The Expedition
"A compléter car j'ai été coupée
dans mon élan par les résultats d'écrit...
Il reste certainement beaucoup de fautes et d'imprécisions..."
Gemina
Purpose of the expedition:
- To explore the Vast Unknown
- To discover the water route to the Pacific, the Northwest Passage; interconnection between rivers flowing east and westward
- Inventories of the American rivers, geographical sites fauna and flora
- To spot best places for future sttlement of farmers, mostly along the lush Missouri banks
- To observe the natives and alleviate intertribal conflicts: establish “Pax Americana”
- To acquire better knowledge of fierce international competition in fur trade
- To spread the news of the power of the American governement on Washington
Ainsi l'expédition affirme-t-elle trois objectifs :
- Scientifiques par la collecte de nouvelles données sur le territoire et ses habitants,
- Economiques avec la recherche de nouvelles voies commerciales d'accès aux ressources du territoire et au marché que constitue la Chine
- Politiques en étendant la domination des Etats-Unis sur l'Amérique du Nord
Postulates:
- symmetry in landscape
- existence of a river flowing westward
- portage between the 2 rivers but not that difficult
- presence of a mountain range but could not be higher than highest point of the Appalachians (the Blue Ridge, for Jeff); Jeff would not have risked their lives had he known;-
- fear of the hostility of the Indians or European nations
3 main parts planned:
- sail up the Missouri to the Mandan village in an approximative 1 500 miles journey
- reach the Rocky mountains, sailing up the Missouri= 900 miles
- from the Rockies to the Pacific= 650 estimated miles;
Clark has added miles to that to think ahead of various obstacles; plan to go 10 to 12 miles a day so= 9 to 11 months to reach the Pacific ocean.
In fact mistakes of planification become worse from the Rocky mountains; 400 miles more in the sinuous parts of the Rockies; Columbia thought to be closer to the Rockies (cf Alexander Mackenzie’s views)
When expedition started, Louisiana under French jurisdiction:
a foreign territory to cross
Jefferson’s spirit and optimism transferred to Lewis and the
other members: what made them go on; when warned by Shoshones that
passage to the West impossible because of narrowness of river and strong
currents, Lewis refused to believe them and thought these were tricks
to keep them there and profit of goods exchanges.
The Journals:
some thoughts they had written after their return; they are full of omissions, vague reminiscenses and mispellings
despite Jeff’s instructions= Lewis’s notes quite incomplete; did not release them rapidely and was irritated when Patrick Grass did in 1807. John Ordway’s published only one century later
publication des journaux des officiers par Biddle en 1814 (accent sur expansion et rôle des 2 capitaines)
autres éditions= Thwaites 1905 (focus on the whole team as suc hand on the beginning of the conquest of the continent) , De Voto, Moulton= different readings of the expedition. Epic dimension underlined in all editions; today= accent on multi-cultural epic (York, Sacaga...) as a symbol of unity for US population: a common past. However, some forgotten members and slaughter raised to the status of epic
- 1st part of journey (till Mandan village): observed maps of the route
- 4 months of portage
- organization:young recruits initiated by older ones; pairs;
- discipline: codified access to alcohol; uniforms or codified dressing ; whipping in case of disobedience. Expedition members John Collins and Hugh Hall are court-martialed and found guilty of being drunk on duty.
- hardships: mosquitoes, grizzlies (for examp. near Great Falls in June 1805) , rheumatism, fevers, starvation, 340 miles portage, snow; death of Charles Floyd Aug 1804 bec of appendicitis crisis; Clark échappe de peu à la mort= relevés topographiques ; Surpris par l'averse, Clark et ses compagnons s'abritent dans une ravine surplombée par des rochers. Mais vallée sèche se transforme en torrent de boue et de rocs. l'eau monte jusqu'à quatre mètres. Ce qu'ils croyaient être un abri se révèle un dangereux piège. Clark réussit à escalader la rive…
- diseases and medicine: purgative pills for everything; bleedings; healing of wounds and abscess;
- equipment: 17 meters keel boat; military weapons (Spingfield), bayonets, tomahawaks, scalping knives
Chronology of expedition:
December 1803: Lewis and Clark arrive in St. Louis and decide to set up camp for the winter on the east bank of the Mississippi River. At Camp Dubois (also known as Camp Wood), they recruit more soldiers, train them, and stock up on supplies. cinq mois d'immobilisation forcée
April 1804: 3 groups leave Fort Dubois
May 1804: departure from Saint Louis; The "Corps of Volunteers for North West Discovery" sets off and heads up the Missouri in the big keelboat and two smaller pirogues.
