The Corps of Discovery was a group of the United States' army that was specifically opted for exploration. The leaders of this branch consisted of Meriwether Lewis and William Clark. Thomas Jefferson started this association with aim to receive knowledge of the newly purchased Louisiana Purchase and establish relationships with the Native Americans of the region. The president also wanted to start stacking U.S presence in the Northwest and Oregon territory. The party of 45 men set out on May 14th, 1804 after Lewis and Clark had separated to gather supplies and train the participates. The men trudged the Missouri river while fighting off insects, hot temperatures, injuries and rushing water. Winter for the group was filled …show more content…
They soon purchased horses from the Shoshonies (Sacajawea's tribe); this allowed them to cover more area. In Clearwater, Idaho the unit switched the animals for boats and set sail down the Clearwater, Columbus, and Snake rivers. Lewis, Clarke, and their followers reached the waters of the Pacific in November of the same year. The track back to where it all started, St. Louis, began on March 23rd, 1806. The Corps traveled against the strong rush of the Columbus river and picked up their horses. Lewis and Clarke split up at Los Pass to achieve more surveying of the land. One going south and the other west, Lewis' group ended up fighting a group of Blackfeet Indians; this was the only violent encounter the entire trip. The Corps of Discovery regrouped in North
Dakota, leaving Sacajawea and her baby to her people. Continuing down the Missouri river, the explorers reached their home destination on September
23rd, 1806. In total, The Corps of Discovery covered around 8,000 miles. Lewis, Clarke, and their unit acquired many achievements for the United States. Not only did they map and kept detailed journals of the territory in the west, but also staked claims in those areas and gained strong relationships with the native tribes spread throughout the