Comparison Of Meriwether Lewis And William Clark

Imagine a distant land where no one but native savages and wild beasts roamed, grasses that grew taller than your head, winter months that convinced you that suicide or death would be the best escape from the harsh conditions, and rivers that rushed faster and swifter than a great herd of cattle busting out the gates of Hell. There are very accurate descriptions of what the American West was pictured like by uninformed Eastern Americans in the early 19th century. Most of these people believed that there were lands west of them that were extremely scary and barbaric. However, it is true that the American West is and has always been thus majestic. It is a very dazzling part of the world. That is why President Thomas Jefferson’s dream was to explore

These two men weren’t just two “average Joe’s”. Meriwether Lewis was a very experienced man of the military. Beginning his career in 1794, he joined William Clark’s Chosen Rifle Company, led by his future fellow explorer. Lewis served in several different positions while in the Army. He jumped from rank to rank fairly quickly. In 1795 he started out with the rank of Ensign. This is one of the lower ranks of the military, however. It didn’t take Lewis more than 5 years to make his way up to captain, one of the highest positions in the military system of the time. In 1801, President Jefferson decided to offer a new position to Lewis; his new personal secretary and his exclusive military assistant. After seeing, how well experienced and intelligent Lewis was, Jefferson felt like he was the man to have available. William Clark was also a well-rounded man. Still under the age of twenty, “…William Clark was swept up into the American Indian conflicts of the Ohio frontier.” (Buckley). He joined the Ohio militia in 1789, before joining the regular Army itself. Eventually, he was commissioned as a lieutenant of infantry and was a huge contributor to the development of forts along the Ohio River. Later in his military experience, Clark formed the Chosen Rifle Company. This was a precisely formed militia full of experienced gunmen. Eventually in 1796, Clark decided to retire from the Army and

Well popular has it that “Mountain Men” were exploring the American West long before Lewis Clark commenced their expedition in honor of President Jefferson; however, the two explorers and their company paved the way for majority of fur trappers, settlers, and fortune-seekers. They left on their expedition before any of the mass-immigrations or great movements of people in the 1800’s. Their excursion took place from 1803-1806. That is before all fur trappers, settlers, and fortune-seekers! The fur trappers started invading the West many months after. Settlers came almost 25 years later. And the countless amounts of fortune-seekers that the California Gold Rush brought didn’t make the trek to the West Coast until 43 years after the Corps. Of Discovery. Ultimately, Lewis and Clark were the true trailblazers of the American