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The expedition, for which he is most remembered, ended when [[Spain|Spanish]] authorities captured him and some of his party in northern [[New Mexico]], now part of southern [[Colorado]], on February 26, 1807. Having gotten confused in their search for the headwaters of the Red River, they had made a fort there for the winter.
The expedition, for which he is most remembered, ended when [[Spain|Spanish]] authorities captured him and some of his party in northern [[New Mexico]], now part of southern [[Colorado]], on February 26, 1807. Having gotten confused in their search for the headwaters of the Red River, they had made a fort there for the winter.


Pike and his men were taken to [[Santa Fe, New Mexico|Santa Fe]], then to the capital of [[Chihuahua, Chihuahua|Chihuahua]], where he was taken to the Commandant General Salcedo, who was governor of the state. Salcedo housed Pike with Juan Pedro Walker, a cartographer, who also acted as an interpreter. Walker transcribed and translate Pike's confiscated documents, including his journal.
Pike and his men were taken to [[Santa Fe, New Mexico|Santa Fe]], then to the capital of [[Chihuahua, Chihuahua|Chihuahua]], where he was taken to the Commandant General Salcedo, who was governor of the state.<ref>Buescher, John. "[http://teachinghistory.org/history-content/ask-a-historian/24290 Trailing Lewis and Clark]." [http://www.teachinghistory.org Teachinghistory.org]. Accessed 12 July 2011.</ref> Salcedo housed Pike with Juan Pedro Walker, a cartographer, who also acted as an interpreter. Walker transcribed and translate Pike's confiscated documents, including his journal.


During this time, Pike had access to various maps of the southwest and learned more of Mexican discontent with Spanish rule. The Spanish protested officially to the US about Pike's expedition, but as the nations were not at war, the governor released the military men. The Spanish escorted Pike and most of his men to the north, releasing them at the Louisiana border on July 1, 1807. Some of his soldiers were held for years in Mexico.
During this time, Pike had access to various maps of the southwest and learned more of Mexican discontent with Spanish rule. The Spanish protested officially to the US about Pike's expedition, but as the nations were not at war, the governor released the military men. The Spanish escorted Pike and most of his men to the north, releasing them at the Louisiana border on July 1, 1807. Some of his soldiers were held for years in Mexico.

Revision as of 13:22, 12 July 2011

Zebulon Pike
Zebulon Pike Jr. (1779–1813)
BornJanuary 5, 1779
Lamberton, New Jersey
DiedApril 27, 1813(1813-04-27) (aged 34)
York, Ontario, Upper Canada
NationalityAmerican
Occupation(s)General, explorer
SpouseClarissa Harlow Brown
ChildrenClarissa Brown Pike

Zebulon Montgomery Pike Jr. (January 5, 1779 – April 27, 1813) was an American officer and explorer for whom Pikes Peak in Colorado is named. As a United States (US) Army captain in 1806-1807, he led the Pike Expedition to explore and document the southern portion of the Louisiana Purchase and to find the headwaters of the Red River, during which he recorded the discovery of what later was called Pikes Peak. Captured by the Spanish while wintering in present-day Colorado after his party got confused in its travels, Pike and his men were taken to Chihuahua, present-day Mexico and questioned by the governor. They were released later in 1807 at the border of Louisiana.

In 1810 Pike published an account of his expeditions, a book so popular that it was translated into French, German and Dutch for publication in Europe. He later achieved the rank of brigadier general in the army, serving during the War of 1812. He was killed during the Battle of York, which the United States won.

Family

Pike is descended from John Pike, an early English immigrant as a child in 1635 and founder of Woodbridge, New Jersey in 1665.

Early life and education

Zebulon Pike, Jr. was born in Lamberton, New Jersey, now a part of Trenton.[1][2] His father Zebulon Pike was an officer in the Continental Army under General George Washington, and served in the United States Army after the end of the Revolutionary War.

The younger Pike grew to adulthood with his family at a series of Midwestern outposts—the frontier of the United States at the time—in Ohio and Illinois. In 1794 he joined his father's regiment as a cadet at the age of 15, earned a commission as ensign in 1799 and a first lieutenancy later that year.

Marriage and family

Zebulon Pike married Clarissa Harlow Brown in 1801. They had one child who survived to adulthood, a daughter. Clarissa Brown Pike married John Cleves Symmes Harrison, a son of President William Henry Harrison. Zebulon died without a son, so left no male descendants.

Ancestry

A DNA Surname Project exists for male individuals with the Pike surname. A genetic study of DNA samples submitted show almost 20% of Pike surnames in this project show a genetic relationship to the same male line as Zebulon Pike. This paternal line descends from a male ancestor of the seventeenth or eighteenth centuries.[3]

Military career

He continued his military career, working in logistics and payroll, at a series of frontier posts, including Fort Bellefontaine near St. Louis. General James Wilkinson, appointed Governor of the Upper Louisiana Territory and headquartered there, became his mentor. In 1805, Wilkinson ordered Pike to find the source of the Mississippi River and he traveled upriver into the northern territory.

Pike Expedition

Main article: Pike Expedition

Soon after his return in 1806, Pike was ordered to lead an exploratory expedition of the southwestern part of the Louisiana Territory to find the headwaters of the Arkansas and Red rivers. Beginning July 15, 1806, Pike led what is now known as the "Pike Expedition" to explore the southwest. General Wilkinson's son served as one of his lieutenants.

