Slavery & Emancipation      Fremont's Proclamation  " 'The
Pathfinder' As Dictator"  August 30, 1861  John C. Fremont,
explorer of the West in the 1840s who became known as "The
Pathfinder", was the first Republican candidate for president in
1856. In July 1861, Lincoln appointed him commander of the
Western Department in hopes that his popularity would strengthen
Union support in the Trans-Mississippi territories. This was an
especially difficult command, because within its area lay
volatile Missouri, a border state that was held in terror by
secessionist guerillas.  In late August 1861, Fremont placed all
of Missouri under martial law. He believed that slavery aided
the guerillas and that a direct strike at that institution would
crush them. On August 30, he issued his own "emancipation
proclamation", declaring Missouri's slaves "forever free",
without informing President Lincoln. This act, of course, far
exceeded the authority of his position.  When he found out what
Fremont had done, Lincoln asked him to