William Clark writes a letter from the Falls of the Ohio telling Meriwether Lewis that he has found some eligible recruits and is getting his affairs ready for departure down the Ohio River. In Pittsburgh, Meriwether Lewis is building the barge.
John Shields, chief blacksmith and gunsmith, was one of young men recruited by William Clark. They were often called the “Nine Young Men from Kentucky” but that dated moniker omits York, Clark’s slave who was also from Kentucky.
Louisville 24th July 1803
Dear Lewis
. . . . .
I am arranging my matters so as to detain but a short time after arrival here, well convinced of the necessity of getting as far as possible up the —————[1]With this blank, Clark defers to Jefferson’s request to publicly state that the Western Expedition would go up the Mississippi, not the Missouri. See Jefferson’s Secrecy
I have temperally engaged some men for the enterprise of a discription calculated to work & go thro’ those labours & fatigues which will be necessary. Several men (Gentlemens sons) have applyed to accompany us—as they are not accustomed to labour and as that is a verry assential part of the services required of the party . . . .
Pray let me here from you as often as possible. Yr.
W. C.[2]Clark to Lewis in Letters of the Lewis and Clark Expedition with Related Documents: 1783-1854, 2nd ed., ed. Donald Jackson (Urbana: University of Illinois Press, 1978), 112–13.
Notes
| ↑1 | With this blank, Clark defers to Jefferson’s request to publicly state that the Western Expedition would go up the Mississippi, not the Missouri. See Jefferson’s Secrecy |
|---|---|
| ↑2 | Clark to Lewis in Letters of the Lewis and Clark Expedition with Related Documents: 1783-1854, 2nd ed., ed. Donald Jackson (Urbana: University of Illinois Press, 1978), 112–13. |
Experience the Lewis and Clark Trail
The Lewis and Clark Trail Experience—our sister site at lewisandclark.travel—connects the world to people and places on the Lewis and Clark Trail.
Discover More
- The Lewis and Clark Expedition: Day by Day by Gary E. Moulton (University of Nebraska Press, 2018). The story in prose, 14 May 1804–23 September 1806.
- The Lewis and Clark Journals: An American Epic of Discovery (abridged) by Gary E. Moulton (University of Nebraska Press, 2003). Selected journal excerpts, 14 May 1804–23 September 1806.
- The Lewis and Clark Journals. by Gary E. Moulton (University of Nebraska Press, 1983–2001). The complete story in 13 volumes.
This site is provided as a public service by the
Lewis and Clark Trail Alliance
with cooperation and funding from the following organizations:
- Lewis and Clark National Historic Trail
- Montana Committee for the Humanities
- Idaho Governor's Lewis and Clark Trail Committee
- The Capital Gallery (Lewis and Clark Fort Mandan Foundation)
- Yellowstone Public Radio
Unless otherwise noted, journal excerpts are from The Journals of the Lewis and Clark Expedition, edited by Gary E. Moulton, 13 vols. (Lincoln: University of Nebraska Press, 1983-2001).