While the captains have been in St. Louis, some of the enlisted men at Wood River, Illinois have been using the cover story of hunting trips and other errands to visit a local “whiskey shop” contrary to orders.
Young Recruit from Kentucky
© Michael Haynes, https://www.mhaynesart.com. Used with permission.
Original Orders
Detachment Orders
Camp River Dubois, Febr. 20th 1804. . . .
No man shal absent himself from camp without the knowledge and permission of Sergt. Ordway, other than those who have obtained permission from me to be absent on hunting excurtions, and those will not extend their absence to a term by which they may avoid a tour of guard duty, on their return they will report themselves to Sergt. Ordway and recieve his instructions—
No whiskey shall in future be delivered from the Contractor’s store except for the legal ration, and as appropriated by this order, unless otherwise directed by Capt. Clark or myself—
Meriwether Lewis Capt.
1st. U.S. Regt. Infty.
The Local Whiskey Shop
Detachment Orders March 3rd 1804.
The abuse of some of the party with respect to the prevelege heretofore granted them of going into the country, is not less displeasing; to such as have made hunting or other business a pretext to cover their design of visiting a neighbouring whiskey shop, he cannot for the present extend this prevelige; and dose therefore most positively direct, that Colter [John Colter], Bolye [John Boley], Wiser [Peter Weiser], and Robinson [John Robinson] do not recieve permission to leave camp under any pretext whatever for ten days, after this order is read on the parade, unless otherwise directed hereafter by Capt. Clark or himself. The Commanding officers highly approve of the conduct of Sergt. Ordway.—
—Meriwether Lewis
Capt. 1st U S. Regt. Infty comdg Detatchment
Weather Diary
Therm at rise
weather wind Therm at 4 Oclk weather wind River 11 below 0 fair N W 22 above 0 E fall 3 in. —Meriwether Lewis and William Clark[2]To assist the reader, the editor of this web page has omitted the date 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 March 2, 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.
