The Men Who Built America: Frontiersmen (2018–…): Season 1, Episode 1 - Into the Wilderness - full transcript

Previously, on "The Men Who
Built America: Frontiersmen.."

Forty years after Daniel
Boone crossed the Appalachians

the American frontier
now reaches as far west

as the Great Plains.

Famed Shawnee war chief,
Tecumseh falls in battle

and with him dies the dream
of a Pan-Indian homeland.

Fire!

Andrew Jackson
defeats Great Britain

in the War of 1812

a victory that propels him

to the presidency.



His bitter rival, Davy Crockett

seeks a fresh start

in the Mexican territory
of Texas.

We need somebody like you,
Crockett.

What he finds instead..

Hell or Texas.

Hell or Texas!

...is a fight for freedom..

...that will make him a legend.

Whoa-oa-oa whoa-oa-oa

At a garrison in Southern Texas

known as the Alamo

nearly 260 men,
women, and children

prepare for a siege.



Among their commanders

is celebrated frontiersman..

...Davy Crockett.

Outside the walls,
cle to 5000 Mexican troops

led by the ruthless general,
Santa Anna..

...surround the mission.

The Texians believed
that Santa Anna's troops

were two months out

but once Crockett
got to the Alamo

and it became clear
that Santa Anna's troops

were on the march
and they were much closer

than had been anticipated

there was no getting out of it

at this point for Crockett.

Alright, close it up.

Right, there on the walls.

Let's go, go, go!

This massive, well-trained army

you know, surrounding
this, this little mission

in the middle of the desert.

The Alamo looks like a complete

uh, disaster waiting to happen.

Outnumbered fifteen to one..

...Crockett knows the odds
of survival are bleak.

Man, uh, th-there's a thing
that happens

when death's at the door.

Most people don't know when the
reaper's gonna show up, right?

You just kinda, hopefully, y-you
die in peace or you die quickly.

When you see the reaper
standing outside the door

and you know
he's comin' in here for us

your world just kinda lends
perspective in that moment.

What was important,
what's not important

who I wish I would've talked to.

Man, it's a hell of a thing
to, to go through that.

Over the course of an hour,
Crockett and the Texans

repel the Mexican advances
three times.

But Santa Anna is relentless

accepting heavy losses
to breach the fortress.

Santa Anna sent his troops
from many different sides.

Wave, after wave,
after wave of men

uh, who scaled ladders

and swarmed
literally like locusts.

Davy Crockett did what
many American patriots have done

and that is decide
to stay and fight for a cause

in the face
of an attacking enemy.

And it speaks volumes about him

uh, and about his character.

Ninety minutes
after the battle begins..

...the Mexican Army
takes the Alamo.

Almost all of the fort's
defenders are killed.

Most accounts suggest

that Crockett was
in some of the heaviest fighting

and that he was one of the last
remaining survivors.

They were led out and executed
right in front of Santa Anna.

Then they were loaded into
three separate human pyres

and lit aflame.

For Crockett
to live this incredible life

on the frontier
and then die at the Alamo

sealed him as legendary.

Davy Crockett
was not this kind of

backwoods outdoorsman,
uh, entirely.

Uh, he was a man with great
political ambitions

who got into trouble
because he was also

very independent-minded,
so he wouldn't always play ball

uh, with
the political establishment.

Crockett was always the
congressman of the little guy.

It is that underdog struggle

uh, fighting against
a-a tyranny.

And so, the story

of Davy Crockett
goin' down swinging

fighting to the very last man,
and the very last breath

uh, feeds the legend of
the King of the Wild Frontier.

Word of the slaughter
at the Alamo

soon spreads
across the country..

...enraging Americans.

In Washington,
President Andrew Jackson

sees the defeat in Texas
as a much bigger concern.

By 1836..

...Mexico is a significant
territorial rival

in North America.

Mexico controls land
stretching from California

to the border of Oregon

covering more than
1.7 million square miles.

The US hasn't added a new state

since Missouri in 1821

and the promise of expansion
west feels stalled.

Andrew Jackson
was among those Americans

who believed
that Texas ought to be

part of the United States.

But Jackson was also a man
with a keen strategic sense

who wanted to strike
at the right moment.

He didn't want to have a war
with Mexico just then.

Didn't think the time was right.

If Texas can win
its own independence

Jackson can bring it
into the union.

Until then, his hands are tied.

Fortunately, for Jackson..

...one Texan sees the
crushing loss at the Alamo

as an opportunity.

His name is Sam Houston.

Crockett and Sam Houston

both served
in Andrew Jackson's militia

during the Creek War.

Houston became famous
for the Battle of Horseshoe Bend

where he was impaled
through the groin with an arrow

and had one of his
other soldiers yank it out

and he just kept on fighting.

And Houston also was
really a rugged frontiersman.

Houston is now the leader
of some 370 untrained men.

They comprise the Army of Texas

and their fight
for independence isn't over.

