Brief Biography Of Kit Carson: Indian Army

Richel Tapia

21 July 2013

Kit Carson

New Mexico History

Down in New Mexico, Kit Carson is known for a lot of things. For example, he is known for having a very eventful life. His history of his life is just one big adventure, even before he became a legend. He’s known for being a trapper and a guide. He is also known for being an Indian Agent and a soldier. As he grew older while on his big adventure, he was getting tired and just want to go home to his wife. Kit Carson’s name is actually Christopher Carson. He was born in Madison County, Kentucky, on Christmas Eve of 1809. It is told that his father, Lindsey Carson, fought in the American Revolution, which was from 1775-1783, a war which the American colonies fought
to win their independence from Great Britain (“Kit Carson Biography”). He married Rebecca Robinson in 1796. Kit was the ninth of fourteen children and his family soon settled in Howard County, Missouri a little after he was born. Then when Kit was around nine years old, his father was killed in a tragic accident (“Kit Carson Biography”). Guessing because of his father’s death, Kit did his best to help take care of his family. This prevented Kit from ever receiving an education. It is doubtful that he received much of a formal education because he remained nearly illiterate, or unable to read and write, his entire life (“Kit Carson Biography”). At the age of fourteen he was working as an apprentice to a saddle and harness maker. However, he soon became restless and after about a year or two he joined a wagon train heading west on which is known as the Santa Fe Train in 1826 (Weiser). From Santa Fe, Kit went north to Taos, New Mexico where he worked doing many things.
From around 1828 and 1840, Carson used Taos as a base camp for many fur-trapping expeditions throughout the mountains of the West, from California’s Sierra Nevada Mountains to the Rocky Mountains (Weiser). Carson learned the ins and outs of trapping. He became one of the famed mountain men, who lived and worked in the wilderness. In 1829, Carson joined with Ewing Young to trap in Arizona and California. He also worked for Jim Bridger and the Hudson Bay Company at different times as well (“Kit Carson”). Along the way, Carson learned to speak Spanish, French and several Native American languages (“Kit Carson”). It is told that around 1831 Carson returned to New Mexico, where he immediately joined up with the experienced trapper, Thomas Fitzpatrick (“Kit Carson Biography”). With Fitzpatrick’s men, Carson headed up north into the rugged central Rocky Mountains. For the next ten years, Carson worked as a trapper all over western America in what is today known as Utah, Colorado, Wyoming, Idaho, and Montana. During this time spent in the wilderness of North America, Caron learned everything he needed to know in order to become a respected guide (“Kit Carson Biography”). Kathy Weiser writes in the article “New Mexico Legends,” as the case with many white trappers, Carson become somewhat integrated into the Indian world; traveling and living extensively among Indians (Weiser). Stated in the
article “Kit Carson Biography,” around 1836 Carson married an Arapaho Indian woman. The couple had two children, only one of whom, a daughter, survived. Soon after his first wife died, Carson married a Cheyenne woman, but the marriage did not last long. Then Carson took his daughter to St. Louis, Missouri, to further her education and for the next eight years Carson split his time between his daughter in St. Louis and his trapping duties in Taos (“Kit Carson Biography”). Around 1840, Carson was employed as hunter for the garrison at Bent’s Fort, Colorado, soon becoming its chief hunter (Weiser). Weiser also writes that in 1842, while returning from Missouri, where he took his daughter to be educated, Carson happened to meet John C. Fremont on a Missouri Riverboat. Fremont hired Carson as guide for his first expedition to map and describe Western Trains to the Pacific Ocean. Over the next several years, Carson helped guide Fremont to Oregon and Californian and through much of the Central Rocky Mountains and the Great Basin. His service with Fremont, celebrated in Fremont’s widely read reports of his expeditions, quickly made Kit Carson a national hero, present in popular fiction as a rugged mountain main capable of superhuman feats. After returning to Taos in 1843, Carson married his third wife, Josefa (Weiser). She also states that Carson’s notoriety grew as his name became associated with several key events in the United States’ westward expansion. Carson was still serving as Fremont’s guide when Fremont joined California’s short-lived Bear-Flag rebellion just before the outbreak of the Mexican-American War in 1846.
Carson would serve in the war, playing an important part in the conquest of California (Weiser). While in California, Fremont’s mission changed into a military operation. Carson and Fremont helped support an uprising by American settlers in the area, and Carson was then sent to Washington D.C., by Fremont to deliver the news of their victory (“Kit Carson”). Carson also led the forces of U.S. General Stephen Kearney from Socorro, New Mexico into California, when a Californio band led by Andres Pico mounted a challenge to American occupation of Los Angeles later that year (Weiser). Weiser also wrong that on December 6, 1846, Mexicans at San Pasqual attacked those forces, about 30 miles north of San Diego. On the third night of this battle, Carson and two others snuck through enemy lines and ran the entire distance of San Diego, where they brought help for Kearny’s pinned-down forces. At the end of the war, Carson returned to New Mexico and took up ranching (Weiser). It is written in the article “Kit Carson Biography,” that by 1849 Carson had settled near Taos to far and did occasional scouting for army units fighting hostile tribes. Carson also served in the Office of Indian Affairs, first as an agent and then as a superintendent of Indian affairs for the Colorado Territory. In 1854, Carson became the agent
for several southwestern tribes. For years, he worked to keep peace and to ensure fair treatment of Native Americans (“Kit Carson Biography”). He was primarily working with the Utes and the Jicarilla Apaches. According to the biography of Kit Carson, he saw the impact of Western migrations of the white settlers on the Native Americans, and he believes that attacks on whites by Native Americans were committed in desperations. To prevent these peoples from becoming extinct, Carson advocated for the creation of reservations (“Kit Carson Biography”). It is also said in the article that with the outbreak of the Civil War in 1861, which was between the northern states and southern states that was fought to decide whether or not slavery would be allowing in new territories and such, Carson joined for the First New Mexico Volunteer Infantry Regiment. He served as its colonel and fought in support of the Union cause. In 1862, Carson and his men clashed with Confederate soldiers at the Battle of Valverde. He also led campaigns against some of the Native American Tribes in the region. Part of his work was to relocate the Navajos to Bosque Redondo, a reservation located at Fort Sumner in New Mexico. Starving and exhausted, the Navajo finally surrendered and were forced to march about 300 to the reservation. The journey which is known as the Long Walk, proved to be brutal, costing the lives of hundreds of Navajos (“Kit Carson Biography”). In 1868, Carson was appointed superintendent of Indian affairs for the Colorado Territory. He never had a chance to work in this position. He died on May 23, 1868, at Fort Lyon, Colorado (Weiser).
Kit Carson served his country in the army and established relations with the Native Americans, which was impressive and his name will forever bring to mind thoughts of the wild frontier and westward expansion. Even though it does not say much about his marriage with Josefa, we do know that they did have children and while he was out on his adventures and growing old, all he wanted to do was go home to her. Kit Carson was a man of many things, from being an Indian Agent to a rancher and having little education he was really a smart man. His life seems to be just one big adventure that he was on and the stories of all the adventures that he went on will forever be told and a big part of New Mexico History and of the American West.

Works Cited
“Kit Carson Biography.” Encyclopedia of World Biography, 2013. Web. 21 July 2013
"Kit Carson." The Biography Channel, 2013. Web. 21 July 2013
Weiser, Kathy. “New Mexico Legends.” Legends of America, May 2011. Web. 21 July 2013.