They would also introduce the Corps to traditions never seen by Americans, including the Sioux scalp dance. Many of these tribes would offer invaluable assistance in the form of directions, food and wisdom regarding the West. Over the course of their journey, the Corps would encounter tribes including the Nez Perce, Mandans, Shoshones and Sioux.
With such men I have everything to hope, and but little to fear.” “At this moment, every individual of the party are in good health, and excellent sperits zealously attatched to the enterprise, and anxious to proceed… all in unison, act with the most perfect harmoney. “I can foresee no material or probable obstruction to our progress, and entertain therefore the most sanguine hopes of complete success,” Lewis wrote in 1805. The Corps were soon joined by Sacagawea’s baby, Jean Baptiste Charbonneau, who the doting Clark called “Pomp.”ĭespite hardships, danger and the constant threat of the unknown, positivity would reign throughout most of the expedition. The group included two invaluable members who America had not treated kindly – York, a Black man owned by Clark, and a 16-year old pregnant Lemhi-Shoshone called Sacagawea, who had been forced into marriage after being purchased by a French-Canadian trapper named Toussaint Charbonneau. “The aim of your expedition is to explore the Missouri River and those of its principal tributaries that, by their course and by linking with the Pacific Ocean, may offer the most direct and practical fluvial communications across this country to commercial ends," the President wrote.īy November 1804, the Corps had made its way to North Dakota, where its core of 33 adventurers was cemented. President Jefferson ordered the Corps to 'explore the Missouri River and those of its principal tributaries'Īs the Corps of Discovery set off from Camp River Dubois, their charge from President Jefferson was clear. The two men would present a united front on their adventure West, complementing each other remarkably well.
Born in 1770 in Virginia, Clark had spent most of his life in the wilds of Kentucky before joining the Army and later running his family plantation. Luckily, his chosen co-commander, Clark, was a natural leader, with a strong, steady temperament that rarely faltered.
But Lewis also suffered from some form of mental illness, which could lead to long stretches of melancholy and despair. Born to a landed family in Albemarle County, Virginia in 1774, Lewis served as personal assistant to President Jefferson, who had long recognized the young man’s sensitivity, brilliance and observant nature. The two men shared a similar background, but very different temperaments. Lewis and Clark had similar backgrounds but different personalities