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GOVERNMENT SURVEYS
THE U.S. ARMY CORPS OF
TOPOGRAPHICAL ENGINEERS
| 1835 |
Henry M. Dodge and a unit
of U.S. Dragoons rode out along the established Platte River
Road to awe the Indians. |
| 1838 |
Col. John James Abert reorganized
the Army Corps of Topographical Engineers into a separate branch
of the military, formed to explore the continent. The basis
of geographical discovery shifted from the simple notation of
landmarks and natural wonders, settlement sites and overland
trails, to a scientific assessment of basic resources, a serious
study of Indian cultures, and a study of ways in which to solve
the technological problems of transportation. |
| 1838 |
Navy Cmd. Charles Wilkes
convinced the government that the Columbia River harbor was
useless, and that Puget Sound was essential to U.S. interests.
This was the basis of the cry for the U.S. boundary to be established
at the 49th parallel. |
| 1841 |
The Bidwell-Bartleson party
from the United States began the Oregon migration. |
POLITICS
Between 1842 and 1845, the U.S. began the
calculated use of expeditions of discovery as diplomatic weapons.
According to Thomas Hart Benton, these expeditions were "conceived
without [the government's] knowledge, and executed upon solicited
orders, of which the design was unknown." These secret missions
committed the government to positions on territorial expansion and
"manifest destiny" far beyond any publicly announced policies.
Their purpose was to dramatize the west for the American public.
The man chosen to fulfill these clandestine missions was John Charles
Fremont. Fremont, a young officer in the U.S. Topographical Engineers,
had experience in exploring expeditions under William G. Williams
in the Cherokee country of Georgia, North Carolina and Tennessee;
he also accompanied Joseph Nicollet to the Minnesota pipestone quarry.
In 1842, he married Senator Benton's daughter, Jesse Benton.
| 1842 |
Fremont assembled a prime
crew of experienced mountainmen and hunters, including Kit Carson.
His party traveled out along the Oregon Trail, then took the
south fork of the Platte River to St. Vrain's Fort in Colorado,
and went on to Fort Laramie and up through South Pass to the
Wind River Mountains, one of which they climbed to plant the
eagle flag. This symbolic act was one of the most-discussed
incidents of its time when Fremont's published reports were
issued to the public. For the American public of the 1840s,
the planting of the flag was the very incarnation of the idea
of manifest destiny. Although Fremont's trek provided little
new geographic knowledge, it was symbolic to the American people
of westward expansion. |
| 1843 |
Fremont's mission in 1843
was to connect his 1842 information with that gleaned by Cmd.
Wilkes on the Pacific Coast. Fremont and 39 men left St. Louis,
connecting with the Kansas River, traveling to the Great Salt
Lake, Fort Hall and the Dalles, and on to Fort Vancouver. From
there they turned south to explore the country between Oregon
and California. Fremont encountered Lake Tahoe for the first
time as he crossed the Sierras, and went down to Sutter's Fort.
He continued by traveling back over the Sierras and across the
Great Basin to Las Vegas, across northeast Utah and Northwest
Colorado to the Green River. This epic journey accumulated a
large collection of scientific specimens. Fremont's accounts
of California pointed out its potential agricultural advantages.
His works were widely read, and went through 6 printings. Brigham
Young, after reading Fremont, settled on the Great Salt Lake
as a possible spot for Mormon settlement. |
| 1845 |
If there was to be a war with Mexico
over the manifest destiny of the United States (which seemed
likely in 1845 over the Texas question), Indian tribes would
have to be quieted, supply routes to the West located, and
a reconnaissance made to locate potential strategic locations
and clashing points. Three army expeditions in 1845 accomplished
these tasks:
1) Col. Stephen Watts Kearny and five
companies of dragoons made their great circular patrol through
Fort Laramie, South Pass, Bent's Fort and back along the Santa
Fe Trail to St. Louis. The trip tested the capacity of the
cavalry for sustained operations far from any base of supply.
It also was meant to awe and pacify the Indians. Kearny felt
that the army should establish no fixed posts in the West,
and like the French in the African Sahara, should make annual
circuits like this one to keep the peace.
2) John Charles Fremont was sent on
a mission to survey the Red River and determine the United
States border. Fremont divided his command, sending Lt. James
Abert on the more difficult and tedious task of completing
the primary mission. Abert, although menaced by Comanche and
Kiowa throughout most of his trek, completed this mission
successfully.
3) Meanwhile, Fremont proceeded to
blaze a trail over the central Rockies and across the Great
Basin to California. Kit Carson and Joseph Walker accompanied
Fremont over the Humboldt Mountains to Sutter's Fort. There,
they learned of the Bear Flag Revolt against Mexico, and participated.
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WAR AND EXPLORATION
 When
the Mexican War was provoked in 1846, the Topographical Engineers
were assigned to each of the major field commands. Kearny was ordered
to proceed overland through New Mexico to California. His command
included the Topographical Unit of William Emory. Kearny commanded
600 dragoons, with the Mormon battalion following close behind under
St. George Cooke. The area through which they passed had never been
accurately mapped by the Americans. Kearny passed through Santa
Fe, taking it for the United States, across New Mexico and into
Arizona to the Pima Villages [modern Phoenix] to the junction of
the Gila and the Colorado rivers. While proceeding through western
California, his party was attacked by a Mexican contingent at San
Pasqual, in the only battle of the Mexican War fought on land now
within the borders of the United States. Kearny took a beating,
losing 18 killed and 13 wounded; the Mexicans lost only two men.
Kearny dug in after the battle, but luckily Kit Carson arrived with
reinforcements in time to prevent a second Mexican attack. This
enabled Kearny's army to walk out to San Diego. During this epic
journey, Emory mapped the route and made notes on the geology, botany,
and zoology of the region. Another important contribution was the
notes Emory made on archeological features, with extensive notes
on the Pecos and Casas Grandes ruins. Emory advised the U.S. Government
that the southern boundary of the U.S. after the war should include
the territory below the Gila River - flat land for future railroads.
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