I have to agree with Dr. Bob on this one. I've studied Fremont fairly closely, and he lives up to the worst of what people wrote about him, I'm afraid. The best quote I've come across though was from the Mountain Man who actually did most of the "path finding" for "The Pathfinder", Joseph R. Walker. He taught Carson pretty much everything Carson knew, but when Walker got disgusted with Fremont at Fremont's "defiance" of Mexico at Gavilan Peak (and then had to sneak away because he forgot to camp near water), Fremont decided to leave him out of his journals and promote Carson into his place. At any rate, as Walker rode away, he stopped near Salinas to visit some friends, Mr. and Mrs. Martin (who had come West in the wagon train Walker had led through Walker Pass in 1841.
There he commented to Martin that "if it wasn't such an insult to the Fairer Sex, I'd say that Fremont was a timid as a woman".
This from a man who seldom had an unkind word for anyone. Walker was well respected by all as a consumate Mountain Man, who had led far more expeditions than Jedediah Smith, but only lost one man in his travels, as opposed to Smith who's parties were routinely massacred. Walker was probably THE finest of the Mountain Men, yet unsung because he was rather humble about it. But in the day, he was the top of the heap.
At any rate, Fremont was quite impressed with his own press, and he was lucky enough the have a beautiful, brainy and well-connected wife, Jessie Benton Fremont. Without her writing his journals and covering his mistakes, he would be less than a nobody today, I believe. Or maybe known for being a bragart and a liar.
He could draw a map though, I'll give him that much! Or at least his German Cartographer could...
Cheers!
Gordon