The Lost Frémont Cannon (Mountain Howitzer) It was of the kind invented by the French for the mountain part if their war in Algiers; and the distance it had come with us proved how well it was adapted for its purpose. We left it, to the great sorrow of the whole party. Frémont, January 29, 1844, near today's Bridgeport, CA. Yes, it is no longer lost, and it was right where Frémont said it was, but read what follows to be convinced. Howitzer carriage parts found. Herb Kuehne of Kirkwood, CA tells us of Frémont's cannon parts that have been on public display at the Humboldt-Toiyabe National Forest Ranger Station in Bridgeport, CA since 2006. "The person I talked to didn't know too much about the Frémont cannon parts." On more recent inquiry, February 22, 2007, Herb was told: We have the cannon pieces on display in our visitor's center now. They are in a handsome wood and glass case. I do not have a write-up on them yet. Feel free to stop in and see them. Erik S. Pignata, Information Assistant, USDA-FS See a larger photo sent by Russ Gray of Reno. On a subsequent visit to Bridgeport in April, 2008, Herb took photographs and measurements of the display cabinet, which contains an assemblage of forged iron parts and three iron tires. The display case label reads: These artifacts are the remains of the gun carriage for the famous mountain howitzer abandoned during the second surveying expedition of John C. Frémont in January 1844. The artifacts were recovered by the Frémont Howitzer Recovery Team under the direct- ion of the U.S. Forest Service, Humboldt-Toiyabe National Forest, Bridgeport Ranger District. Herb's email query sent to the Bridgeport Ranger Station on May 11, 2008 requesting more details and information on the location of the find brought the following response: I understand and appreciate your interest in Fremont's Cannon. Please rest assured that there are continuing scientific investigations being conducted by a team lead by a qualified archaeologist. Due to the sensitivity of these on going investigations and Archaeological Resource Protection Act restrictions, I am allowed to say that the area of interest is within 50 miles of Bridgeport. David J. 'Jack' Scott District Archaeologist Bridgeport Ranger District Humboldt-Toiyabe National Forest   See the recovery area and follow Frémont's 1844 route. On June 24, 2010 I received the following additional information from Russell Gray of Reno, NV: My son and I stopped at Bridgeport Ranger Station to check out the display. I took some pictures and noticed the rims had tags attached to them, all faced away. By lying on the floor I was able to see one tag that reads: USFS/#TY 5127/Iron Tire 1/Deep Creek." The the photo of the tag does not show all written--the camera could not get all that the eye could see. The other tag on rim two says the same thing except for "Iron Tire 2." The third tag is not readable although, I'm sure it says "Iron Tire 3." I'm not quite sure what #ty site means-- TOIYABE? Although it looks like a 5 in picture, on the other tag the camera reads "site." Regards, Russell Gray The Walker River was named by Frémont for Joseph R. Walker. Here one hundred and seventy-five years of lore and legend surrounding Walker's 1833 route across the Sierra is dispelled. Are these the remains of Frémonts lost howitzer? With no prospect of additional information from Bridgeport in the near future, we have undertaken to make our own assessment of those items currently on display at the Ranger Station. The parts from the photos are shown here in their correct upright position. They have been identified by Lt. Col. Paul R. Rosewitz , a long time friend and contributor to this website, as the: axle strap (lower U), trunnion plate (upper 2.7" U), axle band, and chin bolt of a pre-Mexican War US-made copy of the 1828 French mountain howitzer carriage built at the Watervliet Arsenal in West Troy, New York in 1837. See Paul's identification from the original plans. The round axle strap is the key to the earliest 13 US carriages. Based on field experience, carriages built after the Mexican War had a square axle, as shown in the schematic at left. See a larger photo sent by Russ Gray of Reno. Important: This is the only surviving example of the first US Army mountain howitzer carriage.   