GOVERNOR, WASHINGTON TERRITORY.--EXPLORATION, NORTHERN ROUTE
The triumph of the Democratic party in November, 1853, and the election
of General Franklin Pierce as the next President insured a more vigorous
policy of exploration and settlement of the vast domain stretching from
the Mississippi to the Pacific. Major Stevens was strongly attracted to
this field. It appealed to his ambition. It afforded a greater
opportunity for public service and achievement. Prominent and gratifying
as was the position and standing he held in Washington, he realized its
limitations. He knew, too, that with the army on a peace footing and
filled with young officers, no promotion in his corps could be expected
for years. In brief, feeling the powers and ambition of a leader, he was
not content to remain longer a subordinate.
In March Congress formed the new Territory of Washington out of the
northern half of what was then Oregon, being the territory extending
from the Columbia River and the 46th parallel northward two hundred and
fifty miles to the British Possessions and the 49th parallel, and from
the crest of the Rocky Mountains westward six hundred miles to the
Pacific, an area larger than New England and New York combined. Save a
handful of settlers on the lower Columbia and the shores of Puget Sound,
and a few missionary and trading posts in the interior, the whole vast
region was unsettled, and much of it unexplored by civilized man. It
contained many thousands of Indians, some of whom had lately been at
war with the whites, and regarded their approach with jealous and
hostile eyes; the Indian title to the land had not been extinguished;
and there were troublesome questions with the Hudson Bay Company, which
still held its posts in the Territory, and claimed extensive rights as
guaranteed by treaty.
On March 3 Congress appropriated $150,000 for the exploration and survey
of railroad routes from the Mississippi to the Pacific, to be expended
by the Secretary of War under the direction of the President. Jefferson
Davis entered the new cabinet as Secretary of War, and it was early
determined to survey four principal routes to the Pacific.
Early in the year Major Stevens applied for the governorship of the new
Territory, to which was attached, _ex officio_, the superintendency of
Indian affairs, and also for the charge of the exploration of the
Northern route. Either of these fields was enough to fully task the most
able and energetic man, but his ambition reached for both. Equally
characteristic was the high ground upon which he based his application.
He asked the appointment, not as the reward of political services, nor
for the sake of personal or political friendship, but because he was the
fittest man for the place, the one who could best serve the public
interests. He told General Pierce that if he could find any one else
better qualified for the position, who would accept it, it was his duty
to appoint him. There was no question on that score. But his wife and
many of his friends thought that he was making a great personal
sacrifice in relinquishing the enviable position he had attained in
Washington for the toils, hardships, and dangers of the Western
exploration and governorship. Professor Bache was of this opinion, and
deeply regretted to lose his efficient assistant and friend.
One of the first acts of the new President was to send the name of Isaac
I. Stevens to the Senate as governor of Washington Territory; he was
confirmed, and his commission was issued March 17. He was just
thirty-four years old, in the prime of life and of mental and physical
powers.
Major Stevens's letter of resignation from the army and General Totten's
reply show the cordial and appreciative feelings of both.
WASHINGTON, D.C., March 21, 1853.
BRIGADIER-GENERAL JOSEPH G. TOTTEN,
_Chief Engineer._
_Sir_,--I herewith resign my commission of lieutenant of engineers
and brevet major United States army, to take effect on Wednesday,
the 16th instant.
This resignation is tendered with a profound sense of the high
honor, intelligence, and sentiment of duty which is characteristic
of the officers with whom I have been associated the best years of
my life, whom I have known and honored in peace and war, in sunshine
and in storm, and whose equals I can scarcely expect to find in the
new career upon which I have entered. I shall carry into civil life
the conviction that the country owes the army a debt of gratitude,
and is yet to receive signal benefits at its hands.
This conviction, rest assured, will show itself both in words and
deeds whenever the service has to be vindicated or maintained.
To yourself, both personally and officially, as a friend and as a
superior officer, permit me to acknowledge the kindness and
confidence which I have received at your hands. It has had no
hindrance or interruption during the period of nearly fourteen
years, many of them years of weighty responsibilities and perplexing
cares, during which I have served under your command.
