John C. Frémont

John Charles Frémont, known as "The Great Pathfinder," had a significantly more successful career before the Civil War than during it. Prior to the conflict, Frémont created a reputation for himself by heading multiple trips into the west to investigate and study the regions for future growth. He commissioned a second lieutenant in the Corps of Topographical Engineers in July 1838, and he led four significant journeys into the west to survey and investigate the territories. During the Mexican-American War, Frémont led the California Battalion to conquer Santa Barbara, the Presidio, and a portion of Los Angeles. He also signed the Treaty of Cahuenga, which effectively ended the conflict in California. Following the war, Frémont was appointed military governor of California, but when he refused to relinquish the position, he was court-martialed and resigned from the military on March 15, 1848. Frémont was a California senator from 1850 to 1851, and he ran unsuccessfully for President of the United States in 1856 as the first Republican Party candidate.

On May 15, 1861, at the start of the Civil War, President Abraham Lincoln made Frémont a major general and gave him command of the Department of the West. He attempted to officially bring Missouri into the Union cause, but his position was terminated when Lincoln believed that his activities might force Missouri to join the Confederacy. He was transferred to Virginia and encountered Confederate General Thomas "Stonewall" Jackson at the Battle of Cross Keys in June 1862. Frémont was unable to annihilate Jackson's army, allowing Jackson to flee. Following the battle, Frémont's corps was placed under the leadership of General John Pope, whom Frémont despised. He was removed from command at his own request and never obtained another command.

Frémont was the territorial governor of Arizona from 1878 until 1887 after the war.