NOTE: Colonel Rosewitz is a leading military historian on the mountain howitzer, having researched the National Archives, and military archives and museums around the country and in Europe. He has published much on the mountain howitzer, including a master's thesis, and is expert in M1835 mountain howitzer drill (he owns one!). He is currently (May, 2008) Night Chief of Operations, HQ ISAF (NATO), in Kabul, Afghanistan. Here we have used a later prairie carriage (square axle vs. round) to show the correct placement of the recovered parts, because there is no known survivor of a pre-1851 carriage. It is perhaps revealing to see that the trunnion plate in the display is still bolted (and nutted) to the axle strap--the axle band still captive. The capsquares, which covered the upper surface of the trunnions and secured the tube (barrel) to the carriage, have been removed from the key bolt and chin bolt, indicating that the 225 lb. bronze tube might have been deliberately dismounted from the carriage previous to final abandonment, or by a mid-19C discoverer. The wooden parts have either completely disintegrated or have been burned away. To be Frémont's howitzer, the removed tube would have been one of the first 12 ordered cast by Cyrus Alger in Boston: thirteen were were actually cast and delivered, and there were no others cast until 1845. This U-shaped axle strap configuration is very important, because it eliminates later carriages with US Army design modifications, and so a number of local Civil War era howitzers. But, Paul adds, "three tires are a puzzle! The pack carriage, drawn by thrill, had only the two wheels. There is no Army record of a mountain howitzer limber arrangement (4 wheels) before 1845." On July 20, 1843, Frémont recorded that "the shaft of the howitzer carriage broke" and had to be mended: and again on Aug 6th. Shaft can only refer to a thrill, one of the pair of poles by which the pack carriage was harnessed and drawn. Paul notes further that, "in 1845 and they were still struggling with the design of the shafts, or thill, to pull the howitzer behind a horse." Our digital analysis of Herb's photograph of the tires indicates a diameter of about 37"--close. Paul notes that early production of the howitzer carriage should have tires of 38" in diameter (42" only after 1845). "There would be six holes in the tire, one for each fellow of the wheel (which had two spokes per fellow), and the bolt (square head) would be countersunk into the tire and have a nut on the fellow side." But, diameter of the wheels aside, the 3 tires in the Bridgeport collection, by Herb's count, all have 12 holes, and he points out that "the back tire still has a rivet in it." It should be a substantial bolt--not a rivet--in a countersink. The model 1835 12 pounder Mountain Howitzer was a powerful piece of ordinance with tremendous recoil. These tires look to be much too light, and between only 1.25" to 1.5" wide--not nearly the robust 2" wide 1/2" thick iron tire of howitzer wheels. Three 2" wide tires, with the spacers we see, could not fit into a display cabinet only 9 1/2" deep. In July, 2008, Peter Lathrop of Minden, NV wrote: "I stopped at the Bridgeport Ranger Station last week, turned around and there were the wheel rims! The ranger couldn't say where they were found--said it was too bad Parker (?) was not there, as he would know. His theory as to why there are three rims is that they double-rimmed each wheel, and one rim is still missing." Such a totally unorthodox wheelwright practice would also not be supported by the small remaining rivet--as opposed to the design drawings of six 1/2" countersunk bolts. Are these parts from Frémont's lost cannon? Almost certainly yes; and no. This graphic assessment for Frémont's lost cannon is based on Herb's photos and Paul's historical data and comment. The very high probability for actual parts from an early US Army mountain howitzer carriage is based on the early U-section (vs. square) of the axle strap. However, there would seem to be almost no probability that the 3 tires in the display belonged to a US Model 1835 mountain howitzer carriage. It is not known if other parts were recovered. Or, if there were others, why the particular displayed parts were chosen for the Bridgeport Ranger Station exhibit. Where are the pairs of the displayed assembled parts? And, or course, the big question, where is the tube (barrel)? It will probably be many months (years?) before the whole story of this important discovery is published and the location released. We will be interested to learn if the names of two old cannon hunters Francois "Bud" Uzes or Jack Reveal are part of the story. Where it the tube (barrel)? Frémont: "The howitzer was the only wheeled carriage now remaining." On November 25, 1843, the expedition's 12 carts and a covered instrument wagon had been left off at the Walahwalah [sic] Methodist mission on the Columbia River. Pack saddles had been made. How could three unrelated wagon tires have become associated with parts from a mountain howitzer? One explanation could be that the recovery may not have