The times. [volume] (Richmond, Va.) 1890-1903, 1890-02-02
LEWIS AND CLARKE.
DEPARTURE FOR THE IVES 'enN
WILDERNESS.
The March Begun from the
to IN. Pacific-Feacefui Dealings WIN

DrOyide for the pOSeioic "of,e.,, o~'padi- /
lewis in undertaking ms pernou,, Gov him
sDIS q comnsnion who was 10 be MS seeono
=, Command and who should DE consiueieu
-, ,s,ent 10 take charge OF the enterpriSe
!, c.so az his own death. The county vi Al
10 seemed AT this time, 10 be proiihc
- men particularly fitted for emergencies
If any Kind. About one ana n laii mies
cast of Charlottesville there had long re-
.ided a family OF Clarkes. They nad orig
inally gone up 10 that county IRON .ne
banks Of the Mattaponi, IN 'aronle
county One Of them, George Rogers
Certe had already become famous
as the conquerer Of the great North-
western Territory. lie had young
brother who possessed much OF his
own spirit and intelligence. Lewis, WI"
lived i'm the same neighborhood, bad DOUBT
loss found i'm Young Clarke a kindred spirit
and cOngenial companion in many oil ms
own youthful adventures among the forests
and mountains of that region. lhey hau
crown ND 10 manhood together, ana ne no"
saw developed in the companion OF ms
youth the very qualities that recommended
him as proper person 10 go win MN upon
bis Great undertaking. Clarke had already
.arxed in the army with credit as lieuten-
ant. Upon Lewis application, the fresi,
dent appointed him second IN command
with n commission of captain, and nom that
time the name Of Captain William clarke
has been associated with an enterprise
which mas made himself and his superior
forever famous among the discoTerers OF the
world. .. -.
The general preparations having. been
made. Lewis and Clarke left for the west IN
July, 1903, and halted at u. LOUIS uhtll
december. 10 enlist the men and arrange
the details necessary to so important
Journey as now lay before them. Their OBJ
iect was 10 push on as soon as they could
and spend the rest OF the winter beyond the
HIGHEST settlement on the Missouri river.
Instead of this, they were forced 70 remain
cast az the Mississippi until the following
spring. The party consisted Of twenty
eight in all, excepting body Of SIX soldiers
and some watermen, who were engaged 10
20 certain distance TO transport stores
and repel the anticipated attack OF nos
tile tribe Of Indians. The stores consisted
for the most part Of clothing, working uten-
Ills. locks. nints, powder, balls, medicines,
sur1ical instruments, &c. The presents for
the Indians consisted Of richly laced coats,
flags. medals, knives and t0mahawks, beads,
looking-glasses, handkerchefs, paints, and
such like ornaments. They had three boats,
one barge. with a sail. and two smaller for
oars only. Two horses were at the same
time to be led along the banks Of the river.
On Monday, the l4th May. 1904, the march
10 the Pacific ocean began, from spot a
little south Of where the town Of Alton. Ill.
now stands.
IL must have been mOment0us event
with the sturdy band Of Adventures when
thew broke up their camp 10 turn their backs
upon the confines Of civilization, perhaps
never 10 return. We may imagine the
scene as they strobe away In the order ar
/ RANGED by their young leader, whose stall
wart figure at the head Of the party ap-
peared the impersonation Of courage, hope
and ambition. They were composed Of
Kentuckians, Frenchmen, United states
soldiers, interpreters and hunters. One
negro, servant 10 Captain Clark, represent
ed the African race. Lewis and his friend
Clarke were perhaps the only Nirginians
present. But this is not the only instance
/ in American history IN which the supremacy
Of the race has been accorded to the sons Of
| the ancient Dominion.
In these days Of improvement and
invention especially in tine appli-
ances Of domestic and mechanical
| life. il is hard 20 realize the difi-
culties by which our explorers were encum-
bered They had no improved arms, no pre-
pared ammunition, none n those cunning
devices and varieties Of ordnance which
would have made even their small band
"terrible as an army with banners" % then
enemies. They had no patent waterproof
nor folding tents, none Ofthe luxuries which
reduce the experience Of the modern ex
plOrer 10 little more than a novel and ex
citing picnic. More tnan this, after they
had finally passed the ragged edge" o
.------..f' @'->- pdu cviiiinittyd thorn ~ j. &c
TO the solitudes or the uneXplored wilder
ness. they were entirely cut of from theil
| laua Of aHaraftApa and axnna4f n
schemes the sayages might devise for theil
destruction.
The distance by which they were ever
now separated from their homes was calcu
Gated 10 depress if not discourage them. Bl
the aid Of steam and other modern appli
ances the system Of portage is now com
paratiyely easy. The great African ex
plorer who so lately returned safely from
the depths Of the Dark Continent has been
often enabled to travel hundreds Of miles
where Lewis and his party could scarcely
have made twenty in the same space Of
time, and at far greater suffering and loss
OF strength. At the time Of which We
write. in order 10 reach the point from
which they set out, the most direct route
was 10 strike the old BraddOck road some
where i'm upper Virginia and follow its trail
to Pittsburg: thence 10 float down the Ohio
river for nearly "A thousand miles TO the Mis-
sissippi, and thence up that stream nearly
two hundred miles 10 Il. Louis. Five hun
bred miles more towards the setting sun
would introduce the stranger 10 the scenes
upon which our explorers were now looking.
At this day. time and distance are almost
annihilated-the latter being scarcely
known to the vocabulary Of railway and
Geographic systems. But when Lewis and
Clarke had already separated themselves
nearly two thousand miles from their homes.
il required a strong will and brave heart 10
maintain under the circumstances proper
mental equilibrium. But they were not the
men 10 be deferred by any such weakness.
We have seen that Lewis and his party
left their encampment on the 18th Of May.
1904. We cannot undertake 70 give here a
detailed account Of their journey. This
would occupy volumes. IL is enough 10 say
that from his knowledge Of men his native
sagacity and equanimIty Ofitemper and his
instructive perception Of the Indian charac-
ter, in less than two months Lewis had sue
cessfully explored the country, following
the meanderings Of the Missouri for nearly
live hundred miles; had traced 10 their
sources many Of Us largest tributaries; had
observed the nature Of the soil, noticed the
mineral attractions and studied the fora
and fauna Of each successive region, and all
without the loss Of a man or provoking the
dniuiOolll pl any OF MS hdNtEc NtIKuDOfs.
Late in July he left his camp ten miles
beyond the mouth OF the Platte river From
this point the monotOny Of his journey was
only varied by making peaceful treaties
with new tribes Of Indians, learning their
habits and history and gaining from them
all the information he could concerning the
country he had 10 traverse. This he always
managed to accomplish by tact and address.
The confidence in their leader had by this
time entirely possessed his men.
His enthusiasm, courage and unselhsh
devotion 10 duty had preserved a cheerful
and wholesome discipline among them. lie
had frequently intrusted 10 such as he con-
sldered worthy the execution Of smaller ex-
petitions, and when he found that the re-
ports Of these coincided with his own subse-
quent operations, the reward was TO give 10
some hill or river the name OF the successful
explorer. In this way he economical both
his time and labor. About the 10Th Of Au-
gust an event occurred which for the first
time cast a shadow over the path Of the ex-
pl0rer. One Of the men, Sergeant Floyd,
was suddenly seized. with bilious collie and
died, notwithstanding all the efforts made to
save him. To Captain Clarke he merely
said 81 am frOiuO IN lnaye Won aud