urchased for the trip. The canned soups were doubly useful becausewhen finished the cans were melted into bullets. For transportation up the Missouri akeelboat was made. The characteristics looked for in the people volunteering to be apart of the expeditionwere strong, unmarried men with hunting, blacksmith, or carpentry backgrounds. Manyof the men were from the military to protect the party from Indian attacks. The menwould be paid ten dollars a month plus clothing and subsistence. When the expeditionreturned they would be granted immediate discharge. The men would also receive aportion of land equal to that given to officers in the Revolutionary war. After waiting out winter in St. Louis the expedition finally began. On May 14, 1804, theCorps of Discovery, as they were called, a group of men totaling 41 and one dog, Lewis’sdog, Seaman, began on the Missouri River. The journey began badly. The keelboat waspoorly packed and handled even worse causing the boat to almost tip. Also on the firstleg of the journey to the Mandan villages many men became sick, two men deserted, andone man died. Sergeant Floyd was the man who died and the only man to die on the expedition He diedof appendicitis, which could not have been treated at that time anyhow. The death put thegroup in low spirits but they traveled on after having a funeral and burying the bodypeacefully with a cedar post for a grave. The Corps met the Oto and Missouri tribes, who were kind and offered no resistance tothe expedition, at the mouth of the Platte River around Omaha, Nebraska. The Sioux,however, were not so accepting. There were many tense situations between the TetonSioux and the Corps. Clark and the chief of the Teton engaged in shouting matchesabout which nation was better and on several occasions shots were almost fired. Indian councils were held with each encountered group, some groups more pleased thanothers. The typical council involved an e...
