William clarks death

The American explorer and soldier William Clark was second in command of what has been called the American national epic of exploration, the Lewis and Clark expedition of , which traveled from the Missouri River to the Pacific Ocean. William Clark was born on Aug. He joined militia companies fighting local tribes in the Ohio country in and 3 years later won a lieutenant's commission in the U.

Clark resigned his commission in , became a civilian, and tried to straighten out the chaotic financial condition of his famous brother, a hero of the Revolution, George Rogers Clark.

William clark interesting facts

However, when Meriwether Lewis offered him a role in what would be known as the Lewis and Clark expedition , he leaped at the opportunity. He gave Lewis complete freedom to choose his second in command. Without hesitation the Virginian picked his old Army buddy William Clark. When the Army failed to give Clark the promotion he deserved, Lewis ignored the "brass" and addressed Clark as captain, treating him as a virtual co-commander of the expedition.

It was Clark who led the fleet of boats upriver on May 14, , while Lewis was detained in St. Louis by diplomatic and administrative matters. The two officers led their men up the Missouri to the Mandan Indian country of North Dakota , where they wintered before continuing in the spring of With great difficulty they shifted from canoes to horses and back to canoes as they crossed the unknown Rockies and followed the Columbia River to the sea.

Clark was sharing leadership with Lewis in one of the most successful partnerships in the history of the nation. After wintering at Ft. Clatsop on the Oregon coast, Lewis decided to split the party on its return to Missouri. Although Lewis never yielded his command to Clark except when accidentally wounded and incapacitated during a hunting expedition , Clark's wilderness and leadership skills contributed to the success of the corps of discovery.