Into the Unknown: Leadership Lessons from Lewis & Clark's Daring Westward Expedition by Jack Uldrich

Author:Jack Uldrich
Language: eng
Format: mobi
Published: 2008-01-04T04:28:00+00:00

The captains' "softer, gentler" management style served them extremely well throughout the remainder of the expedition, with one possible exception. After leaving Fort Mandan, military order still pervaded the Corps of Discovery's daily activities. Orders were issued, tents pitched, food gathered, guards posted, items repaired, and various other tasks assigned and tended to as requested. Yet Lewis and Clark, it appears, were reluctant to administer discipline anywhere near as stern as that which they ordered early in the journey. A revealing moment occurred on May 8, 1806, as they laid up on the western side of the Bitterroots before recrossing the mountains en route to their return to St. Louis. Given a direct order to go out and hunt food, a number of men disobeyed the captains and instead choose to lay about the camp "without our permission."

A part of the men's action can be explained by their severe disappointment, after a long five months at Fort Clatsop the previous winter, at having to bide their time for almost a month while they waited for the snows to melt before starting their trip back over the Bitterroots. The explanation does not, however, condone their behavior. Lewis and Clark's decision not to discipline the men is even more difficult to understand. The men had been given a direct order, which they blatantly disobeyed. Lewis and Clark simply noted in their journal that they "severely" chided the men. In essence, they let them off with nothing more than a verbal tongue-lashing.

The decision can perhaps be rationalized by human nature. After all, by this time the Corps of Discovery had successfully reached the Pacific and the men had proved themselves capable of meeting every challenge that they had been presented. They had portaged the Greats Falls, found the Shoshone Indians, crossed the Bitterroots, and rafted the Columbia River. They had done everything the captains had asked of them and more. Furthermore, they were functioning well as a team. To administer a strict dose of punishment might have unnecessarily dampened morale. With the return trip over the Bitterroots still to come, Lewis and Clark may have reasoned that it was okay to "let this one slide." A more sympathetic explanation may simply have been that Lewis and Clark didn't feel that anything more than a verbal warning was required to correct the men's misbehavior.

Unfortunately, this more relaxed approach to discipline ultimately manifested itself in one of the Corps of Discovery's biggest mistakes. The event occurred on July 27, 1806. At this point in the return trip, Lewis and Clark had split up for a few weeks in order to explore more territory. As Clark was exploring the Yellowstone River, Lewis had ascended the Marias River deep into Blackfeet Indian territory. The previous day, he had established contact with a small party of young Blackfeet warriors. They smoked a peace pipe and then settled into a camp for the night. What transpired next can only be attributed to an uncharacteristic lapse of military discipline. Joseph Field, who was standing post, carelessly laid his gun down.

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