| | Description: | "Your situation as secretary of the president of the United
States, has made you acquainted with the objects of my
confidential message of January 18, 1803, to the legislature;
you have seen the act they passed, which, though expressed
in general terms, was meant to sanction those objects, and
you are appointed to carry them into execution. ON the acquisition of Louisiana, in the year 1803, the
attention of the government of the United States, was early
directed towards exploring and improving the new territory.
Accordingly in the summer of the same year, an expedition
was planned by the president for the purpose of
discovering the courses and sources of the Missouri, and the
most convenient water communication thence to the Pacific
ocean. His private secretary captain Meriwether Lewis,
and captain William Clarke, both officers of the army of
the United States, were associated in the command of this
enterprize. After receiving the requisite instructions, captain
Lewis left the seat of government, and being joined by
captain Clarke at Louisville, in Kentucky, proceeded to St.
Louis, where they arrived in the month of December. Their
orriginal intention was to pass the winter at La Charrette,
the highest settlement on the Missouri. But the Spanish
commandant of the province, not having received an official
account of its transfer to the United States, was obliged by
the general policy of his government, to prevent strangers
from passing through the Spanish territory. They therefore
encamped at the mouth of Wood river, on the eastern
side of the Mississippi, out of his jurisdiction, where they
passed the winter in disciplining the men, and making the
necessary preparations for setting out early in the Spring
before which the cession was officially announced. The
party consisted of nine young men from Kentucky, fourteen
soldiers of the United States army who volunteered their
services, two French watermen—an interpreter and hunter
—and a black servant belonging to captain Clarke—All
these, except the last, were enlisted to serve as privates during
the expedition, and three sergeants appointed from
amongst them by the captains. In addition to these were
engaged a corporal and six soldiers, and nine watermen to
accompany the expedition as far as the Mandan nation, in order
to assist in carrying the stores, or repelling an attack
which was most to be apprehended between Wood river and
that tribe. The necessary stores were subdivided into seven
bales, and one box, containing a small portion of each article
in case of accident. They consisted of a great variety of
clothing, working utensils, locks, flints, powder, ball, and
articles of the greatest use. To these were added fourteen
bales and one box of Indian presents, distributed in the same
manner, and composed of richly laced coats and other articles
of dress, medals, flags, knives, and tomahawks for the
chiefs—ornaments of different kinds, particularly beads,
lookingglasses, handkerchiefs, paints, and generally such
articles as were deemed best calculated for the taste of the
Indians. The party was to embark on board of three boats;
the first was a keel boat fifty-five feet long, drawing three
feet water, carrying one large squaresail and twenty-two
oars, a deck of ten feet in the bow, and stern formed a forecastle
and cabin, while the middle was covered by lockers,
which might be raised so as to form a breast-work in case
of attack. This was accompanied by two perioques or open
boats, one of six and the other of seven oars. Two horses
were at the same time to be led along the banks of the river
for the purpose of bringing home game, or hunting in case
of scarcity. |
