didn't hurt that she was the daughter of the most powerful man in the united states senate, thomas hart benton from missouri. and it didn't hurt that thomas hart benton from missouri didn't have this report captain fremont published in the government printing office. of course, that made it public information in all the newspapers all over the country. they reprinted this, and fremont became what we used to think -- a hero like we used to treat the first astronauts. they were all of our heros, and that's what fremont became. just as kearney was making his march and just as all of the war was started and the west was frothing up, fremont launched another exploration which he said he did under secret orders from the president of the united states himself to take this band of trappers, he had 60 heavily-armed men which was almost an army in those days, and go to california. and if possible, capture it. now, the interesting part of that was that the war hadn't started yet, and people have gotten into trouble by starting war, especially young captains. but fremont insisted that this was his informa