From the New York Times bestselling author of Band of Brothers and D-Day, the definitive book on Lewis and Clark’s exploration of the Louisiana Purchase, the most momentous expedition in American history and one of the great adventure stories of all time. In 1803 President Thomas Jefferson selected his personal secretary, Captain Meriwether Lewis, to lead a voyage up the Missouri River to the … voyage up the Missouri River to the Rockies, over the mountains, down the Columbia River to the Pacific Ocean, and back. Lewis and his partner, Captain William Clark, made the first map of the trans-Mississippi West, provided invaluable scientific data on the flora and fauna of the Louisiana Purchase territory, and established the American claim to Oregon, Washington, and Idaho.
Ambrose has pieced together previously unknown information about weather, terrain, and medical knowledge at the time to provide a vivid backdrop for the expedition. Lewis is supported by a rich variety of colorful characters, first of all Jefferson himself, whose interest in exploring and acquiring the American West went back thirty years. Next comes Clark, a rugged frontiersman whose love for Lewis matched Jefferson’s. There are numerous Indian chiefs, and Sacagawea, the Indian girl who accompanied the expedition, along with the French-Indian hunter Drouillard, the great naturalists of Philadelphia, the French and Spanish fur traders of St. Louis, John Quincy Adams, and many more leading political, scientific, and military figures of the turn of the century.
High adventure, high politics, suspense, drama, and diplomacy combine with high romance and personal tragedy to make this outstanding work of scholarship as readable as a novel.
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Very well written and informative. This book read like non-fiction. Great story about great men.
Unbelievable trials of these explorers. I had no idea of what they went through. I was there with them as I read this story.
Greatest adventure in US history
I read this book in sections. I would read to a major accomplishment and then break away to read a “fun” book. But I thought this was a very interesting view
into the character of Lewis and Clark as well as a reminder of the struggle of
the pioneers that settled this country.
Several years ago I stumbled across the grave of Meriwether Lewis by …
One of the great adventures in American history. A great read. Among my Top Five favorite History Books.
Great historical account of the Lewis and Clark expedition
A great history of the Meriwether and Clark expedition into the new Louisiana Purchase country shortly after it’s purchase from France.
One of the most fascinating adventures of all time.
Excellent popular overview of the truly historic Lewis and Clark expedition.
Interesting read of the famous Lewis and Clark explorers expedition across America. Also a look into mental illness in early America.
The best book about Lewis and Clark you could ever ask for. Just the right blend of detail and inspiration.