|
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. |
|
Lewis and
Clark Expedition Fact Sheet: Facts
about the Corps of Discovery |
|
|
|
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. |
|
|
|
|
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. |
|
|
|
|
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. |
|
|
|
|
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. |
|
|
|
|
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. |
|
|
|
|
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. |
|
|
|
|
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. |
|
|
|
|
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.
|
|
|
|
|
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. |
|
|
|
|
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. |
|
|
|
|
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. |
|
|
|
|
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. |
|
|
|
|
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. |
|
|
|
|
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. |
|
|
|
|
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. |
|
|
|
|
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. |
|
|
|
|
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. |
|
|
|
|
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. |
|
|
|
|
Lewis and
Clark Expedition: Facts
about the Corps of Discovery |
