The Expeditions of Zebulon Montgomery Pike

"The Expeditions of Zebulon Montgomery Pike" is an account of the two expeditions of the American explorer Zebulon Montgomery Pike to headwaters of the Mississippi River, through Louisiana territory and in New Spain, written from his memory after the Spanish authorities had confiscated his journals. In the summer of 1805 general James Wilkinson, appointed Governor of the Upper Louisiana Territory, ordered Pike to locate the source of the Mississippi River, explore the northern portion of the newly created Louisiana Territory, and expel Canadian fur traders illegally trading in the borders of the United States. After he returned from this first expedition, Wilkinson almost immediately ordered him to mount a second expedition, this time to explore, map, and find the headwaters of the Arkansas and Red rivers. Additional objectives of this exploratory expedition into the southwestern part of the Louisiana Territory were to evaluate natural resources and establish friendly relations with Native Americans. Pike's second expedition crossed the Rocky Mountains into what is now southern Colorado, which led to his capture by the Spanish colonial authorities near Santa Fe, who sent Pike and his men to Chihuahua (present-day Mexico), for interrogation. Later in 1807, Pike and some of his men were escorted by the Spanish through Texas and released near American territory in Louisiana. This carefully crafted e-artnow ebook is formatted for your eReader with a functional and detailed table of contents.

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Zebulon Montgomery Pike (1779-1813) was an American brigadier general and explorer for whom Pikes Peak in Colorado was named. As a U.S. Army officer he led two expeditions under authority of President Thomas Jefferson through the new Louisiana Purchase territory, first in 1805-1806 to reconnoiter the upper northern reaches of the Mississippi River, and then again in 1806-1807 to explore the Southwest to the fringes of the northern Spanish-colonial settlements of New Mexico and Texas. In 1810, Pike published an account of his expeditions, a book so popular that it was translated into Dutch, French, and German languages, for publication in Europe. He later achieved the rank of brigadier general in the American Army and served during the War of 1812, until he was killed during the Battle of York, in April 1813. Elliott Ladd Coues (1842-1899) was an American army surgeon, historian, ornithologist, and author.