been made on Frémont's January 29 1844 route. Frémont's narrative and map are very specific that the howitzer was abandoned on the east side of the W. Fk. of the Walker River on January 29th, 1844--where they "were often compelled to ascend the highest and most exposed ridges, in order to avoid snow, which in other places was banked up to a great depth." Download Frémont's full account of leaving the howitzer January 25-29, 1844. If the recovery was not made on that 1844 route, the three problematic tires displayed at Bridgeport may tie in to mid 19C accounts of early settlers, suggesting that the howitzer had been previously found and moved. James U. Smith gives an account of how the reported cannon discovery in Lost Canyon along "with abandoned wagons" caused later surveyors to corrupt the name canyon to cannon: Lost Cannon Creek, Lost Cannon Peak; Lost Cannon Canyon. Only a side shoot, Little Lost Canyon, remains as a vestige of the original name. If so, the recent recovery may relate to the storied Pray Cannon, and the Nevada State Museum Cyrus Alger tube cast in 1836. We show here, (for the first time (I think) that these two are one and the same. Question: why was this valuable piece of ordinance not retrieved within months? There were five men that left Frémont's 2nd Expedition at Sutter's Fort in early March: Oliver Beaulieu, Philibert Courteau [Descouteau, Des Couteau], Baptiste Derosier, Thomas Fallon, Samuel Neal, Joseph Verrot. All knew the location of the howitzer. On November 24-26, 1845, when his divided 3rd Expedition party rendezvoused at Walker Lake, Frémont had returned to within 30 crow miles of where he had abandoned the howitzer only nine months earlier on January 29, 1844. But, mindful of his experience of that year, and noting that snow was already "deep on higher ridges," he sent the bulk of his party south to map Walker Pass under Theodore Talbot and Edward Kern (guided by Joe Walker), and with a flying column of select men, he turned north to the Truckee river and made a four day crossing of the Sierra to Sutter's Fort for supplies. On July 6, 1861, an article in the Daily Alta California, San Francisco, reported of the howitzer that: It always was an object of wonder to the Indians in that vicinity. They burnt the carriage and carried off most of the irons. but the cannon was too heavy for them to manage. Old Peter Lassen, who was with Frémont at the time it was left, just before his death, tried to get up a party to go after it. Lassen, who died in 1859, was, in fact, not with Frémont in 1844: but Lassen's neighbor Sam Neil was. From April 14-24, 1846, Frémont was at Peter Lassen's upper Sacramento Valley ranch on Deer Creek making observations for longitude by portable transit instrument for one of the three astronomical stations upon which the monumental 1848 Frémont-Preuss map was based. And Sam Neal was there. What follows predates the recent recovery of the above carriage parts, which would seem to render moot some previous discussions; for instance, the dolphins shown on the howitzer at Pyramid Lake in the Preuss drawing. However, there is much still relevant information and interesting historical record. 2nd Lt. John Charles Frémont from daguerreotype c.1843 St. Louis Arsenal Requisition for ordnance and ordnance stores, for an expedition into the Oregon Territory. Required May 8, 1843, mountain howitzer, 1; carriage complete with harness, 1; pistols, 4; pairs holsters,etc., 2; carbines, 33; kegs of rifle powder, 5; pounds of artillery ammunition, 500; tubes, filled, 200. J.C. Frémont, 2d Lieut. Topographical Engineers What is a howitzer? Webster's Collegiate says; "A short, light, cannon, used to deliver shells with a curved trajectory, with shells of lower muzzle velocities than those from guns, at angles from 20 to 45 degrees." The same source describes a shell as, "A hollow projectile for cannon, containing an explosive bursting charge." Nineteenth century shells were fused. The fuse was trimmed off at range marks before loading, and was ignited by the main charge on firing. Drawing of the French 1828 Mountain Howitzer compared to the 1835 U. S. Mountain Howitzer. And a new contender? Frémont's mountain howitzer was a 12 pounder. There is a mountain howitzer (tube only) in the Nevada State Museum in Carson City (right). It was once thought to be, and is still thought by some to be, the Frémont Howitzer. The date is just right: it was cast of bronze in 1837 in South Boston by Cyrus Alger and Company and marked as the third one proofed ("3") by Lt. Goerge H. Talcott and marked with his initials "GT" and the weight of "223" pounds. It is one of only two survivors of the original 12 howitzers delivered. The