year until her death in 1902

     B I O
     t e x t
     h e r e

John Charles Frémont was born on 21 January 1813 in Savannah, Georgia; he bore the stigma of his out-of-wedlock birth for his whole life.

John C. Frémont entry at Wikipedia


Expeditions  and  Members
Frémont expeditions pages at Legends of America website [est. 2003]


First expedition, June 1842 to October 1842: Frémont's party of 21 mountain men reached Wyoming and returned – the expedition lasted five months.
'Kit' Carson hired on as guide for John C. Frémont's First Expedition; Frémont's report to Congress was a sensation, and traffic westward increased dramatically.

"A Report On An Exploration of The Country Lying Between The Missouri River and The Rocky Mountains: On The Line of The Kansas
and Great Platte Rivers" [January 1843] by Lieut. J.C. Fremont
report texts are coded in the Works by John Frémont Section


Second expedition, May 1843 to August 1844: Frémont's party of 39 mountain men reached Oregon (trading post Fort Vancouver), Nevada (Lake Tahoe), and California by way of Carson Pass (Sutter's Fort); they returned to St. Louis – the expedition lasted 16 months. Frémont's second report to Congress again increased both his & Carson's reputations.

"Report of The Exploring Expedition To The Rocky Mountains and To Oregon and North California" [1845] by Captain John Charles Fremont
report texts are coded in the Works by John Frémont Section

"Following John C. Fremont's Trail Through Northern Colorado, 1843" [2010] by Stephen C. Schell
http://www.amazon.com/Following-Fremonts-Through-Northern-Colorado/dp/0982829302/

Finding Fremont In Oregon documentary video  "Finding Fremont In Oregon, 1843" documentary video [2010]
by Deschutes County Historical Society Museum

30 minute documentary brings photographer Loren Irving through Oregon in search of the 30+ camp-sites of the expedition led by John C. Fremont in 1843 based on maps & journals of several expedition members
Deschutes Museum color DVD [2010] for $22, $20 for members - includes s/h
not listed at IMDb • VHS/DVD/Blu-ray not available at Amazon (2020)
watch official promo {turn down sound} [upload 4/2014; 1:55] online at YouTube
watch outdoor interview segment on American History TV [upload 4/2014; 13:25] online at YouTube


Third expedition, 1 June 1845 to June 1846: The heavily-armed party of 60+ mountain men crossed present-day Colorado, Utah, and Nevada to California (Sutter's Fort and Monterey), returned to Oregon (the Klamath Lake Massacre on May 12), then headed south to California and switched from scientific expedition to become the California Battalion, now composed of 428 men – the expedition had lasted 12 months.


The ill-fated fourth expedition, October 1848 to February 1849: The purpose of the privately-financed expedition was to prove the year-round viability of a railroad route along the 38th parallel (St. Louis to San Francisco). Frémont's party of 35 mountain men easily reached Colorado; Frémont was unable obtain the valued service of 'Kit' Carson as guide; at Bent's Fort, Frémont engaged 'Uncle Dick' Wootton as guide, and at what is now Pueblo, Colorado, he hired the eccentric Old Bill Williams and turned abruptly south. (Wooten later turned back and Williams died searching for missing expedition members.) On December 22, Frémont acknowledged that the party needed to be resupplied; they made it to Taos in the New Mexico Territory on 12 February 1849 – ten of the party had died. After recuperating in Taos, Frémont and a few of the men left for California via the established southern trade route.

The Men and The Mountain book by William Brandon  
"The Men and The Mountain: An Account of Fremont's Failed Fourth Expedition" [1955]
by William Brandon

Wm. Morrow 8½x6 hardcover [1955] out of print/used
Fremont's Fourth Expedition book by Leroy R. & Ann W. Hafen  "Fremont's Fourth Expedition: A Documentary Account of The Disaster of 1848-1849 - With Diaries, Letters, and Reports By The Participants In The Tragedy" [1960]
by Leroy R. & Ann W. Hafen

Literary Licensing, LLC 9x6 pb [10/2012] for $35.95
Literary Licensing, LLC 9x6 hardcover [10/2012] for $50.95 {sic}
Arthur H. Clark Co. hardcover [1960] out of print/used


Fifth expedition, September 1853 to April 1854: Frémont's purpose was again finding a transcontinental railroad route along the 38th parallel (St. Louis to San Francisco); photographer (daguerreotypist) Solomon Nunes Carvalho was among the party; after Bent's Fort, they went west thru Colorado, Utah, and Southern Nevada, then over the Sierra Nevada to central California, arriving in San Francisco on 16 April 1854 – the journey lasted 7 months.

color map of John C. Fremont's five expeditions, 1842 to 1854
click for larger view {in new window}

