Lewis & Clark expedition

U.S. 1803 HARPER'S  FERRY RIFLE

--- 15 prototypes of this weapons were used during the expedition ---

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An image that represents some members of the expedition:
On foot captain Meriwether Lewis, seated indicating the route William Clark, behind we see Sacagawea, Indian Shoshoni girl interpreter of the shipment and Toussaint Charbonneau's wife.
In the "indian baby bed" we see Jean-Baptiste Charbonneau son, born in Fort Mandan on February 11th 1805. From this detail we can imagine that we are in the final phase of the exploration. More behind York, Clark's black servant.

At the beginning of the 19th century United States were between the Northern British territories and the southern territories of the Reign of Spain.
Since a long time was needed a way to the Pacific Ocean coast and since 1796 the Congress voted a resolutions to favourish the free trade with the Indians. At the end of the hostilities with England the conflict moved from the military level to the trade one. From the northern territories the English fur merchants moved themselves in the immense west territories in order to find more furs, main object of their trades with the Indians. Therefore was organized an expedition that, leaving Louisiana, had to reach Oregon in order to find a way to the Pacific and open a shorter and faster way to the far west than the one then used by the English.

Initially the expedition was supposed to be secret because it had to be carried out
through the French territories.

In 1803 Napoleonic France, fully indebted for the wars that Bonaparte was leading in Europe, sold for a modest figure (15 million dollars) to Thomas Jefferson the immense territories west of the Mississippi which were colonized since the 1628 from Robert de La Salle.
The shipment was therefore organized officially.

Starting from 1804 Jefferson gave to the two officials,captains Meriwether Lewis and William Clark, the mission to explore the western territories from the Mississippi.
They left 14 May 1804 on three small boats loaded with supplies, medicines and equipments. They were accompained by 14 soldiers, nine pioneers, two french boat men, one interpreter, Clark's black servant, two horses and a dog, Seamann, property of Lewis. Officially it was a trade and economic mission.
It came in fact from the decision adopted in the 1796 from the Congress, looking for "the free trade" with the Indians to put into effect through small farms.
This system was choosen to protect the Indians from the criminal imbezzlements of the private traders, that more usually offered alcool rather than money or useful merchandises.
Effectively, where it was applied, it carried a sure improvement in the relationships between the two races. Jefferson moreover thought to extend it to all the territories under the control
of the United States.

«Jefferson's pacifism, its sincere desire to reserve to the Indians the same rights of which they benefitted before the arrival of the white men, dictated him ideal solutions», writes Jean-Louis Rieupeyrout, author of colorful and well documented history of the Far West in the "Monticello tales" (Monticello is the Italian name that Jefferson - that spoke currently Italian and was an
aficionado of Cesare Beccaria - had given to his estate). The civilization would have definitively and favorably influenced the "wild one", in the measure in which the "civilizing" had been animated from the generosity, the wisdom and the liberalism. These were Jefferson firm belief of fervent illuminist.
This attitude of the President attracted the attention of the representatives on the tribes insediate along the Missouri, which were trading furs with the English, in spite of the natural facilitations offered to the Americans.
Therefore it had made to vote a financing of two thousand and five hundred dollars for the expedition of Lewis (its particular secretary), and Clark.

To both Jefferson he recommends to assume a friendly and conciliating attitude
towards the Indians.

«Convince them that our purposes are disinterested», writes they, «but only after you have emphasized that the United States within a year must take possession of all the Mississippi river area».
In two years they explored an immense territory, meeting tribe barely known at that time,
such as the Oto, the Omaha, the Missouri. They met with warlike Teton Sioux, familiarized with the beautiful women of the Ankara, obtained great help from a girl of Shoshone origin named Sacagawea because she knew perfectly the places.
Without that young girl, her dedication and wisdom, probably the mission would have had a different ending. They discovered rivers, mountain chains and falls, reaching the Shoshone lands and then, after crossing Bitterroot Valley, arriving to those of the Nez Percez and the Flat Heads. Canoeing on the Clearwater River they first reached the Snake River and finally the Columbia River camping where today the cities of Clarkston and Lewiston rise.

Finally, after covering 7689 miles, they reached the Pacific Ocean: their travel, opening the road of the West, would have changed the history of the United States.

 Lewis will write a report for Thomas Jefferson. In his opinion the British threat on the economy of the region of the Pacific and along the course of Columbia is obvious. To avoid thie threat immediate decisions are necessary.
He proposes the creation of several points of American trade. One of these would have had to be placed on the eastern side of the Rocky Mountains, to collect the furs (this is the region in which «more than in every other part of the world the beavers and the otters abound»). Then on a second point on the western side would have boarded them for the shipment to China, the most important purchaser.
«If it were succeeded to make them to arrive here towards 10 August, the cargos could arrive to Canton nearly a year before the English ones. These last ones in fact are disadvantaged by the longest travel, from the mountains to Montreal first, then to London and finally in China, passing for the Cape of Good Hope». 

The flag of that time

The five US Presidents which lived under this flag: George Washington (1789-1797), John Adams (1797-1801), Thomas Jefferson (1801-1809), James Madison (1809-1817),  James Monroe (1817-1825).

AThey also had an air gun! (click)

Among the material we find:

15 guns (prototype of US 1803) cal.54
500 flints
420 pounds of lead for balls
176 pounds of powder in 52 lead boxes
1 air gun
They carried also an air gun cal.31 manufactured by Isaiah Lukens from Philadelphia (they were then called wing guns) to use for the small hunting without wasting precious black powder.

Meriwether Lewis ... in working uniform!  

Lewis Lewis and Perkins, during the expedition preparation in Harper's Ferry manufactured the prototype of one interesting collapsable boat made of an iron structure on which were attached a cover of waterproofed leather (like the ancient Irish boats). In this way they planned to have easily transportable and deassemleable boats. The plan failed and they used traditional boats first and later canoes manufactured for them by the Pierced Noses.