cost new was $225. This howitzer has had a very colorful past--it is identified here as the Glenbrook Pray cannon. Read some early history and newspaper accounts of the Museum Howitzer. It is interesting to compare this howitzer with Charles Preuss's drawing of Frémont's howitzer at pyramid Lake. Preuss's drawing very clearly shows dolphins (handles) cast into the barrel. Neither the French M1828 not the US M1835 have them. When we compare Preuss's drawings of places, we find very exact correlation's see the Long Camp drawing). And the combined views of the Wind River Range. The Preuss rendering of Pyramid Lake is exact to the very rocks represented in the foreground. It would be surprising if Preuss had drawn something, like the handles, which were not there. But the figures and howitzer may very well have been added at the time an engraving was made from the original drawing. We cannot know, because all the original notes, sketches and drawings were lost a century ago in two separate fires. However, there is evidence that the peopling of the drawings may have been done at the time of plate preparation for publication of these government survey reports. The depicted howitzer is otherwise very strange in apparently having no trunnions to mount it. David Peterson of San Jose, CA, sends a photo of a canister round that he found at the bottom of the Carson Canyon near Woodfords on the West Fork of the Carson River. Knight tells us that , "...canisters for 12 lb. mountain howitzers are always filled with musket balls...laid in tiers in a tin case having an iron top and bottom...the interstices between the shot are filled in with sawdust. " Dave adds the following: "I counted the balls and there were 145 in all. The balls by rough measurement are 11/16 inch in diameter [.69 caliber]. The top of the can is 4 1/2" in diameter. The can itself is 3 3/4 inches. The Mormon Battalion in 1848 took across Carson Pass a four and a six pounder acquired from Sutter two months earlier. This canister was not with them as it wouldn't fit. Probably it was lost by a different military group coming or going somewhere on the route." A few facts about Frémont's howitzer come from the Frémont Report and from the Charles Preuss diary : There is no record in the Report of Frémont ever dismounting the tube. Packing it on mules would have been very useful, and would probably have meant that it would not have been left behind as soon as it was. But at that point in the expedition, Frémont's animals might not have been in a condition to pack the 225 lb. tube. It was rolled the whole trip, as far as it got. But, the howitzer was not going to cross the Sierra Nevada in winter. 1--The "shaft of the howitzer carriage broke" and had to be mended on July 20 and again on Aug 6th 1843. We assume that "shaft" referred to a thrill, one of the pair of poles by which the pack carriage was harnessed and drawn. 2--On leaving Ft. Wallawalla on November 25, 1843, Frémont records that after leaving the wagons and instrument cart at that place, the howitzer was the only remaining "wheeled vehicle." Frémont seemed to consider, from the start, that hauling wheeled vehicles (ie. the howitzer) over the route was a demonstration of the feasibility of wagon travel. 3--The howitzer was left behind on January 13, 1844 on the passage around Pyramid Lake and had to be retrieved the following day. 4--It was also left behind January 28, 1844 on the ascent up Burcham Flat to near Pk. 8422 and was gone back for the following day. It was finally abandoned later that same day. A reproduction of the Cyrus Alger manufactured model 1835 mountain howitzer is shown above: the pack carriage at right. Descending to Metolious River on November 30, 1843 Frémont says, "At such places, the gun-carriage was unlimbered, and separately descended by hand." Brian O'Connor tells us that "un-limbering can mean different things, depending upon how the carriage is configured. Generally, it would mean that the cannon is removed from it's towing rig, be it a small ammo cart or a set of poles attached to the trail." Frémont tracker/photographer Loren Irving of Bend, OR sent this photo of the place. There is the narrative record that at least on some occasions two mules were used to draw the carriage. This would necessarily have been mules in tandem, as illustrated in Emory's Report of Kearny's march through the Southwest in 1846. Loren Irving also brought this to my attention. December 13, 1846, east of Klamath Marsh: "The mules at the gun pulled heavily, and walking was a little laborious."     