Winter Camp at Wood River, IL As the captains attend to business in St. Louis, the men follow a military routine at winter camp including daily shooting contests with an extra gill of whiskey as 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 Practice
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.
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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Discover More
- The Lewis and Clark Expedition: Day by Day by Gary E. Moulton (University of Nebraska Press, 2018). The story in prose, 14 May 1804–23 September 1806.
- The Lewis and Clark Journals: An American Epic of Discovery (abridged) by Gary E. Moulton (University of Nebraska Press, 2003). Selected journal excerpts, 14 May 1804–23 September 1806.
- The Lewis and Clark Journals. by Gary E. Moulton (University of Nebraska Press, 1983–2001). The complete story in 13 volumes.
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Unless otherwise noted, journal excerpts are from The Journals of the Lewis and Clark Expedition, edited by Gary E. Moulton, 13 vols. (Lincoln: University of Nebraska Press, 1983-2001).