Snowbound tells a fictionalized version of John Fremont's fourth expedition, which sought a railway route across the Rockies at the 38th parallel... in winter. The expedition met with disaster, largely because Fremont interpreted all warning signs as merely impediments that would make his destiny more impressive.
At the heart of the story is the contradictory character of Fremont, "a man of considerable courage and ability who nevertheless was constantly getting into grave trouble, often from lack of judgment." Fremont inspired loyalty among his men; various of the narrators in Snowbound note with perplexity the blind obedience they all had to his obviously flawed decisions.
The first half of the story, leading the crew into disaster, has a certain repetitiveness to it: they should turn back, Fremont obstinately insists on continuing, mules die, the expedition members wonder why they don't speak up. Also, the various expedition members who narrate the story don't have distinctive voices, lending a sameness to their observations. I also felt a lack of sympathy, since the character's choices were so obviously wrong and so reversible. The drama was significantly more involving once their situation became apparently hopeless.
Fremont is an intriguing character, and I can imagine tracking down some of Wheeler's primary sources in the future,
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