I finally finished Undaunted Courage by Stephen Ambrose. To be honest, I'm embarrassed it took so long. After starting on our Florida spring training trip a year ago and setting it aside, I tackled a large chunk over Christmas. The last couple weeks I completed the final 200 pages. Overall it's interesting but never really grabbed me, hence the long layoffs. More than anything I'm not a fan of Ambrose's style. Still, I'm glad I read it.
You've heard of the Lewis and Clark expedition (I hope), though maybe not thought about it since American history class. The greatest American explorers, they were heroes and celebrities in their own time. Their incredible feats over a years long journey were covered in depth in Undaunted Courage, though it focuses on Meriwether Lewis specifically. What I didn't know was all the politics involved.
Meriwether Lewis was a relatively well-to-do Virginian that owned land and slaves. He was considerably younger than Thomas Jefferson but came from that same world. After serving in the army and participating in the Whiskey Rebellion, he became Jeffersons personal secretary. Lewis, like Jefferson, was a 'Republican' (not the same party as today), favoring individual liberty and states rights while opposing more centralized power supported by the Federalists (Washington/Adams/Hamilton).
In many ways, Jefferson remains an enigma. He wrote extensively while in the opposition, fighting against powers of the Federal government not enumerated in the Constitution, then stretched those powers once elected President. I'd say he was less a hypocrite and more an opportunist with big dreams for the young American nation. One example of this was the Louisiana Purchase in 1803. The power to do so was not clear, but Jefferson struck a deal with Napoleon and nearly doubled the size of the United States. Having already wanted to explore the western lands, he now had great reason to do it. However, if funded by the Federal government there were more constitutional questions and foreign policy implications to boot.
Jefferson selected Lewis to lead an expedition. Lewis was already an accomplished commander and woodsman, then received training from Jefferson and leading scientific minds. He learned botany, zoology, ethnology and astronomy. The expedition had two main goals. First, mapping the newly purchased territory while attempting to find an all water route to the Pacific (a long sought 'Northwest Passage'), plus studying the plants and animals in the unexplored country. The second piece was of particular interest to Jefferson, himself an amateur naturalist, something you'll notice if you visit Monticello.
There were additional goals, objectives secondary but important. The Louisiana Purchase boundaries were defined by the Mississippi/Missouri rivers and their tributaries. Discovering the northernmost point on water was then desired, not only to know the border of the acquired territory but because the area was rich in furs (notably beaver). Trading possibilities were a big piece of the expedition. Jefferson wanted Americans to both dominate trading with the natives and to control the supply of furs. They'd have to contend with the British coming down from Canada. Tensions between the Americans and British were high and continued to be until the War of 1812. They would need to transit the Pacific northwest, the land surrounding the Columbia river. The United States didn't 'own' this land, it was contested by the British, Spanish, French and Russians. It would all require good relations with the native tribes throughout, to whom the Americans hoped they could bring peace.
So what all was political? The appointment of Lewis, a protege Republican, was a huge honor given to someone of like political mind. Jefferson wanted to forge his vision of America as coast to coast and take advantage of the abounding natural resources. This required claiming land and building a trade network that favored the United States over other nations, mostly the British and Spanish. He wanted any scientific discoveries made to be made by Americans, under his guidance. It was all to be part of his legacy.
Lewis and Clark and more than 30 men left St Louis in May 1804. They rowed up the Missouri river and wintered in present day North Dakota. In 1805 they continued to Great Falls, hiked the Rocky (Bitterroot) Mountains, and came down the Columbia, where they wintered along the coast in present day Oregon. In 1806 they ascended the Columbia, re-crossed the Rockies, split temporarily to cover more ground, then descended the Missouri reaching St. Louis in September. In all they were gone 28 months.
How successful were they in achieving their goals? Well, they made it. That in itself was a huge accomplishment. They discovered that the Northwest Passage didn't exist, at least not on their route, as the distance between the Missouri and Columbia proved too great and difficult. They were disappointed the Missouri tributaries didn't reach as far north as hoped. Along the way Lewis discovered and documented 178 new plants and 122 new animals (per Undaunted Courage, 1997 paperback edition, note on page 404), truly amazing and mind boggling numbers. They witnessed the herds of the Great Plains and the spectacular natural beauty of the west. Lewis also formulated a plan for the future of the fur trade revolving around utilizing the horses of the mountain tribes and the Missouri river. But while they formed good relationships with several tribes (such as the Mandans, Shoshone, and Nez Perce) they had difficulty with others (the Teton Sioux and Blackfeet) and any attempts to broker peace on a large scale failed spectacularly.
So the news to Jefferson was a mixed bag, and yet the overall expedition was a massive success. They didn't have control over the geographic layout of the country. They did discover the great wealth Louisiana and the Pacific northwest had to offer. The push westward was just getting started.
Another piece of politicking I found interesting was the amount of work required by Lewis to get himself and the men paid following their return. He had promised a monthly salary to them all, but didn't have control over it. It required submitting a budget to the War Department, who in turn had a bill passed through Congress. Eventually the men were actually paid for their service, in 1807.
Lewis was named Governor of the new Upper Louisiana territory in 1806, another political appointment. Just a few years later he met a sad and early end at only 35 years of age. Nevertheless, his place in history is secure.
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