The Lewis and Clark Journals: An American Epic of Discovery / Edition 1

by Meriwether Lewis, William Clark, Members of the Corps of Discovery, Gary E. Moulton

Overview

Following orders from President Thomas Jefferson, Captains Meriwether Lewis and William Clark set out from their wintering camp in Illinois in 1804 to search for a river passage to the Pacific Ocean. In this riveting account, editor Gary E. Moulton blends the narrative highlights of the Lewis and Clark journals so that the voices of the enlisted men and of Native peoples are heard alongside the words of the captains.

All their triumphs and terrors are here-the thrill of seeing the vast herds of bison on the plains; the tensions and admiration in the first meetings with Indian peoples; Lewis's rapture at the stunning beauty of the Great Falls; the fear the captains felt when a devastating illness befell their Shoshone interpreter, Sacagawea; the ordeal of crossing the Continental Divide; the kidnapping and rescuing of Lewis's dog, Seaman; miserable days of cold and hunger; and Clark's joy at seeing the Pacific. The cultural differences between the corps and Native Americans make for living drama that at times provokes laughter but more often is poignant and, at least once, tragic.

Gary E. Moulton is Thomas C. Sorensen Professor of American History at the University of Nebraska-Lincoln. His editing of the Lewis and Clark journals earned him the J. Franklin Jameson Award of the American Historical Association and the Outstanding Research and Creative Activity Award from the University of Nebraska.

Product Details

ISBN-13:	9780803280397
Publisher:	UNP - Bison Books
Publication date:	11/01/2004
Edition description:	Abridged
Pages:	497
Product dimensions:	5.50(w) x 8.50(h) x 1.49(d)

About the Author

Gary E. Moulton is Thomas C. Sorensen Professor of American History at the University of Nebraska–Lincoln. His editing of the Lewis and Clark journals earned him the J. Franklin Jameson Award of the American Historical Association and the Outstanding Research and Creative Activity Award from the University of Nebraska.

Table of Contents

	List of Illustrations	ix
	Preface	xi
	Introduction	xv
	Editorial Principles	lxiii
	Members of the Permanent Party	lxv
Chapter 1	Expedition Underway: May 14-August 24, 1804	1
Chapter 2	The Middle Missouri: August 25-October 26, 1804	45
Chapter 3	Knife River Winter: October 27, 1804-April 6, 1805	77
Chapter 4	Into the Unknown: April 7-June 2, 1805	109
Chapter 5	Portaging the Falls: June 3-July 14, 1805	145
Chapter 6	Shadows of the Rockies: July 15-August 9, 1805	179
Chapter 7	Those Tremendous Mountains: August 10-October 10, 1805	203
Chapter 8	Roll On Columbia: October 11-November 14, 1805	261
Chapter 9	Pacific Coast Winter: November 15, 1805-March 22, 1806	287
Chapter 10	Homeward Bound: March 23-July 2, 1806	347
Chapter 11	Separation and Reunion: July 3-August 12, 1806	401
Chapter 12	Hurrying Home: August 13-September 23, 1806	437
	Afterword	453
	Index	463

Editorial Reviews

“Masterfully edited and annotated by Gary E. Moulton.”—St. Louis Post-Dispatch

St. Louis Post-Dispatch

“An invaluable and easily digestible account of the epic journey.”—Booklist

Booklist