Changes

==Army Career==

==Army Career==

In response to the outbreak of the [[Whiskey Rebellion]] in 1794, Lewis enlisted in a Virginia militia unit raised to defeat the uprising. He joined, in his own words, "to support the glorious cause of Liberty, and my Country," seeing the rebellion as a threat to break up the new nation; he may also have become bored with the life of a Virginia planter and been eager for adventure.<ref>Meriwether Lewis to Lucy Marks, October 13, 1794, Lewis Papers.</ref> He became an officer in the army and battled against [[Native American]]s in the [[Northwest Territory]]. Lewis soon learned a lot about Native Americans and their languages. In 1801, President [[Thomas Jefferson]] recruited Lewis to be his private secretary. When Jefferson had proposed such an expedition in 1792, Lewis had been among the first volunteers, although his youth and inexperience disqualified him at the time. When he became experienced in frontier, Lewis made a perfect candidate in Jefferson's eyes, and the President soon set out a course of study that would equip him with the scientific skills needed for his journey.

In response to the outbreak of the [[Whiskey Rebellion]] in 1794, Lewis enlisted in a Virginia militia unit raised to defeat the uprising. He joined, in his own words, "to support the glorious cause of Liberty, and my Country," seeing the rebellion as a threat to break up the new nation; he may also have become bored with the life of a Virginia planter and been eager for adventure.<ref>Meriwether Lewis to Lucy Marks, October 13, 1794, Lewis Papers.</ref> That autumn, he was given a commission as an ensign (junior officer) in the militia, spending the winter on patrol in western [[Pennsylvania]] after the defeat of the rebellion, and in May 1795 entered the regular army at the same rank.

 

Lewis spent most of the next six years at a variety of army posts on the frontier, mostly in the [[Northwest Territory]]. He served under General [[Anthony Wayne]] during the conclusion of some of the campaigns against the [[Native American]] tribes in the Ohio Valley, and frequently traveled back and forth between [[Detroit]], [[Pittsburgh]], [[Cincinnati]], and other frontier communities. During this time, Lewis gained a great deal of practical knowledge concerning journeying in the wilderness, navigating, using boats and other water craft, and record-keeping. He also learned a lot about Native Americans and their languages, and the usefulness of relying on them as guides. Equally important, he would spend several months in an elite rifle company commanded by his fellow Virginian, [[William Clark]], and the two came to know each other intimately.

 

Thanks in part to his personal connections as a member of the Virginia planter class, but also because of his skill and integrity as an officer, Lewis was steadily promoted through the army officer corps. In March 1799, he received the rank of lieutenant and shortly thereafter became regimental paymaster; in December 1800, he was promoted again, to captain. It has been noted that, given Lewis' pronounced sympathy for the [[Democratic-Republican]] party, his advancement at a time when President [[John Adams]] was trying to pack the army with [[Federalist]] officers was itself a testament to his abilities.<ref>Ambrose, ''Undaunted Courage'', p. 43, 49-50.</ref>

 

In 1801, President [[Thomas Jefferson]] recruited Lewis to be his private secretary. When Jefferson had proposed such an expedition in 1792, Lewis had been among the first volunteers, although his youth and inexperience disqualified him at the time. When he became experienced in frontier, Lewis made a perfect candidate in Jefferson's eyes, and the President soon set out a course of study that would equip him with the scientific skills needed for his journey.

==The Expedition==

==The Expedition==