The National Government Undertakes the Work.

The West had passed beyond its first stage of uncontrolled individualism.  Neither exploring nor fighting was thenceforth to be the work only of the individual settlers.  The National Government was making its weight felt more and more in the West, because the West was itself becoming more and more an important integral portion of the Union.  The work of exploring these new lands fell, not to the wild hunters and trappers, such as those who had first explored Kentucky and Tennessee, but to officers of the United States army, leading parties of United States soldiers, in pursuance of the command of the Government or of its representatives.  The earliest and most important expeditions of Americans into the unknown country which the nation had just purchased were led by young officers of the regular army.

    Jefferson Entitled to the Credit.

The first of these expeditions was planned by Jefferson himself and authorised by Congress.  Nominally its purpose was in part to find out the most advantageous places for the establishment of trading stations with the Indian tribes over which our government had acquired the titular suzerainty; but in reality it was purely a voyage of exploration, planned with intent to ascend the Missouri to its head, and thence to cross the continent to the Pacific.  The explorers were carefully instructed to report upon the geography, physical characteristics, and zoology of the region traversed, as well as upon its wild human denizens.  Jefferson was fond of science, and in appreciation of the desirability of non-remunerative scientific observation and investigation he stood honorably distinguished among the public men of the day.  To him justly belongs the credit of originating this first exploring expedition ever undertaken by the United States Government.

    Lewis and Clark Chosen.

The two officers chosen to carry through the work belonged to families already honorably distinguished for service on the Western border.  One was Captain Meriwether Lewis, representatives of whose family had served so prominently in Dunmore’s war; the other was Lieutenant (by courtesy Captain) William Clark, a younger brother of George Rogers Clark. [Footnote:  He had already served as captain in the army; see Coues’ edition of the “History of the Expedition,” lxxi.] Clark had served with credit through Wayne’s campaigns, and had taken part in the victory of the Fallen Timbers. [Footnote:  See his letters, quoted in Chap.  II.  There is a good deal of hitherto unused material about him in the Draper MSS.] Lewis had seen his first service when he enlisted as a private in the forces which were marshalled to put down the whisky insurrection.  Later he served under Clark in Wayne’s army.  He had also been President Jefferson’s private secretary.

    Their Party.