I was born in a place called Locust Hill, Virginia in the year 1774. This was the same time as the Boston Tea Party and the beginning of the Revolutionary War, in which my father fought for our country. He died during the war, about the time I turned five, and I never knew him very well. My mother was the most influential person in my early years. She knew many things about all the different plants and their uses as medicine. Virginia was a very wild place and I was a very adventurous boy, often hunting alone and helping my mother with many of the important tasks of running a plantation. Even with all the many responsibilities that I had, I felt it was very important that I was educated. Schools weren’t set up and run by the government yet so I had to find my own teachers. I never received what could be called a formal education, but I did find that I learned very quickly and loved having the opportunity to do so. Many people have said that these things contributed largely to my being chosen as the leader of the Corps of Discovery.

I later served in the army under the command of a man named William Clark who was to be one of my best friends and influences and I also chose him to be my co-captain on the expedition. In the year 1801 President Thomas Jefferson, a fellow Virginian, asked me to be his personal secretary and I eagerly accepted. During this time he introduced me to his idea of a journey across the continent and the three previous failed attempts that had been set up. Later he offered me the job of leading the expedition which I gratefully accepted. I believe that all of my experiences helped me to be the perfect man for the job.

President Jefferson gave me very specific instructions as to what I was to do on the expedition. My most important task was to take excellent notes on everything. I was instructed to obtain an understanding of all the Indian tribes that we encountered, including their numbers, names, possessions, relations with other tribes, language, food, diseases, and abilities in hunting, agriculture and war. I had to take notes on everything from plants and animals to weather and climate.

The expedition was a complete success and probably the best time of my life. I took meticulous notes on everything and made many important discoveries. The expedition was responsible for finding 178 new plants and 122 new species and sub-species of animals. We met thousands of Indians along our journey from many different tribes. Some dispute how effective my dealings with them were, but I did just as Jefferson and I had discussed before I left.

On the expedition I hunted all kinds of animals, had many adventures on the river, and was even shot accidentally by one of the crew members. Upon our arrival back home we were hailed as heroes and I was appointed the governor of the Louisiana territory. I may have been less prepared for this job than I was for leading a group of men across an uncharted land. I also didn’t really put my whole heart into it which is evidenced by the fact that I didn’t show up for a year after I was appointed. I didn’t do a very good job as governor and made a lot of enemies. While on my way to plead for assistance from the president I died in the year 1809 at the young age of thirty-six.

Ambrose, Stephen E. Undaunted Courage. New York, NY: Touchstone, 1996.

The book is well written for the average reader and Stephen Ambrose has done a lot of research. In the introduction he even talks about the many times that he has literally retraced the footsteps of the famed explorers. The main purpose of the book is to bring some new documents and studies on the subject into the public perspective and it does a great job of helping you understand Meriwether Lewis. Also great when read along with the journals.

Kushner, Howard L., “The Suicide of Meriwether Lewis: A Psychoanalytic Inquiry,” The William and Mary Quarterly 38 (July, 1981): 464-481.

This article takes a psychoanalytic view on the death of Meriwether Lewis. Some of the content is fairly complex and difficult for the casual reader to understand. Much of the information provided about the early life of Lewis is very helpful to understanding him, though the psychoanalytic evidence isn’t nearly as convincing as the hard evidence is. A well written article that gets the point across and is backed up very well with a lot of evidence, but not the most highly recommended for the average reader.

Lewis, Meriwether, William Clark,  and Anthony Brandt, ed. Journals of Lewis and Clark.  Washington, D.C.: National Geographic Adventure Classics, c2002.

Editor Anthony Brandt does a great job of going through the journals and making them readable for the average person. You read the experiences of Lewis and Clark first hand but don’t have to put up with the bad spelling and grammar. It helps to read the book along with others such as a biography that gives insights into what really went on. You do get to see how Lewis felt about his accomplishments though, and this helps to understand him better.