                                 

topographer Lt. James W. Abert [1820-97]   click here for photograph of Lt.Col. James W. Abert [1820-97] (in a new window)
member of Frémont's third expedition, 1845-46; also member of Kearny's expedition to California in 1846-47, and listed
as one of the authors of Col. Emory's report • entry at Wikipedia


trapper 'Kit' Carson [1809-68]   click here for sepia photograph of 'Kit' Carson [1809-68], circa 1850 (in a new window)
worked as guide on Frémont's first three expeditions


artist & photographer Solomon Nunes Carvalho [1827?-1890]   click here for 1848 photograph of Solomon Carvalho (in a new window)
Frémont invited Solomon Carvalho to take Daguerreotype photographs on the fifth expedition, September 1853 to April 1854; Carvalho was not an outdoorsman and by the time Frémont's party reached southwestern Utah, he and Egloffstein had suffered from scurvy, starvation, and frostbite, so they stayed behind to recover; Carvalho was impressed by the Mormon society.
He eventually reached Los Angeles, went Back East to his family, became blind in 1869, and invented a heater that produced financial security; he died at age 82 in New York.
Of the 300+ photographs taken, only one original survives; many were copied by Matthew Brady but are effectively lost among the Brady archives • entry at Wikipedia

Incidents of Travel and Adventure 1857 book by Solomon Nunes Carvalho  "Incidents of Travel and Adventure In The Far West With Colonel Frémont's Last Expedition - Including Three Months' Residence In Utah, and A Perilous Trip Across The Great American Desert To The Pacific" [1857] by Solomon Nunes Carvalho
'the Bison Books edition - with Introduction by Ava F. Kahn - restores the discourses on Mormon doctrine omitted from previous XXth Century editions' - page count confusion is another Amazon integrity failure
113-page Bison Books 8x5¼ pb [5/2004] for $18.03
Centenary Edition, Edited and with an Introduction by Bertram Wallace Korn
328-page Jewish Publn Society of America 9¼x6 hardcover [1953] out of print/scarce
other editions
396-page Kindle Edition from Amazon Digital Services [2/2015] for 99¢
394-page HardPress Publng 9x6 pb [1/2012] for $14.95
380-page Wentworth Press 9¼x6 hardcover [3/2019] for $27.95
Solomon Carvalho Westward with Fremont book by Sophie Greenspan  
"Westward With Fremont: The Story of Solomon Carvalho" [1969]
by Sophie Greenspan [1906-90]

Kindle Edition from Jewish Publn Society [10/2018] for $11.42
Jewish Publn Society of America 8½x5½ pb [12/2018] for $12.02
Jewish Publn Society of America 9x6½ hardcover [1969] out of print/used

"Photo Odyssey: Solomon Carvalho's Remarkable Western Adventure, 1853-54" [6/2000] by Arlene B. Hirschfelder
http://www.amazon.com/Photo-Odyssey-Carvalhos-Remarkable-Adventure/dp/039589123X/

"Carvalho's Journey" [N.C.J.F. 2015]
documentary feature film by filmmaker Steve Rivo; narrated by Michael Stuhlbarg; aired on P.B.S.
VHS/DVD/Blu-ray not available • credits at IMDb


Herman Egloffstein []
pal of Solomon Carvalho on Frémont's Fifth Expedition; both stayed behind in Utah to recover their health


Chief Billy Chinook [1815-1897] of the Wasco tribe in Oregon
entry at Wikipedia
worked as guide for half of Frémont's second expedition; went East with Frémont to learn English; worked as guide for first half of Frémont's third expedition


Thomas Fallon [1825-85]
worked as voyageur on Frémont's third expedition of 1845-46; stayed on in Santa Cruz, Alta California • entry at Wikipedia


legendary mountain man Thomas 'Broken Hand' Fitzpatrick [1799-1854]   click here for photograph (in a new window)
worked as guide on Frémont's second expedition • entry at Wikipedia

Broken Hand Thomas Fitzpatrick biography by LeRoy R. Hafen & W.J. Ghent  "Broken Hand: The Life Story of Thomas Fitzpatrick, Chief of The Mountain Men" [1931]
by LeRoy R. Hafen & W.J. Ghent

alternate subtitle: "The Life of Thomas Fitzpatrick - Mountain Man, Guide, and Indian Agent"
Univ Nebraska Press/Bison Books 8½x5½ pb [rev 2/81] for $20.04
Univ Nebraska Press/Bison Books pb [rev 2/81] out of print/used
Univ Nebraska Press/Bison Books hardcover [1973] out of print/used
Old West Publng Co. 9¾x7 hardcover [1973] out of print/used
Old West Publng Co. hardcover [1931] out of print/scarce
Broken-Hand Fitzpatrick book by Shannon Garst  
"Broken-Hand Fitzpatrick: Greatest of Mountain Men" [1961]
by Shannon Garst

Responsive Environments Corp. 8¼x5¾ hardcover [1968] out of print/used
Julian Messner 9x6½ hardcover [1961] out of print/used

scout Alexander/Alexis Godey [1818?-71]   click here for photograph (in a new window)
Alex Godey page at Bob Graham's Long Camp website
worked as guide on Frémont's second & third & fourth expeditions


medical doctor Benjamin Jordan Kern [1818-49]   click here for photograph (in a new window)
killed by Utes during Frémont's fourth expedition

topographer & artist Lt. Edward Meyer Kern [1822-63]
member of Frémont's third & fourth expedition; member of the Washington expedition to New Mexico in 1849 • entry at Wikipedia

Edward Kern In the Shadow of Fremont book by Robert Hine  "In The Shadow of Fremont: Edward Kern and The Art of American Exploration,
1845-1860" [1982] by Robert V. Hine

Univ Oklahoma Press 8½x5½ pb [10/82] for $16.95
Univ Oklahoma Press 9x6 hardcover [11/82] out of print/many used
topographer & artist Richard H. Kern [1821-53]
member of Frémont's third & fourth expedition; member of the Washington Expedition to New Mexico in 1849; died during the Gunnison-Beckwith Expedition in 1853

