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The Outpost of the Lost: An Arctic Adventure
Excerpt from The Outpost of the Lost: An Arctic Adventure
But this time the lead stayed open and the Proteus put distance between herself and the men on shore at a rate that made no secret of Captain Pike's anxiety to separate himself from his late passengers as speedily as might be. For six fretful days his ship had lain at anchor while the passengers whom Cap tain Pike had brought north disembarked them selves and their belongings. Then he steamed away only to be blocked by the ice before he had made good a mariner's mile. For six days he lay there, ice-locked and helpless. On the seventh day, that is to say August 26, 1881, the lead clove a path through the me of Lady Franklin Bay and the Pro teus was under way and gone for good.
About the Publisher
Forgotten Books publishes hundreds of thousands of rare and classic books. Find more at www.forgottenbooks.com
This book is a reproduction of an important historical work. Forgotten Books uses state-of-the-art technology to digitally reconstruct the work, preserving the original format whilst repairing imperfections present in the aged copy. In rare cases, an imperfection in the original, such as a blemish or missing page, may be replicated in our edition. We do, however, repair the vast majority of imperfections successfully; any imperfections that remain are intentionally left to preserve the state of such historical works.
But this time the lead stayed open and the Proteus put distance between herself and the men on shore at a rate that made no secret of Captain Pike's anxiety to separate himself from his late passengers as speedily as might be. For six fretful days his ship had lain at anchor while the passengers whom Cap tain Pike had brought north disembarked them selves and their belongings. Then he steamed away only to be blocked by the ice before he had made good a mariner's mile. For six days he lay there, ice-locked and helpless. On the seventh day, that is to say August 26, 1881, the lead clove a path through the me of Lady Franklin Bay and the Pro teus was under way and gone for good.
About the Publisher
Forgotten Books publishes hundreds of thousands of rare and classic books. Find more at www.forgottenbooks.com
This book is a reproduction of an important historical work. Forgotten Books uses state-of-the-art technology to digitally reconstruct the work, preserving the original format whilst repairing imperfections present in the aged copy. In rare cases, an imperfection in the original, such as a blemish or missing page, may be replicated in our edition. We do, however, repair the vast majority of imperfections successfully; any imperfections that remain are intentionally left to preserve the state of such historical works.
319 pages, Hardcover
Published February 25, 2018
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Displaying 1 - 3 of 3 reviews
June 7, 2026
"I think that Arctic clouds are seldom seen with a silver lining" - Sgt. David Brainard
In 1881 the Lady Franklin Bay Expedition, also known as the Greely expedition, sailed north. The US venture towards the Arctic had goals of taking the "Farthest North" title from the Brits who held it at the time, and to establish a base named Fort Conger in remote northern Canada which could be used for scientific research and for later expeditions that would try to reach the North Pole. It accomplished both goals (and in fact Peary used Fort Conger in his later quests for the Pole) but attempts by relief and resupply ships in subsequent years failed to reach Greely's crew, so in late 1883 the 25 Greely soldiers who had thus far endured almost three years of hardship now had to start their own perilous journey south for survival.
That's where this tale begins, a daily account of this trek from the personal diary of one of the survivors, a well-regarded cavalry sergeant named David Brainard. Contrary to what I expected, Brainard's account is easy to read, relatable, and interesting, despite the fact it is really just a mission log of daily activity.
"The Outpost of the Lost"'s brief and subtle commentary on the team's progress let us read between the lines a bit, Brainard holding a little more than just-the-facts line on events that understate the hardship, theft, starvation, conflict, and near-mutiny among the team while also hinting at the impact of random events on morale. 18 of these 25 men will perish before relief arrives.
Verdict: A well-written first-person participant's account of a harrowing adventure and a must-read for armchair polar exploration junkies like myself.
Jeff's Rating: 4 / 5 (Very Good)
movie rating if made into a movie: PG
In 1881 the Lady Franklin Bay Expedition, also known as the Greely expedition, sailed north. The US venture towards the Arctic had goals of taking the "Farthest North" title from the Brits who held it at the time, and to establish a base named Fort Conger in remote northern Canada which could be used for scientific research and for later expeditions that would try to reach the North Pole. It accomplished both goals (and in fact Peary used Fort Conger in his later quests for the Pole) but attempts by relief and resupply ships in subsequent years failed to reach Greely's crew, so in late 1883 the 25 Greely soldiers who had thus far endured almost three years of hardship now had to start their own perilous journey south for survival.
That's where this tale begins, a daily account of this trek from the personal diary of one of the survivors, a well-regarded cavalry sergeant named David Brainard. Contrary to what I expected, Brainard's account is easy to read, relatable, and interesting, despite the fact it is really just a mission log of daily activity.
"The Outpost of the Lost"'s brief and subtle commentary on the team's progress let us read between the lines a bit, Brainard holding a little more than just-the-facts line on events that understate the hardship, theft, starvation, conflict, and near-mutiny among the team while also hinting at the impact of random events on morale. 18 of these 25 men will perish before relief arrives.
Verdict: A well-written first-person participant's account of a harrowing adventure and a must-read for armchair polar exploration junkies like myself.
Jeff's Rating: 4 / 5 (Very Good)
movie rating if made into a movie: PG
May 30, 2026
Amazing book!! Now granted I am related to David L Brainard but the experience he went through was incredible and to be able to honestly write about it, amazing. By the end of the book I was sobbing for him and the loss of all who experienced starvation alongside him. You learn so much reading the journal and your mind is opened to a world that you have heard about but never personally experienced. I will never look at ice the same way again and when I see the desert it will always also remind me of the arctic waters. Both seductive and simultaneously destructive. Read the book and experience starvation first hand.
August 17, 2020
Excellent account and hard to put down. Written in the words (mostly) of Sergeant Brainard, describing the day-by-day incredible challenges faced by the expeditionary crew, who found themselves abandoned and left to their tenacity, perseverance, and fight for survival.
Displaying 1 - 3 of 3 reviews