This Vast Enterprise: A New History of Lewis & Clark by Craig Fehrman

 

Summary (from the publisher): In the epic tradition of Stephen Ambrose's Undaunted Courage, This Vast Enterprise offers a bold new take on the Lewis and Clark expedition, humanizing forgotten figures and shattering long-held myths about one of the most beloved episodes in American history.

Celebrated young historian Craig Fehrman, whose first book, Author in Chief, was hailed by Thomas Mallon in The Wall Street Journal as "one of the best books on the American presidency to appear in recent years,"delivers a major new account of the Lewis and Clark expedition.

When Meriwether Lewis and William Clark returned from their long journey, in 1806, they brought an incredible tale starring themselves as courageous explorers, skilled scientists, and peaceful ambassadors. There was truth in those descriptions. But there was also distortion.

For the first time in a generation, This Vast Enterprise offers a fresh and more accurate account of their expedition--a gripping narrative that draws on new documents, stunning analysis, and Native perspectives. Fehrman's central insight is that the success of Lewis and Clark depended on much more than just Lewis and Clark. We all know Sacajawea, and some of us know York, the Black man Clark enslaved. But This Vast Enterprise introduces us to John Ordway, a working-class soldier who fought grizzlies and towed the captains' bulky barge. It introduces us to Wolf Calf, a Blackfoot teenager who watched his friend die in a battle with Lewis and his men.

To capture this cast of characters, each chapter in This Vast Enterprise moves to a new point of view, describing that person's desires and contradictions with an unprecedented level of care. Fehrman balances the story's inherent adventure with the humanity of its protagonists. One chapter shows Thomas Jefferson operating in an age of bitter partisan unrest--his secret maneuvers to fund the expedition, uncovered here for the first time, are a case study in presidential power. Another chapter reveals the strategy and strength of Black Buffalo, a Lakota leader, completely upending our understanding of early Lakota American diplomacy. In his chapters, Clark is not a bad speller but a student of the Enlightenment. (Fehrman found Clark's college notebook.) Lewis is someone whose psychological demons feel at once heartbreaking and modern.

And yet, in the end, the captains are men who needed help--from Sacajawea, from York, and from each other. Their expedition truly was a vast enterprise, a sprawling and federally funded military mission that came down to the heroic sacrifices of a few human beings. This book portrays those people, all of them, for the first time. It is more than just a work of history--it's a testament to the power of innovative research and emotional storytelling, and a thrilling reminder that even the most familiar moments in history can still surprise us.

Review: This was an interesting history that covers the Lewis and Clark expedition that covers the people and experiences of the expedition and their long journey into the wilderness of North America. This was a two-year journey and the author spent years meticulously sifting through historical archives and interviews to write this comprehensive history of the expedition and the people involved. 

This is the first history I have read of the Lewis and Clark expedition so I can't speak to how it compares to other histories on the subject. From what the author shares, he leans on oral history in addition to written records, particularly oral histories handed down among native people, far more than has ever been done so before. He also makes a concerted effort to provide lots of context for other key players in the group and not just Lewis and Clark. I really appreciated that the author gives biographical context for many of the people involved in the expedition, including not just Lewis and Clark themselves but others who were part of the group including Sacajawea, the enslaved man York, the working-class older John Ordway and the Blackfoot teenager Wolf Calf. 

The whole purpose of this journey was motivated by Thomas Jefferson's desire to find a "direct water communication from sea to sea." While it was obviously determined that this did not exist, the party did build comprehensive maps. "This information was unprecedented in its accuracy and scope; Clark's mileage figures often fell within seven percent of modern-day ones, even as he'd crossed a continent, measuring long and twisting courses one point at a time."

As you might expect given the time period and the wilderness, this was in some ways a hard read. Sacajawea's life was horrible to read about. She was essentially a sex slave to the French trader she lived with since she was a child and he gave her venereal disease, which may have been what ultimately caused her youthful death. There were gruesome injuries and violence against natives. Horses died left and right in this. The group survived off of dog meat for much of the book, which was disturbing both to me as a modern-day reader but also to the native inhabitants they encountered along the trail. I appreciated the author's accuracy and detail in not flinching away from these realities. 

I mostly listened to this on audio but did also read a few chapters in the physical book. The audio was well done with multiple narrators who take turns reading different chapters. However, audiobook listeners will miss out on the many pictures included in the text, as well as two appendices that are included at the end of the book where the author details his research and explains how he came to some conclusions. In particular, the appendices detail his use of oral history in shaping the way he presented the story and his interpretation of sex the men had along the journey. It is a shame that these two chapters were not included in the audiobook. 

Stars: 4