Meriwether+Lewis

|| C Period || U.S. Army officer, explorer, and governor, Meriwether Lewis was the leader of the continent-crossing Lewis  and Clark expedition. was born in Albemarle County, Virginia. His father had served as a colonial officer in the Revolutionary War. In 1794, the younger **Lewis** found his first calling: he joined a militia to quell the Whiskey Rebellion in western Pennsylvania. Following that successful campaign, he served in the U.S. Army for six years. He rose to the rank of captain in 1800. At about that time, **Lewis** was transferred to a battalion commanded by William Clark. A steadfast friendship developed between the two men.On March 6, 1801, President Thomas Jefferson asked **Lewis** to become his secretary. (**Lewis** and Jefferson had been neighbors in Virginia.) During the next two years at the White House, **Lewis** helped Jefferson plan a government-sponsored expedition across North America to the Pacific Ocean. On January 18, 1803, Congress approved $2,500 to fund the journey. ||  || This little passage ignites one of few sparks of adventure and excitement in "The History of the Lewis and Clark Expedition volume 3". At this point in the journey Captain Lewis and the Fields Brothers have already split from the other group, and their plan is to meet back up at the Mississippi River. While on the journey, Lewis sends Drewyer, a Fields brother and hunter of the expedition on a hunt. While Drewyer was looking for game in the valley of a river, Lewis was treking onward. However when Lewis reached high ground an image pierced his vision, and he stopped himself and his group. The image he saw was "a collection of about 30 horses"(1098). Upon using his spy-glass Captain Lewis saw several Indians. However Captain Lewis's next move was strategically smarter than fleeing. ||< Quote: 1.) "At the distance of three miles we ascended the hills close to the river side, while Drewyer pursued the valley of the river on the opposite side. But scarecly had Captain Lewis reached the high plain when he saw, about a mile on his left, a collection of about 30 horses. He immediately halted, and by the aid of his spyglass discovered that one-half of the horses were saddled, and that on the eminence above the horses several Indians were looking down toward the river, probably at Drewyer"(1098). ||  || Captan lewis knew that if they ran Drewyer would have been killed by the indians , the horses of Lewis are too tired to outrun those of the Indians. So Captain Lewis approached the indians in a friendly manner. When advancing the indians scattered ,and they were surprised. Captain Lewis was intercepted by the eight Indians, and Captain Lewis and his crew were invited to smoke with the Indians. However after making friends and being acquainted with the Indians, Lewis discovers a terrible truth. || Quote: 2.) "Captain Lewis now asked them by signs if they were the Minnetarees of the north, and was sorry to learn by their answer that his suspicion was too true" (1099). ||  || Before the friendly advancement, Captain Lewis "told his two men that he believed these were the Minnetarees of Fort de Prairie, who, from their infamous character, would in all probability attempt to rob us"(1099). To the group's surprise there were only eight Indians. However the news of how close their larger and more powerful band was, did not help Captains Lewis's case right now. This almost boxed in situation that the men were half way enclosed in comes into play in later quotes. || Quote: 3.) " They informed us that they were a part of a large band which at present were camped on the main branch of Maria's river, near the foot of the Rocky Mountains, at the distance of a day and a halfs journey from this place. Another large band were hunting buffalo near the Broken Mountains"(1100). ||  || Having known that these Blackfeet Indians (Minnetarees) would probably rob them Captain Lewis takes caution by assigning R. Fields the job of waking all the men if any Indians sneak away from the camp. The day ends with this quotes and a new day filled early with death will begin shortly. || Quote: 4.) "As soon as they were all asleep, he woke R. Fields, and ordering him to rouse us all in case any Indians left the camp"(1101). ||   || At sunrise only the indians were up and about, and they were crowded around the campfire. Fields left his rifle next to his brother ,and one of the Indians snatched it up, and two others stole Captain's and Drewyers's. When Fields realized what had just happened he took off and instantly called for his brother and they shortly caught up to the fleeing Indians, and then the chase turned into a scuffle, and then the scuffle turned into a stabbing by Fields. This murder appears to be the climax in this particular story because evrything gets hairy after this moment. || Quote: 5.) "As soon as Fields turned, he saw the Indian running off with the rifles; instantly calling his brother (Drewyer), they pursued him for 50 or 60 yards; just as they overtook him in the scuffle for the rifles R. Fields stabbed him through the heart with his knife"(1102). ||  || After Lewis had shot an Indian in the gut, a most awful place to be shot, and after Captain Lewis had narrowly dodged death, the Indians fled, and Lewis then knew that they had to leave the area as soon as possible. Lewis had no doubt that they should be pursued by a much larger party. So they pushed their horses as fast as they could go hoping that they could escape the detection of pursuing Indians. Captain Lewis even had a dog in the group named Seaman, but the men had to leave the dog behind for fear that it might slow the down. || Quote: 6.) "The rest of their (the Indians) baggage, except some buffalo-meat, we left; and as there was no time to be lost, we mounted our horses"(1104). Here is a statue of Seaman and Lewis. (Respectively) || ||
 * [[image:http://www.lib.fit.edu/pubs/librarydisplays/mlewis-port.jpg width="263" height="311"]]Meriwether Lewis ||= The History of the Lewis and Clark Expedition volume 3
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 * || During this process I have learned a lot. I know it sounds too inauthentic, but I really did learn matter on the subject of American History. I could list all the various fragments of new American History I have learned, but instead I will name the most important of these. First I learned that Lewis when he was younger was drawn to the militia where he helped suppress the Whiskey rebellion; he then joined the army for six years, where he met William Clark. Before researching Meriwether Lewis I thought that he was just randomly paired up with William Clark. That brings me to my next point. When growing up and passing through elementary school, most kids learned about the Lewis and Clark expedition. However, I did not. I had no idea that this was a secret operation, and that the men when all the way out to Oregon. Heck! I did not know that Meriwether Lewis carried a dog with him named Seaman, but these are not the more important and pressing points that I learned. I learned much of mapping in Historical times, I learned in the begging of the book about classification of new plants and animals, and I learned about relations and negotiations of Indians. ||  ||
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Lewis, Meriwether, and William Clark. // The History of the Lewis and // // Clark // // Expedition. ​ // New York: Dover Publications, n.d. Print.

“Marias River." //Encyclopædia Britannica//. Encyclopædia Britannica Online School Edition. //Encyclopædia Britannica//, 2009. Web. 20 Nov. 2009. "Meriwether Lewis." //America// //the Beautiful//. N.p.: Grolier Online, 2009. N. pag. //America// //the Beautiful//. Web. 20 November 2009. ||<  ||