Letter from the New York businessman John Jacob Astor to Anthony Charles Cazenove in Alexandria, Virginia in July of 1813. Astor writes to ask Cazenove to procure him 15 to 20,000lbs. of some commodity.
This letter describes Clark's efforts to outfit the Atkinson Expedition to the Yellowstone River. The letter also discusses the City of Saint Louis, where Lt. Clark was staying at the time.
This pair of autograph letters are from Lieutenant Isaac Clark to his Father, Colonel Isaac Clark of Vermont, describing his efforts to outfit the Atkinson Expedition to the Yellowstone River. Letters also discuss the City of Saint Louis, where Lt. Clark was staying at the time.
The Yellowstone Expedition detailed in these letters is a little-known but significant early western expedition. It was organized in 18191 and was under the command of Col. (later Brigadier General) Henry Atkinson. The group was charged with ascending the Missouri River by steamboat (an early attempt at such travel on the Missouri) to establish a series of forts along the river to protect the American fur trade, guard against hostile Indians, and counteract the presence of the British Hudson’s Bay Company in the region. The expedition ultimately reached the “Council Bluff” in eastern Nebraska, where they established Fort Atkinson, near the Missouri River. The troops at Fort Atkinson endured a harsh winter in 1819-1820, and lack of provisions left them susceptible to scurvy and other diseases, which ultimately claimed between 100 and 200 lives. Clark’s letters give a rare firsthand account of the logistics and provisions of the expedition.
Both letters are written by Lieut. Clark, to his father, Col. Isaac Clark in Castleton, Vermont. Isaac Clark, Sr. (1742-1822) had a military career that spanned some fifty years. He fought in the Revolutionary War, participating in the Battle of Bennington (1777) and the recapture of Fort Ticonderoga (1778). During the War of 1812 he led Vermont troops in patrolling the border with Quebec to prevent smuggling and led several military forays into Quebec. He also served in several political and judicial positions in Vermont.
This book contains 31 hand-written letters bound in a single volume. The correspondence covers the years 1800-1820. Correspondents include Gen. James Wilkinson; Lieut. Zebulon M. Pike; Gov. William Henry Harrison; Henry Dearborn; William Clark; Frederick Bates; Gov. Meriwether Lewis; and Auguste Chouteau
Including A Description of Upper Louisiana, Together With the States of Ohio, Kentucky, Indiana, and Tennessee, With the Illinois and Western Territories, And Containing Remarks And Observations Useful to Persons Emigrating to Those Countries
Letter from the fur trading businessman John Jacob Astor to Charles Gratiot of St. Louis in July of 1811 about the Astoria expedition led from St. Louis to the Pacific Coast under the leadership of Wilson Price Hunt. Astor asked if Gratiot had any information about Hunt's party.
With Some Remarks on the Effect Produced on the Nature and Fertility of Soils, By the Decomposition of the Different Classes of Rocks; And An Application to the Fertility of Every State in the Union, in Reference to the Accompanying Geological Map.