Richard H. Kern Expeditionary Artist book by David J. Weber  "Richard H. Kern: Expeditionary Artist In The Far Southwest, 1848-1853" [1985]
by Edward Kern & David J. Weber [1940-2010]

After Edward Kern's diaries were found under the floorboards of an old hotel in Pennsylvania,
Prof. Weber added narrative and produced this book about Richard

Univ New Mexico Press 9x6½ hardcover [3/85] out of print/used

Basil Lajeunesse went on Frémont's third expedition


New Mexico land baron Lucien Bonaparte Maxwell [1818-75]   click here for photograph of NM land baron Lucien Maxwell [1818-75] (in a new window)
Lucien Maxwell left Illinois for the West and teamed up with older scout 'Kit' Carson; both signed on with John C. Frémont for the 1841 expedition. Maxwell & Carson returned to Taos, New Mexico in 1844, and both married daughters of local Hispanic ranchers. Maxwell moved to Cimarrón in Colfax County and built his land holdings to 1.7 million acres. In 1870, he sold most of the Maxwell Land Grant to a British company for $1,350,000, then moved to Fort Sumner, where he died at age 56 in 1875.
(Sheriff Pat Garrett killed outlaw Billy the Kid at the Maxwell hacienda in Fort Sumner in 1881.)
entry at Wikipediabio page at the Clan Maxwell website


James Fisher Milligan [1829-99]
served as Midshipman on the U.S Navy 22-gun sloop-of-war Albany, 1846-50; member of Frémont's fifth expedition, 1853-54;
he was also a Confederate signalman and a newspaper correspondent; he died at the age of 60 • no entry at Wikipedia

James F. Milligan diaries  "James F. Milligan: His Journal of Fremont's Fifth Expedition, 1853-1854 {and} His Adventurous Life On Land and Sea" [1889]
Edited by David H. Miller & Mark J. Stegmaier

Arthur H. Clark 8½x5½ hardcover [6/88] for $35.00
Arthur H. Clark 8½x5½ hardcover [6/88] out of print/used

Dick Owens went on Frémont's third expedition


Lt. William G. Peck went on Frémont's third expedition


surveyor and cartographer Charles Preuss [1803-54]
member of expeditions 1 & 2 & 4 • entry at Wikipedia

"Exploring With Frémont: The Private Diaries of Charles Preuss, Cartographer For John C. Frémont On His First, Second,
and Fourth Expeditions To The Far West" [Univ Oklahoma Press, 1958] 162 pages (American Exploration & Travel series, Number 26) by Charles Preuss and Erwin G. Elisabeth K. Gudde
http://www.amazon.com/Exploring-Fremont-Cartographer-Expeditions-Exploration/dp/B000ESN7KS/
Preuss's diary of the Frémont expedition was featured on a 2008 episode of the "This American Life" radio show


mountain man Charles Towne []
worked as hunter on Frémont's second expedition, 1843-44; showed up at the Taos Revolt in New Mexico Territory in 1847


mountain man Joseph Reddeford Walker [1798-1876]   click here for photograph (in a new window)
appointed sheriff while living in Independence, Missouri at around age 30; worked as guide on Frémont's third expedition • entry at Wikipedia

Joseph Walker: Frontier Sheriff novel by Fred Lawrence  "Joseph Walker: Frontier Sheriff (American Explorers Series #14)" [1983]
by Fred Lawrence

In June 1827, Joseph R. Walker was appointed sheriff of Jackson County, based in Independence, Missouri; this tale is a fictional account; the real Joseph Walker left Missouri on a beaver-hunting expedition with Benjamin de Bonneville [1796-1878] in May 1832.
Dell Publng mass pb [1983] out of print/used
Westering Man biography of Joseph Walker by Bil Gilbert  "Westering Man: The Life of Joseph Walker" [1983]
by Bil Gilbert

Univ Oklahoma Press mass pb [3/85] out of print/used
Univ Oklahoma Press mass pb [3/85] out of print/used
Univ Oklahoma Press 9x6 pb [3/85] out of print/many used
Atheneum 9¼x6 hardcover [5/83] out of print/used

mountain man Old Bill Williams [1787-1849]
worked as guide on Frémont's fourth expedition and died in Colorado • entry at Wikipedia


scout 'Uncle Dick' Wootton [1816-93]
worked as guide on Frémont's fourth expedition; later built a toll road thru Ratón Pass • entry at Wikipedia

                                 

Sight Unseen / Frémont's First Expedition book by Andrew Menard   "Sight Unseen: How Frémont's First Expedition Changed The American Landscape" [2012]
by Andrew Menard

Kindle Edition from Bison Books [10/2012] for $14.49
Bison Books 9x6 pb [9/2018] for $20.34
Bison Books 9½x6¾ hardcover [10/2012] for $19.03
Fremont Roaming In The Rockies book by Stuart R. Bryan  "Fremont Roaming In The Rockies: John Charles Fremont's 1st Expedition, 1842
– A Modern Trail Guide, A Fresh Look At An Old Path" [2016]
Text & drawings & photography by Stuart R. Bryan

