The Journals of the Lewis and Clark Expedition: The journals of Joseph Whitehouse, May 14, 1804-April 2, 1806

The Journals of the Lewis and Clark Expedition: The journals of Joseph Whitehouse, May 14, 1804-April 2, 1806
Author: Meriwether Lewis
Publisher: U of Nebraska Press
Total Pages: 490
Release: 1983-01-01
Genre: History
ISBN: 9780803229181

The University of Nebraska Press editions of The Journals of the Lewis and Clark Expedition are widely heralded as a lasting achievement. In all, thirteen volumes are projected, which together will provide a complete record of the expedition. Volume 11 contains the journals of expedition member Joseph Whitehouse. His journals are the only surviving account written by an army private on the expedition, and he is one of the least known of the expedition party. Following the expedition, Whitehouse had a checkered army career, and he disappeared after 1817. His capabilities have been unfairly slighted by previous commentators, despite his narrative skill and evidence that he was a man of a lively and curious mind. His extensive journal entries contribute to our understanding of the epochal journey and of the unusual group of men who undertook one of the defining events in our history. The last part of his journals was not found until 1966; this is the first publication of the complete record of his account.

The Journals of the Lewis and Clark Expedition: The journal of Patrick Gass, May 14, 1804-September 23, 1806

The Journals of the Lewis and Clark Expedition: The journal of Patrick Gass, May 14, 1804-September 23, 1806
Author: Meriwether Lewis
Publisher: U of Nebraska Press
Total Pages: 550
Release: 1996-05-31
Genre: History
ISBN: 9780803229167

The Lewis and Clark expedition is both one of the greatest geographical adventures undertaken by Americans and one of the best documented at the time. The University of Nebraska Press edition of the Journals of Lewis and Clark now reaches volume 10 of the projected 13 that will contain the complete record of the expedition. In order that the fullest record possible be kept of the expedition, captains Lewis and Clark required their sergeants to keep journals to compensate for possible loss of the captains' own accounts. The sergeants' accounts extend and corroborate the journals of Lewis and Clark and contribute to the full record of the expedition. Volume 10 contains the journal of expedition member Sergeant Patrick Gass. Gass was promoted to sergeant on the expedition to fill the place of the deceased Charles Floyd. His journal was subsequently published and proved quite popular: it went through six editions in six years. A skilled carpenter, Gass was almost certainly responsible for supervising the building of Forts Mandan and Clatsop; his records of those forts are particularly detailed and useful. Gass was to live until 1870, the last survivor of the expedition and the one who lived to see transcontinental communication fulfill the promise of the expedition. Gary E. Moulton is a professor of history at the University of Nebraska-Lincoln and recipient of the J. Franklin Jameson Award of the American Historical Association for the editing of these journals.