| | 18 | Author: | Lewis
Meriwether
1774-1809 | Requires cookie* | | | Title: | History of the Expedition Under the Command of Captains Lewis and Clark, to the Sources of the Missouri, Thence Across the Rocky Mountains and Down the River Columbia to the Pacific Ocean  | | | | Published: | 2003 | | | | Subjects: | University of Virginia Library, Modern English collection | UVA-LIB-Text | University of Virginia Library, Lewis and Clark collection | UVA-LIB-LewisClark | University of Virginia Library, Westward Exploration collection | UVA-LIB-WestwardExplor | | | | 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. | | | Similar Items: | Find |
| 19 | Author: | Lewis
Meriwether
1774-1809 | Requires cookie* | | | Title: | History of the Expedition Under the Command of Captains Lewis and Clark, to the Sources of the Missouri, Thence Across the Rocky Mountains and Down the River Columbia to the Pacific Ocean | | | | Published: | 2003 | | | | Subjects: | University of Virginia Library, Modern English collection | UVA-LIB-Text | University of Virginia Library, Lewis and Clark collection | UVA-LIB-LewisClark | University of Virginia Library, Westward Exploration collection | UVA-LIB-WestwardExplor | | | | Description: | Friday, October 11, 1805. This morning the wind was
from the east, and the weather cloudy. We set out early, and
at the distance of a mile and a half reached a point of rocks in
a bend of the river towards the left, near to which was an
old Indian house, and a meadow on the opposite bank.
Here the hills came down towards the water, and formed by
the rocks, which have fallen from their sides, a rapid over
which we dragged the canoes. We passed, a mile and a
half further, two Indian lodges in a bend towards the right,
and at six miles from our camp of last evening reached the
mouth of a brook on the left. Just above this stream we
stopped for breakfast at a large encampment of Indians on
the same side: we soon began to trade with them for a
stock of provisions, and were so fortunate as to purchase
seven dogs and all the fish they would spare: while this traffic
was going on, we observed a vapour bath or sweating
house in a different form from that used on the frontiers of
the United States, or in the Rocky mountains. It was a
hallow square of six or eight feet deep, formed in the river
bank by damming up with mud the other three sides, and
covering the whole completely except an aperture about two
feet wide at the top. The bathers descend by this hole,
taking with them a number of heated stones, and jugs of
water; and after being seated round the room, throw the
water on the stones till the steam becomes of a temperature
sufficiently high for their purposes. The baths of the
Indians in the Rocky mountains is of different sizes, the
most common being made of mud and sticks like an oven,
but the mode of raising the steam is exactly the same.
Among both these nations it is very uncommon for a man
to bathe alone, he is generally accompanied by one or sometimes
several of his acquaintances; indeed it is so essentially
a social amusement, that to decline going in to bathe when
invited by a friend is one of the highest indignities which
can be offered to him. The Indians on the frontiers generally
use a bath which will accommodate only one person, and
is formed of a wickered work of willows about four feet high,
arched at the top, and covered with skins. In this the patient
sits till by means of the heated stones and water he
has perspired sufficiently. Almost universally these baths
are in the neighbourhood of running water, into which the
Indians plunge immediately on coming out of the vapour
bath, and sometimes return again, and subject themselves
to a second perspiration. This practice is, however, less
frequent among our neighbouring nations than those to the
westward. This bath is employed either for pleasure or
for health, and is used indiscriminately for rheumatism,
venereal, or in short for all kinds of diseases. I wrote you last by the Governor Strong, Cleveland, for Boston;
the present is by the brig Lydia, Hill, of the same place. | | | Similar Items: | Find |
| 20 | Author: | Catlin
George
1796-1872 | Requires cookie* | | | Title: | Catalogue of Catlin's Indian Gallery of Portraits, Landscapes, Manners and Customs, Costumes, &c., Collected During Seven Years' Travel Amongst Thirty-eight Different Tribes, Speaking Different Languages | | | | Published: | 2003 | | | | Subjects: | University of Virginia Library, Modern English collection | UVA-LIB-Text | University of Virginia Library, Lewis and Clark collection | UVA-LIB-LewisClark | University of Virginia Library, Westward Exploration collection | UVA-LIB-WestwardExplor | | | | Description: | I have seen Mr. Catlin's collection of Portraits of Indians,
East of the Rocky Mountains, many of which were familiar
to me, and painted in my presence: and as far as they have
included Indians of my acquaintance, the likenesses are easily
recognized, bearing the most striking resemblance to
the originals, as well as faithful representations of their costumes. | | | Similar Items: | Find |
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