Alpenglow Adventure Books 11x8½ pb [2016] out of print/scarce
Fremont Mapping The Great Basin book by Stuart R. Bryan  Fremont Mapping The Great Basin: John Charles Fremont's 3rd Expedition, 1845-1846
– A Modern Trail Guide, A Fresh Look At An Old Path" [2014]
Text & drawings & photography by Stuart R. Bryan

Alpenglow Adventure Books 11x8½ pb [2014] out of print/scarce
Fremont's Fatal Fourth Expedition book by Stuart R. Bryan  "Fremont's Fatal Fourth Expedition: John Charles Fremont's 4th Expedition, 1848-1849
– A Modern Trail Guide, A Fresh Look At An Old Path" [2012]
Text & drawings & photography by Stuart R. Bryan

Alpenglow Adventure Books 11x8½ pb [2015] out of print/SOLD OUT !
Alpenglow Adventure Books 11x8½ pb [2012] out of print/overpriced
Daguerreotyping Frémont's Last Expedition book by Robert Shlaer  "Sights Once Seen: Daguerreotyping Frémont's Last Expedition Through The Rockies"
[2000] by Robert Shlaer

Author and photographer Robert Shlaer has reconstructed the Fifth Expedition (1853-54) in 120 remarkable original daguerreotypes; using Frémont's maps, expedition documents, and Carvalho's diary accounts, Shlaer recreates the lost expedition across America's most breathtaking landscape using the venerable method of daguerreotypy.
Museum of New Mexico Press 9¼x11½ hardcover [3/2000] for $59.95


Works  About  John  C.  Frémont

Late American History / John C. Frémont book by Emma Willard   "Late American History: Containing A Full Account of The Courage, Conduct, and Success of John C. Frémont [1856] by Emma Willard [1787-1870]
second subtitle: ". . . By Which, Through Many Hardships and Sufferings He Became
The Explorer and The Hero of California"
Kindle Edition from HardPress Publng [5/2018] for $3.35
Wentworth Press 9¼x6 pb [8/2016] for $3.53
Wentworth Press 9¼x6 hardcover [8/2016] for $25.95
1856 original available as free online etext at Internet Archive

Life of Col. John Charles Fremont biography by Samuel M. Smucker  "The Life of Col. John Charles Fremont and His Narrative of Explorations and Adventures In Kansas, Nebraska, Oregon, and California" [Miller, Orton & Mulligan, 1856]
by Samuel Mosheim Smucker [1823-63]

Wentworth Press 9¼x6 pb [3/2019] for $19.95
Franklin Classics 9¼x6 hardcover [11/2018] for $29.95
1856 original available as free online etext [upload 2/2009] at Internet Archive
The Daring Adventures of Kit Carson and Fremont 1885 book  "The Daring Adventures of Kit Carson and Fremont Among Buffaloes, Grizzlies, & Indians, Being A Spirited Diary of The Most Difficult & Wonderful Explorations Ever Made: Opening Through Yawning Chasms & Over Perilous Peaks, The Great Pathway To The Pacific" [1885]
lack of integrity at Amazon makes actual authorship of this book very confusing: different editions say either Carson or Frémont or nothing; the first half of the book is a 70-page biography of Carson, the second half is the text of Frémont's first report to Congress
Kindle Edition from Big Byte Books [2/2014] for $2.99
indep 9x6 pb [11/2016] for $15.75
HardPress Publng 9x6 pb [8/2012] for $15.61
Hurst & Co. original hardcover [1885] long out of print/used
Hurst & Co. 1888 edition available as free online etext at Internet Archive
Worthington Co. 1888 edition available as free online etext at Internet Archive

The Struggle for Missouri 1909 book by John McElroy  "The Struggle For Missouri" [1909] by John McElroy [1846-1929]
Chapter XIII covers 'Fremont's Marvelous Ineffectiveness'
Kindle Edition from Amazon Digital Services [3/2011] for FREE!
Kindle Edition from Amazon Digital Services [8/2018] for $3.45
CreateSpace 11x8½ pb [6/2014] for $7.99
National Tribune Co. hardcover [1913] long out of print/used
1913 edition available as free online etext at Project Gutenberg
Adventuring with Carson & Fremont book by Edwin L. Sabin  "Adventuring With Carson and Frémont" [J.B. Lippincott Company 1912]
by Edwin L. Sabin, Illustrated by Charles H. Stephens

138-page ABRIDGED Kindle Edition from Amazon Digital Services [6/2020] for $2.99
304-page Kessinger Publng 9x6 pb [9/2010] for $23.16
304-page Kessinger Publng 9x6 hardcover [9/2010] for $35.16
1913 edition available as free online flip-book [9/2006 upload] at Internet Archive
1913 edition available as free online etext [6/2019 upload] at Project Gutenberg
Frémont and '49 book by Frederick S. Dellenbaugh  "Frémont and '49: The Story of A Remarkable Career and Its Relation To The Exploration and Development of Our Western Territory, Especially of California" [1913]
by explorer Frederick S. Dellenbaugh [1853-1935]

considered to be the first full (i.e. posthumous) biography of Frémont
Nabu Press 9¾x7½ pb [10/2010] for $26.99
Wentworth Press 9¼x6 hardcover [8/2016] for $33.95
G.P. Putnam's Sons hardcover [1914] long out of print/used
1914 original available as free online flip-book [1/2017 upload] at Internet Archive
John C. Fremont Pathfinder of The West 1927 booklet  
"John C. Frémont: Pathfinder of The West" booklet [1927]
from John Hancock Mutual Life Insurance Company, Boston