And to me, sir, not only my commanding officer, but my honored
friend, it is the completest of satisfactions to be able to say that
during my service in the army I have not had a serious difficulty
with a brother officer, and that I am not aware that between me and
any officer in or out of the service there is the slightest feeling
of unkindness.
Very truly and respectfully,
Your friend and obedient servant,
ISAAC I. STEVENS.
Writes General Totten in reply:--
While regretting that the corps of engineers are thus deprived of
the future services of an officer whose high traits of character
have, both in peace and war, so fully vindicated its position, I
anticipate the more unhesitatingly that these characteristic
qualities will continue to procure for you, in the new and wider
scenes on which you have now entered, all the rewards which they so
justly merit....
For myself, I have to make acknowledgment for great assistance
rendered in every form, and under all the circumstances that your
military duties admitted,--at all times fulfilling my wishes,
abridging my cares, and exalting the usefulness and reputation of
the corps. And in all our personal relations you have observed a
kind consideration which I have fully appreciated. These things have
created a warm interest in your welfare, and make me feel that,
while the service is losing a most valuable officer, I am parting
from a friend.
I remain with high respect,
J.G. TOTTEN,
_Bvt. Brig.-Gen. and Col. Engineers._
Major Stevens turned over the charge of Fort Knox to Colonel John L.
Smith, and was succeeded on the Coast Survey by Captain H.W. Benham.
Major Stevens had long since overcome the ill feelings excited by the
vigorous and drastic way in which he had reformed the office, and had
long since won the confidence of the force, and their admiration as
well. They deeply regretted his departure, and in token of their esteem
presented him with a beautiful service of plate, consisting of a large
silver pitcher and salver, with two goblets, in _repoussé_ work.
PRESENTED TO
ISAAC I. STEVENS,
GOVERNOR
OF THE TERRITORY OF WASHINGTON,
LATE BREVET MAJOR, CORPS OF ENGINEERS, U.S. A.,
AND ASSISTANT IN CHARGE OF THE OFFICE OF THE
U.S. COAST SURVEY,
AS A TOKEN OF ESTEEM, BY HIS
FRIENDS ON THE SURVEY,
WASHINGTON, D.C.,
MARCH, 1853.
In his next annual report after Major Stevens had left the Coast Survey,
Professor Bache remarks:--
"The gain to the country in his appointment, and especially to that
new region to which he has been called, will no doubt be great, but
our loss is proportionably great. An administrative ability of a
high order was joined to unceasing activity and great force of
character; varied general and professional knowledge to great
clearness in discerning ends, and fixedness of purpose in pursuing
them; remarkable knowledge of men, and easy control of those
connected in business with him, to personal qualities which rendered
official intercourse agreeable to those about him. The system with
which he followed up plans, complicated as well as simple, insured
success in his administration, and was felt in every department of
the office, of which he had thoroughly mastered the details as well
as the general working. The experience acquired by such an officer
is invaluable to the work, and not soon to be replaced, whatever may
be the resources of his successor."
A remark of Benham's, soon after he assumed charge, well illustrates his
egotistic and assuming character: "Major Stevens grew up with the office
from its infancy, but I grappled the lion when full-grown." Benham did
not long remain on the survey.
Scarcely was the ink dry on his commission, when Governor Stevens set to
work to obtain charge of the exploration of the Northern route, and the
rapid and masterly way in which he effected it, and planned the survey
and increased its magnitude and importance, must have astonished the red
tape officials of Washington. As usual, all his recommendations were
based upon the highest grounds of public welfare and public service. On
March 21 he writes the Secretary of War, Jefferson Davis, a strong
letter, proposing to conduct an exploration to determine the emigrant
route, and the route for a railroad from the sources of the Mississippi
to Puget Sound, and submits a memoir for accomplishing it by means of
three parties, with estimates of organization and cost in detail, and
concludes, "Should an expedition be intrusted to my charge, I pledge the
devotion of all my force, energy, and judgment to its accomplishment."
