The Corps of
Discovery Definition
Definition: The Corps of Discovery was a special unit of
soldiers of the United States Army who were selected to
join
Meriwether Lewis and
William Clark on their historic expedition across the
unmapped lands acquired for the U.S. and its people in the
Louisiana Purchase. The outward journey undertaken by the
Corps of Discovery began on May 14, 1804 from St. Louis,
Missouri and crossed ten modern states to the Pacific Ocean
reached on September 23, 1806.
Lewis and Clark
Expedition for kids: facts about the Corps of Discovery
The following fact sheet provides short, interesting facts
about the Corps of Discovery.
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Lewis and Clark
Expedition Fact Sheet: Facts about the Corps of Discovery
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Corps of Discovery
Fact 1: |
The Corps of Discovery
was essentially a military mission and the men were physically
fit soldiers who adhered to a strict military regime and
were subject to strict discipline. |
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Corps of Discovery
Fact 2: |
The men of the Corps
of Discovery were expected to help achieve major goals of
the expedition which were to find a water route, a 'Northwest
Passage' to the Pacific Ocean, to report newly discovered
animals and plants and to learn about the customs and culture
of the Native American Indians. |
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Corps of Discovery
Fact 3: |
The men who joined the
Lewis and Clark expedition for their skills as soldiers
and special areas of expertise that included handling weapons
and hunting, as a gunsmith or as a blacksmith - all essential
abilities that would be crucial to the Corps of Discovery
and the success of the mission. |
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Corps of Discovery
Fact 4: |
The first recruits to
the expedition were selected by Captain William Clark who
became known as the "Nine Young Men from Kentucky". The
names of the "Nine Young Men from Kentucky" were Charles
Floyd, George Gibson, Nathaniel Pryor, William Bratton,
John Colter, Joseph Field, Reubin Field, George Shannon,
and John Shields. |
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Corps of Discovery
Fact 5: |
The Corps of Discovery
eventually consisted of over 40 men who started the journey.
They built Fort Mandan for wintering over in 1804-1805 alongside
the Missouri River near modern day Washburn, North Dakota.
At this point some members of the expedition were selected
to return the keelboat, loaded with animal and plant specimens
that had been collected, and provide reports of the journey
to President Thomas Jefferson. |
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Corps of Discovery
Fact 6: |
The 33 remaining members
of the unit became the permanent party of the expedition
and further traveled west to the Pacific Ocean.
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Corps of Discovery
Fact 7: |
Each of the soldiers
in the Corps of Discovery wore a military uniform and were
drilled every day. Each man were equipped with a rifle or
musket and were responsible for the care and maintenance
of their weapons. |
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Corps of Discovery
Fact 8: |
The soldiers wore their
military uniforms throughout the entire journey. The work
uniforms were the normal garments worn on the arduous mission
although dress uniforms were taken on the expedition but
only worn on special occasions. |
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Corps of Discovery
Fact 9: |
The work required on
the Lewis and Clark was hard. The men of the Corps
of Discovery were expected to haul the keelboat when necessary
and to cross, harsh and rough terrain. When their the work
uniforms wore out they made new uniforms in leather using
their old uniforms as patterns for their new uniforms. It
was important to maintain the disciplined appearance of
a military mission. |
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Corps of Discovery
Fact 10: |
The different roles and
units the soldiers were assigned to were distinguished by
their different hats. The officers and artillery men wore
a small three-cornered hat called a chapeau des bra. The
infantrymen wore round hats. |
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Corps of Discovery
Fact 11: |
The uniform worn by the
infantry consisted of a dark blue cutaway coat, lined with
white turn-backs, and had red lapels, cuffs, and collars. |
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Corps of Discovery
Fact 12: |
The men endured many
Hardships on the
long journey including extreme weather conditions from the
bitter cold and snow in the winter, continuous rain or blistering
heat. They were plagued by mosquitoes and encountered the
terrifying Grizzly
Bear and numerous tribes of
Native
American Indians. Most were friendly but the Blackfoot
and the Sioux were hostile. |
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Corps of Discovery
Fact 13: |
Despite the hardships
endured by the Corps of Discovery only one man lost his
life on the Lewis and Clark expedition. His name was Sgt.
Charles Floyd who died due to a ruptured appendix. |
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Corps of Discovery
Fact 14: |
Two members of the Corps
of Discovery, Private Moses Reed and Private John Newman,
were dismissed before the explorers reached Fort Mandan.
Private Moses Reed was convicted for desertion, and Private
John Newman for “mutinous acts.” They were tried by court
martial and stiff sentences were passed including “100 lashes
on [Newman’s] bear back”. Reed and Newman were sent home
in disgrace downriver aboard the keelboat in the spring
of 1806. |
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Corps of Discovery
Fact 15: |
The youngest man on the
Lewis and Clark expedition was nineteen year old Private
George Shannon. He was a skilled hunter and famously became
temporarily separated from the expedition for 16 days in
September 1804. He must have been extremely relieved when
he was reunited with the Corps. When he returned home George
Shannon studied law, entered politics and became a Missouri
State Senator. |
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Corps of Discovery
Fact 15: |
The oldest man on the
expedition was John Shields, who was 35 years old. The average
age of all the men was 27 years old. |
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Corps of Discovery
Fact 16: |
Private Patrick Gass,
was also a skilled carpenter and his abilities were extremely
useful to the expedition. Gass was promoted to the rank
of sergeant during the journey and when he returned home
he was the first to publish his journal of his adventures
in 1808. |
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Corps of Discovery
Fact 17: |
The Corps of Discovery
was disbanded in 1806 and every man was rewarded with land
and treated as a hero. |
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Lewis and Clark
Expedition: Facts about the Corps of Discovery
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