August 19th, 1804

August 19th. 1804

We have lost Sergent Floyd. we do not know the exact cause of his death but he had severe stomach pains much beyond any ailments we have had on this trip so far. In his last hours captain Clark was by his side. I think the captain knew his end was drawing near because he ordered us to steer the keel boat to shore so he could heat water  for a bath. But before the water was even warm sergeant Floyd told captain Clark that he was leaving and he wanted him to write a letter. There was no time, captain Clark didn't even have time to get his writing things before poor Floyd passed. We buried him on a high bluff above the river. We gave him a proper burial with readings from the bible, then marked his grave with a piece of wood. Colter carved the words "Charles Floyd died here, 20 August 1804".  Not far from here there was a small river which the captain named after the Sergent. We all voted for a new Sergent and private Patrick Gass was elected, I am very happy about this because I voted for private Gass. Though we all feel sad about what happen To Sergent Floyd no one in the crew blames them self about the death more than captain Lewis. We all reassured him he did everything he could but i could tell he didn't believe it. 

August 15th, 1804

August 15Th, 1804

These last few days i have had some discouragement because the river you see seems to loop back on its self! On the 12Th we had a good days travel a whole 18 1\2 miles by boat. but when we got to camp that  night captain Lewis sent me back on foot to our last camp and it was meerly 974 yards away by land. Oh! and my suspicion of private Moses Reed was correct, he hadn't lost his knife at all, turns out he had stolen a gun, musket balls and gun powder and deserted the mission. When he didn't return captain Clark sent out a search party to bring private Reed back in. When they returned he pleaded guilty and was sentenced to run the gauntlet. Awful awful treatment, even though i do not like private Reed much it was still hard. But on the brighter side our genius captain Clark constructed a net made out of willow bark and dragged it behind the boat, it caught a total of 800 delicious fish!

August 2nd, 1804

August 2ND, 1804

Today we had our first meeting a very large group of Indians. There were about 100 Oto and Missouri Indians, including 6 chiefs. I was very excited but not entirely sure how the meeting would go, we made sure all of our guns were loaded and we were poised just in case. I put on my best clothes and so did the rest of the corps. We had a box filled with gifts for the Indians from president Jefferson filled with  leggings, coats and beads. I didn't think that they would be very pleased with these but we had nothing else. When the Indians arrived we gave them quite a show by firing our arms into the air. It was quite startling and astonishing  to them.  Captain Clark presented his speech about how we wanted to be in peace and to tell their people not to attack us or we would stop traders from coming up the river to trade with them. They had prepared a similar speech saying they wanted peace all the same. I was relived when they departed because even though the meeting had gone well i was still unsure about the Indians. Captain Clark was pleased though which is a good thing. Later that day private Moses Reed had to go back to council bluff for he had left his knife there.  The moment i heard this i knew that he was up to no good.

July 4, 1804

July 4, 1804

   Last night two men form the corps, private Halls and private Hollins,  snuck some more whisky. But not just one cup, they had three or four, three or four each! that was an 6 day ration! They were so drunk that they began to sing and yell until they woke the captain and he shut them up. The next day they had an awful punishment. private Hollins got 100 lashes and Halls got 50. We tied them to a tree and each man counted along, private Hollins lost consciousness at 52 lashes. Then they were taken to the river to have their wounds cleaned and dressed.  And just because they had been brutally beaten they were still expected to do all of their normal work.

May 23, 1804

May 23, 1804

  Today we had a bit of a fright. captain Lewis had gone on a little walk with to write in his journal with his dog seaman. Apparently they were sitting on a lovely little bluff, when captain Lewis had finished writing he was walking along the edge of a cliff and then suddenly the ground gave way and he was sent tumbling down the side of the cliff. Luckily he was able to get out his knife and stick it into the face of the cliff and climb back up. Now i understand why we have two captains

Seaman

Seaman is the captains dog. he is a playful dog that captain Lewis bought for 20 dollars. he always looks at us funny. like, his behavior...... maybe something to look into. maybe it has something to do with his previous owners, from what Ive heard he was first owned by a man name O'mally, who sold him to Brady then a little under a year later her was sold to captain Clark.

Were Off!

 Spring, 1804

An exciting day it is! it is the day we set sail with captain Meriwether Lewis and captain William Clark. I have packed my bag to the brim. On this long and dangerous voyage, it could be fatal to forget something. I have been instructed to keep a journal and record everything i hear, feel, eat and learn. captain Lewis and Clark are two men very alike but so different at the same time. for instance Lewis has brown hair but Clark has red,  Lewis is a quiet thoughtful man while Clark talks freely with the men. they are pretty similar in physical appearances, both fit and around 6 feet tall. captain Clark is a talented map maker and is always mapping the landscape around them for Jefferson. captain Lewis is the botanist, collecting samples, leaves, bark and other wilderness items whenever he gets a chance.