To increase his numbers in the
face of a much larger enemy

Houston calls on Texans
to avenge Crockett's death..

...and remember the Alamo.

The way I see it..

The defeat at the Alamo ended up

creating a great rallying cry
of patriotism

to fight for independence

and to fight to the death,
to fight to the end.

...it is really important to..

Hundreds of angry Texans

are drawn to the cause
of independence.

In just a month,
Houston's army swells

to nearly a thousand.

They're positioned
near the San Jacinto River..

...right in the path
of General Santa Anna

and 1500 Mexican troops.

Just six weeks after
Crockett's death at the Alamo

Sam Houston takes his revenge..

...unleashing
900 furious Texans

against a larger Mexican force.

Santa Anna is camped
near the San Jacinto River

where the Texans surprise them.

Ultimately,
the Battle of San Jacinto

only lasted 18 minutes.

It was a chaotic 18 minutes.

I don't think anyone expected
the battle to go this way.

Over 630 Mexican soldiers
are killed.

The Texans suffer
just 11 casualties.

The crushing defeat
leads to Mexico's surrender.

And Texas
finally wins independence.

Back in Washington, DC..

...Jackson welcomes the news.

He's dreamed of Texas
joining the US for years.

But the future of Texas is
caught in the growing debate

over slavery.

Congress wasn't willing
to go along with annexation

because Texas would enter
the union with slavery.

And the addition of Texas

would tip the balance
in the senate

in favor
of the pro slavery side.

The result of this was that
Texas remained in this limbo

for almost a decade.

In 1837,
Jackson's presidency ends

with one goal unfulfilled.

A nation stretching
all the way to the Pacific.

Andrew Jackson
remained politically involved

even after he retired.

He was writing
constant letters to people

giving very strong opinions
about subject

after subject after subject.

And he was a man
who believed in the expansion

of the United States.

Expansion in the southwest
may be stalled

but the United States
still has a claim

in the northwest.

Located between British
Canada and Mexico's holdings

the Oregon Territory
is 250,000 square miles

of disputed land..

...claimed by Britain,
Native Americans, and the US.

Lewis and Clark
planted a flag here

four decades ago.

But to truly own it,
the US needs settlers..

...and that's a problem.

Americans really didn't know
how to make it to Oregon.

They were aware that there was
very fertile farmland there

but no one was exactly sure
how to make it there.

And the entire prospect
of traveling all the way

across the nation
was understandably daunting.

So, in 1842..

...the United States Army
sends a lieutenant

from the topographical corps.

His name is John C. Fremont.

His mission, map a route

from Missouri to Oregon

that wagon trains of pioneers

can safely travel.

John C. Fremont is actually
an illegitimate son.

He's born in poverty.

He gets a mentor

who actually goes on
to become Secretary of War

who gets him a job surveying

on the Upper Mississippi River.

Fremont was vainglorious

arrogant, extremely ambitious.

Eh, he didn't just
want to be an explorer

he wanted to be a senator,
he wanted to be president.

But he's never been
west of the Mississippi.

So he turns to the most
skilled guide on the frontier..

...Kit Carson.

Kit Carson came
from very humble origins.

He had no formal education,
he was illiterate

yet he was incredibly
knowledgeable

about the land of the west.

He spoke multiple languages.

He had relationships
with native tribes.

He knew the topography.

Uh, he knew how to fight,
he knew how to hunt.

So here is somebody
who had an invaluable knowledge

that allowed him to go
between both worlds.

Growing up, Carson was raised
among frontier legends

and mastered wilderness
skills at an early age.

Carson was born in Kentucky

and he moved to Missouri
as a child.

His family became close
friends with the Boones.

They lived in a place
called Boone's Lick.

The Carson family, of course,
was-was quite well aware

of Daniel Boone and his legend,
and there was this desire

to keep that westward movement
going, uh, to keep finding

the frontier,
to keep breaking ground.

They were literally
carving a civilization

out of the wilderness there.

By age 16,
he left home for good.

Hungry for adventure.

Now, with Fremont,
he'll embark on a mission

that will test
all of his skills.

Fremont and Carson
were a bit of an odd couple.

They were completely opposite.

Uh, today, we might say
Fremont was a bit of a nerd

and Carson was the cool kid.

Carson was rugged

and had experience
in the frontier.

He didn't seek fame or fortune.

He didn't look
for the spotlight.

And so, these two in many ways

couldn't have been more
different, but at the same time

complemented each other
very well.

Over the course of five months

Fremont and Carson
lead some three dozen men

more than 2000 miles,
through treacherous terrain

known for extreme changes
in temperature and altitude.

This expedition
was very, very dangerous.

They were going
to parts of the world

that had never been
explored before.

They were a small party.

Um, they were relatively
well-armed

but, um,
they could always be ambushed.

And certainly
Fremont understood that

and, and was very, very glad
to have a guide like Carson.

On October 24th, 1843..