The following day he addresses the Secretary of State, William L. Marcy,
submitting his project, and showing that he could best promote the
interests of the new Territory by exploring the route to it, obtaining a
large amount of useful information in relation to the agricultural,
mineral, commercial, and manufacturing resources, and publishing the
information thus obtained, thereby inviting emigrants, filling up the
Territory, and developing its resources. He shows that this duty need
not greatly delay the organization of territorial government, and calls
attention to--
"the great influence which this exploration will exercise over the
Indian tribes, the exceeding efficiency which it will give to me in
discharge of my duties as Superintendent of Indian Affairs, and the
interesting information which it will enable me to collect in regard
to their numbers, customs, locations, history, and traditions. This
I design making the subject of a special communication to the
Department of the Interior. Should my views meet the approbation of
the department, I will earnestly request that the necessary
communication be had with the War Department to arrange the
exploration in conformity with the plan which I have thus rapidly
sketched. I ask that it be done with the least possible delay, so as
to insure its complete success. I think it important that my
arrangements here should be brought to a close in sixteen days, that
previous to that time competent men be dispatched to the Mississippi
River to assure the expedition, and thus we shall all be hard at
work in the field the first week of May."
As governor he was under the jurisdiction of the State Department. On
the same day he addresses a similar letter to the Secretary of the
Interior, Robert McClelland, for, as Superintendent of Indian Affairs,
he came under that department. Governor Stevens enforced his views by
personal interviews with the secretaries and the President; and his
earnestness, zeal for the public service, sound judgment, and strong,
convincing way of expressing his views, carried all before him. Within
four days his proposal to lead the expedition was accepted, and all his
suggestions adopted. The administration were only too glad to find such
a man to head the most important of the explorations and insure its
success. Perhaps no part of his career more clearly stamped Governor
Stevens as a born leader of men than this. At a time when the new
President and cabinet were overwhelmed with the pressing questions and
personal claims ever engrossing the incoming administration, a mere
subordinate, not content to simply await the instructions of his
superiors, surveys the whole field of Western exploration intrusted to
him, and its attendant problems of white settlement, Indians, etc., with
comprehensive and far-sighted vision, decides upon the measures and
action required by the needs of the country and the public service, and
then so impresses his views upon the President and three great
departments by sheer force of character, earnest patriotism, and sound,
good sense, that all his recommendations are adopted without delay, and
he is given _carte blanche_ to carry them out. The bare conception, if
broached in March, when the new administration assumed charge, of
obtaining both the governorship of Washington Territory and the charge
of the Northern Pacific exploration, of inducing three secretaries to
adopt his measures, of completely organizing and outfitting and starting
in the field a great expedition for the survey of two thousand miles of
wilderness, and all to be accomplished within two months, would have
seemed not merely bold, but visionary and presumptuous, and nothing
could have relieved Governor Stevens from such reproach but the fact
that all this he actually accomplished.
The following letter to Jefferson Davis, Secretary of War, shows how
energetically Governor Stevens was already gathering information and
assistance for the exploration. The last part touches upon a delicate
question, the placing army officers under the command of a civilian, as
Governor Stevens now was, a thing repugnant to all military ideas and
usages, and almost without precedent. But Governor Stevens held that his
case was altogether exceptional, and found no difficulty in securing the
voluntary services of as many able officers as he needed. It is believed
that there is no similar instance in our history where twelve army
officers came under the command of a civilian:--
WASHINGTON, March 25, 1853.
HON. JEFFERSON DAVIS, _Secretary of War_.
_Sir_,--I am now quite certain that a sufficient number of army
officers will volunteer to go with me on the proposed exploration
from the headwaters of the Mississippi to Puget Sound, as will much
reduce the force of civilians to be employed. Several accomplished
officers would be glad to be detailed, and would do effective
service as astronomers, engineers, artists, naturalists,
draughtsmen, etc. I can make arrangements both with the American Fur
and Hudson Bay Company for active coöperation and assistance. The
distinguished geologist, Dr. J. Evans, who has gone over the
greater portion of the country between the Mississippi and the
Pacific, has explored two of the passes in the Rocky Mountains north
of the South Pass, and has received much information of the
topography of the country, has kindly given me much valuable
information, and is ready to coöperate with all his energy in a plan
whereby each shall render to the other every possible facility, and
best promote the public service without an unnecessary expenditure
of means.