John Hancock Booklets pb [1927] long out of print/used

"A Man Unafraid: The Story of John Charles Fremont" [1927] by Herbert Bashford & Harr Wagner = no cover
http://www.amazon.com/Unafraid-Story-John-Charles-Fremont/dp/1162767154/ September 10, 2010
http://www.amazon.com/Unafraid-Story-John-Charles-Fremont/dp/116332308X/ September 10, 2010

"Fremont: The West's Greatest Adventurer: Being A Biography From Certain Hitherto Unpublished Sources of General John C. Fremont Together With
His Wife Jessie Benton Fremont and Some Account of The Period of Expansion Which Found a Brilliant Leader in .... " [1928] by Allan Nevins
http://www.amazon.com/Fremont-Adventurer-Biography-Unpublished-Expansion/dp/B000JC2G1K/

"The Famous Fremonts and Their America" [Christopher Publng House, 1948] by Alice Eyre

John Charles Fremont - Trail Marker book by Olive Woolley Burt   "John Charles Fremont: Trail Marker of The Old West" [1950]
by Olive Woolley Burt [1894-1980]

Julian Messner 8¼x5½ hardcover [1962] out of print/used
Julian Messner 8¼x5½ hardcover [1962] out of print/used

"John C. Fremont: Western Pathfinder" [1953] by Sanford Tousey
http://www.amazon.com/John-C-Fremont-Western-Pathfinder/dp/B001VMSG4I/

Fremont Soldier, explorer, statesman book by Fredrika Shumway Smith  Fremont: Soldier, Explorer, Statesman" [1966]
by Fredrika Shumway Smith, Illustrated with Photographs & Maps

Rand McNally hardcover [Rand McNally] out of print/used

"Expeditions of John Charles Frémont, Volume 1: Travels From 1838 to 1844 with Map Portfolio (case of 11 Maps)" [1970]
by Editors Donald Jackson & Mary Lee Spence
http://www.amazon.com/Expeditions-John-Charles-Fremont-Portfolio/dp/B011Z44MNK/

"The Expeditions of John Charles Frémont, Volume 2: The Bear Flag Revolt and The Court-Martial" [12/1973]
by Donald Jackson & Mary Lee Spence
http://www.amazon.com/Expeditions-John-Charles-Fremont-Court-Martial/dp/0252002490/

No Place For A Hero Western novel by Niven Busch  "No Place For A Hero: A Historical Novel of California's Pathfinder,
John C. Fremont" [1976] by Niven Busch

'an impressive, seamless blend of fact and fiction'
Kindle Edition from eNet Press, Inc. [2/2014] for $7.99
San Jose Mercury News pb [1976] out of print/used

"Fremont: Explorer for a Restless Nation" [1977] by Ferol Egan
http://www.amazon.com/Fremont-Explorer-Restless-Ferol-Egan/dp/0874170966/
http://www.amazon.com/Fremont-Explorer-Restless-Ferol-Egan/dp/0385017758/

"JOHN C. Frémont AND THE REPUBLICAN PARTY" [1979] by Ruhl J. Bartlett
http://www.amazon.com/JOHN-C-FREMONT-REPUBLICAN-PARTY/dp/B007ULP1TC/

John Fremont California Bound novel by Michael Beahan  "John Fremont: California Bound (American Explorers Series #5)" novel [1982]
by Michael Beahan

'Thirty-three men face unspeakable horror on a lonely mountain path . . . as a lonely woman waits'
Dell/Banbury mass pb [11/82] out of print/used

"Dream West" historical novel [1983] by Western writer David Nevin, adapted as a miniseries of the same name
1986 television mini-series adaptation starring Richard Chamberlain
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Dream_West

"The Expeditions of John Charles Frémont, Volume 3: Travels from 1848 to 1854" [1984] by Donald Jackson & Mary Lee Spence
http://www.amazon.com/Expeditions-John-Charles-Fremont-Travels/dp/0252004167/

Biographies of John Charles Frémont essays by Hans G. Schantz  "The Biographies of John Charles Frémont" [1989] by Hans G. Schantz
91 pages of short essays covering ten biographical works about Frémont
that were published from 1856 to 1983

Kindle Edition from Amazon Digital Services [11/2015] for 99¢

"John Charles Fremont: Character As Destiny" [Univ Oklahoma Press, 11/1991] by Andrew Rolle
http://www.amazon.com/John-Charles-Fremont-Character-Destiny/dp/080612380X/ + ISBN 0806131357

"John C. Frémont: Soldier and Pathfinder" [5/1996] by William R. Sanford & Carl R. Green
http://www.amazon.com/John-C-Fremont-Pathfinder-Legendary/dp/0894906496/

"Bear Flag Rising: The Conquest of California, 1846" [Macmillan, 1999] by Dale L. Walker ISBN 0312866852

"A Newer World: Kit Carson, John C. Fremont, and The Claiming of The American West" [1/2000] by David Roberts
http://www.amazon.com/Newer-World-Fremont-Claiming-American/dp/0684870215/
http://www.amazon.com/Newer-World-Fremont-Claiming-American/dp/0684834820/

