Sgt. Ordway Describes the Departure from Camp Dubois
Sergeant John Ordway, the expedition's senior sergeant, recorded the departure on the afternoon of May 14, 1804. According to his entry, Captain Clark set out at 4 p.m. to begin the western expedition, with one gun fired to mark the occasion. The party then proceeded up the Missouri River under a gentle breeze. Ordway's brief but consistent account complements Clark's better-known version and stands out because Ordway wrote daily throughout the journey, producing the only complete daily record of the expedition.
Sergeant John Ordway’s account of the expedition’s departure provides a complementary perspective to Clark’s more famous version. Ordway, who served as the senior sergeant, kept one of the most complete journals of the expedition.
“Capt. Clark Set out at 4 oClock P.M. for the western expedition. One Gun fired. Under a gentle breeze we went up the Missouri River.”
Ordway’s journal is notable for its consistency — he wrote every single day of the expedition, making his the only complete daily record of the journey. His practical, no-nonsense entries often fill gaps left by Lewis and Clark.
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Sergeant John Ordway's account of the expedition's departure provides a complementary perspective to Clark's more famous version. Ordway, who served as the senior sergeant, kept one of the most complete journals of the expedition.
"Capt. Clark (Capt. Clark) set out at 4 o'clock P.M. for the western expedition. One gun fired. Under a gentle breeze we went up the Missouri River."
Ordway's journal is notable for its consistency — he wrote every single day of the expedition, making his the only complete daily record of the journey. His practical, no-nonsense entries often fill gaps left by Lewis and Clark.
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