beexploring their own country, a benefit that greatly pleased Lewis. The party was going tobe limited to no more than fifteen men so that it would remain secret from Spain, whoowned the land at the time the expedition was originally planned. Now the party couldbe expanded. With a much larger party, a second officer was needed. Lewis choseWilliam Clark to be that officer. Clark was born into a Virginia plantation family in 1770, the youngest of six sons andthe youngest brother of George Rogers Clark, the hero of the American Revolution in theWest. When he was fourteen, Clark's family moved to a new plantation in Kentucky, andhe would spend the rest of his life on America's shifting frontier. Beginning in 1789, Clark served as a militiaman in campaigns against the Indians of theOhio Valley. He became an officer in the regular army in 1792, and in 1794 fought in thebattle of Fallen Timbers. Two years later he resigned from the army to manage hisfamily's plantation. Clark had become a friend of Meriwether Lewis's when they served together at FortGreenville, Ohio, in 1795, and quickly accepted his invitation to serve as second officerof the famed expedition. In preparation for the journey into the unmarked territory Lewis studied many subjects. He studied botany, zoology, geography, and the use of navigational instruments thatwould be needed along the way. Most importantly, he studied medicine. Studying withDr. Benjamin Rush, Lewis learned how to treat common illnesses that he wouldencounter on the journey. Clark also studied many of the same subjects as Lewisincluding extensive research on cartography. This was helpful because Clark made themajority of the maps. Purchasing supplies was an especially difficult task because it was unknown to Lewiswhat would be needed in the unexplored land. Medicines, several tools, rope, guns,ammunition, blankets, clothes, kettle, cups, pens paper, and canned soup were some ofthe many things p...
