Pathfinder: John Charles Fremont and the Course of American Empire

I certainly enjoyed this book, Pathfinder by Tom Chaffin. I didn't know anything about John Fremont and after reading this book, I have an excellent picture of who Fremont was and the full, varied and amazing life he led. It's a shame that hardly anyone knows who Fremont is in our day and age, as he was instrumental in expanding and settling the west. This book was engaging, exciting and informative and was an excellent read. I highly recommend this book.

This is an excellent biography of an American that few people know about. Fremont was truly a vivid member of history from the days of the early republic through the age of manifest destiny. This book covers not only Fremont's triumphs but his downfalls. While a young and impetuous (sometimes dishonest) man, Fremont was successful in helping to expand this countries knowledge of its own topography and boundaries. Through a vivid use of journals and maps Fremont led expeditions that cataloged the trails for westward expansion. His service in the army corp. of engineers helped with the capture of California through bravado more so than force. After his brief governorship of California, Fremont was found guilty at a court marital for his actions against General Kearny and the Polk administration. Fremont's retirement would lead him to business ventures and a run for the presidency as the Republican Party's first candidate. These distinctions would continue as he was a commander of the western union forces during the Civil War. His greatest act here would be to promote a little known Grant to general and command the armies of Tennessee. Overall this is an excellent biography and does a great job of providing a balanced look at a little known person in American history. Highly recommended for those who want to understand how the groundwork for manifest destiny was laid.

This is a massively important book, one that invokes not only America, but also the frontier and the life of a man who, hitherto a minor player in history, has been brought to the forefront to show how he embodied an age. The author puts himself astride the arguments of American history, showing how John Charles Fremont was once the epitome of the American who helped brave the wilderness, and how recent revisionist historians cast him as an imperialist and a leader in the persecution of the Native Americans. For the author Fremont is neither and both, a man who forced America to "reimagine America itself". Born in 1813 in Savannah, Fremont was to embody America itself, the Colossus in the Cradle, that was just beginning to feel its way into the new frontier of the West. He was to be surveyor in the 1830s when the Cherokee nation was relocated. Fremont's most important expeditions would be between 1838 and 1854, charting various routes and mapping the American west. His campfires and wagon trails are today nothing but dust, few are preserved. The author sought in van to find them but found instead the legacy of Fremont, America astride the West gave birth to the American West and after that to commerce and the great movement of population, for which Fremont's old camping sites are now national parks or owned by the government or inside the property of corporations. This book evokes so many things it is hard not to give it praise for all of them. It tells the story of the American West and attempts by well meaning explorers to sympathize and help Native-Americans, Fremont himself judged the U.S government deficient in its promises to the American Indian. An amazing read that will be enjoyed by any student of American history or anyone interested in the frontier or the American West. Seth J. Frantzman

I loved this book--an inspiring story that conveys the excitment of the exploration of the west. Author includes historical background so Fremonts actions are placed in the context of the time. Very readable--almost like a novel. The one drawback are the maps of Fremonts explorations. They are merely sketch maps without any location detail--I would have liked to have seen more detailed cartography with, perhaps, landforms included. Many (most) place names in the book are not shown on the maps. I kept my atlas at hand while reading, but many place names have changed. I strongly recommend.

For an old native Californian I never had a clear picture of the Americanos revolt against the Mexicans except for the Sonoma uprising at General Vallejo's headquarters where the Bear Republic flag was raised. This book gives a comprehensive picture of the tumult in California and how the various American and Mexican forces interacted. It gives an excellent description as to what California was like with an estimated population of 15,000. This book now gives me a greater feeling of the Fremont history for the country roads and off-named places that I have traveled throughout California over many decades of my lifetime. I did not know that Fremont was French and we are not accenting his name properly. I wonder whether 150 years ago his name was pronounced properly. The city of Fremont perhaps should take note of the accent mark.