Benjamin Bonneville | |
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![]() Benjamin Bonneville | |
Birth name | Benjamin Louis Eulalie de Bonneville |
Born | near Paris, French First Republic | April 14, 1796
Died | June 12, 1878 Fort Smith, Arkansas, United States | (aged 82)
Place of burial | |
Allegiance | United States Union |
Service/ | United States Army Union Army |
Years of service | 1815–1861 1861-1865 |
Rank | ![]() ![]() |
Commands | 3rd U.S. Infantry Department of New Mexico |
Battles/wars | Mexican–American War Civil War |
Benjamin Louis Eulalie de Bonneville (April 14, 1796 – June 12, 1878) was an American officer in the United States Army, fur trapper, and explorer in the American West. He is noted for his expeditions to the Oregon Country and the Great Basin, and in particular for blazing portions of the Oregon Trail.
During his lifetime, Bonneville was made famous by an account of his explorations in the West written by Washington Irving.