...Fremont and Carson
finally reach

the Oregon Territory.

We made it!

The path they chart

becomes famous..

...the Oregon Trail.

It paves the way
for 400,000 settlers

to move west
in the decades to come..

...opening a new frontier

and strengthening
the United States' claim

to the northwest.

One year after Carson
and Fremont reach Oregon..

...the 1844 campaign for
the presidency is underway.

In my opinion,
our national security

requires the annexation
of Texas.

'And should not stop'

until our domain extends
from ocean to ocean.

Dark horse candidate,
James K. Polk

believes in one thing
above all..

...expanding America's borders.

It's a vision he shares
with his mentor

Andrew Jackson.

We're vulnerable here and here.

And we're going to continue
to be vulnerable

unless we secure our borders
to the south and to the west.

I couldn't agree more.

Andrew Jackson was known
as Old Hickory

because he was so tough.

James K. Polk was known
as Young Hickory

the idea being
that he was a sapling

in Andrew Jackson's model.

The last two presidents
have done nothing.

They're useless.
They're, they're afraid to act.

We have to take Texas.

That has to be
our first priority.

Polk was a younger generation
of politician.

As the 1844 election approached

Jackson made clear
that if you were a supporter

of Andrew Jackson,
you would go with James Polk.

Polk is able to capitalize

on the legacy of Andrew Jackson.

This idea that Americans
have a right

in fact, a duty,
a responsibility

to continue to expand westward.

That ultimately,
it's this God-given dictate

that they must fulfill.

And Polk is able to turn
that into a political agenda

that serves his own
political designs.

Polk rides a wave
of popular support

to the White House..

...then immediately delivers

on his campaign promise.

By his first days in office

Texas is on its way
to becoming the 28th state..

...adding another
300,000 square miles

to the nation.

So, Polk does what I wish more
presidential candidates would do

says he's gonna do this,
this, and this

and he's only gonna serve
one term

so that he can,
uh, step on a lot of toes

and deny the special interests

and just pursue
what he's elected to do.

The move fulfills

Andrew Jackson's long-held dream

to make Texas a state.

But he doesn't live
to see it come true.

Jackson's legacy was firmly
establishing the principal

that the ordinary people
of America

wielded political power.

He was a self-made individual.
He didn't have an inheritance.

He didn't have name recognition
handed to him.

Today, people don't like Jackson

largely because
Jackson's hard Indian policy

offend modern sensibilities.

But what's forgotten
about Jackson

is his enormous
positive contributions.

To hold the United States
together

in the face of challenges..

Fire!

...and to defend
the United States

against foreign attack.

Jackson recognized
that the American experiment

in self-government
was an ongoing experiment

and its success
was not guaranteed.

He was the one
who really imprinted that

on the American psyche.

Jackson was emblematic
of the contradictions

of the American frontiersmen.

It was all jumbled together
in this one huge figure

the impressive,
and the not so impressive

and the good, and the appalling.

President Polk intends to
build on Jackson's legacy..

Seizing the final
open pieces of land

in North America.

Polk isn't content
to just look at Texas.

Of course, he wants Texas

but he's going to look
broader beyond that.

Polk wants the entire continent.

There's just one concern.

Mexico controls most of it

including the biggest prize,
California.

This is what I want and it
should not be hard to take.

Overflowing
with natural resources

California also has
over 3000 miles of coastline

offering unparalleled access
to Pacific trade

something every president
since Jefferson has coveted.

California is a very
desirable place in the world.

Very, uh, beautiful
and, and very fertile.

The Mexicans, of course,
have their claim to it

the British are quite
interested in settling its

uh, and expanding, uh

the northwestern territories
for themselves.

Americans knew all about
the glory of California

the immense wealth
of California.

There was a very important trade
already going on in hides

animal hides, and above all

Americans were interested
in the main ports.

Thank you, gentlemen.

That will be all.

Polk is determined
to take California..

...but with congress
unwilling to start a new war

he devises a secret plan.

Using the Texas rebellion
as a model

he'll try to incite an uprising

and the man he chooses
to lead his mission

is the most famous explorer
in America.

Mr. Fremont.

I read your reports.

And I found them
very interesting.

Thank you, Mr. President,
I'm honored.

But I, uh, I don't imagine

you took time
out of your schedule

just to tell me that.

No, no, I didn't invite you here

to talk about
your past expeditions

but rather a future one.

Another trail to Oregon?

Not exactly.

Officially,
your mission will be to map out

a new territory, and to discover

the source
of the Arkansas River.

Unofficially, when you get
to the Rocky Mountains

I want you to ride south..

...into California.

Once in California

I want you to talk
to the local settlers.

And if you can..

...incite rebellion.

And you're sending me
because you don't want it

to appear to be
a military operation.

Exactly.

I just need one thing from you.

And that would be?

Kit Carson.

President Polk was purposefully

placing an explorer
in a capacity to take advantage

of any sort of instability
in California.