I think it exceedingly important that the whole exploration from the
Mississippi River to Puget Sound, including a thorough examination
of the passes of the Cascade Range, should be placed under the
charge of the same person, he, under general instructions from the
department, giving the necessary direction to the several parties,
thus securing united and energetic action, and guarding against the
almost certain failure of the expedition should it be divided into
two independent commands. As soon as the department shall decide
upon the scale of the operations, and shall issue its orders
assigning me to the duty, which I presume from the correspondence
with the Department of State to be definitely decided upon, I will
at once submit a more detailed plan of operations, and make the
necessary requisition for the detail of officers, and for the
various facilities which may be extended by the administrative
branches of the service. As in the Coast Survey, I propose no
assignment of officers except by their own desire, and of officers
who have especial adaptation to the particular duty.
Very respectfully your obedient servant,
ISAAC I. STEVENS.
Among his first acts Governor Stevens, on March 31, applied for Brevet
Captain George B. McClellan, then in Texas, to be "at once assigned to
duty with me as my principal officer. I design to put him in charge of
the exploration of the Cascade Range, and I can not only speak with
confidence of his great ability for the particular duty, but as his
friend can say that the duty will be in the highest degree agreeable to
him."
WASHINGTON, April 5, 1853.
MY DEAR MCCLELLAN,--I have succeeded in securing your detail to take
charge of the Western party in the Northern Pacific Railroad survey.
You will get the orders to-day, and be directed probably to repair
to New Orleans, and there await instructions. The route is from St.
Paul, Minn., to Puget Sound by the great bend of the Missouri River
through a pass in the Rocky Mountains near the 49th parallel. A
strong party will operate westward from St. Paul; a second but
smaller party will go up the Missouri to the Yellowstone, and there
make arrangements, reconnoitre the country, etc., and on the
junction of the main party they will push through the Blackfoot
country, and, reaching the Rocky Mountains, will keep at work there
during the summer months. The third party, under your command, will
be organized in the Puget Sound region, you and your scientific
corps going over the Isthmus, and will operate in the Cascade Range,
and meet the party coming from the Rocky Mountains.
As soon as my force is at work in these mountains, I shall push
forward with a small reconnoitring force and find you, and, after
conference with you, arrange the entire plan of operations.
Your scientific corps will consist of a physician and naturalist, an
astronomer, a draughtsman and barometer man, and an officer of the
artillery, Johnson K. Duncan, who, I am informed by Foster, is a
strong friend of yours, and will work under you. You will have
authority to call upon the officers and troops stationed in the
Territories of Oregon and Washington, and I have no doubt you will
be able to secure valuable assistance. At the same time funds will
be placed in your hands to hire suitable guides, hunters, etc. A
complete set of instruments and appliances will be sent with the
necessary instructions.
Your friend, Professor Baird, is arranging the natural history part
of the business. The expedition will be altogether the most complete
that has ever set out in this country, and if we are true to it, the
results will be satisfactory to the country. The amount of work in
the Cascade Range and eastward, say to the probable junction of the
parties at the great bend of the north fork of the Columbia River,
will be immense. Recollect, the main object is a railroad survey
from the headwaters of the Mississippi River to Puget Sound.
We must rely upon the ordinary astronomical observations in the
field, upon the odometer and barometer and the compass, for getting
the direction, length, and profiles of routes. With the sextant for
determining height along the route, and with a good sketcher and
draughtsman, you will be able to get good results. I may get for you
a small detachment of sappers, and I shall try to get you assigned
to duty according to your brevet rank.
I telegraphed you some days since, asking your views, but in
consequence of your great distance from Washington it was essential
to act at once. Knowing your views so intimately in relation to such
service, and venturing on our long acquaintance and mutual
friendship, I have in the strongest terms pressed your case, on the
ground that, could you be consulted, the duty would be sought by
you. In my telegraphic message I informed you that I was put in
charge of the duty in consequence of my civil position. It has been
done at the joint desire of the War Department, of the Department of
State, and of the Department of the Interior. Officers have
volunteered for the service, and I shall receive the services of
several very valuable and experienced men. I have in the strongest
terms taken the ground that my having left the army and standing in
a civil position would not, under the circumstances of the case, be
any objection on your part to acting under my direction.
As your friend, and knowing the opportunity for distinction it would
give you, I would not hesitate for a moment.
One word more as to the railroad survey. We must not be frightened
with long tunnels or enormous snows, but set ourselves to work to
overcome them. When you reach New Orleans you will find your
instructions.
