Meriwether Lewis's Packing List for the Expedition
Meriwether Lewis's Packing List for the Expedition
In preparation for the journey, Meriwether Lewis wrote a list of necessary items to be taken. Due to Lewis's spelling, some of the words may not look familiar to you; please sound them out phonetically to understand them.
Click here to see the original manuscript of the "Indian presents."
Mathematical Instruments
| 1 | Hadley's Quadrant | ||
| 1 | Mariner's Compas & 2 pole chain | ||
| 1 | Sett of plotting instruments | ||
| 3 | Thermometers | ||
| 1 | Cheap portable Microscope | ||
| 1 | Pocket Compass | ||
| 1 | brass Scale one foot in length | ||
| 6 | Magnetic needles in small straight silver or brass cases opening on the side with hinges. | ||
| 1 | Instrument for measuring made of tape with feet & inches mark'd on it,... | ||
| 2 | Hydrometers | ||
| 1 | Theodolite | ||
| 1 | Sett of planespheres | ||
| 2 | Artificial Horizons | ||
| 1 | Patent log | ||
| 6 | papers of Ink powder | ||
| 4 | Metal Pens brass or silver | ||
| 1 | Set of Small Slates & pencils | ||
| 2 | Creyons | ||
| Sealing wax one bundle | |||
| 1 | Miller's edition of Lineus in 2 Vol: | ||
| Books | |||
| Maps | |||
| Charts | |||
| Blank Vocabularies | |||
| Writing Paper | |||
| 1 | Pair large brass money scales with two setts of weights. |
Arms & Accoutrements
| 15 | Rifles | |
| 15 | Powder Horns & pouches complete | |
| 15 | Pairs of Bullet Moulds | |
| 15 | do. Of Wipers or Gun worms | |
| 15 | Ball Screws | |
| 24 | Pipe Tomahawks | |
| 24 | large knives | |
| Extra parts of Locks & tools for repairing arms | ||
| 15 | Gun Slings | |
| 500 | best Flints |
Ammunition
| 200 | Lbs. Best rifle powder | |
| 400 | lbs. Lead |
Clothing
| 15 | 3 pt. Blankets | |
| 15 | Watch Coats with Hoods & belts | |
| 15 | Woolen Overalls | |
| 15 | Rifle Frocks of waterproof Cloth if possible | |
| 30 | Pairs of Socks or half Stockings | |
| 20 | Fatigue Frocks or hinting shirts | |
| 30 | Shirts of Strong linnen | |
| 30 | yds. Common flannel. |
Camp Equipage
| 6 | Copper kettles (1 of 5 Gallons, 1 of 3, 2 of 2, & 2 of 1) | |
| 35 | falling Axes. | |
| 4 | Drawing Knives, short & strong | |
| 2 | Augers of the patent kind. | |
| 1 | Small permanent Vice | |
| 1 | Hand Vice | |
| 36 | Gimblets assorted | |
| 24 | Files do. | |
| 12 | Chisels do. | |
| 10 | Nails do. | |
| 2 | Steel plate hand saws | |
| 2 | Vials of Phosforus | |
| 1 | do. Of Phosforus made of allum & sugar | |
| 4 | Groce fishing Hooks assorted | |
| 12 | Bunches of Drum Line | |
| 2 | Foot Adzes | |
| 12 | Bunches of Small cord | |
| 2 | Pick Axes | |
| 3 | Coils of rope | |
| 2 | Spades | |
| 12 | Bunches Small fishing line assorted | |
| 1 | lb. Turkey or Oil Stone | |
| 1 | Iron Mill for Grinding Corn | |
| 20 | yds. Oil linnen for wrapping & securing Articles | |
| 10 | yds do. do. Of thicker quality for covering and lining boxes. &c | |
| 40 | yds Do. Do. To form two half faced Tents or Shelters. | |
| 4 | Tin blowing Trumpets | |
| 2 | hand or spiral spring Steelyards | |
| 20 | yds Strong Oznaburgs | |
| 24 | Iron Spoons | |
| 24 | Pint Tin Cups (without handles) | |
| 30 | Steels for striking or making fire | |
| 100 | Flints for do. do. do. | |
| 2 | Frows | |
| 6 | Saddlers large Needles | |
| 6 | Do. Large Awls | |
| Muscatoe Curtains | ||
| 2 | patent chamber lamps & wicks | |
| 15 | Oil Cloth Bags for securing provision | |
| 1 | Sea Grass Hammock |
Provisions and Means of Subsistence
| 150 | lbs. Portable Soup. | |
| 3 | bushels of Allum or Rock Salt | |
| Spicies assorted | ||
| 6 | Kegs of 5 Gallons each making 30 Gallons of rectified spirits such as is used for the Indian trade | |
| 6 | Kegs bound with iron Hoops |
Indian Presents
| 5 | lbs. White Wampum | |
| 5 | lbs. White Glass Beads mostly small | |
| 20 | lbs. Red Do. Do. Assorted | |
| 5 | lbs. Yellow or Orange Do. Do. Assorted | |