John C. Fremont Pathfinder of The West book by Hal Marcovitz  "John C. Fremont: Pathfinder of The West" children's book [2001] by Hal Marcovitz
Chelsea House Publng 9½x6¼ pb [8/2001] for $6.99
Chelsea House Publng 9½x6½ library hardcover [10/2001] out of print/used

"John C. Fremont (Watts Library)" [3/2004] by D.M. Souza
http://www.amazon.com/John-C-Fremont-Watts-Library/dp/0531122883/

"Passion and Principle: John and Jessie Frémont, The Couple Whose Power, Politics, and Love Shaped Nineteenth-Century America"
[Bloomsbury, 2007] by Sally Denton 978-1-59691-019-5

"Blood and Thunder: The Epic Story of Kit Carson and The Conquest of The American West" [10/2007] by Hampton Sides
http://www.amazon.com/Blood-Thunder-Carson-Conquest-American/dp/1400031109/

'Snowbound' Western novel by Richard S. Wheeler  "Snowbound" Western novel [2010] by Richard S. Wheeler
fictional account of Frémont's ill-fated Fourth Expedition, 1848-1849
Kindle Edition from Forge/Macmillan [3/2010] for $7.99
Forge Books mass pb [3/2011] for $15.95
Forge Books 8½x6½ hardcover [3/2010] for $25.28

"Sight Unseen: How Frémont's First Expedition Changed The American Landscape" [Univ Nebraska Press, 2012] by Andrew Menard

"Pathfinder: John Charles Fremont and The Course of American Empire" [3/2014] by Tom Chaffin
http://www.amazon.com/Pathfinder-Charles-Fremont-Course-American/dp/0806144742/
http://www.amazon.com/Pathfinder-Charles-Fremont-Course-American/dp/0809075571/

"History Comics Issue #4: Captain John Fremont and How America Got California" [ABC Publns 9/2014] by Steve Carol & Nathan Flynn
http://www.amazon.com/History-Comics-Captain-Fremont-California-ebook/dp/B00NA8E7N0/

"Lincoln's Pathfinder: John C. Frémont and The Violent Election of 1856" [6/2017] by John Bicknell
http://www.amazon.com/Lincolns-Pathfinder-Fremont-Violent-Election/dp/1613737971/


Books  by  John  C.  Frémont

Expeditions

The Exploring Expedition to the Rocky Mountains book by John C. Frémont  "A Report On An Exploration of The Country Lying Between The Missouri River and The Rocky Mountains: On The Line of The Kansas and Great Platte Rivers" [January 1843]
by Lieut. J.C. Frémont

Kindle Edition from Amazon Digital Services [facsimile of May 1843] for 99¢
CreateSpace 9x6 pb [5/2014] for $7.49
Smithsonian Institution Press 9¼x6 pb [4/88] out of print/used
Ye Galleon Press 10x7 hardcover [11/96] out of print/used
University Microfilms, Inc. 9¼x6¼ library hardcover [1966] out of print/used
available as free online etext at Internet Archive
available as free online etext from microfiche at Internet Archive

Each report was printed in 10,000 copies by the U.S. Printing Office, with 250 copies given to each author.

"Report of The Exploring Expedition To The Rocky Mountains In The Year 1842, and To Oregon and North California In The Years 1843-44
(First Edition With The Large Folding Map)" [1845] by Brevet Capt. J.C. Frémont
available as free online etext [U.C. Libraries upload 6/2011] at Internet Archive
available as free online etext [Boston College Library upload 9/2016] at Internet Archive

The Exploring Expedition to the Rocky Mountains, Oregon, and California book by John C. Frémont   "The Exploring Expedition To The Rocky Mountains, Oregon, and California To Which Is Added A Description of The Physical Geography of California - With Recent Notices of The Gold Region From The Latest and Most Authentic Sources" [1850 bestseller]
by Capt. J.C. Frémont

Kindle Edition from Amazon Digital Services [3/2011] for FREE !
HardPress Publng 9x6 pb [8/2012] for $15.09
Palala Press 9¼x6 hardcover [11/2015] for $29.95
Report/s of The Exploring Expedition book by John C. Fremont  
"Report/s of The Exploring Expedition" [2002] by John C. Frémont
The Narrative Press 8½x5½ pb [7/2002] for $22.29
Frémont's First Impressions book  "Frémont's First Impressions: The Original Report(s) of His Exploring Expeditions of
1842-1844" [2012] by John C. Frémont, Introduction by Anne F. Hyde

Kindle Edition from Bison Books [10/2012] for $14.99
Bison Books 9x7 pb [10/2012] for $17.66
Biographical

Report of the Operations of Maj.-Gen. Frémont book by John C. Frémont  "Report of The Operations of Maj.-Gen. Frémont, While In Command of The Mountain Department, During The Spring and Summer of 1862" [1866] by John C. Frémont
Forgotten Books 9x6 pb [2/2019] for $9.57
Palala Press 9¼x6 hardcover [5/2016] for $21.95
original edition available as free online etext at Internet Archive
John Charles Frémont's 1886 Memoirs  "Memoirs of My Life and Times: With A Sketch of The Life of Senator Benton by Jessie Benton Frémont" [Belford, Clark & Co. 1886] by John Charles Frémont
Kindle Edition from Yarn Books [11/2019] for 99¢
787-page Kindle Edition from Amazon Digital Services [8/2015] for $1.99
Wentworth Press 9¼x6 pb [8/2016] for $18.92
Cooper Square Press 9x6 pb [10/2001] for $27.95
original 1886 Volume 1 available as free online etext [5/2007 upload] at Internet Archive