The idea that he's simply there

in official capacity as an
explorer and a map maker.

Polk needed to provide
plausible deniability.

With around 60 heavily armed men

Fremont moves
towards California.

Tasked with inciting a rebellion

without starting a war.

John Fremont and Kit Carson
are on their way to California

part of President Polk's
covert scheme

to extend US borders
all the way to the coast.

Polk was an outspoken
expansionist.

He wanted Texas, he wanted
California, he wanted Oregon.

He was going to push out
the American frontier

all the way to the Pacific.

Disguised as a surveying mission

their real goal is to find
American settlers..

...and incite them into
rebelling against Mexico.

By winter, Fremont and Carson
arrive at Sutter's Fort

in modern-day Sacramento

the first American settlement
in California.

In California of 1845

there were about
eight to ten thousand people

living in California,
mostly Mexican Californios

and about a thousand
or so Americans

couple hundred foreigners

German, British, Swiss.

And the Mexicans
had welcomed them

because California
was a far-flung province

and underpopulated.

The American settlers
who pushed west

were looking for land
but in Northern California

it's, it's really kind
of a, a rabble.

A lot of these guys are drunks.

Unsavory characters.

You look empty there, friend,
can I buy you a drink?

- Can I ask why you came?
- Good land.

You don't really own
that land, do you?

Mexican government does.

Mexico allows Americans
to settle and work the land

but not to legally own it..

...infuriating settlers

and playing right
into Fremont's hands.

Mexico's hold over California
is quite tenuous.

And, lo and behold,
there is John C. Fremont

in the middle of all this.

This explorer
who has these secret orders

from Washington,
who's very well connected

uh, who's part of the army.

'Now did you know
there's a Mexican fellow'

in charge of California?
Did you?

That's because
he doesn't come around.

When Fremont showed up
in California in 1845

he found a populous
that was deeply disenchanted

with Mexican rule.

It doesn't matter if you bought
the land, if you own the land

if you work the land,
it doesn't even matter

if you have become
a Mexican citizen

all for the love of your land

the Mexican government
will take it away

whenever they find
that convenient.

Fremont was very skilled.

He was outgoing

and so he attracted
a lot of people to him.

Who by right owns this land?
Who by right owns it?

Fremont convinced
Californian residents

there was fighting to do.

- 'Yeah.'
- California, gentlemen.

'California.'

In Washington,
Polk impatiently awaits

news from Fremont..

...hoping California settlers

will rise up on their own.

He knows congress won't
approve a war with Mexico..

...unless the US is attacked.

Tired of waiting

Polk sends the army
to a disputed border

between Texas and Mexico.

Certain he can provoke Mexico
to strike first.

How many men
in the fifth regiment?

Polk was waiting for Mexico

to rise to the bait
and attack American forces.

He believed that any war fought

was going to result in more
territory for the United States.

On April 25th, 1846

convinced American troops
are invading

Mexico assaults a US patrol..

...killing 11..

...giving Polk exactly
the provocation he needs.

Polk went to congress
and he said

"American blood
has been shed on American soil

"and despite our best efforts
to prevent war with Mexico

they have attacked us."

Now, this was a lie.

In fact, the land in question
was not American land.

I won't say that
this is the only instance

in American history in which,
let's say, we fudge some things

in order to get
something we wanted

through an act of aggression

but this is certainly
a great example.

Mere weeks after the attack..

...the US declares war
on Mexico.

In California

Fremont receives
a message from Polk.

His mission is no longer secret.

It's time to attack.

Fremont equips
a rag tag army with rifles..

...then marches toward
present-day Sonoma.

His goal,
win California for Polk..

...at any cost.

Following orders
from President Polk

John Fremont leads a militia
of 100 men, south.

His mission,
seize California for the US.

He plans first to attack Sonoma

the largest settlement
in Northern California.

Then, he hopes to continue south

to Monterey, Los Angeles

and finally, San Diego.

Let's go!

The Americans
are relatively few in number

but because of John C. Fremont

they are going to make
their presence known

much more loudly than
their numbers would indicate.

Relying on grit
and determination

Fremont and Kit Carson begin
their improbable conquest.

If there's one thing
that marks John C. Fremont

it's his ambition.

He was, he was driven
to succeed.

He was driven to be independent

and I think the frontier
for John C. Fremont

represented the route
to secure his ambition.

Notoriety, fame, wealth.

That's what California offered.

As word of Fremont's revolt
begins to spread

other settlers join the fight.

They call themselves Los Osos

Spanish for "The Bears."

On June 14th, 1846..

...Fremont's fighters
reach Sonoma.

But are surprised to find
the Mexican outpost

virtually undefended.

They capture it,
in what becomes known

as The Bear Flag Revolt.

To mark their victory,
they raise a makeshift flag

made from a cotton sheet

and decorated
with a red grizzly bear.

The design will later inspire

the state flag of California.

Alright, let's go!

