A Day with Lewis, Clark and Sacajawea, 1805
The Illustrated Journal of Private Thomas Hadley
Thomas Hadley, born 1787 in rural Bourbon County, Kentucky, to a farming family of modest means. Semi-literate, taught by his mother using a family Bible. Enlisted with the Corps of Discovery seeking adventure and escape from subsistence farming. Brown hair, lean build from months of hardship, weathered beyond his years. Carries a worn journal given by his mother.
August 17, 1805 — 4:47 AM
Camp Fortunate, Forks of the Beaverhead River, Louisiana Territory
Cold air sharp against exposed skin. Frost on blanket edges despite August date. Sound of the river constant, low. Smell of dead campfire ash, damp wool, unwashed bodies pressed together for warmth. Taste of stale saliva, hunger. Sergeant Ordway moving among sleeping forms, boot steps on gravel. First gray light barely visible over eastern ridgeline. Mosquitoes still active in the willows. Someone coughing wetly nearby—Whitehouse, his chest never right since the portage.
August 17, 1805 — 5:38 AM
Camp Fortunate, Forks of the Beaverhead River, Louisiana Territory