Movies  &  Television  About  John  C.  Frémont

"The Vigilantes Are Coming" 12-chapter movie serial [Republic Aug 1936]
The Vigilantes Are Coming 1936 serial, poster for Chapter 5  The Zorro-like masked hero The Eagle prevents the Russians from taking over California. Chapter Titles: 1. The Eagle Strikes; 2. Birth of The Vigilantes; 3. Condemned By Cossacks; 4. Unholy Gold; 5. Treachery Unmasked; 6. A Tyrant's Trickery; 7. Wings of Doom; 8. A Treaty With Treason; 9. Arrow's Flight; 10. Prison of Flame; 11. A Race With Death; and 12. Fremont Takes Charge; later re-edited as six half-hour TV episodes • Directed by Ray Taylor & Mack V. Wright; starring Robert Livingston, Kay Hughes, Guinn 'Big Boy' Williams, Raymond Hatton, Fred Kohler, Robert Warwick, William Farnum, Bob Kortman, Lloyd Ingraham, William Desmond, Yakima Canutt & Ray Corrigan {as Capt. Frémont}
Alpha Video b&w DVD [10/2005] for $7.98
Republic Pictures b&w VHS [5/95] out of prodn/used
27"x40" Chapter 1 poster from Amazon for $8.49
27"x40" Chapter 5 poster {as at left} from Amazon for $8.49
full credits at IMDbserial entry at Wikipedia

"Kit Carson" [United Artists Aug 1940]
Kit Carson 1940 movie starring Jon Hall  Mountain man 'Kit' Carson and two pals join U.S. Army Capt. John C. Frémont's force (the story combines Frémont's Third Expedition of 1845 and the Fourth Expedition of 1846); along the Oregon Trail and then the California Trail, they battle Mexican military forces; upon reaching Monterey, they stir up the creation of the Bear Flag Republic; filmed at Iverson Ranch and at Monument Valley in Utah & Arizona • Directed by George B. Seitz; starring Jon Hall {as Kit Carson}, Lynn Bari, Dana Andrews {as Frémont}, Harold Huber, Ward Bond, Renie Riano, Clayton Moore, Rowena Cook, Raymond Hatton {as Jim Bridger}, Harry Strang, C. Henry Gordon, Lew Merrill, Stanley Andrews, Edwin Maxwell {as John Sutter}, George Lynn, Charles Stevens & William Farnum
Henstooth Video b&w DVD [1/2013] for $16.98
Anchor Bay colorized VHS [7/89] for $21.99
full credits at IMDbmovie entry at Wikipedia
watch full movie [11/2014 upload; 1:35:38] online at Internet Archive

"Death Valley Days" long-running TV series
[Filmaster Prodns/Flying A Prodns 1952-70]
Death Valley Days episode 'The Gentle Sword'  "The Gentle Sword" Season 9, Episode 8 [Nov 1960]
Noted frontier explorer John Frémont is party to a contentious mining dispute in gold rush California; as the situation threatens to turn violent, the future presidential candidate is rescued by his faithful wife Jessie
Directed by Jesse Hibbs; written by Virgil C. Gerlach; hosted by Stanley Andrews, The Old Ranger; starring Lorna Thayer {as Jessie Frémont}, Roy Engel {as John C. Frémont}, Tom Reese, Robert Montgomery Jr., Karen Green, Bryan Russell, John Clifford, I. Stanford Jolley, Michael Vallon
VHS/DVD/Blu-ray not available • full credits at IMDb
Death Valley Days episode 'Samaritans, Mountain Style'  "Samaritans, Mountain Style" Season 15, Episode 8 [Oct 1966]
Two scouts for the first Frémont expedition help a Mexican rancher who has lost everything to the Indians . . .
Directed by Jean Yarbrough; written by Herbert Purdom; hosted by Robert Taylor; starring Phillip Pine {as Kit Carson}, Dick Simmons {as Lt. John C. Frémont}, Michael Pate, Gregg Barton, Don Keefer, Ruben Moreno
VHS/DVD/Blu-ray not available • full credits at IMDb
watch full episode in color [2/2017 upload; 25:14] online at YouTube

"The Wonderful World of Disney: Kit Carson and The Mountain Men" [1977]
season 23, episode 10 Kit Carson and the Mountain Men: Part 1 (1977) /tt0561111/
season 23, episode 11, Kit Carson and the Mountain Men: Part 2 (1977) /tt0561112/
Robert Reed appears as Carson's superior Frémont

"The Civil War" [Dec 2004] /tt6570644/
episode #4 of the "The Complete History of U.S. Wars, 1700-2004" 8-episode indep TV series [2004-2005]
Directed by Scott Gordon; written by Mark Reeder; hosted by George Kennedy; narrated by Alphonse Keasley; featuring
archive photographs of John C. Frémont, Philip Sheridan & William Tecumseh Sherman


Image  Gallery

photograph of Jessie and John Frémont         Fremont / Dayton campaign banner for the 1856 presidential election         poster of Fremont's 1861 Missouri Proclamation, August 1861         1898 USA 5¢ stamp honoring John C. Fremont         1994 USA 29¢ stamp honoring John C. Fremont