This revolt
that begins to emerge

it was enough of a movement,
um, to take hold

at least in Northern California

and to start this process

of the American conquest
of California.

In just two months
with few casualties

Fremont and Carson conquer
most of California's coast.

Under the direction of
Fremont, this rabble of guys

have accomplished
this great feat.

Never before in history
had so much terrain been won

with so little conflict,
with so little bloodshed

and won by such a small party
of individuals.

Polk's plan to win California
seems to be working

but without communication,
he has no idea

if Fremont and Carson
are even alive.

To hedge his bets,
he dispatches a cavalry force

from Texas..

...led by
General Stephen Kearny.

Stephen Watts Kearny
has been an officer

he's known Lewis and Clark

and Polk orders him west

to go and capture Santa Fe

and then continue on
down the Rio Grande

and eventually strike westward
to California.

In early August, 1846..

...Fremont and Carson
reach Los Angeles.

After joining forces with
US Marines sent by Polk..

...they seize the city

and with it, the final Mexican
stronghold in California.

It's kind of incredible.

Fremont took California

against relatively
light resistance.

It fell into American hands

partly because of the skill
and bravery

of someone like John C. Fremont

but partly because
of pure good fortune

because it was there
for the taking.

It was at that point,
Fremont assumed that-that-that

California was theirs,
that they had taken it.

They believed that-that Mexicans
weren't really good soldiers.

They believed that they were
sort of indifferent politically

and they took this as a sign

that-that, that
California was theirs.

Fremont, always ambitious

wants to share his good news
with Polk quickly.

Fremont decides now is the time

to-to let Washington know
what has happened

to let Polk know
what has happened

to sort of solidify the victory.

Fremont was interested in
expanding his own celebrity

making this conquest
part of his own personal story.

Fremont decides
to send a courier east.

Who am I gonna hire to do this?

Well, why not the most
competent and pragmatic

strongest member
of my expedition, Kit Carson.

Adept at survival

Carson picks
the fastest route possible.

Even though it means
crossing hundreds of miles

of inhospitable desert.

The famed frontiersman
is unaware

he's about to face
his most grueling test yet.

By 1846..

...Kit Carson is
one of the few Americans

to ever reach California.

Now, he's undertaking
a new epic quest

to cross the continent
and hand-deliver

an urgent message
to President James K. Polk

sharing that Fremont and his
army have taken California.

He sets out from Los Angeles

with orders to travel
to Washington and back.

A distance of 6000 miles
in 140 days.

We have to remind ourselves that

there was
no transcontinental railroad

there was no telegraph,
there was only one way

to get a message to Washington

and that was to travel overland

and this is exactly
the kind of expedition

that Carson was perfect for.

But the most direct route
across the country

cuts through one of the most
hostile places in America..

...the Sonoran Desert.

Well, for Kit Carson
to cross the desert

in what's now the Southwest

would be a very
difficult situation.

There's the danger of heat
stroke, of getting lost

there are many dangers.

Dehydration would be a huge one.

Carson's frontier skills
make him uniquely suited

for this test.

He survives for weeks

by harvesting water
from creek beds

and cactus roots
buried below the ground.

Carson knew, you know where
to find water in a cactus.

He had a little trick where
he would nick the ear of a mule

and drink its blood.

He had all these little
tricks up his sleeve.

Aah!

But it's not enough

to overcome the relentless
heat of the Sonoran summer.

Typically, say a 155-pound
male would need about

one and a half liters of
water a day to stay alive.

If you're crossing
a desert in the heat

instead of 1.5 liters a day
you need 1.5 liters an hour.

After traveling
more than 1000 miles..

...Carson's life is in danger.

In the desert, as one's body
becomes dehydrated..

...one's blood is actually
thickening like oil.

The water inside your cells
is being drawn out

to thin your thickening blood.

So, your body
is sucking itself dry

and these changes can occur
in the brain as well.

The hallucinations typically
accompany severe dehydration.

The victim can hallucinate
pools of water.

In the latter stages,
they will try

to bite their own arm
and suck the liquid out.

Then finally..

...relief is on the horizon.

Kit Carson gets
to a spot in New Mexico

and sees this cloud of dust
coming from the west.

"Well, who is this?
What's going on?"

It turns out to be
the army of the west.

Under the orders
of President Polk

General Stephen Kearney
has spent the last six months

driving towards California.

'If you have any extra supplies
you could share'

'I'd appreciate it.'

- Where is it you're headed?
- Washington.

I have a message
I need to relay.

- Where from?
- California.

Well, that's where we're headed.
We ride out in the morning.

What did you say your name was?

- Kit Carson.
- You're Fremont's guide.

The meeting between
Carson and Kearny

is one of the most serendipitous
meetings in American history.

General Kearny
had heard of Carson.

He knew about his exploits,
he knew that Carson

had just been over this
very inhospitable terrain.

He needed a guide.

Just as Fremont
earlier had needed a guide.

