Benjamin Bonneville

Benjamin Bonneville
Benjamin Bonneville
Born	Benjamin Louis Eulalie de Bonneville; April 14, 1796; near Paris, French First Republic
Died	June 12, 1878 (aged 82); Fort Smith, Arkansas, United States
Burial place	Bellefontaine Cemetery,; St. Louis, Missouri, United States
	Military career
Allegiance	United States; Union
Branch	United States Army; Union Army
Service years	1815–1866
Rank	Colonel; Brevet Brigadier General
Commands	3rd U.S. Infantry; Department of New Mexico
Conflicts	Second Seminole War; Mexican–American War Siege of Veracruz; Battle of Cerro Gordo; Battle of Contreras; Battle of Churubusco; Battle of Molino del Rey; Battle of Chapultepec; ; American Civil War;

Benjamin Louis Eulalie de Bonneville (French pronunciation: [bɛ̃ʒamɛ̃ lwi ølali də bɔnvil]; 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.