There are several accounts in the Report of demonstrations of 2nd Expedition gunner, and Prussian Army veteran, Louis Zindel's skill: Theodore Talbot, June 15, 1843: Our cannonnier was very successful in his practice with the howitzer, striking a post 4 feet high at nearly a quarter of a mile with a bomb [shell]. Charles Preuss, August 10, 1843: Shooting buffalo with the howitzer is a cruel but amusing sport. Frémont, December 10, 1843: ...I directed the howitzer to be fired. It was the first time our guides [Walla Walla Indians] had seen it discharged; and the bursting of the shell at a distance which was something like the second fire of the gun, amazed and bewildered them with delight. It inspired them with triumphant feelings, but on the [Klamath] camps at a distance, the effect was different, for the smokes in the lake and on the shore immediately disappeared. Expert Testimony: This email was received from Brian O'Connor of the San Diego Cannoneers. Brian also does volunteer work at the San Pasqual Battlefield State Park, as part of their cannon crew. I have written on this website, that no mountain howitzer had dolphins. I guess I was wrong. Read Jiggs Caudron's email below. This email was received from Jiggs Caudron. Jiggs actually had a bit part in the mini-series Dream West, in which Richard Chaimberland played Frémont. He has some interesting comments about the Preuss drawing of the howitzer. Major Paul R. Rosewitz, Field Artillery, U.S. Army, Military Education Quota Manager, in St. Louis, MO sent these communications. Paul is shown mounted on Smoke next to his own M1835 mountain howitzer. These communications, because of their definitive nature, are posted here in their entirety. On December 29, 2001, Wayne Stark, of Baden PA, sent an email to this site. Mr. Stark has 22 years of involvement in Civil War artillery, with emphasis on the cannon tubes and the foundries that made them. He consults to the Smithsonian, The Artilleryman magazine, The Civil War News, and to many of the battlefield parks. He is co-author of The Big Guns: Civil War Siege, Seacoast and Naval Cannon. Did Frémont alter his Report regarding the location where he left the howitzer (conspiracy theory)? Or did he leave it on the east side of the West Walker River in a deep hollow just north of Fales Hotspring as stated in The Report. Is it not more likely that it was found about c.1860 by Sheldon or Pray or some other person, and that it was the one (or one of the ones) circulating about the Lake Tahoe and Virginia City areas called Frémont's Cannon? 14th Century English philosopher William of Ockham said, "entities must not be unnecessarily multiplied." Well, he wrote it in Latin, actually--entia non sunt multiplicanda praeter necessitatem. This has become known as "Ockham's Razor." What does it mean? Click the picture! The museum howitzer could be the actual Frémont Cannon. They do not say positively that it is, because the provenance is incomplete. Where was the howitzer left? To take the narrowest view, on the East side of West Walker River, from his camp near the top, perhaps in the saddle, of Pk. 8422', near the route of the present Burcham Flat Road, Frémont says: January 28th: To-night we did not succeed in getting the Howitzer into camp. This was the most laborious day we had yet passed through; the steep ascents and deep snow exhausting both men and animals. January 29th: From this height [Pk 8422'] we could see, at a considerable distance below, yellow spots in the valley, which indicated that there was not much snow. One of these places we expected to reach to-night; and some time being required to bring up the gun, I went ahead with Mr. Fitzpatrick and a few men, leaving the camp to follow, in charge of Mr. Preuss. We followed a trail down a hollow where the Indians had descended, the snow being so deep that we never came near the ground; but this only made our descent the easier, and, when we reached a little affluent to the river [Deep Creek, an affluent to the W. Walker] at the bottom, we suddenly found ourselves in the presence of eight or ten Indians... The principal stream [W. Walker R.] still running through an impractical cañon [he could see this from the site, or from exploring ahead], we ascended a very steep hill [out of Deep Creek], which proved afterwards [my double emphasis] the last and fatal obstacle to our little howitzer, which was finally abandoned at this place. But, Frémont wasn't there; he didn't actually see it left--he had gone on ahead. He sent word back to Charles Preuss that there was no point in trying to move the howitzer forward. The howitzer crew, might have made some forward progress from the previous night. Possibly, but unlikely, as far as down into Deep Creek, being stopped by the "very steep hill." To take the broadest view, the howitzer