December 11, 1806

Bill from Staunton

Staunton December 11th. 1806

Sir, [Genrl. Henry Dearborn, Secretary of War]

My bill of exchange No. 119 for two hundred Dollars in favour of Heiskell & Sowers is for that sum delivered me in specie, and which when paid will be charged to me on account of traveling and other necessary expences incured on a tour from St. Louis to the City of Washington in charge of certain Mandan Indians.—

I am with due consideration
Your Obt. Servt.

Meriwether Lewis Capt.
1st. U’S. Regt. Infty.^[1]National Archives Catalog, Record Group 107: Records of the Secretary of War, Unregistered Letters Received, 1805 THRU 1807, L-MISC-1806, catalog.archives.gov/id/450641036, accessed 21 Dec 2025.

Peter Henry Heiskell (1759– 4 Nov 1840) and his partner—likely John C. Sowers—had mercantile stores in Staunton and Alexandria. In previous years, Heiskell ran Washington Tavern where he provided lodging and horses for travelers on the King’s Highway.^[2]Alexandria Gazette, Thu, Mar 29, 1804, page 3. With Staunton located on the Great Valley Road, Heiskell & Sowers likely provided similar accommodations in Staunton.

Traveling with Lewis is Mandan chief Sheheke, his wife and son; interpreter René Jusseaume, his wife and two children; and former expedition members John Ordway and François Labiche—a party of at least nine members. Given the nature of Peter Heiskell’s previous business endeavors, the $200 bill may have included lodging for the Mandan delegation enabling Lewis to travel alone—one long day’s ride of 31 miles—to his nearby home at Locust Hill. Former sergeant John Ordway could have taken charge of the Mandan delegation with instructions to rejoin Lewis after Christmas at a predetermined location.

For Lewis’s penchant for moving forward alone, see A Solitary Hero by David L. Nicandri.