Zebulon Pike - Military Career

Military Career

He continued his military career, working on logistics and payroll, at a series of frontier posts, including Fort Bellefontaine near St. Louis. General James Wilkinson, appointed Governor of the Upper Louisiana Territory and headquartered there, became his mentor. In 1805, Wilkinson ordered Pike to find the source of the Mississippi River and he traveled upriver into the northern territory.

"Of Patriots and Traitors" by Joshua Gornitsky, as well as several other sources, state that General Wilkinson was a double agent for Spain. Wilkinson's double agency was not discovered for over one hundred years until the official records were released by Spain. Wilkinson had gained personal trade concessions. After Pike's first expedition, Pike was almost immediately ordered by Wilkinson to mount a second expedition in 1806 to explore and map the Red River, evaluate natural resources, and establish friendly relations with Native Americans. On this second expedition, he discovered the peak that was named after him. As Wilkinson planned, Pike was captured by the Spanish who controlled Mexico. As a prisoner in Mexico, Pike was treated well, invited to formal social dinners, but still not quite given the treatment of a visiting dignitary. Mexican authorities feared the spread of both democracy and a different religion that might undermine their monarchy. Eventually, Pike and his men were released. The Red River, which separated Oklahoma Territory from Texas, was next explored by the ill-fated Woolley expedition of 1815, when Colonel Woolley died, and only two sick men returned from the expedition, one of whom later died.