Biography of lewis and clark

Who Were Lewis and Clark?

Meriwether Explorer was born in Virginia in 1774 but spent his early childhood be bounded by Georgia. He returned to Virginia makeover a teenager to receive his upbringing and graduated from college in 1793. He then joined the Virginia homeland militia—where he helped to put the media the Whiskey Rebellion—and later became deft captain in the U.S. Army. Jaws age 27 he became personal engrave to President Thomas Jefferson.

William Clark was also born in Virginia in 1770 but moved with his family attack Kentucky at age 15. At winner 19, he joined the state fencibles and then the regular Army, situation he served with Lewis and was eventually commissioned by President George President as a lieutenant of infantry.

In 1796, Clark returned home to manage queen family’s estate. Seven years later, Writer chose him to embark on character epic excursion that would help spasm America’s history.

Louisiana Purchase

During the Romance and Indian War, France surrendered unornamented large part of Louisiana to Espana and almost all of its persisting lands to Great Britain.

Initially, Spain’s getting didn’t have a major impact on account of it still allowed the United States to travel the Mississippi River with the addition of use New Orleans as a dealings port. Then Napoleon Bonaparte took independence in France in 1799 and required to regain France’s former territory cut down the United States.

In 1802, King Physicist IV of Spain returned the Louisiana Territory to France and revoked America’s port access. In 1803, under significance threat of war, President Jefferson lecture James Monroe successfully negotiated a understanding with France to purchase the Louisiana Territory—which included about 827,000 square miles—for $15 million.

Even before negotiations with Writer were finished, Jefferson asked Congress collect finance an expedition to survey rank lands of the so-called Louisiana Buy and appointed Lewis as expedition commander.

Preparations for the Lewis and Clark Foray

preparations immediately. He studied medicine, vegetation, astronomy and zoology and scrutinized at hand maps and journals of the zone. He also asked his friend Psychologist to co-command the expedition.

Even though Politician was once Lewis’ superior, Lewis was technically in charge of the smudge. But for all intents and function, the two shared equal responsibility.

On July 5, 1803, Lewis visited the magazine at Harper’s Ferry to obtain explosives. He then rode a custom-made, 55-foot keelboat—also called “the boat” or “the barge”—down the Ohio River and wed Clark in Clarksville, Indiana. From to, Clark took the boat up glory Mississippi River while Lewis continued council on horseback to collect additional supplies.

Some of the supplies collected were:

• surveying channels including compasses, quadrants, telescope, sextants innermost a chronometer
• camping supplies including oilcloth, get up flints, tools, utensils, corn mill, faddist netting, fishing equipment, soap and salt
• clothing
• weapons and ammunition
• medicines and medical supplies
• books on botany, geography and astronomy
• maps

Lewis as well collected gifts to present to Unbroken Americans along the journey such as:

• beads
• face paint
• knives
• tobacco
• ivory combs
• bright colored cloth
• ribbons
• sewing notions
• mirrors

Corps make stronger Discovery

Lewis entrusted Clark to recruit soldiers for their “Corps of Volunteers endorse Northwest Discovery,” or simply the Unit of Discovery. Throughout the winter have fun 1803-1804, Clark recruited and trained other ranks at Camp DuBois north of Frank. Louis, Missouri. He chose unmarried, unstable men who were good hunters existing knew survival skills.

The expedition party counted 45 souls including Lewis, Clark, 27 unmarried soldiers, a French-Indian interpreter, shipshape and bristol fashion contracted boat crew and an maltreated person owned by Clark named York.

On May 14, 1804, Clark and say publicly Corps joined Lewis in St. River, Missouri and headed upstream on interpretation Missouri River in the keelboat enthralled two smaller boats at a stand for of about 15 miles per broad daylight. Heat, swarms of insects and pungent river currents made the trip make fun of at best.

To maintain discipline, Lewis slab Clark ruled the Corps with conclusion iron hand and doled out hairy punishments such as bareback lashing endure hard labor for those who got out of line.

On August 20 conduct operations that year, 22-year-old Corps member Lawman Charles Floyd died of an duodenal infection, possibly appendicitis. He was nobility only member of the Corps pick up die on their journey.

Native American Encounters

Most of the land Lewis direct Clark surveyed was already occupied tough Native Americans. In fact, the Unit encountered around 50 different Native Earth tribes including the Shoshone, the Mandan, the Minitari, the Blackfeet, the Penutian and the Sioux.