Now Kearny needed a guide
to get him back to California.

So Kearny
has to pull rank basically.

"Look, I'm a general, uh, you're
gonna do what I tell you to do.

I need you."

You get some rest.

We move out
first thing in the morning.

Kearny recognized that Carson
was an experienced guide

uh, had been on these
expeditions with Fremont

and I think Kearny
just made a sound decision.

He said, "You know where you're
going, take me into San Diego."

Carson, always
the dutiful soldier

accepts the orders begrudgingly
and returns with Kearny.

So, Carson is guiding Kearny
west and he probably is fuming

he's resentful, he probably
hates this expedition

but there he is again
moving back and forth

across this huge nation.

Carson heads back
into the desert

unaware that he's walking
straight into a war.

It's been two months
since John Fremont

dispatched Kit Carson
east to Washington

in a race to deliver the news
that they've taken California.

But Carson's mission
has changed.

Now, he's heading back west

leading General Kearny's
troops to San Diego.

Stephen Kearny was the commander

of the American Army
of the west.

He was sent by Polk

to advance
into Mexican territory

to secure California
for the United States.

And Kit Carson is saying,
"Don't worry about California.

Fremont's already
captured California."

Well, Kearny's
in a little bit of a quandary.

He's been told to do this,
he's a good military officer

he's gonna follow orders.

The slow-moving army
takes eight weeks

to retrace Carson's steps
through the Sonoran Desert.

Kearny sends Carson ahead
to scout the best route.

Fifty miles
outside of San Diego..

...Carson discovers..

...that Mexico
is far from defeated.

And its army..

...is on the move.

They get near San Diego.

Carson rides ahead..

...and, wait a minute,
California is not conquered.

Everything is kind of
turned around now.

The Americans have lost ground.

Initially, Fremont's troops
encountered

almost no resistance

taking towns from Sausalito to Los Angeles.

But now the Mexican Army
has surged north

reclaiming the territory

and Fremont
is trying to regroup.

Fremont sends Carson back
to basically say

"We've won and, uh,
everybody should celebrate."

Well, those greetings
were a little bit premature.

Essentially, the Mexican Army
had, had regrouped

and reorganized,
ready to defend their land.

'How many of them over there?'

A hundred, maybe more.

Well-mounted too.

Kearny's men have,
have marched from Santa Fe, New Mexico.

His men are cold and tired.

It's raining.
His powder is wet.

Despite all of this,
Kearny thinks

he can engage
with the Mexican Army.

We have to attack.

- Are you with me?
- Yes, sir.

Carson was the sort of guy you
would want to have on your side

if you were in a firefight.

He has an incredible
violent streak.

He was a violent man
even for his times.

Once he's perceived that
this was a violent situation

he was about to enter into,
he went for the jugular.

Charge!

Keep moving forward!
Keep the pressure up!

Kearny completely underestimates

the Mexican presence.

And there's disorganization
amongst the Americans

a bit of overzealousness..

And the result is..

...Kearny's men
get stretched out

and the Mexicans are able
to take advantage of this.

Carson is momentarily
unconscious.

Then he stands up
and he finds his rifle.

And he begins to pick off
the enemy, one by one.

It's classic Carson.

Carson grew up
with a gun in his hand.

He could shoot straight.

He was calm, he was composed

he would dispatch you
as quickly as possible.

He would talk about a
firefight, and he would say

"That was the, the prettiest
fight I ever saw."

Almost like a mafia killer.

The Mexicans suffered some
wounded, but it's this point

that Kearny realizes
he's in trouble.

Kearny himself was nearly
killed in this conflict.

It's, uh, nip and tuck

whether they're gonna
survive this thing.

Retreat! Retreat!

Retreat!

They have to regroup
and create a perimeter

and it's the beginning
of a siege, basically.

The siege at San Pasqual
goes on for several days

and Kearny realizes that they're
not going to survive this.

They don't have
enough food and water

and ammunition to hold out
much longer.

What he needs to do is find out

whether there are any other
American forces in the area.

How many troops you think
are still out there?

More than we've got.

We need to sneak someone
through enemy lines.

Get word to San Diego.

I'll do it.

There's a belief that
somewhere in, near San Diego

is the US Navy and the Marines.

And if he could get
reinforcements, and get help

that they might be
able to break this siege.

So, again, who raises his hand?
It's Carson. "I'll do it."

Whenever there's a risky mission
into enemy territory

he's the guy
that raises his hand.

But San Diego is 40 miles away.

And no one knows
if help is there..

...or if Carson
will survive the journey.

Kit Carson has just volunteered

for a mission
that could cost his life.

To save General Kearney's
trapped army

he'll try to reach US Marines
he hopes are in San Diego.

You have to imagine the danger
inherent in this mission.

Carson has to sneak
through Mexican lines

through enemy territory,
through hills

rock and cactus, and thorns.

It is an unforgiving
environment.