1804 = perilious sailing up the Missouri
May 1804: The party passes La Charette, the westernmost white settlement on the Missouri.
Aug 1804: first council with Indians, Iowa.( peace medals) Lewis prononce un discours qui informe ses locuteurs d'une chose importante : le père = le "grand chef des dix-sept grandes nations" des Etats-Unis a remplacé leurs pères français et espagnol. Il leur demande de faire la paix avec leurs voisins et leur promet l'arrivée prochaine de marchandises américaines.; Sergeant Charles Floyd dies, probably from a burst appendix.
winter 1804-1805: at the Mandans; Fort Mandan;
Feb 1805: Jean Baptiste Charbonneau (Pompy, Pomp) born Les Indiens, en particulier les Hidatsas, donnent aux capitaines des informations de la plus haute importance sur le cours du Missouri et les régions à traverse. Car ils vont maintenant s'engager dans des territoires qui leur sont totalement inconnus.
April 1805: the “permanent party” leaves Fort Mandan; keelboat under the command of Corporal Richard Warfington sent down the Missouri River with a shipment of Indian artifacts, live animals, reports, and scientific samples for President Jefferson. (arrives August)
May 1805: 1st view of Rockies;
June 1805 :Great Falls (grizzly) ;18-mile portage around the Great Falls, a series of five waterfalls.
July 1805:Source of the Missouri: forks of three rivers they called the Jefferson, the Madison and the Gallatin: Continental Divide or Great Divide; they take up the Jefferson.
August 1805 : Sacagawea recognizes Beaver Head: they are close to the summer home of the Shoshone people. Ascension of Bitterroot Range (Lehmi Pass): thought these were the only mountains but find more on the other side; horses negociations with Sacgawea’s people.
Sept 1805: ascension (Travelers Rest camp) :North of Bitterroot Après avoir laissé une partie de l'équipement dans une cache, l'expédition repart le 31 août 1805., avec 27 chevaux et une mule pour porter les bagages. redoutables montagnes Bitterroot = portage in the snow to Clearwater river--- -
Oct 1805: sailing down the Snake and the Columbia rivers towards the ocean
November, 7, 1805: “Ocean in view! O! The joy!” (20 miles from it)
winter 1805-1806: after vote (Sacaga and York too) to decide where to set the winter camp, Fort Clapstop (South of Columbia estuary) :le climat est plus doux et où ils peuvent se procurer du sel pour conserver leurs aliments; plus d'élans, des animaux plus faciles à chasser.
January 1806: In Washington, Jefferson welcomes a delegation of Missouri, Oto, Arikara, and Yankton Sioux chiefs who had met Lewis and Clark more than a year earlier.
Clark termine le 11 février 1806 une carte qui est la première jamais réalisée du territoire situé entre les villages mandans et le Pacifique ; repère quelques raccourcis pour le retour. Ainsi les Shoshones les ont informés qu'ils auraient pu couvrir la distance entre les Chutes du Missouri et leurs villages en quatre jours au lieu de quarante-trois
spring 1806: return; camp left to Clatsop chief; 1 month with the Nez Percés who provide them with horses; party wait for snow to melt
July 1806: group splits to explore more territory + look for easier passage after the Bitterroots (Marias-Missouri: Lewis/Yellowstone:CLark);
- Clark names a rock on the Yellowstone Pompy's Tower (now Pompy's Pillar); inscribes his name and the date. Still visible today, this is the only physical evidence of the Expedition's journey.
- Lewis had been at the party's
most northern point, Camp Disappointment, on the
Marias River in modern Montana. Threatened
by horses thieves on way back: Lewis shot 2 Blackfeet Indians,
took back the flag but left medal to show who killed him;
and later reunite on the Missouri
Aug 1806:Back at Mandan villages: Charbo and Saca leave
Saint Louis: triumphant return September 23 1806: many Americans thought they were dead; Lewis writes to Thomas Jefferson that the corps has "penetrated the Continent of North America to the Pacific Ocean."
Lewis and Clark promoted governors
Dernière mise à jour le vendredi 7 avril, 2006