Sherman L. Fleek, a retired U.S. Army lieutenant colonel and former chief historian of the National Guard Bureau, is the director of interpretation for the Shenandoah Valley Battlefields Foundation,in New Market, Virginia.
Contributions
As Secretary of War during the expedition, Henry Dearborn made several decisions critical to the it’s success, and he was the one who gave Clark’s the military rank of lieutenant.
Army Life and Leadership
by Sherman L. FleekRetired U.S. Army lieutenant colonel and former chief historian of the National Guard Bureau discusses frontier army life in 1803 and the exemplary military leadership of the co-captains and non-commissioned officers.
Prior to the Lewis and Clark Expedition, William Clark and Meriwether Lewis began their military careers by actively serving in their local militias. After that, they joined the regular army and first met during the Ohio Valley’s Indian wars.