July 24, 1803 - William Clark Writes Second Letter Accepting Meriwether Lewis' Invitation
Great Expedition Begins in Clark County, Indiana
July 24, 1803 - William Clark Writes Second Letter Accepting Meriwether Lewis' Invitation
While living with his brother, George Rogers Clark on the banks of the Ohio River in the Indiana Territory, William Clark wrote a second letter, affirming his acceptance of Meriwether Lewis invitation to accompany him on the expedition that would change the United States.
William Clark (August 1, 1770 – September 1, 1838)
The son of John and Ann Rogers Clark, William was native to Caroline County, Virginia. Clark received no formal education during his childhood. His parents taught him to read and write. William was too young to fight in the Revolutionary War, however five of his older brothers did. George Rogers Clark rose to the rank of General, leading campaigns in Kentucky and the vast area that would become the Indiana Territory. John Clark achieved the rank of Brigadier General, surviving a bout of smallpox and fighting mainly in Virginia.
Move to Kentucky
At the war's conclusion, John and George Rogers persuaded the family to move to Kentucky. The family traveled from Redstone Landing in Pennsylvania by flatboat until they reached the Falls of the Ohio River area, settling near present day Louisville in March 1785. During the years in Kentucky, George Rogers instructed his younger brother William in the ways of surviving in the wilderness.
Military Career
The struggle with Amerindians in the area north of the Ohio River caused the outbreak of the Northwest Indian War in 1785. At 19, William joined the army to take part in this struggle. General Arthur St. Clair commissioned him as a captain, serving in the Clarksville area, across the Ohio River from Louisville. Clark rose in rank, serving with Generals Charles Scott, James Wilkinson and Anthony Wayne. He fought commanding a company of riflemen at the Battle of Fallen Timbers on August 20, 1794. Later that year Wayne gave him command of an elite rifle company, the Chosen Rifle Company. On November 14, 1794, Clark took command of the Chosen Rifle Company. During the two years he commanded this elite unit, he would meet a young ensign named Meriwether Lewis. The two formed a friendship that would change the United States during one of history’s greatest expeditions. Clark had received the invitation on July 18 while living with his brother, George Rogers Clark, in a cabin on land granted to him by Virginia at the end of the Revolutionary War.
Excerpted from the Author’s Book: