Many of the questions our team had about the Lewis and Clark expedition dealt with who was involved, what they brought, and why they went. We decided to dedicate a page to the answers we discovered.
Who...
Thomas Jefferson was granted approval from the congress in 1803 to fund an expedition team that would explore the western part of the United States of America. This group was called the Corps of Discovery. The Corps of Discovery was lead by Meriwether Lewis and William Clark. Lewis brought his dog Seaman along for the journey. Other members of the Corps of Discovery joined the group during their expedition. Such is the case for Sacagewea and her husband Toussaint Charbonneau, who joined the men as translators. Sacagewea was the only female present on the Corps of Discovery. All the men recruited for this mission were unwed and had no children.
The Corps of Discovery
Captains
Meriwether Lewis
William Clark
Sergeants
Charles Floyd
Patrick Gass
John Ordway
Nathaniel Pryor
Privates
William Bratton
John Collins
John Colter
Pierre Cruzatte
Joseph Field
Reuben Field
Robert Frazer
George Gibson
Silas Goodrich
Hugh Hall
Thomas Proctor Howard
Francois LaBiche
Jean Baptiste LePage
Hugh McNeal
John Potts
George Shannon
John Shields
John B. Thompson
Peter M. Weiser
William Werner
Joseph Whitehouse
Alexander Hamilton Willard
Richard Windsor
Non-Military Members
Toussaint Charbonneau
Sacagawea
Jean Baptiste Charbonneau
Baptiste Deschamps
Pierre Dorion
George Drouillard
York
Non-Human Members
Seaman
What...
The Corps of Discovery needed a vast amount of supplies for this expedition. These supplies included mathematical instruments, camp supplies, presents for the Indians, clothing, arms and ammunition, medicine and medical supplies, and a traveling library. These were supplies that Lewis felt were necessary for the corps to have.
To learn more about the supplies that the corps brought on their expedition go to...
http://www.pbs.org/lewisandclark/inside/idx_equ.html
Why...
The main purpose of this expedition
was to find a water route to the Pacific Ocean. President Thomas Jefferson
wanted the group of men to explore the uncharted western territory, which
was eventually acquired by the United States in the Louisiana Purchase.
There were many myths about the west. Some of these myths included, wooly
mammoths, blue-eyed Celtic indians, saber tooth tigers, and giant mountains
of salt. This group of men set out to explore the unknown, and find what
the land westward had to offer.