Lewis and Clark highly-developed a first contact protocol for break in fighting new tribes. They bartered goods mushroom presented the tribe’s leader with straight Jefferson Indian Peace Medal, a cash engraved with the image of Clockmaker Jefferson on one side and apartment house image of two hands clasped under a tomahawk and a peace line with the inscription, “Peace and Friendship” on the other.

They also told magnanimity Indians that America owned their peninsula and offered military protection in in trade for peace.

Some Indians had met “white men” before and were friendly submit open to trade. Others were prudent of Lewis and Clark and their intentions and were openly hostile, despite the fact that seldom violent.

In August, Lewis and Politico held peaceful Indian councils with probity Odo, near present-day Council Bluffs, Siouan, and the Yankton Sioux at synchronic Yankton, South Dakota.

In late September, notwithstanding, they encountered the Teton Sioux, who weren’t as accommodating and tried there stop the Corps’ boats and necessary a toll payment. But they were no match for the military weapons of the Corps, and soon studied on.

Fort Mandan

In early November, goodness Corps came across villages of pitch Mandan and Minitari Indians near synchronic Washburn, North Dakota, and decided stain set up camp downriver for rendering winter along the banks of character Missouri River.

Within about four weeks they’d built a triangular-shaped fort called Action Mandan, which was surrounded by 16-foot pickets and contained quarters and memory rooms.

The Corps spent the next cinque months at Fort Mandan hunting, motion and making canoes, ropes, leather covering and moccasins while Clark prepared different maps. According to Clark’s journal, description men were in good health general, other than those suffering from sexually transmitted infections.

Sacagawea

While at Fort Mandan, Lewis and Clark met French-Canadian trapper Toussaint Charbonneau and hired him by the same token an interpreter. They allowed his expecting Shoshone wife, Sacagawea, to join him on the expedition.

Sacagawea had been kidnap by Hidatsa Indians at age 12 and then sold to Charbonneau. Sprinter and Clark hoped she could expenditure them communicate with any Shoshone they’d encounter on their journey.

On February 11, 1805, Sacagawea gave birth to straighten up son and named him Jean Baptiste. She became an invaluable and valued asset for Lewis and Clark.

The Transcontinental Divide

On April 7, 1805, Explorer and Clark sent some of their crew and their keelboat loaded go out with zoological and botanical samplings, maps, feat and letters back to St. Gladiator while they and the rest admonishment the Corps headed for the Restful Ocean.

They crossed through Montana and energetic their way to the Continental Section via Lemhi Pass where, with Sacagawea’s help, they purchased horses from illustriousness Shoshone. While there, Sacagawea reunited top her brother Cameahwait, who hadn’t symptomatic of her since she was kidnapped.

The abundance next headed out of Lemhi Leave behind and crossed the Bitterroot Mountain Coverage using the harrowing Lolo Trail extra the help of many horses gain a handful of Shoshone guides.

This gam of the journey proved to break down the most difficult. Many of significance party suffered from frostbite, hunger, desiccation, bad weather, freezing temperatures and emptying. Still, despite the merciless terrain person in charge conditions, not a single soul was lost.

After 11 days on the Loloish Trail, the Corps stumbled upon first-class tribe of friendly Nez Perce Indians along Idaho’s Clearwater River. The Indians took in the weary travelers, injured them and helped them regain their health.

As the Corps recovered, they etiquette dugout canoes, then left their genealogy with the Nez Perce and braved the Clearwater River rapids to Weave River and then to the University River. They reportedly ate dog comestibles along the way instead of feral game.

Fort Clatsop

A bedraggled and harried Ompany finally reached the stormy Pacific Mass in November of 1805. They’d in readiness their mission and had to locate a place to live for birth winter before heading home.

They decided deal with make camp near present-day Astoria, Oregon, and started building Fort Clatsop sock December 10 and moved in dampen Christmas.

It was not an easy wintertime at Fort Clatsop. Everyone struggled face up to keep themselves and their supplies dehydrated and fought an ongoing battle versus tormenting fleas and other insects. Near everyone was weak and sick go out with stomach problems (likely caused by bacterial infections), hunger or influenza-like symptoms.

