June Carter Cash
Famous Fiction Authors
Donna Summer
Angelina Jolie
My Ghost Story
I Survived
Babe Ruth
Johnny Cash
Georgia O'Keefe
I Survived
Quick Facts
- NAME: Kit Carson
- OCCUPATION: Explorer, Folk Hero, Military Leader
- BIRTH DATE: December 24, 1809
- DEATH DATE: May 23, 1868
- PLACE OF BIRTH: Madison County, Kentucky
- PLACE OF DEATH: Fort Lyon, Colorado
- Originally: Christopher Houston Carson
Best Known For
Kit Carson was an American frontiersman, trapper, soldier and Indian agent who made an important contribution to the westward expansion of the United States.
Quiz
Think you know about Biography?
Answer questions and see how you rank against other players.
Play NowKit Carson. (2013). The Biography Channel website. Retrieved 12:43, May 20, 2013, from http://www.biography.com/people/kit-carson-9239728.
Kit Carson. [Internet]. 2013. The Biography Channel website. Available from: http://www.biography.com/people/kit-carson-9239728 [Accessed 20 May 2013].
"Kit Carson." 2013. The Biography Channel website. May 20 2013, 12:43 http://www.biography.com/people/kit-carson-9239728.
"Kit Carson," The Biography Channel website, 2013, http://www.biography.com/people/kit-carson-9239728 [accessed May 20, 2013].
"Kit Carson," The Biography Channel website, http://www.biography.com/people/kit-carson-9239728 (accessed May 20, 2013).
Kit Carson [Internet]. The Biography Channel website; 2013 [cited 2013 May 20] Available from: http://www.biography.com/people/kit-carson-9239728.
Kit Carson, http://www.biography.com/people/kit-carson-9239728 (last visited May 20, 2013).
Kit Carson. The Biography Channel website. 2013. Available at: http://www.biography.com/people/kit-carson-9239728. Accessed May 20, 2013.
Kearny's men clashed with Mexican forces near San Pasqual, California, but they were outmatched in the fight. Carson slipped past the enemy to secure aid from American troops in San Diego. After the war, Carson returned to New Mexico, where he lived as a rancher.
Indian Agent and Soldier
In 1853, Carson took on a new role, agreeing to serve as federal Indian agent for northern New Mexico, primarily working with the Utes and the Jicarilla Apaches. He saw the impact of Western migration of the white settlers on the Native Americans, and he believed that attacks on whites by Native Americans were committed in desperation. To prevent these peoples from becoming extinct, Carson advocated for the creation of reservations.
With the outbreak of the Civil War in 1861, 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, by any means necessary. Starving and exhausted, the Navajo finally surrendered and were forced to march about 300 miles to the reservation. The journey, known as the Long Walk, proved to be brutal, costing the lives of hundreds of Navajos.
Named a brigadier general in 1865, Carson moved to Colorado after the war. There he became the commander of Fort Garland the following year. One of his accomplishments during this time was negotiating a peace treaty with the Utes in the area. Carson's tenure proved to be short-lived, however. He resigned in 1867 because of his declining health. After a trip to the East Coast in early 1868, he returned to his Colorado home in terrible condition. Carson died on May 23, 1868, at Colorado's Fort Lyon. His final words were, "Doctor, compadre, adios!"
Carson is still remembered for his many roles—trapper, explorer, Indian agent and soldier. With his tremendous life experiences, he has come to symbolize the American West.
© 2013 A+E Networks. All rights reserved.
profile name: Kit Carson profile occupation:
Your Connections
Sign in with Facebook to see how you and your friends are connected to famous icons.
Profile Connections
Included In These Groups
-
Famous Military Veterans
View groupAmerica wouldn't be what it is today without Hollywood, and it certainly wouldn't be the same without its armed forces. Military veterans make the ultimate contribution to society—they put their lives on the line for their country. Since the nation's founding, the dedication and bravery of soldiers has been the a key pillar on which the United States stands. From Revolutionary War heroes to Vietnam veterans, here's a look at famous military veterans.
Famous Military Veterans 211 people in this group
-
Wild West
View groupThe Wild West holds a special place in American history—Western films depict it as a place where the rules didn't apply, and where scores were settled with gun slinging and shootouts. The colorful characters who made up the old West were men, women, cowboys, Indians, sheriffs just plain outlaws. Though we've come to have a more nuanced understanding of the good and the bad of the old West, we can still learn from the stories of the people who made it and who wrote about what it was.
Wild West 24 people in this group
-
Famous Capricorns 496 people in this group
