Lewis and Clark: Partners in Discovery

by John Bakeless

This is the first authoritative biography of the two great explorers charged by President Thomas Jefferson with exploring the lands beyond the headwaters of the Mississippi in 1803. In writing the work, Dr. Bakeless, noted American historian, drew on his own exhaustive field research as well as a wealth of original documents, including diaries kept by expedition members. These recorded not only the bold outlines of the trip with its Indian fights and other perils, but also such fascinating details as the number of buffaloes eaten, grizzly bears fought, the variety of plants and seeds collected, and the customs and lore of the Indian tribes.
The expedition was planned with military precision down to the last grain of powder, but in the final analysis it was the courage and resourcefulness of the two leaders that kept the party together for three years. Their perseverance and “horse sense” in the face of incredible obstacles and hardships was largely responsible for the success of the undertaking, which in turn buttressed Jefferson’s vision of a United States stretching beyond the Continental Divide to the shores of the Pacific.
Clear and well written, Dr. Bakeless’ book contains an immense amount of material unknown before its original publication, and the whole work is informed with the author’s fresh insights and keen perceptions. It will be welcomed by historians and students of American history but it will also be read with great enjoyment by anyone interested in the two remarkable men who led one of the most important and influential expeditions in the annals of exploration.

Genres: Biography, History

544 pages, Paperback

First published September 10, 1996

Reviews

[George · Rating 5 out of 5]

An excellent historical account of the lives of Lewis and Clark and the intrepid men who endured the hardship and adventure of their unprecedented mission of discovery. The book follows the legendary characters long after the end of their journey, to inform the reader of their lives, their destinies, and family histories.

[Erik · Rating 3 out of 5]

This is more of a biography on Lewis and Clark than a strict history of their voyage to the Pacific, although that takes up the majority of the book. Starts with a little on their early lives and time in the army before the expedition and goes through to their deaths. The prose is very readable and engaging. I know most people will go to Undaunted Courage: The Pioneering First Mission to Explore America's Wild Frontier for a book about Lewis and Clark, but this is an interesting and fair read that should be considered.

[Tom · Rating 5 out of 5]

There exists an epub-file of this title at archive.org, which is full of the usual OCR-scanning faults.

I have taken that file, made many corrections to it and uploaded it here. You can also find it at http://archive.org/details/LewisClark...

[Robert Archer · Rating 4 out of 5]

A very engaging read. Lewis & Clark are heroes. The heartbreaking aspect of their mission is the Indian policy of Jefferson.