Passion and Principle: John and Jessie Fremont, the Couple Whose Power, Politics, and Love Shaped Nineteenth-Century America

I read "Dream West" many years ago and became interested in the lives of John and Jessie. After reading "Jessie Benton Fremont" I was hooked. "Passion & Principle" is the definitve story of two of the most amazing characters in our history.

Denton does a great job of setting the record straight about the Fremonts. They were an amazing couple and contributed far more then previous historical accounts gave them. Everyone who wants to know what the founding of California was all about should read this fine book.

His career wedged between two American titans, Andrew Jackson and Abraham Lincoln, John C. Fremont leaps into the his rightful place in American history through this remarkable book. Fremont's idealism both helped and haunted his career. He was the first American to systematically map the Rocky Mountains and the Great Basin, and he played a key role in the Bear Flag Revolt and the conquest of California. But the "Pathfinder" often found himself too far in front of his contemporaries: his failure to adapt to the military change of command led to court martial within a year of his California exploits; his adamant opposition to slavery cost him first his senate seat and later his position as commander of the Union's Western forces in the Civil War (he issued the first Emancipation Proclamation in the state of Missouri in 1861, and Lincoln punished him harshly for this); finally, he invested the huge fortune he had made in the California gold fields in transcontinental railroad stocks, only to fail at every turn and die in poverty. No better example of both Fremont's strengths and flaws can be found than the San Juan Mountains of southwestern Colorado: a rugged mountain chain he tried twice to traverse, ending in failure each time, the first time in the service of the U.S. Army and the second time in an vain attempt to survey a pass for a railroads through the mountains. This is the first biography I have read of Fremont, and I felt that Denton's tone was sometimes overly sympathetic. She seemed to play down obvious indications of both Fremonts' extra-marital affairs and the personality flaws that prevented Fremont from succeeding as a politician (despite runs for the presidency both in 1856 and 1864). All in all, though, Denton does a wonderful job of bringing this power couple to life. From beginning to end, I was fascinated by these two individuals and their contributions during a critical part of American history.

This book was gripping. It is the best historical book I have read. It reads like a novel. Denton's ability to provide a historical account, introduce many characters and events and keep the reader engrossed in the story is remarkable. As a person who loves to read about strong women in history, I loved reading about this strong alliance between husband and wife.