Biographical Notes
Meriwether Lewis - 1774-1809
In November 1795, Lewis was accused of having issued a challenge to duel with a fellow officer but was exonerated. Following the trial he was transferred to the Chosen Rifle Company of rifle sharpshooters officered by Captain William Clark. He spent six months under Clark's command and the two men became close friends. Over the next four years Lewis travelled widely on official army business and became well acquainted with many of the officers in the regular army. In January 1797 he joined the Masonic Lodge and rose rapidly in rank. In April of the same year he was Past Master Mason and in October of 1799 he was awarded the title of Royal Arch Mason. During this period the ranks of the regular army were dominated by Federalists but Lewis's political bent was Jeffersonian Republican. Even though his politics were against him, on March 3, 1799, he was promoted to lieutenant and on December 5, 1800, to captain.
Thomas Jefferson was elected president on February 17, 1801. Eleven days later he offered Lewis the position of private secretary to the President. Lewis accepted and arrived in Washington D.C. on April 1 to take up his duties at the White House. One of his first assignments was to classify all of the officers in the regular army as to their political affiliations and their military competence. Jefferson made use of that information in his decisions related to the reduction in the size of the regular army. Jefferson was a widower while in the White House and Lewis was a constant companion as well as secretary. The two men got along very well and Jefferson developed a great respect for his secretary . Lewis received a unique introduction to the centers of power in the new republic and handled himself very well in a wide variety of social and political situations.
In the Spring of 1801, Jefferson learned that Spain had transferred Louisiana to France. At about the same time he was made increasingly aware of British interest in expanding their position in the Northwestern portion of the continent. The president decided that it was imperative that an American transcontinental exploratory expedition be mounted as soon as possible. In the fall of 1802 Jefferson informed Lewis that he would head the expedition. Lewis began preparing for the expedition by studying with knowledgeable persons in a variety of scientific fields and doing the planning necessary for success. As preparations for the expedition progressed it became clear to Lewis that he would need a second officer. Jefferson agreed and on June 29, 1803, a second officer was authorized. Lewis offered the position to William Clark on the basis of a co-command. On July 4, 1803, it was announced that France had sold Louisiana to the Untied States. Clark accepted Lewis's offer on July 29.
Lewis gathered his supplies and departed Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania, on August 31, 1803, via keelboat on the Ohio River. He proceeded down the Ohio to Clarksville, Kentucky, where Clark joined him. The party then proceeded down the Ohio and up the Mississippi River to St. Louis where they over-wintered at Camp Wood directly across from the mouth of the Missouri River. On March 9, 1804, Lewis attended ceremonies in St. Louis which marked the transfer of Louisiana to the United States. At the end of March the final organization of the Corps of Discovery was completed and the twenty-five enlisted men were divided into three squads. In addition to the enlisted men and the two captains, the party included Clark's black slave (York), an interpreter (Drouillard), and Lewis's dog (Seaman). While still in winter camp Lewis and Clark learned that Clark had been commissioned as a lieutenant, second in command to Captain Lewis rather than as a coequal captain as Lewis had intended. It was decided that no one else would be told and that co-command between two equal captains would continue.
The party broke winter camp and started up the Missouri River on May 14, 1804. During the next few months they met numerous Indian tribes and had several near calamities, particularly with the Sioux, but by the end of October they were able to go into winter camp in what is today North Dakota as guests of the Mandan Indians. They named their winter quarters Fort Mandan. While in winter camp among the Mandans, Lewis met with several British traders from the North West Company and also an independent French Canadian trader by the name of Toussaint Charbonneau. Charbonneau and his wife Sacagawea were hired as interpreters and officially added to the Corps of Discovery. Sacagawea's new born son (Jean Baptiste Charbonneau) was also added to the party. Before breaking winter camp Lewis and Clark prepared extensive written reports of their expedition to date and in early April sent these reports and a volume of flora and fauna specimens that had been collected back down river to St Louis where they would be forwarded on to President Jefferson in Washington.
The Corps of Discovery headed up the Missouri River from Fort Mandan on April 7, 1805. During this portion of the trip they first encountered a grizzly bear and Lewis concluded that he would rather fight two Indians than one grizzly. On May 26, 1805, they first saw the Rocky Mountains (Bitterroots) and on June 13 they reached the Great Falls of the Missouri. It took a full month to portage around the falls, but on July 15 they were once again on their way upriver. On August 13, 1805, they met members of the Shoshone tribe and successfully negotiated for horses and guides to cross the continental divide. It was a particularly difficult crossing. On the western side of the Rockies, Nez Pierce Indians provided further assistance and by early October they were once again on their way west via canoe on the Clearwater River, a tributary of the Columbia River. On October 10 the party reached the Snake River and on October 16 the Colombia. The party first saw the Pacific Ocean on November 7, 1805. A month later they established their winter quarters at Fort Clatsop, just south of the mouth of the Colombia.