| 30 | Calico Shirts | |
| 12 | Pieces of East India muslin Hanckerchiefs striped or check'd with brilliant Colours. | |
| 12 | Red Silk Hanckerchiefs | |
| 144 | Small cheap looking Glasses | |
| 100 | Burning Glasses | |
| 4 | Vials of Phosforus | |
| 288 | Steels for striking fire | |
| 144 | Small cheap Scizors | |
| 20 | Pair large Do. | |
| 12 | Groces Needles Assorted No. 1 to 8 Common points | |
| 12 | Groces Do. Assorted with points for sewing leather | |
| 288 | Common brass thimbles - part W. office | |
| 10 | lbs. Sewing Thread assorted | |
| 24 | Hanks Sewing Silk | |
| 8 | lbs. Red Lead | |
| 2 | lbs. Vermillion - at War Office | |
| 288 | Knives Small such as are generally used for the Indian trade, with fix'd blades & handles inlaid with brass | |
| 36 | Large knives | |
| 36 | Pipe Tomahawks - at H. Ferry | |
| 12 | lbs. Brass wire Assorted | |
| 12 | lbs. Iron do. Do. generally large | |
| 6 | Belts of narrow Ribbons colours assorted | |
| 50 | lbs. Spun Tobacco. | |
| 20 | Small falling axes to be obtained in Tennessee | |
| 40 | fish Griggs such as the Indians use with a single barbed point - at Harper's ferry | |
| 3 | Groce fishing Hooks assorted | |
| 3 | Groce Mockerson awls assorted | |
| 50 | lbs. Powder secured in a Keg covered with oil Cloth | |
| 24 | Belts of Worsted feiret or Gartering Colours brilliant and Assorted | |
| 15 | Sheets of Copper Cut into strips of an inch in width & a foot long | |
| 20 | Sheets of Tin | |
| 12 | lbs. Strips of Sheet iron 1 In. wide 1 foot long | |
| 1 | Pc. Red Cloth second quality | |
| 1 | Nest of 8 or 9 small copper kettles | |
| 100 | Block-tin rings cheap kind ornamented with Colour'd Glass or Mock-Stone | |
| 2 | Groces of brass Curtain Rings & sufficently large for the Finger | |
| 1 | Groce Cast Iron Combs | |
| 18 | Cheap brass Combs | |
| 24 | Blankets. | |
| 12 | Arm Bands Silver at War Office | |
| 12 | Wrist do. do. Do. | |
| 36 | Ear Trinkets Do. Part do. | |
| 6 | Groces Drops of Do. Part Do. | |
| 4 | doz Rings for Fingers of do. | |
| 4 | Groces Broaches of do. | |
| 12 | Small Medals do. |
Means of Transportation
| 1 | Keeled Boat light strong at least 60 feet in length her burthen equal to 8 Tons | |
| 1 | Iron frame of Canoe 40 feet long | |
| 1 | Large Wooden Canoe | |
| 12 | Spikes for Setting-Poles | |
| 4 | Boat Hooks & points Complete | |
| 2 | Chains & Pad-Locks for confining the Boat & Canoes &c. |
Medicine
| 15 | lbs. Best powder's Bark | |
| 10 | lbs. Epsom or Glauber Salts | |
| 4 | oz. Calomel | |
| 12 | oz. Opium | |
| _ | oz. Tarter emetic | |
| 8 | oz. Borax | |
| 4 | oz. Powder'd Ipecacuana | |
| 8 | oz. Powder Jalap | |
| 8 | oz. Powdered Rhubarb | |
| 6 | Best lancets | |
| 2 | oz. White Vitriol | |
| 4 | oz. Lacteaum Saturni | |
| 4 | Pewter Penis syringes | |
| 1 | Flour of Sulphur | |
| 3 | Clyster pipes | |
| 4 | oz. Turlingtons Balsam | |
| 2 | lbs. Yellow Bascilicum | |
| 2 | Sticks of Symple Diachylon | |
| 1 | lb. Blistering Ointments | |
| 2 | lbs. Nitre | |
| 2 | lbs. Coperas |
Materials for making up the Various Articles into portable Packs
| 30 | Sheep skins taken off the Animal as perfectly whole as possible, without being split on the belly as usual and dress'd only with lime to free them from the wool; or otherwise about the same quantity of Oil Cloth bags well painted | |
| Raw hide for pack strings | ||
| Dress'd letter for Hoppus-Straps | ||
| Other packing | ||
Do.= ditto
&c. = etcetera
Oznaburgs = strong cloth
Worsted feiret [ferret] = woven wool tape, used for embellishment and trade
Hoppus = might possible refer to an Indian term for knapsack
List copied from: Jackson, Donald, ed., Letters of the Lewis and Clark Expedition: with Related Documents 1783 - 1854, University of Illinois Press, Urbana and Chicago, 1978, pages 69-74.
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