Yamacraw Village in Savannah in Chatham County, Georgia — The American South (South Atlantic)
Birthplace of John C. Frémont
Photographed By Mike Stroud, January 22, 2013
1. Birthplace of John C. Frémont Marker
One of two native Georgians who served as generals in the U.S. Army during the Civil War, John C. Frémont was born nearby on January 21, 1813. As an army officer, his 1840s explorations of the American West gained him fame as the “Pathfinder.” During the U.S.-Mexican War, Frémont seized California for the U.S. and was elected one of its first Senators in 1850. Opposed to slavery’s expansion, he ran unsuccessfully in 1856 as the first Republican presidential candidate. During the Civil War, Frémont’s 1861 proclamation freeing all Confederate-owned slaves in Missouri was annulled by President Lincoln. After lackluster performance as a combat commander, Frémont resigned from the U.S. Army in 1864. He later served as governor of the Arizona Territory (1878-1881) and died in New York in 1890.
Erected 2013 by for the Civil War 150 commemoration by the Georgia Historical Society, the Georgia Department of Economic Development, and the Georgia Battlefields Association. (Marker Number 25-42.)
Topics and series. This historical marker is listed in these topic lists: Exploration • War, Mexican-American • War, US Civil.
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Location. 32° 4.961′ N, 81° 5.934′ W. Marker is in Savannah, Georgia, in Chatham County. It is in Yamacraw Village. Marker is on 500 Block West Bay Street, on the left when traveling west. Located in Yamacraw Park between West Bay and West Bryan Streets. Touch for map. Marker is at or near this postal address: 565 West Bryan Street, Savannah GA 31401, United States of America. Touch for directions.
Other nearby markers. At least 8 other markers are within walking distance of this marker. First Bryan Baptist Church (within shouting distance of this marker); Andrew Bryan (within shouting distance of this marker); William Scarbrough House (approx. 0.2 miles away); The First African Baptist Church (approx. 0.2 miles away); John Ryan's Excelsior Bottle Works (approx. 0.2 miles away); a different marker also named First African Baptist Church (approx. 0.2 miles away); Haitian Monument (approx. 0.2 miles away); Jonathan Bryan (approx. 0.2 miles away). Touch for a list and map of all markers in Savannah.
More about this marker. Although printed and casted as 2012, marker was erected January 22, 2013, the day after Fremont's 200th birthday
Photographed By Mike Stroud, January 22, 2013
2. Birthplace of John C. Frémont Marker, prior to dedication ceremony
Regarding Birthplace of John C. Frémont. The other Georgia-born US Civil War General, Montgomery Cunningham Meigs was a career United States Army officer, civil engineer, construction engineer for a number of facilities in Washington, D.C., and Quartermaster General of the U.S. Army during and after the American Civil War.
Also see . . . John Charles Frémont , Wikipedia entery. ... Historians portray Frémont as controversial, impetuous, and contradictory. Some scholars regard him as a military hero of significant accomplishment, while others view him as a failure who repeatedly defeated his own best purposes.... (Submitted on January 23, 2013, by Mike Stroud of Bluffton, South Carolina.)
Additional commentary.
1. Savannah Morning News, January 22, 2013, by Dash Coleman
A historical marker honoring a Savannah native who rose to national prominence in the 1800s will be dedicated today in Yamacraw Park.
John C. Frémont, born here on Jan. 21, 1813, was a U.S. senator from California, the first Republican presidential candidate, a U.S. Army general during the Civil War and later governor of the Arizona territory.
“He played such an important role in American history, but most people don’t know he
Photographed By Mike Stroud, January 22, 2013
3. Members of the Sons Of Union Veterans, Elias Moon Camp #2 (Atlanta), present the Colors
He gained fame — and the nickname “Pathfinder” — during the 1840s on expeditions surveying and mapping the Oregon Trail and Great Basin, according to the society. Though Frémont only stayed in Georgia for some of his early years, Deaton said his impact on American history — among other things helping make manifest destiny a reality — made him a perfect person to feature.
“Much of the west was opened for American settlement because of him,” Deaton said.
Additionally, the organization is in the midst of its commemoration of the 150th anniversary of the Civil War, in which Frémont played a role.
Before the war began, Frémont opposed the expansion of slavery and ran as the country’s first Republican candidate for president in 1856. During the Civil War, he introduced a proclamation freeing Confederate-owned slaves in Missouri, but it was ultimately countermanded by President Lincoln.
Frémont resigned from the army before the war was over, later serving as governor of the Arizona territory from 1878-1881.
“On some level, you could say he wasn’t from anywhere,” Deaton said. “He was an American at large,
Photographed By Mike Stroud, January 22, 2013
4. Birthplace of John C. Frémont Marker, Sophia Sineath- Education Coordinator GHS.
Presents Frémont's biography to the audience
The historical marker will be dedicated today in Yamacraw Park with an address by Sophia Sineath, education coordinator at the society. The park is in the vicinity of where Frémont is believed to have been born.
“People come here because they love history,” Deaton said. “We could have put this marker up in downtown in a square and said, ‘He was born near here,’ but one of the things markers do is drive people to locations where they spend money and then spend time.
“This could get people to a part of Savannah they normally wouldn’t go.”
— Submitted January 22, 2013.
Photographed By Mike Stroud, January 22, 2013
5. Birthplace of John C. Frémont Marker
Tom Barton (as Gen. Fremont) from Savannah Morning News directs Sophia Sineath and Dr. W. Todd Groce, President and CEO GHS, in the unveiling.
Photographed By Mike Stroud, January 22, 2013
6. John C. Frémont Marker read aloud by Tom Barton from the Savannah Morning News (as Gen. Fremont)
Photographed By Mike Stroud, January 22, 2013
7. Birthplace of John C. Frémont Marker, in Yamacraw Park, 500 Block West Bay Street
Photographed By Mike Stroud, January 22, 2013
8. Birthplace of John C. Frémont Marker, looking east along West Bay Street
Photographed By Allen C. Browne, March 12, 2016
9. John C. Frémont
This painting by William Smith Jewett hangs in the National Portrait Gallery in Washington, DC.
Credits. This page was last revised on February 8, 2023. It was originally submitted on January 22, 2013, by Mike Stroud of Bluffton, South Carolina. This page has been viewed 920 times since then and 39 times this year. Photos: 1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7, 8. submitted on January 22, 2013, by Mike Stroud of Bluffton, South Carolina. 9. submitted on November 8, 2020, by Allen C. Browne of Silver Spring, Maryland.