Truly your friend,
ISAAC I. STEVENS.
The warning in the last paragraph seems almost prophetic; for, as will
be seen hereafter, McClellan's fear of deep snows caused him to fail in
an important part of his survey of the Cascade passes, viz., the
determining the depth of winter snow.
Governor Stevens also obtained the detail for his survey of Lieutenant
A.J. Donelson, of the engineer corps, and ten non-commissioned officers
and men, of the engineer company, also known as sappers and miners, and
of Lieutenant Beekman Du Barry, of the 3d artillery. He also obtained
from the War Department authority to call upon the several army
administrative departments for transportation, subsistence, and arms,
and even the pay of two civilian surgeons and naturalists, thus
providing for all the expenses of the expedition except those pertaining
to civilians employed as a scientific corps and their assistants, which
were to be defrayed by the funds allotted to the Northern route out of
the civil appropriation, viz., $40,000 out of the $150,000 thus
appropriated. By these arrangements he vastly increased the extent,
thoroughness, and value of his exploration.
On April 7 Governor Stevens sent Lieutenant Donelson to Montreal armed
with letters from the British Minister in Washington to Sir George
Simpson, governor of the Hudson Bay Company, to obtain all the
information possible relative to the country from the Great Lakes to the
Pacific, the location of the trading-posts, the amount of supplies
obtainable from them for the exploration party in case of emergency, the
names of hunters and half-breeds who might serve as guides and
interpreters, and to learn all possible about the geography, and examine
all books and maps, making copies of the latter if necessary, etc.
"The information we already have of this region," he writes
Donelson, "is based upon the following works: Lewis and Clarke's
Travels; Irving's Astoria and Rocky Mountains; Travels by the
Missionary De Smet, Nicollet, and Pope; Governor Simpson's Journey
around the World; and some information, not yet published, obtained
from Dr. Evans on his geological survey of those regions. A book
recommended by the British Minister, 'Hudson Bay Company,' by
Montgomery Martin, I wish you to obtain. He suggested it might be
obtained from Governor Simpson. As soon as you have finished your
inquiries at Montreal, which I think you can do in a week, return to
Washington, and report to me in person.
"In reference to the detachment (sappers), it is necessary that the
men be selected with great care. None should be taken who cannot
assist the scientific corps as sketchers, draughtsmen, or
collectors, etc. It is necessary that they should be put under
special training. Captain Seymour, perhaps, might be willing to take
charge of one, and Lieutenant Du Barry of another, giving them
instructions in the use of the barometer and astronomical
instruments used in the field."
This is interesting as showing how little was then known of the region
to be explored, and how few and meagre were the works describing it.
Governor Stevens had thus been driving the work of preparation and
organization for a fortnight, when, on April 8, the formal order placing
him in charge and giving full instructions was issued by the War
Department. These instructions exactly embody his own suggestions, much
of them in the very language of his letters and memoir to Secretary
Davis. In fact, he really prepared his own instructions. The following
brief synopsis will give some idea of the scope and magnitude of the
exploration, of the task Governor Stevens had set himself:--
1. The exploration and survey of a route for a railroad from the sources
of the Mississippi River to Puget Sound is placed in charge of Isaac I.
Stevens, governor of the Territory of Washington, to whom all officers
detailed for the same will report for instructions.
2. To operate from St. Paul, or some eligible point on the Upper
Mississippi, towards the great bend of the Missouri River, and thence
on the table-land between the tributaries of the Missouri and the
Saskatchewan to some eligible pass in the Rocky Mountains. A depot to be
established at Fort Union, at the mouth of the Yellowstone, with a
subsidiary party to await the coming of the main party. A second party
to proceed to Puget Sound and explore the passes of the Cascade Range,
meeting the eastern party between that range and the Rocky Mountains, as
may be arranged by Governor Stevens.
3. To explore the passes of the Cascade Range and Rocky Mountains from
the 49th parallel to the headwaters of the Missouri River, and to
determine the capacity of the adjacent country to supply, and of the
Columbia and Missouri rivers and their tributaries to transport,
materials for the construction of the road, great attention to be given
geography and meteorology of the whole intermediate region, to the
seasons and character of freshets; the quantities and continuance of its
rains and snows, especially in the mountain ranges; to its geology; in
arid regions the use of artesian wells; its botany, natural history,
agricultural and mineral resources; the location, numbers, history,
traditions, and customs of its Indian tribes; and such other facts as
shall tend to develop the character of that portion of our national
domain, and supply all the facts that enter into the solution of the
particular problem of a railroad.
