On or near this date, the commander of the U.S. Army James Wilkinson advises Spain to block the Lewis and Clark Expedition—an act of sedition.
While the captains are in St. Louis, they leave specific orders for the enlisted men to follow the orders of Sgt. Ordway.
Sergeant in Dress Uniform
© Michael Haynes, https://www.mhaynesart.com. Used with permission.
The frontier soldier depicted here wears the full dress uniform of an infantry sergeant. Sergeants carried swords and their uniforms included a single epaulette on the shoulder and a sash around the abdomen.[1]Robert J. Moore, Jr. and Michael Haynes, Lewis & Clark: Tailor Made, Trail Worn (Helena: Far Country Press, 2003), 18.
Wilkinson’s Sedition
In the undated and at the time anonymous “Reflections on Louisiana,” James Wilkinson, commandant of the United States military, acts as a secret agent for Spain.
An express ought immediately to be sent to the governor of Santa Fé, and another to the captain-general of Chihuaga, in order that they may detach a sufficient body of chasseurs to intercept Captain Lewis and his party, who are on the Missouri River, and force them to retire or take them prisoners.[2]Letters of the Lewis and Clark Expedition with Related Documents: 1783-1854, 2nd ed., ed. Donald Jackson (Urbana: University of Illinois Press, 1978), 686.
John Ordway, First Sergeant
Detachment Orders March 3rd 1804.
. . . .
The Carpenters Blacksmiths, and in short the whole party (except Floid [Charles Floyd] who has been specially directed to perform other duties) are to obey implicitly the orders of Sergt. Ordway, who has recieved our instructions on these subjects, and is held accountable to us for their due execution.—
Meriwether Lewis
Capt. 1st U S Regt. Infty comdg Detatchment
Weather Diary
Therm at rise
weather wind Therm at 4 Oclk weather wind River 10 above 0 fair N W 20 above 0 N W fall 3 in. —Meriwether Lewis and William Clark[3]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 5, 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 | Robert J. Moore, Jr. and Michael Haynes, Lewis & Clark: Tailor Made, Trail Worn (Helena: Far Country Press, 2003), 18. |
|---|---|
| ↑2 | Letters of the Lewis and Clark Expedition with Related Documents: 1783-1854, 2nd ed., ed. Donald Jackson (Urbana: University of Illinois Press, 1978), 686. |
| ↑3 | To assist the reader, the editor of this web page has omitted the date column, merged the “River” columns, and spelled out some abbreviations. |
