Page:The Biographical Dictionary of America, vol. 04.djvu/207

 FREMONT

FREMONT

England. He made a fifth expedition across the t^oiitiueut to Califoruiai starting in September, 18o3, tiudiug passes through tlie luouutaius in the 38th and iS9th degrees of latitude, about the l)resent line of the .Santa Fe railroad. In this journey his party suffered great hardship, sub- sisting for forty days on horse-flesh and barely escaping starvation. He went to New York in 1855 to prepare a narrative of his last expedition and was received with much favor by the new Republican party on account of his sacrifice in behalf of his anti-slavery principles. He was given the sobriquet of " Pathfinder " and was made the champion of a new political party whose rallying cry was: "Free soil, free speech, freedom and Fremont." When the Republican national convention met in Philadelphia in June, 1856, he was unanimously nominated for Presi- dent of the United States on the first formal ballot, and William L. Dayton was nominated for vice-president. He also received the nomi- nation from the National American party the same year and in the election received 114 elec- toral and 1,341.000 popular votes, against 174 electoral and 1,838,000 popular votes for James Buchanan and 8 electoral and 874.000 popular votes for Millard Fillmore. He returned to Cali- fornia in 18.58. where he engaged in mining on his Mariposa estate, and in 1860 again visited Europe with his family to obtain further means to work his gold mines. President Lincoln, at the outbreak of the civil war, commissioned him a major-general and assigned him to the com- mand of the western department in the regular army, with headquarters at St. Louis. At the order of the war department he purchased a quantit}' of arms for the new army before leaving France and on arriving at St. Louis, July 26, 1861, he fortified the city, prepared to defend Cairo, III., placed Missouri under martial law, organized the first cavalry division of the war, suppressed secession newspapers, arrested outspoken enemies of the Union, began the building of river gun- boats for interior operation, and on Aug. 30, 1861, issued a proclamation, assuming the govern- ment of the state and declaring the slaves of owners in arms against the United States to be free, — the very methods of suppressing the rebel- lion afterward adopted by the war dejiartment. President Lincoln approved of his action, except as to emancipation, which he asked Fremont to revoke, Fremont declining to do so on the ground that the deed was done after careful thought for the effect it would have on his dejwrtment. The President annulled tlie proclamation in a public order but not until two slaves had received their freedom. Fremont had planned his cam- paign, liad sent 2000 of his army of 8000 men to the defence of Washington, had cleared Missouri

of guerilla bands and had driven Price and McCulloch into southwest Missouri. When he reached Springfield, Mo., Nov. 2, 1861, and had the Confederates practically in a net, he was relieved of his command and the armj' lost all the advantage it had gained as his whole policy was discarded by his successor. Frfimont then returned to St. Louis, where he was received with great enthusiasm and his friends at once claimed his removal due to political intrigue. In March, 1863, President Lincoln gave him command of the mountain district of Virginia, Kentucky and Tennessee created for him, and in June he met and for eight days pursued Gen. T. W. (■' Stonewall ") Jackson's army. On June 6, 1862. at Bull Pasture Mountain, General Ashby, Jackson's chief of cavalry, was killed ; on June 8 the battle of Cross Keys was fought, and Jackson, who, through his strategj', had pre- vented Fremont from reinforcing the army of the Potomac under McClellan, was obliged to fall back. On June 26 President Lincoln reorganized the troops of the various commanders, as the Army of Virginia, and placed it in command of Maj.-Gen. John Pope, although FrCmont out- ranked that officer, as he did all others in the army excepting George B. McClellan. There- upon Fremont asked to be relieved from serving vmder Pope who he said had disobeyed orders in Missouri, and he was ordered to New York on waiting orders. He was promised another com- mand, but did not receive one up to the close of the war. A convention made up of radical Republicans met at Cleveland, Jlay 30, 1864, and nominated I'r6mont for President of the United States with Gen. John Cochrane as Vice-Presi- dent. Frfimont accepted the nomination and resigned his commission in the army. He after- ward withdrew from the canvass at the earnest request of the friends of Mr. Lincoln: " not,'" lie said, "to aid in the triumj)!! of Mr. Lincoln, but to do my jsart toward preventing the election of the Democratic candidate." This was held as "a vital service." In 1878 he was appointed by President Haj'es governor of Arizona Territory and held the office three 5'ears. He was made a major-general in the regular army in April, 1890, by an act of congress which authorized the ap- pointment bj' the President, and he was at once jilaced on the retired list. This afforded him an annual income of §5625, of which he was in much neeil, as his mining and railroad investments had proved disastrous, but which he did not live to enjoy. He published : Report of the Exploring Expeditions to the Eocky Mountains in 1S42 and to Oregon and North California in 1843-44 (1845); an account of his five expeditions in 18.59; and 3Iemoirs of My Life (1886). He died in New York city, July 13, 1890.