4-7. Assigns to survey, in addition to those already assigned, Captain
John W.T. Gardiner, 1st dragoons; Second Lieutenant Johnson K. Duncan,
3d artillery; Second Lieutenant Rufus Saxton, 4th artillery; Second
Lieutenant Cuvier Grover, 4th artillery; and Brevet Second Lieutenant
John Mullan, 1st artillery; and twenty picked men of the 1st dragoons
and two officers and thirty men to Captain McClellan's party.
8. The administrative branches of the army, on requisition approved by
Governor Stevens, to supply the officers, soldiers, and civil employees
of the expedition (except the scientific corps and their assistants),
with transportation, subsistence, medical stores, and arms, and to
furnish funds for the same when not supplied in kind.
9-10. After completion of field work, the expedition to rendezvous at
some suitable point in Washington Territory to be designated by Governor
Stevens, and reports to be prepared. Officers and enlisted men to be
sent to their stations and employees to be discharged.
11. $40,000 set apart from the appropriation for the survey thus
intrusted to Governor Stevens.
It is difficult to realize the magnitude of the task here outlined. It
was to traverse and explore a domain two thousand miles in length by two
hundred and fifty in breadth, stretching from the Mississippi River to
the Pacific Ocean, across a thousand miles of arid plains and two great
mountain ranges, a region almost unexplored, and infested by powerful
tribes of predatory and warlike savages; to determine the navigability
of the two great rivers, the Missouri and the Columbia, which intersect
the region; to locate by reconnoissance and to survey a practicable
railroad route; to examine the mountain passes and determine the depth
of winter snows in them; to collect all possible information on the
geology, climate, flora and fauna, as well as the topography, of the
region traversed; and finally to treat with the Indians on the route,
cultivate their friendship, and collect information as to their
languages, numbers, customs, traditions, and history; and all this,
including the work of preparation and organization, to be accomplished
in a single season.
It was Governor Stevens's plan to effect this vast work by means of two
parties operating simultaneously from both ends of the route, the
principal one starting from St. Paul at the eastern end, under his own
immediate charge; and the other, starting from the western end, under
McClellan, to meet on the upper Columbia plains between the two great
mountain ranges; and two subsidiary parties,--one, under Lieutenant
Donelson, to ascend the Missouri to Fort Union with a stock of supplies,
and there await the coming of the main party; and the other, under
Lieutenant Saxton, to proceed from the lower Columbia to the Bitter Root
valley, in the heart of the Rocky Mountains, with an additional stock of
supplies for the main party. The subsidiary parties were also to examine
the country traversed by them, and collect all the information possible
bearing on the various objects of the expedition. By this plan McClellan
was required simply to explore the Cascade Range, or about 200 miles of
the route; while Governor Stevens allotted all the remainder, some 1800
miles, including the great plains, the Rocky and Bitter Root Mountains,
to the parties under his immediate charge.
During the next four weeks Governor Stevens drove forward the work of
preparing and organizing the expedition with tremendous energy. He
applied for and obtained the assignments of officers and men from the
army; made requisitions upon the administrative branches for supplies
and funds for the several parties; obtained $6000 from the Interior
Department for the purchase of Indian goods and for treating with them;
employed A. W. Tinkham, his former assistant at Fort Knox, and Fred. W.
Lander, afterwards the Brigadier-General Lander who was wounded at
Ball's Bluff and died of his wounds, as civil engineers; appointed
George W. Stevens as secretary and astronomer; placed Professor Baird,
of the Smithsonian, in charge of the zoölogical and botanical
collections, and of preparing the outfits and instructions for field
work; made Isaac Osgood, his former clerk at Bucksport, disbursing
officer; Dr. John Evans, geologist; Drs. George Suckley and J.G.
Cooper, surgeons and naturalists; J.M. Stanley, artist, and engaged a
number of other subordinates, including six young gentlemen who went as
aides.