And he's not on a horse,
he's on hands and knees.

He's got to now make his way
across this

uh, expansive desert

with prickly pear
and all kinds of cactus

he is traveling
in enemy territory.

It's just another
one of the exploits that

contributes to the mythology
of Kit Carson

as this kind of incredibly
plucky, self-reliant guy.

Against all odds

Kit Carson reaches San Diego
in one day.

Halt! Who goes there?

Hold your fire!

Wait, I'm an American.

General Kearny sent me.

The Mexican Army has his
entire battalion surrounded.

What?

About 35 miles back

across the desert.

By the time he makes it
to American lines

his feet are all torn up

and he's lacerated,
he can't walk.

This is one of the great
feats in American history.

After a brief reprieve,
Carson returns to San Pasqual

with 200 reinforcements.

As they approach
General Kearney's position

their opposition scatters.

The sight of these approaching
marines, very well-armed

was enough to scatter
the Mexican soldiers.

They didn't want
any part of this.

Carson learns
Kearney has survived

and now intends
to continue his mission.

We'll make straight
for San Diego, resupply

then on, to Los Angeles.

You think we can take it?

We'll see.

As he prepares to leave,
Carson is unaware

his friend, John C. Fremont,
is alive

and planning his own mission.

Carson hadn't seen Fremont
in a long time now.

He didn't know
if Fremont was alive or dead.

He's near Monterey,
trying to gather an army

to retake Southern California.

By late November

he's amassed a force
of more than 400 men.

Determined to reconquer
Los Angeles

and burnish his reputation,
Fremont heads south.

At the same time,
Kearney and Carson

plan their own route north.

Between them, the Mexican Army.

At stake, control of California

and the final piece of
American western expansion.

President James K.
Polk is determined to seize California.

But his plan depends
on the outcome of a battle

erupting 3000 miles away.

Los Angeles is Mexico's final
stronghold in the territory.

A prize the Americans
want to reclaim.

John Fremont
closes in from the north..

...as Kit Carson
and General Kearney

move to attack.

If you think about Los Angeles

you have Kearny
approaching from the south..

...and Fremont was advancing
along the coastal range

and controlled
the Cahuenga Pass.

There wasn't really anywhere
for the Mexican Army to go.

Kearny's army arrives first..

Charge!

...and overwhelms the enemy

defeating them
in a matter of hours.

A combined force
of Kearny's soldiers

and some American volunteers
pin the Mexican Army down.

Between Fremont's advancing
army from the north

and their combined force
in the south..

...the Mexican Army realizes,
"Look, we're, you know,

we're surrounded,"
and decided that it was

it was time to, to capitulate.

The US flag
is raised over Los Angeles..

...but the war isn't over.

Polk had basically
gotten what he wanted.

California was in American hands

New Mexico
was in American hands..

...Texas was secured,
and Polk decided

it was time for the war to end.

Unfortunately, Mexicans had
no interest in ending the war.

They were angry, and they
refused to come to terms.

To force Mexico's hand

Polk launches an invasion.

Grabbing California,
the United States

actually had to land an army..

...on the coast of Mexico,
at Veracruz

and then march up
and take Mexico City.

The resulting treaty..

...finally pushes the frontier

to the western coast.

Fulfilling the dream
of building a nation..

...that spans from the Atlantic

to the Pacific.

American expansionism,
that's something

that has been on, uh,
the agenda, uh

right from the American
Revolution with Daniel Boone.

So, wh-what we see in 1840s
is a fulfillment of the promise

uh, of the founding fathers,
and even the col-colonists

who arrive and go out there

to, uh, get their piece
of the American landmass.

The empire of liberty
first imagined

by Thomas Jefferson..

...and championed
by Andrew Jackson..

...is achieved by the
unlikeliest of leaders..

...James Polk.

President Polk is one of our
most underrated presidents.

I mean,
this was a very powerful man.

Uh, um, a guy
with very clear intentions.

When Polk assumed office

he looked west and he saw all
that land, and he said

"You know what,
I want it all."

It was really
one of the greatest

land grabs in the history
of the world

to take that whole western
third of the continent

and to get it all
in one generation.

If you wanna understand
how important

Polk's presidency was,
just consider this.

California, if it were
an independent country

would be the fifth largest
economy on Earth.

Imagine American history
without California

and then imagine Mexican
history with California.

The history of the entire world
would be different.

In California..

...John Fremont is appointed

temporary governor
of the territory.

He and his trusted partner,
Kit Carson

parted ways six months before.

But now..

- Sir.
- Hello, Carson.

It's good to see you again, sir.

...with the war over

they finally reunite.

Carson hadn't seen Fremont
in a long time now.

He didn't know
if Fremont was alive or dead..

...and theirs was a deep
and lasting friendship.

So Carson was probably
very, very glad to see him.

Well, there's plenty
of work to be done.

'If you'd like to stay on,
I could certainly use you.'

Yes, sir.

