Uncovering the Truth About Meriwether Lewis
"History is filled with mysteries, one of the most persistent of which concerns Meriwether Lewis, whose erratic behavior during his epic journey across North America followed by his controversial death soon after has baffled historians for two centuries. Scholars have long believed that ‘the truth’ or a logical explanation could never be known; otherwise it would have surfaced as a result of the extensive research that preceded the bicentennial of the expedition. At last the truth has surfaced thanks to the persistence and diligence of historian Thomas C. Danisi. Uncovering the Truth about Meriwether Lewis is a must-read for anyone interested in the Corps of Discovery and its pivotal role in the exploration of the American West."HERMAN J. VIOLA, Curator Emeritus, Smithsonian Institution"Danisi is a first-rate historical detective. He has discovered more new sources about the life and times of Meriwether Lewis than any researcher alive, and in this book he lays it all out. Here we meet Lewis as defendant in a trial, as a doctor’s patient, and as a harried fiscal manager. Even readers who think they know Lewis will find surprises in this book."CAROLYN GILMAN, author of Lewis and Clark: Across the Divide"Passionately argued and painstakingly researched, Danisi’s study of Meriwether Lewis brings new insights into the life of one of America’s most misunderstood heroes."LANDON JONES, author of William Clark and the Shaping of the West"Danisi’s latest work on the life of Meriwether Lewis is a gem! The book’s vignettes clarify underappreciated or controversial aspects of Lewis’s life, such as his health. Prior to Danisi’s work, historians attributed Lewis’s death to suicide as a result of lifelong depression, but Danisi hypothesized that the explorer’s untimely death was brought on by ‘the ague’ or malaria. In Uncovering the Truth about Meriwether Lewis, Danisi delivers the proof. The scholarship is backed with additional new evidence and supported with never-before published documentation. A must-read for those interested in Lewis’s controversial life and his crucial role in the assimilation of the Louisiana Purchase."R. MARK BULLER, PHD, professor of virology, Saint Louis University"Thomas Danisi has followed up the excellent biography Meriwether Lewis with another exhaustively researched chronicle of important turning points in Lewis’s life. Danisi uncovers truths regarding Lewis’s successful defense at his court-martial, his contested relationship with the bureaucrats in the War Department, and the little known facts surrounding his controversial death. Danisi has emerged as the Meriwether Lewis expert of this generation."JAY H. BUCKLEY, author of William Clark: Indian Diplomat and coauthor of By His Own Hand? The Mysterious Death of Meriwether Lewis