Early in April Lieutenant Saxton and Lieutenant Duncan started for the
Columbia via the Isthmus and San Francisco, with detailed instructions,
that no time might be lost in organizing the western parties, and were
followed by McClellan as soon as he reached Washington from Texas and
received his instructions. He was also furnished by Governor Stevens
with letters from Sir George Simpson to the officers of the Hudson Bay
Company's posts, and with letters from the governor to many of the
prominent American settlers in Washington and Oregon, and also a
circular letter bespeaking their goodwill and support for Captain
McClellan.
Governor Stevens also placed under McClellan's charge the construction
of a military wagon-road from Fort Steilacoom, on Puget Sound, to Fort
Walla Walla on the Columbia, for which Congress had appropriated
$20,000, and which the Secretary of War had placed in Governor Stevens's
hands, with authority to assign an officer or a civil engineer to its
construction, as he deemed best. The governor gave very full
instructions in regard to this road; furnished the names of prominent
citizens and advised McClellan to consult with them as to the best
location for the road, and gave him full notes of his correspondence
with them bearing on the matter.
Sir George Simpson having proposed to forward an extra stock of supplies
to his posts in the interior for the expedition, Governor Stevens made
haste to decline the proffered assistance, not wishing to incur such an
obligation to a foreign company, assuring Sir George that his own
government would provide ample supplies, and that he merely wished to
know what the company's posts could spare from their usual stock in
case of emergency. On this point he is emphatic in his instructions to
Saxton and McClellan:--
"I am exceedingly desirous no exertion should be spared to have
means of our own for our expedition, and shall much prefer to be in
condition to extend aid than to be obliged to receive aid from
others. Whilst we will gratefully receive aid from the company in
case of necessity, let it be our determination to have within
ourselves the means of the most complete efficacy. I am more and
more convinced that in our operations we should be self-dependent,
and whilst we exchange courtesies and hospitalities with the Hudson
Bay Company, the people and the Indians of the Territory should see
that we have all the elements of success in our hands. The Indians
must look to us for protection and counsel. They must see that we
are their true friends, and be taught not to look, as they have been
accustomed to, to the Hudson Bay Company. I am so impressed with
this fact that I wish no Indian presents to be procured from British
posts. I am determined, in my intercourse with the Indians, to break
up the ascendency of the Hudson Bay Company, and permit no authority
or sanction to come between the Indians and the officers of this
government."
The Hudson Bay Company still held trading-posts in the new Territory at
Steilacoom, Vancouver, Walla Walla, and Colville, and claimed extensive
but ill-defined rights and possessions, and its officers lost no
opportunity to cultivate the goodwill of Governor Stevens, hoping to win
his favoring view, if not support, of their claims.
Lieutenants Donelson and Mullan, with part of the sappers, were sent to
St. Louis to prepare the supplies, etc., for ascending the Missouri to
Fort Union. Governor Stevens had already ascertained by correspondence
the character of the river boats at St. Louis and at Pittsburg, and the
cost of purchasing or chartering them, but was unable to find one of
sufficiently light draught and power, and therefore decided to send the
party by the American Fur Company's boat.
Captain Gardiner was dispatched to St. Paul to select the dragoon
detachment, establish a camp, and make preliminary arrangements for
starting the main party afield as early as possible. The civil
engineers, Lander and Tinkham, were also sent to the same point to
examine the crossings of the Mississippi and their approaches.
Lieutenant Grover, as assistant quartermaster and commissary of the
expedition, was also sent to St. Louis, assisted by a civilian employee,
to procure supplies and forward them to St. Paul. Lieutenant Du Barry
was directed to push on beyond St. Paul to Pembina to procure guides.
The most detailed and careful instructions were furnished all these
officers; requisitions and arrangements made with the officers of the
army administrative branches in Washington, St. Louis, St. Paul, San
Francisco, and Vancouver for the outfit and supply of the different
parties; all existing information in the way of maps, reports, etc., was
copied and furnished, and full instructions for the making and
preservation of natural history collections, and for the astronomical
and meteorological observations were prepared and printed, and placed in
the hands of all those having charge of those branches.
The very full, carefully considered, and complete instructions given
these various officers by Governor Stevens would fill two hundred pages.