Fremont goes on to become
California's first senator..

...while Carson fights for
the Union in the Civil War.

But it's their adventures
on the frontier

that make them legends.

Fremont's explorations
changed the way

Americans thought
about the west.

Prior to his explorations

Americans tended
to think of the west

as-as merely a direction.

After Fremont,
the west becomes a place

with known features,
it forces Americans to see

America not as an Atlantic-bound
seaboard nation

more as a continental
nation state.

The newspapers back east
called Fremont "The Pathfinder"

but really, that title

would more appropriately
go to Carson.

Carson was the real pathfinder.

He's the one that
kept the expeditions on track

and out of harm's way.

These two men, uh,
just sort of desperately

and-and rather profoundly,
needed each other

in order to accomplish
everything that, that they

that they accomplished.

By the end of 1847

California is officially
a US territory.

But only 7000 Americans
are living here.

If America
wants to hold this ground

it has to settle it.

Polk wanted to get as many
warm bodies on the ground

living there, to start
this process of California

to kind of assert
their own interest in, uh

refashioning California
as American terrain.

There was a policy on the,
on the part of US Government

to get as many people out there.

Uh, because if you had boots
on the ground

populating these territories

well, uh, that makes it a fact

uh, that this
is the future of America.

And nothing
motivates settlers more

than the chance
to make a fortune.

In January of 1848

the promise
of California pays off..

...when gold is discovered.

This gold rush, now makes this,
this amazing kind of land grab

really, really worth it.

I mean, this is like America
winning the lottery

all of a sudden.

A gold rush will soon compel

thousands to move west.

The man who crosses the country
to deliver the message..

...is none other than
Kit Carson.

The amazing postscript to this
is that Kit Carson

meets with President Polk,
in December of 1848

and what news is he bringing?

He's bringing news that gold

gold has been discovered
in California.

Gold fever is about
to transform the frontier.

With the addition of California

the United States, at last,
stretches from sea to sea.

The land itself is sparsely
settled by Americans.

Until a surprising discovery
in 1848..

Gold.

When gold was discovered
in California in early 1848.

No one expected
anything like this.

California, when
the United States acquired it

at the end of the war
with Mexico

was about as far
from the civilized portions

of America as you could be
and still be

on the face of the planet Earth.

Nobody expected that California
would be settled in any hurry.

Word of the find
travels quickly..

...igniting gold fever
across the United States.

Soon, over 300,000 pioneers
stream into California..

...one of the biggest
migrations in American history.

Once the gold rush is ignited

all of these men go west on
these trails that had been

mapped and charted
by Fremont and Carson.

This ensures that California

is going to be
American territory forever.

Over the course
of the gold rush..

...settlers mine over
750,000 pounds of gold..

...generating more than
two billion dollars..

...over 61 billion today.

In 1850, California
becomes the 31st state.

Completing a chapter
in American history

that began 75 years before
on the Appalachian Frontier.

In many ways
this was a continuation

of the American Revolution.

You know, we were 13 colonies

we, but, kept pushing west
and pushing west.

But it wouldn't be
a complete picture

until we were a nation
from sea to shining sea.

The daring frontiersmen

who first braved
the wilderness..

...helped shape
the future of America.

The American frontier spirit
was right there

at the very beginning,
during the American Revolution.

That notion where
nothing is going to stop you

from going out and getting
your piece of the pie.

As they relentlessly moved west

seeking new land
and opportunity..

...they clashed
with Native American tribes

determined to defend
what was rightfully theirs.

The frontier was both
the dark side and the light side

of American expansion.

Native people,
just like settler people

need to be counted as Americans.

Like any human being,
American Indians fought

for their families,
for their nations

for their lands, for their
assets, for their life.

We are still here.

We've not been exterminated.

American Indians
are to be honored for that

and they continue
to fight today.

Brave explorers
mapped the unknown

blazing trails
for settlers to follow.

Bold and resourceful

the frontiersmen
became American legends.

Come on, men!

There was always a fascination

with this image
of The Pathfinder.

With buckskin and rifle,
sorta going out

into the great unknown.

Icons who inspired generations

with tales of their endurance
and skill.

The kinda people who would
go to the frontier were tough..

...and they seemed to relish
danger in the unknown.

The frontier was not
for the faint of heart.

The frontier was hard
and it bit back and it hurt.

Fire!

They were willing to put up
with insane risks.

This was a world
without outlaws.

There were no laws
to be outside of.

You kinda created your own code.

The frontier itself
helped to forge

the nation's identity

and has come to define
the American spirit.

Congratulations, captain.

The frontier
is in America's DNA.

It is the way
we think of ourselves.

We no longer think of ourselves
as a frontier society

but we like to think of
ourselves as these individuals.

That was an essence
of the frontier.

The frontier represented
the quintessence

of American opportunity.

The frontier disappeared
from American history

over a hundred years ago.

But the frontier remains
very much alive

in the way Americans
define ourselves.