Zebulon Montgomery Pike: Soldier and Explorer

Zebulon Montgomery Pike, Jr. was born the second of eight children on January 5, 1778 in Lamberton, New Jersey. His father was also named Zebulon Pike and served under General George Washington in the United States after the Revolutionary War.

Younger Pike grew up in a series of western outposts in Ohio and Illinois-these states, at the time, were the frontier of the United States. In 1794, Pike joined his father's regiment as a cadet at the age of fifteen. He earned a commission as ensign in 1799 and, later in the year, became a lieutenant.

In 1801, Pike married Clarissa Harlow Brown. He then continued his military career at several Midwest posts working in logistics and payroll. His rolls were then taken over by General James Wilkinson who was the Governor of the Upper Louisiana Territory. Wilkinson ordered Pike to find the source of the Mississippi River in 1805.

After Pike returned, he was ordered out to lead an exploration expedition to find the headwaters of the Red River and the Arkansas River. On July 15, 1806, Pike led an expedition from Fort Bellefontaine to the Southwest in what is known as the "Pike expedition". Pike attempted to reach the peak of the mountain that bears his name in November of 1806. He made it as far as Mt. Rosa and after about two days without food in waist-deep snow, he gave up his journey.

In search of the Red River headwaters, Pike crossed a set of mountains known as the Sangre de Crista Mountains. These took Pike to New Mexico where he discovered the headwaters of the Rio Grande River. Pike thought he had found the headwaters of the Red River.

While out exploring, Pike and his men were captured by Spanish authorities on February 26, 1807 in northern New Mexico, now part of Colorado. They were captured having trespassed on Spanish territory. The men were taken to Santa Fe where they appeared before Commandant General Salcedo. Salcedo kept Pike with a cartographer, Juan Pedro Walker. Walker acted as an interpreter and as a transcriber and translator for Pike's confiscated documents. Pike and his men were released on July 1, 1807 to the United States at the Louisiana border, holding valuable information about the land they had seen.

In the southwest expedition, Pike was promoted to captain though he was unaware of this action. At the Battle of Tippecanoe in 1811, Pike was listed as Lt. Col. Zebulon M. Pike with the Fourth Infantry Regiment. In 1812, his rank changed again this time to the level of colonel. He continued his role, serving as deputy quartermaster general in New Orleans and inspector general during the infamous War of 1812.

Pike was promoted again in 1813 to brigadier. He departed Sackets Harbor with General Jacob Brown for what would be his last military campaign. On April 27, 1813, Pike commanded combat troops in a successful attack on York Ontario, which is better knowing today as Toronto. It was there Pike was killed by powder magazines when they exploded also killing 320 of his men. The British garrison blew up its ammunition without warning and upon retreating from the battle. Pike's body was brought back to Sackets Harbor by ships. There his remains were buried in the village's Military Cemetery.

RESOURCES:

"Zebulon Pike" 2 July 2009. www.conservapedia.com/Zebulon_Pike

1. http://www.nps.gov/archive/jeff/LewisClark2/Circa1804/WestwardExpansion/EarlyExplorers/ZebulonPike.htm

1. http://www.softronics.com/abtppeak.html

1. http://www.pikes-peak.com/Page/69.aspx

1. Encyclopedia of Military History, Dupuy & Dupuy, 1979

1. http://www.geocities.com/lakeforts/Sackets_Harbor.html

"Zebulon Montgomery Pike." 2 July 2009 http://www.findagrave.com/cgi-bin/fg.cgi?page=gr&GRid=815

"Zebulon Pike." 2 July 2009 http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Zebulon_Pike

1. Valkenburg, Samuel Van (1976). "Pike, Zebulon Montgomery". in William D. Halsey. Collier's Encyclopedia. 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. Accessed September 19, 2008. "Nineteenth century Jersey explorer Zebulon Pike was born in Lamberton, now a part of south Trenton, but gave his name to Colorado's 14,000-foot Pikes Peak."
3. 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, 1895, http://books.google.com/books?id=XrMlAAAAMAAJ

• Hollon, W. Eugene (1949) The lost pathfinder, Zebulon Montgomery Pike Univ. of Oklahoma Press, Norman, OK