While the captains attend to business in St. Louis, the enlisted men at Wood River, Illinois are ordered to conduct daily shooting contests. An extra gill of whiskey is the prize.
Shooting for the Red Leggings
© Michael Haynes, https://www.mhaynesart.com. Used with permission.
This interpretive painting illustrates a shooting contest that occurred on 16 January 1804.
Daily Shooting Contests
Detachment Orders
Camp River Dubois, Febr. 20th 1804. . . .
The practicing party will in futer discharge only one round each per. day, which will be done under the direction of Sergt. Ordway, all at the same target and at the distance of fifty yards off hand. The prize of a gill of extra whiskey will be received by the person who makes the best show at each time of practice.—
. . . .
Meriwether Lewis Capt.
1st U. S. Regt. Infty.
Weather Diary
Therm at rise
weather wind Therm at 4 Oclk weather wind River 21 above 0 cloudy— N. E 24 above 0 r.&f.s [rain & following snow?] N W fall 1 in. River rose 3 Inches & fell immediately
—William Clark and Meriwether Lewis[1]To assist the reader, the editor of this web page has omitted the “day of month 1804” column, merged the “River” columns, and spelled out some abbreviations.
Experience the Lewis and Clark Trail
The Lewis and Clark Trail Experience—our sister site at lewisandclark.travel—connects the world to people and places on the Lewis and Clark Trail.
Plan a trip related to February 27, 1804:
- Winter Camp at Wood River (Camp Dubois)
- Along the Mississippi (Inspiration Trip)
- Around St. Louis (Inspiration Trip)
Winter Camp at Wood River (Camp Dubois) is a High Potential Historic Site along the Lewis and Clark National Historic Trail managed by the U.S. National Park Service. The site, near Hartford, Illinois, is managed as Lewis and Clark State Historic Site and is open to the public.
Notes
| ↑1 | To assist the reader, the editor of this web page has omitted the “day of month 1804” column, merged the “River” columns, and spelled out some abbreviations. |
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