In early November 1806, Pike and his team recorded the sighting of and tried to climb to the summit of the peak that was named after him (Pikes Peak.) Unprepared for the conditions, they made it as far as Mt. Rosa to the southeast of Pikes Peak, and gave up the ascent in waist-deep snow. They had already gone almost two days without food.

The expedition, for which he is most remembered, ended when Spanish authorities captured him and some of his party in northern New Mexico, now part of southern Colorado, on February 26, 1807. Having gotten confused in their search for the headwaters of the Red River, they had made a fort there for the winter.

Pike and his men were taken to Santa Fe, then to the capital of Chihuahua, where he was taken to the Commandant General Salcedo, who was governor of the state.[4] Salcedo housed Pike with Juan Pedro Walker, a cartographer, who also acted as an interpreter. Walker transcribed and translate Pike's confiscated documents, including his journal.

During this time, Pike had access to various maps of the southwest and learned more of Mexican discontent with Spanish rule. The Spanish protested officially to the US about Pike's expedition, but as the nations were not at war, the governor released the military men. The Spanish escorted Pike and most of his men to the north, releasing them at the Louisiana border on July 1, 1807. Some of his soldiers were held for years in Mexico.

Subsequent military duty

Pike was promoted to captain while on the southwestern expedition. In 1811, he was listed as Lt. Col. Zebulon M. Pike with the 4th Infantry Regiment at the Battle of Tippecanoe. He was promoted to colonel in 1812. He continued in the military, serving as deputy quartermaster-general in New Orleans and inspector-general during the War of 1812.

Pike was promoted to brigadier general in 1813.[1] Along with General Jacob Brown, Pike departed from the newly fortified rural military outpost of Sackets Harbor, on the New York shore of Lake Ontario, for his last military campaign. On this expedition, Pike commanded combat troops in the successful attack on York, (now Toronto) on April 27, 1813. Pike was killed by flying rocks and other debris when the retreating British garrison blew up its ammunition without warning as the town's surrender negotiations were going on. His body was brought by ship back to Sackets Harbor, where his remains were buried at the military cemetery.[5]

Journals

The Spanish authorities confiscated Pike's journals and they were not recovered by the US from Mexico until the 1900s. He wrote an account from memory of his expeditions, which was published in 1810 as The expeditions of Zebulon Montgomery Pike to Headwaters of the Mississippi River, through Louisiana Territory, and in New Spain, during the Years 1805-6-7.[6] It was popular and later translated into French, German, and Dutch editions. His account became required reading for all American explorers who followed him in the 19th century.

His capture by the Spanish and travel through the Southwest gave Pike insight into the region. He described the politics in Chihuahua, which led to the Mexican independence movement. He also described trade conditions in the Spanish territories of New Mexico and Chihuahua, which contributed to development of the Santa Fe Trail.[citation needed]

Memory

As Olsen (2006) shows, after his death in battle Pike's military accomplishments were widely celebrated in terms of mourning memorials, paintings, poems and songs, as well as biographies. He became the namesake for dozens of towns, counties, and ships. His memory faded after the Civil War but recovered in 1906 at the centennial of his Southwest Expedition. His 20th century reputation focused on his exploration, and his name appeared often on natural features such as parks, islands, lakes, and dams.[7]

Many places and two ships were named for the explorer:

See also

References

  1. ^ a b Valkenburg, Samuel Van (1976). "Pike, Zebulon Montgomery". In William D. Halsey (ed.). Collier's Encyclopedia. Vol. 19. New York: Macmillan Educational Corporation. p. 46.
  2. ^ Baldwin, Tom. "Where did Pike peak? Colo. explorer got start in New Jersey", Courier-Post, August 25, 2008. September 19, 2008. "Nineteenth century Jersey explorer Zebulon Pike was born in Jamaica, now a part of south Trenton, but gave his name to Colorado's 14,000-foot Pikes Peak."
  3. ^ Pike Surname DNA Project math.mun.ca. 2010-04-02. Retrieved on 2010-04-03.
  4. ^ Buescher, John. "Trailing Lewis and Clark." Teachinghistory.org. Accessed 12 July 2011.
  5. ^ Johnson, Jerry Milo.General Zebulon Montgomery Pike jerrymilojohnson.com. 2010. Retrieved on 2011-04-11.
  6. ^ Zebulon Montgomery Pike (1965). Elliott Coues (ed.). The expeditions of Zebulon Montgomery Pike to headwaters of the Mississippi River, through Louisiana Territory, and in New Spain, during the years 1805-6-7. Ross & Haines (published 1895).
  7. ^ Michael L. Olsen, "Zebulon Pike and American Popular Culture--or--Has Pike Peaked?," Kansas History, Spring 2006, Vol. 29 Issue 1, pp 48-59
  • Hollon, W. Eugene (1949) The lost pathfinder, Zebulon Montgomery Pike Univ. of Oklahoma Press, Norman, OK

Public Domain This article incorporates text from a publication now in the public domain: Chisholm, Hugh, ed. (1911). Encyclopædia Britannica (11th ed.). Cambridge University Press. {{cite encyclopedia}}: Missing or empty |title= (help)

Military offices
Preceded by Adjutant Generals of the U. S. Army
March 12, 1813-April 27, 1813 		Succeeded by
vacant
Preceded by Inspector General of the U. S. Army
March 12, 1813-April 27, 1813 		Succeeded by
vacant

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