Undaunted Courage: Meriwether Lewis, Thomas Jefferson, and the Opening of… (1996)

Best Stephen Ambrose book in my opinion. Did a great job researching the Corps of Discovery, the planning and preparation, the difficulties during the journey itself, and the results. I highly recommend this book for people interested in how America became America. ( )

After 4 long months I have finished this spectacular book!

I had taken a course in college in the introduction of U.S. History and the Lewis & Clark Expedition was mentioned briefly. It piqued my interest. I had heard about the famous trek since my early years in school but much of the journey itself was glossed over. After searching and reading multiple reviews on Goodreads, I chose Stephen Ambrose's impressive tome.

Ambrose goes into great detail about Meriweather Lewis's early life, detailing his curiosity as a young boy for the wilderness and his honing of the skills needed for survival. He was an avid hunter and was comfortable camping in parts unknown. He was also a captain in the military and was considered an intelligent and astute leader. It's no wonder President Jefferson chose him to lead the group of men all the way to the Pacific.

What the Corp of Discovery viewed on their excursion was nothing short of amazing and inspiring. The group (which totaled about 33 men, 1 young lady named Sacajawea and her new born son, and one dog!) witnessed immense herds of buffalo and elk roaming the open plains. They saw coyotes, packs of wolves, prairie dogs, birds of every description and slew of other animals. At one point, they saw a migration of squirrels! Their diet consisted of buffalo, elk, fish, roots, miscellaneous fruits they discovered and other...um...types of meat that I don't want to give reveal! I can only wonder how many pounds of meat the men ate during their trip (spoiler: A LOT).

I found the reading to be engaging and kept my interest all the way through. The reading isn't dry at all and Ambrose does a great job in keeping the narrative flowing. For me, this was a page-turner and I always wanted to continue onto the next chapter. The book offers several drawings of Lewis and Clark and detailed maps are sprinkled throughout the book that show you their progress along the country. I enjoyed these immensely because it felt like you were part of the Corp, holding the map and trying to figure out which direction to take next, whether traveling by river or land was the best route to take, and which Indian tribe you would possibly confront next.

Lewis, Clark, and some of the enlisted men kept detailed journals of their day by day discoveries. Lewis wrote down and scrutinized every minute detail of the local flora and fauna. Geographical assessments are so specific that they paint a portrait of the beautiful open plains of Montana, the ominous, snow-capped peaks of the Bitterroot Mountains (which was one of the hardest and treacherous parts of the journey) and the ginormous and ancient trees of the Redwood Forest.

The detailed descriptions written in the journals of the Indian tribes encountered are considered the most accurate depiction of the lives and cultures of the indigenous peoples of North America. Their confrontation with the Sioux was hair-raising. Lewis's account's on the different tribes are entertaining and are window into a time long gone.

If you are seeking a comprehensive illustration about an exciting and daring trip into a strange and mysterious wilderness where no American had gone before, where there were Indian tribes that were unknown to be friendly or hostile, frightening confrontations with fierce grizzly bears, overcoming raging white-water rivers, braving relentless rains and unforgiving snow storms, and traveling through daunting mountain ranges, then this is the book for you! Highly recommended! ( )

One of the best written histories I’ve ever had the pleasure of reading. I knew the basics of the Lewis and Clark expedition from elementary school - but this book dived so deeply and so fully into the history, politics, personal relationships, and everything else that surrounded the adventure that I find myself wanting to know more and more. Lewis lived a tragic life, filled with such highs but dragged down by the lows of substance abuse and bipolar depression. It is engaging throughout, and the narrative never is put on the back burner at the expense of information. My only issue is my own unfamiliarity with the lands they traveled through - some more descriptions about the prairies of the Great Plains and Big Sky country would’ve been appreciated. But that in no way took away from my enjoyment of this truly wonderful book. ( )

I have to admit that I scarcely knew anything about the Lewis and Clark Expedition (1804-1806) before reading this fine book. Wow! What a loss! While reading one book on the subject does not make one an expert, by any means, this book is an excellent starting point.

Stephen E. Ambrose was a seasoned, gifted writer, who knew how to separate fact from fiction to construct a captivating narrative, which sums up this important work.

The author drew upon the contributions of dozens of fine writers as well as well as primary sources in describing the background of and preparation for the expedition, the expedition itself, and brief period thereafter. Book chapters (there are 40) are largely a detailed chronology of events, and persons and places associated.

In addition to Lewis Meriwether (the main figure) and William Clark, much space is devoted to the role of Thomas Jefferson in the Expedition. But roles and influences of dozens of men and women (including Sacajawea) are included in the work.

The book is enhanced by a number of illustrations and maps, which I found to be very helpful. There is also an extensive bibliography and an excellent index.

Persons interested in the history of the United States of America may wish to put this book on their reading list.

Note: I finished reading the book on October 11, 2020, which strangely happened to be the 211th anniversary of the death of Meriwether Lewis. ( )

“That evening, the first Americans ever to enter Montana, the first ever to see the Yellowstone, the Milk, the Marias, and the Great Falls, the first Americans ever to kill a grizzly, celebrated their nation’s twenty-ninth birthday.”