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The Return Journey and Lewis's Final Years
On March 23, 1806, they bid final farewell to Fort Clatsop, setting out with dramatically fewer supplies than when they'd left Fort Mandan a year earlier. The Columbia's strong current made progress difficult, requiring towing through rapids and portaging around falls. Food scarcity became an immediate concern when they learned from natives that people upstream were starving and salmon wouldn't arrive for another month.
As they ascended the Columbia, they faced constant harassment from local Indians who stole their property. When Lewis caught one stealing an iron socket, his pent-up fury burst forth-he beat him severely and "made the men kick him out of camp." He warned the others he would shoot the first thief and could kill them all if provoked.
On April 24, they reached Chief Yellept and the Wallawallas, who welcomed them warmly. Yellept personally brought wood and fish and presented Clark with "a very eligant white horse" in exchange for Clark's sword, powder and balls. That evening, about 100 Yakimas joined the Wallawallas for a celebration where Cruzatte played fiddle while the expedition members danced, delighting their hosts.
While waiting for the snow to melt on the Bitterroot Mountains, Lewis occupied himself with ethnography and nature studies. He collected and described several new species, including the black woodpecker (now Lewis's woodpecker)-the only surviving zoological specimen from the expedition-and the western tanager. The Nez Perce repeatedly warned them to wait until July before attempting the mountain crossing, but Lewis's impatience grew. On June 15, the party set out in cold rain, making good progress initially. By June 16, however, they encountered snow eight to ten feet deep. Realizing their peril, they finally admitted it was "madness" to continue without a guide and retreated.
At Traveler's Rest, they stayed three days finalizing an ambitious exploration plan. Lewis would take nine men to follow the Nez Perce route to the Missouri Falls, then explore the Marias River, hoping to determine if any branch extended to latitude 50. Meanwhile, Clark would explore the Yellowstone with his group. This complex plan divided their platoon into five separate squads across dangerous territory.
On July 3, Lewis took leave of Clark and his party. After several days of travel, he reached Camp Disappointment near the northernmost point of the Marias River. By July 26, clouds frustrated his astronomical observations, and he reluctantly abandoned his position. Around midday on July 27, Lewis's party spotted thirty horses and several Indians watching Drouillard, who was separated from them. Rather than flee, Lewis resolved to make contact, displaying their flag as they slowly approached. After initial tension, they established communication and learned they were Blackfeet.
At first light the next morning, Lewis was jolted awake by Drouillard shouting "Damn you! Let go my gun!" Leaping up, he discovered his rifle missing and saw Indians attempting to steal their weapons. He drew his pistol and confronted one thief, who surrendered his rifle rather than face being shot. Meanwhile, Reubin Field stabbed one Indian fatally through the heart. Lewis noticed other Blackfeet driving off their horses and ordered his men to shoot if necessary. After chasing two Indians who had his personal mount, Lewis fired and hit one in the belly, but the warrior managed to return fire before retreating.
The party rode relentlessly through the day, covering sixty-three miles by 3:00 p.m. They continued through the night, passing "immence herds of buffaloe" before finally halting after a hundred-mile ride. They soon joined Sergeant Ordway's canoe party coming downriver-"unspeakable satisfaction"-and descended to the Marias where they recovered their cached supplies.
On August 12, while hunting elk with Private Cruzatte, Lewis was struck in the buttocks by a rifle bullet that passed through, leaving a three-inch gash. Unable to walk, he lay on his stomach in the pirogue as they continued downriver. The next day, they overtook Clark's party, their joyful reunion tempered by Lewis's condition.
The reunited expedition reached the Mandan villages on August 14, where the chiefs welcomed them warmly. After settling accounts and saying farewells, they continued downriver, encountering numerous traders heading upstream. By September 20, the sight of cows brought spontaneous shouts of joy from the men. At La Charette, they fired a celebratory salute, learning that most Americans had long presumed them dead.
On September 23, 1806, the expedition triumphantly returned to St. Louis. Lewis immediately began drafting his report to President Jefferson, announcing their safe arrival with "our papers and baggage" and confirming they had "penitrated the Continent of North America to the Pacific Ocean." Though he had to deliver the disappointing news that no all-water route existed, he emphasized the positive aspects of their discoveries.
Lewis's post-expedition life proved challenging. Jefferson appointed him governor of Louisiana Territory, but Lewis struggled with the political aspects of the role. His drinking apparently grew heavy, and his finances deteriorated. By summer 1809, Lewis's position had deteriorated dramatically. Officials in Washington disapproved of his liberal draft-signing, and Secretary Bates became openly hostile.
In August 1809, Lewis received a devastating letter from Secretary of War Eustis stating that his draft for an additional $500 "has not been honored," making Lewis personally responsible for the debt. Lewis announced his departure for Washington to personally clear his name, writing passionately, "Be assured Sir, that my Country can never make 'A Burr' of me-She may reduce me to Poverty; but she can never sever my Attachment from her."
On October 11, 1809, at Grinder's Inn on the Natchez Trace, Lewis died of gunshot wounds. Though some have speculated about murder, both Clark and Jefferson immediately accepted the suicide as believable based on their intimate knowledge of Lewis's mental state. Jefferson later attributed Lewis's suicide to "hypocondria" that was "probably increased by the habit into which he had fallen."
Despite his tragic end, Lewis's legacy endures through the expedition journals, which documented an epic journey that transformed America's understanding of its western territories. Jefferson's final tribute to Lewis stands as the highest praise any president has ever given a subordinate: "Of courage undaunted, possessing a firmness & perseverance of purpose which nothing but impossibilities could divert from it's direction, careful as a father of those committed to his charge, yet steady in the maintenance of order & discipline... with all these qualifications as if selected and implanted by nature in one body, for this express purpose, I could have no hesitation in confiding the enterprize to him."