They are not only a remarkable monument of industry, but show a complete
grasp and mastery of the whole field, great foresight of the conditions
and difficulties to be encountered, and are remarkably clear and precise
in stating the objects to be obtained, but leave much to the judgment of
the officer addressed in the ways and means of attaining them.
Not content with omnivorously devouring all the books, reports, and
maps upon the field of operations, and seeking information by
correspondence with the officers of the Hudson Bay Company and citizens
of Oregon and Washington, Governor Stevens procured and studied all the
available works on the steppes of Russia and Asia, as throwing light
upon the formation and characteristics of the great plains.
During these four weeks the Third Street house was filled with clerks
and draughtsmen, hard at work on instructions, requisitions, maps, etc.,
with officers and civil employees conferring as to their duties and
making preparations, and with many others anxious to accompany the
expedition and seeking positions upon it; and was crammed from garret to
cellar with books, maps, papers, instruments, arms, and other
paraphernalia incident to such an undertaking. Professor Baird took the
greatest interest in the scientific collections, preparing rules, and
getting up panniers and apparatus, and made that feature so important
that Governor Stevens was impelled to say, "I want you to understand,
Professor Baird, that my exploration is something more than a
natural-history expedition." The fitting out of the expedition attracted
much attention in Washington, and the parlors were filled every evening
with gentlemen connected with or interested in it. Among them was Fred.
W. Lander, a tall, athletic young man, confident in bearing, frank and
ready in conversation, and fond of relating the adventurous experiences
and escapes, especially with horses, into which his daring not to say
reckless disposition often led him. Lieutenant George B. McClellan,
afterwards the well-known commander of the Army of the Potomac, was of
charming manners and personality. On being asked how he liked being
under Governor Stevens, he replied, "At any rate, I shall serve under a
man of brains." Lieutenants Saxton and Grover rose to be major-generals
in the Civil War. General Joseph Lane, who represented Oregon in
Congress, was a frequent caller. He was a man of native grace and
dignity of manner and fine character,--one of nature's noblemen.
The energy and capacity for effective work displayed by Governor Stevens
during this time astonished his friends. His labors with the pen alone
were enough to fully occupy any man. Besides this, he was incessantly
engaged in consultations, conferences, and interviews with the
subordinates and others, and was embracing every opportunity of talking
with men who had experience on the plains or the Pacific coast. George
Stevens declared that no human being could stand such a strain, and on
another occasion exclaimed, "The major is crazy, actually crazy, or he
never could work as he does!"
In just a month from the date of the order placing him in charge,
Governor Stevens had effected the whole work of organization and
outfitting, and on May 9 left Washington for St. Paul to start the
expedition. During the same month he also broke up housekeeping,
disposed of his furniture, and moved his family into private lodgings.
His wife was seriously ill, and was obliged to remain in Washington with
her young child and her sister Mary until sufficiently recovered to
stand the journey to Newport.
He also at this time selected and purchased of D. Appleton & Co., of New
York, the Territorial Library,--for which $5000 had been appropriated by
Congress,--and had the books sent out by sea around Cape Horn. This was
no small task, for he went over the lists of books and made the
selection with great pains. He stated in his first message to the
legislature that he had taken care to get the best books in each
department of learning, and had applied to the executive of every State
and Territory and to many learned societies to donate their
publications.
This work is not the place to narrate the progress and results of that
great exploration and survey. They are ably and fully recorded by
Governor Stevens himself in three large volumes, comprising 1500 pages,
with many views and illustrations, published by Congress, being the
first and twelfth volumes (the latter in two parts) of "Reports of the
Explorations and Surveys for a Railroad Route from the Mississippi River
to the Pacific Ocean." And it is only from these pages that one can
learn and appreciate with what thoroughness and completeness Governor
Stevens executed the vast work intrusted to him. For years these volumes
were the great storehouse of information relating to the region treated
by them, the source of innumerable reports and articles, and are to-day
full of interest and valuable information. These reports really embody
the results of three years' labors. And it will be related farther on
how Governor Stevens, not content with having most successfully
conducted his exploration across the continent in one season and fully
performed his instructions, did, of his own patriotic devotion to the
public interests, carry on that great work for two years longer, using
the Indian service and the volunteer forces under his command, and gave
the full and final results of his labors in vol. xii., published in
1860.