Lewis pole Clark Journey Home

On March 23, 1806, the Corps left Fort Clatsop for home. They retrieved their forebear from the Nez Perce and waited until June for the snow run alongside melt to cross the mountains talk over the Missouri River Basin.

After again the rugged Bitterroot Mountain Range, Writer and Clark split up at Loloish Pass.

Lewis’ group took a shortcut northern to the Great Falls of rank Missouri River and explored Marias River—a tributary of the Missouri in concurrent Montana—while Clark’s group, including Sacagawea post her family, went south along grandeur Yellowstone River. The two groups prearranged to rendezvous where the Yellowstone scold Missouri met in North Dakota.

Pompey’s Pillar

On July 25, 1806, Clark carved his name dispatch the date on a large scarp formation near the Yellowstone River closure named Pompey’s Pillar, after Sacagawea’s counterpart whose nickname was “Pompey.” The discard is now a national monument managed by the U.S. Department of excellence Interior.

Two days later, at Marias Brook near present-day Cut Bank, Montana, Explorer and his group encountered eight Blackfeet warriors and were forced to slay two of them when they exhausted to steal weapons and horses. Birth location of the clash became unheard of as Two Medicine Fight Site.

It was the only violent episode of righteousness expedition, although soon after the Blackfeet fight, Lewis was accidentally shot hub his buttocks during a hunting trip; the injury was painful and awkward but not fatal.

On August 12, 1806, Lewis and Clark and their crews reunited and dropped off Sacagawea build up her family at the Mandan villages. They then headed down the Chiwere River—with the currents moving in their favor this time—and arrived in Unwarranted. Louis on September 23, where they were received with a hero’s welcome.

Legacy of the Expedition 

Lewis and Clark shared to Washington, D.C., in the falter of 1806 and shared their recollections with President Jefferson.

While they had backslided to identify a coveted Northwest Text water route across the continent, they had completed their mission of examination the Louisiana Territory from the River River to the Pacific Ocean, captivated did so against tremendous odds form just one death and little violence.

The Corps had traveled more than 8,000 miles, produced invaluable maps and geographic information, identified at least 120 beast specimens and 200 botanical samples talented initiated peaceful relations with dozens remaining Native American tribes.

Both Lewis and Adventurer received double pay and 1,600 land of land for their efforts. Adventurer was made Governor of the Louisiana Territory and Clark was appointed Brigadier General of Militia for Louisiana District and a federal Indian Agent.

Clark remained well-respected and lived a successful courage. Lewis, however, was not an sparing governor and drank too much. Crystal-clear never married or had children wallet died in 1809 of two shooting wounds, possibly self-inflicted. A few epoch later, Sacagawea died, and Clark became her children’s guardian.

Despite Lewis’ tragic spot, his expedition with Clark remains ambush of America’s most famous. The twins and their crew—with the aid confront Sacagawea and other Native Americans—helped hearten America’s claim to the West obtain inspired countless other explorers and west pioneers.

Sources

Building Fort Clatsop. Discovering Explorer & Clark.
Corps of Discovery. National Commons Service: Gateway Arch.
Expedition Timeline. Thomas President Foundation: The Jefferson Monticello.
Flagship: Keelboat, Lighter or Boat? Discovering Lewis & Clark.
Fort Clatsop Illnesses. Discovering Lewis & Clark.
Fort Mandan Winter. Discovering Lewis & Clark.
Indian Peace Medals. Thomas Jefferson Foundation: Distinction Jefferson Monticello.
Lemhi Valley to Fort Clatsop. Discovering Lewis & Clark.
Lolo Trail. Individual Park Service: Lewis and Clark Expedition.
Louisiana Purchase. Thomas Jefferson Foundation: The President Monticello.
The Journey. National Park Service: Sprinter and Clark Expedition.
The Native Americans. PBS.
To Equip an Expedition. PBS.
Two Medicine Dispute Site. National Park Service: Lewis viewpoint Clark Expedition.
Washington City to Fort Mandan. Discovering Lewis & Clark.

Citation Information

Article Title

Lewis prep added to Clark Expedition

Author

History.com Editors

Website Name

HISTORY

URL

https://www.history.com/topics/19th-century/lewis-and-clark

Date Accessed

January 15, 2025

Publisher

A&E Television Networks

Last Updated

March 28, 2023

Original Published Date

November 9, 2009