Jessie  Ann  Benton  Frémont  [1824-1902]
Jessie Ann Benton was born in Virginia in 1824; she died at age 78 in Los Angeles, California in 1902.
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Jessie_Benton_Fr%C3%A9mont
"The Story of The Guard: A Chronicle of The War" (1863)
"A Year of American Travel: Narrative of Personal Experience" [1878] by Jessie Benton Frémont
http://www.amazon.com/American-Travel-Jessie-Benton-Fr%C3%A9mont/dp/1519053568/ Nov 16, 2016
"Souvenirs of My Time" (1887)
"Far-West Sketches" (1890)
"The Will and The Way Stories" (1891)
"The Origin of The Frémont Explorations" (1891)
"Memoirs of My Life" (1887) by John C. Frémont includes 'Sketch of Senator Benton' by Jessie Benton Frémont
"Immortal Wife: The Biographical Novel of Jessie Benton Frémont" (1944) by Irving Stone
"Jessie Fremont At Black Point" (1974) by Lois Rather, Rather Press, Oakland CA
"Jessie Benton Frémont: A Biography" (1987) by Pamela Herr
"Jessie Benton Frémont: American Woman of The 19th Century" [1988] by Pamela Herr
historical novel "The Journals of Corrie Belle Hollister: On The Trail of The Truth" [Bethany House 1991] by Phillips, Michael & Judith Pella
"The Letters of Jessie Benton Frémont" (1993) edited by Pamela Herr and Mary Lee Spence, Urbana: University of Illinois Press.
"Jessie Benton Frémont: A Woman Who Made History" (1995) by Catherine Coffin Phillips
"Jessie Benton Frémont: Missouri's Trailblazer" (2005) by Ilene Stone and Suzanna M. Grenz
"Passion and Principle: John and Jessie Frémont, The Couple Whose Power, Politics, and Love Shaped Nineteenth-Century America" (2007) by Sally Denton
"Imperfect Union: How Jessie and John Fremont Mapped The West, Invented Celebrity, and Helped Cause The Civil War" (Penguin Press 2020) by Steve Inskeep
http://www.newyorker.com/magazine/2020/01/27/pioneers-of-american-publicity

Family & Friends
John Charles Frémont was born in Georgia in 1813, served in the U.S. Army 1838-1848 and 1861-1864, and died in New York City in 1890.

wife Jessie Ann Benton Frémont [1824-1902] - married 10/1841, widowed 1890 { details just above }



daughter Elizabeth Benton 'Lily' Frémont [1842-1919]
"The Arizona Diary of Lily Frémont, 1878–1881" [April 1997] by Elizabeth Benton Frémont and Mary Lee Spence
http://www.amazon.com/Arizona-Diary-Lily-Fr%C3%A9mont-1878-1881/dp/0816514496/
"Recollections of Elizabeth Benton Frémont, Daughter of The Pathfinder General John C. Frémont and Jessie Benton Frémont, His Wife" [1912]
http://www.amazon.com/Recollections-Elizabeth-Fr%C3%A9mont-daughter-pathfinder/dp/B003U6YMEQ/
http://www.amazon.com/Recollections-ELIZABETH-FREMONT-DAUGHTER-PATHFINDER/dp/B000N8T4JM/
http://www.amazon.com/Recollections-Elizabeth-Benton-Fr%C3%A9mont-Pathfinder/dp/1296595501/ Aug 8, 2015



infant son Benton Frémont [1848] lived less than a year
son U.S. Navy Rear Admiral John Charles Frémont, Jr. [1851-1911]
infant daughter Anne Beverly Frémont [1853] born in France, lived less than a year
son Francis Preston Frémont [1855-1931]


L i n k s
John C. Frémont entry at Wikipedia
John C. Frémont Days [July 2020 = #34] in Fremont, Nebraska

Geographical  Links
places in U.S.A. named for explorer and presidential candidate John C. Frémont

The John C. Fremont House was built in Prescott, Arizona in 1875 and was moved to the Sharlot Hall Museum grounds in 1971   click here for photograph (in a new window)
The Tucson Heritage Foundation [est. 1965, active 2016], 3265 No. Calle Tortosa {Fremont House} in Tucson, Arizona

Ardenwood Historic Farm [est. 1978] in Fremont, California

Fremont County, Colorado [est. 1861]
official websiteentry at Wikipediatravel & business links

Fremont County, Idaho [est. 1893]
official websiteentry at Wikipedia

Fremont County, Iowa [est. 1847]
official websiteentry at Wikipedia

City of Fremont, Nebraska [founded 1871]
official websiteentry at Wikipediatravel & business links
John C. Frémont Days [July 2020 = #34] in Fremont, Nebraska

City of Fremont [est. 1849], Sandusky County, Ohio
official websiteentry at Wikipedia
Fremont Raceway Park [est. 1961] for go-karts, 708 Bartson Road in Fremont, Ohio

Fremont District [founded 1888, annexed 1891] in Seattle, Washington
Fremont Chamber of Commerce official websiteentry at Wikipedia
Fremont Brewing Urban Beer Garden & Tasting Room [est. 2009] in the Fremont District, Seattle, WA

Fremont County, Wyoming [est. 1884]
official websiteentry at Wikipediatravel & business links


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