could have been abandoned anywhere in the 10 miles from where it was left on the 28th, on the flanks of Pk. 8422', to the ascension out of Deep Creek. the 3D map of the West Walker Canyon Read THE CROSSING to follow the complete 1845 narrative description to where Frémont's Howitzer was left in 1844. See a scale model (scale=golf ball dia. bore!) by Rob Zimmerman, and a CAD image sent by Dennis Short. Download original US Army plans in high resolution. Antiques Roadshow, April 4, 2005 Program #911 Reno Sparks Convention Center A model 1835 mountain howitzer tube dug up in a back yard near the California-Nevada border! The tube was marked "C. A. & Co. [Cyrus Alger], Boston." Just right, so far! However, the serial numbers indicated that this was "464" in Alger's production, and "87" in Alger's mountain howitzer production. It is marked by the proofer, Louis A. B. Walbach and carries the date 1853--the only year that Walbach was a proofer. Antiques Roadshow appraiser Christopher Mitchell put the value at $35-45,000. So not Frémont's howitzer, but these are still showing up in the region! Dayton, Nevada. Bob, I am working on a song with the working title of "Frémont's Cannon." I know a good deal about the events of the 1843-44 expedition and have researched the net and library for additional information. I also had the good fortune of working as a range technician for the forest service at the Bridgeport Ranger District and have ridden or driven a good deal of the eastern slope of the Sierras. All this brings me to my question. Was the original cannon abandoned by Frémont ever found? Obviously you have done an incredible amount of research on the subject and I would really enjoy your thoughts on the matter. Richard Elloyan. Frémont's Cannon: A sound sample in Quicktime® Richard Elloyan is a singer, songwriter, and poet of unique wit and imagination. I fact-checked Richard's lyrics. He promised that the recorded song would be "dramatic." It is! Bibliography: Board of Army Officers, Instruction for Mountain Artillery, Washington, 1851. Cline, Gloria Griffin, Exploring the Great Basin, University of Oklahoma Press, Norman, 1963 (and University of Nevada Press reprint 1988). Fletcher, F. N., Early Nevada--the Period of Exploration, 1776-1848, Reno, 1929. Frémont, Brevet Captain J. C., Report of The Exploring Expedition to the Rocky Mountains in the Year 1842, and to Oregon and North California in the Years 1843-'44, Printed by order of the Senate of the United States, Gales and Seaton, Washington. 1845. Frémont, John Charles, Geographical Memoir Upon Upper California, Senate. 30th Congress, Misc. No.148, Wendell and Van Benthuysen, Washington, 1848. Frémont, John Charles, Memoirs of My Life, Belford, Clark & Company, Chicago, 1887. Gibbons, Lieutenant John, The Artillerist's Manual; Introduction for Field Artillery, Horse and Foot, New York, 1860. Graham, Clara. My daughter made these pages when she was about 12 years old. I have always kept them. Wonderful imagery! Hinkle, George and Bliss, Sierra Nevada Lakes, The Bobbs-Merrill Company, Inc, Indianapolis-New York, 1949. Jackson, Donald, The Myth of the Frémont Howitzer, The Bulletin of the Missouri Historical Society Vol. XXII, No. 3, April, 1967. Jackson, Donald, and Spence, Mary Lee, The Expeditions of John Charles Frémont, Vol. 1, University of Illinois Press, 1970. James, George Wharton, The Lake of the Sky - Lake Tahoe, George Wharton James, 1915. Knight, Edward H., Knight, American Mechanical Dictionary, J. B. Ford and Company, New York, 1874-1879. Kuehne, Herb, photographs and measurements taken of the Ranger Station display at Bridgeport, CA April, 2008. Lewis, Ernest Allen, The Frémont Cannon -- High Up and Far Back, The Arthur H. Clark Co., 1981. Preuss, Charles, Exploring With Frémont, Translated by Erwin G. and Elisabeth K., Gudde, University of Oklahoma Press, Norman, 1958. Reveal, Jack L. and James L, The Missing Frémont Cannon--an Ecological Solution, reprinted from Madrono, V.32, No.2, April 1985. Rosewitz, Paul R. Lt. Col. US Army, invaluable correspondence, photo facsimiles of original military documents, 2000-2008. Russell, Carl P., Frémont's Cannon, The California Historical Society, No. 36, December 1957. Scott, Edward B., The Saga of Lake Tahoe, Sierra Tahoe Publishing Co., 1957 (1964). Smith, James U., Frémont's Expedition in Nevada, 1843-44, Second Biennial Report of the Nevada Historical Society, Carson City, 1911. Talbot, Theodore, The Journals of Theodore Talbot, Metropolitan Press, 1931. Townley, John M., The Lost Frémont Cannon, Guidebook, The Jamison Station Press, Reno, 1984. United States Army, The Ordinance Manual, J. B. Lippincott, 1861.   ©1999, 2008 Bob Graham