Undaunted Courage: Meriwether Lewis, Thomas Jefferson, and the Opening of the American West

Undaunted Courage: Meriwether Lewis, Thomas Jefferson, and the Opening of the American West by Stephen E. Ambrose            Audiobook:  21 hrs., 40 mins        Paperback Book:  521 pages


President Thomas Jefferson hand selected Meriwether Lewis to take on the role of Commander of the expedition that was given the directive to find a straight through trade route from the Mississippi River all the way across to the Pacific Ocean.   No one had ever attempted such a potentially perilous journey before.   The land was wild and raw, there were who knew what creatures lurking in forests along the way not to mention the threat of possibly hostile Indian tribes still living on the plains.   Jefferson was an expansionist and wanted the land to add to the country's area and also to stave off threats from warring countries, Britain, France and Spain.   Jefferson commissioned Lewis, who he thought very highly of and had even mentored Lewis in his own home prior to giving him such a worthy calling.   Jefferson admired and loved Lewis like a son and thought no man better to be trusted with such a fine purpose.   Lewis drew together a band of men he trusted implicitly and they camped together in St. Louis, St. Charles and Alton gathering provisions, honing their survival skills and getting to know each other well until the day came they were ready to begin their journey.   Jefferson gave Lewis promissory letters signed personally by him to show to any and all traders/vendors along the way they would need to get supplies from saying the government would fund their excursion from start to finish.   It took them 2 years from 1803 to 1805 into 1806 to complete their journey both Lewis and William Clark noting their experiences, local flora and fauna they encountered, even sending back samples from time to time and maps Clark made of the terrain they endured in their adventures along the Missouri to the Snake River and on to the Pacific Ocean.   This book is written in such a true form, noting dispositions of all the people involved, introducing the reader to each so well that they come alive.   Lewis tells such detail of hardships they went through and it gives you a clue to how extremely hard this trip had to be from the viewpoint of those who were there.   Sacajawea gave birth to her son while on the way.   She had to be there (the only woman for most of the trip) in order to communicate with the tribes along the way as she could speak or decipher most of the tribal languages, malaria was a big issue for the troupe and came back on them even after they thought they were cured.   Lewis served as medic for everyone and had so thoroughly planned out provisions and medicines he expected they would need for the trip that they managed to make it with what they had brought with occasional herbs and berries, etc. Sacajawea introduced for healing.   You will learn so many things from these diary entries it is really amazing they survived.   And I learned a surprising fact I don't remember ever hearing before, Meriwether Lewis was manic depressive and attempted taking his own life several times until he finally succeeded.    Yes, I would recommend this book very highly,  it is an exceptional account of the Lewis and Clark Expedition and a look at what America was like when it was still pristine.