A wonderful email I received and have reprinted with permission. Compare today's expericences in the Discovery Expedition Re enactment with that of the original Lewis and Clark Discovery Expedition.

Molly:

I spoke with you in Old Shawneetown.  I did not know your name at that time but you did tell me that you had come from Charleston to see the Corps of Discovery II.  In our discussion you were very interested in the overall exploits of our adventure.  Our discussion was far too short to give you all the details of our trip.  So let's fill you in on some of our meals, shelter, personal hygiene and the entertainment we are experiencing.

Before we start I would like to say that I am retired military and share camaraderie and a bonding with other soldiers that is not found in our normal society.  I believe this comes from the fact that my life is in the hands of the soldiers on each side of me and their life is in my hands when we are in harms way.  I mention this because you can see this same bonding with the members of the 1803 Expedition.  There is no way the 1803 Expedition could have succeeded without these men trusting each other without question.  In the eyes of the military this is discipline but in the eyes of the individuals this is survival.  I have been advised that about 87% of the men on our Expedition have military service in their background.  Consequently, these members of the Corps of Discovery I have a mutual camaraderie for a successful mission.  I also sense this feeling in the men who do not have military experience.

Someone once said that an Army travels on its stomach.  How true - how true. Our cooks provide us with good meals while we are encamped, when the locals do not feed us.  I mention locals because the 1803 Expedition was fed quite often by locals and many Native Americans while on their journey.  This food was furnished gratuitously or by bartering or trading.

While on the boats we do not stop for lunch, so you either eat what you have in your possible bag or eat the food in the barrels on the boats.  There are three barrels of dried foods on the boats.  One has beef jerky or Slim Jims. The second has dried fruit.  Which consists of dried apples, cranberries and apricots (I think).  The third barrel is filled with parched corn.  All of which is nourishing survival food.

I believe that about 70% of our meals were furnished or catered by the locals.  During my six weeks on the river (not all at one time) I remember the lady in Elizabeth, PA who gave us 30 or 40 Pennsylvania trout her husband had caught.  Our cooks did a fine job on that meal.  The people in Rochester, PA had a pig roast for us.  That pig feed us for two days.  In Georgetown, PA (population 194) there were two churches side by side and the local residents had erected a rather large tent between the churches for us.  Then the ladies of the two churches brought out their grandmother's recipes for all kinds of casseroles, chicken dishes and deserts.  What a meal?  We were furnished with enough food to last us a week.  But, alas we were only there overnight.  Pittsburgh, PA had a spaghetti dinner for us as did Steubenville, OH.  The friendly people of Wellsburg, WV gave us a meal after we visited Patrick Gass' grave.  We were spoiled in Bethlehem, IN.  We camped on a man's front yard and he fed us all of our meals for three days.  We ate on his patio.  The meals included filet mignon, pork loin and gourmet breakfasts.  The folks in Louisville invited us to a beast feast.  At a beast feast you are normally served venison, elk, buffalo, turkey and salmon.  Some beast feasts are more exotic and serve such things as rabbit, squirrel and raccoon.  Following our first beast feast we were invited to about a half dozen more beast feasts at various locations.  We were in Clarksville, IN for about eight days and did not cook a meal (well maybe a breakfast or two).  The locals took turns catering all of our meals.  One day the local Rotary Club provided dinner, a Subway Shop sent us about 30 hoagies for lunch, a Domino's Pizza sent us another lunch, the Southern Indiana Tourist Office sent us another dinner, a church provided another meal and a local family was so wrapped up with Lewis and Clark that they had to cook a home made meal for us.  At this point we could have missed a meal or two and not even noticed.  Old Shawneetown, IL gave us chits for a meal at the food tent next to us and gave us a beast feast that evening in their historical hotel.  Paducah, KY was another beast feast at the Elks and breakfast in the Historical Society's building.  During our three days at Fort Massac we were fed all of our meals by the locals.  Mothers of the expedition members shouldn't worry about their little boys not eating well but should worry about them coming home bigger than when they left.  As you can see we are eating our way across the country.  One last point about eating.  Deer hunting season is now open in several states that we have visited and half a dozen people have given us venison roasts and shoulders.  This includes one of our own members who has killed a deer with a bow and arrow and another one with his flintlock rifle.  As did the 1803 Expedition we are living off the land.

As for shelter, we either sleep on the boats or in tents.  The Corps tents are pitched each time we make an encampment.  There are three Corps tents and not all of them are pitched every night only those that are needed.  Five men can sleep in a Corps tent.  Some men pitch their own tents.  It is not unusual to have as many as ten tents up at one time.  These include the kitchen tent, the store tent and the orderly room tent.  The stressful part about sleeping in a tent is the rain.  The boats are tented in such away as to keep the men on board from sleeping under the stars.  A line is rigged amid ship and a canvas tarp is thrown over the line and then over the side of the boat.  This makes a little tent on board the boats.  During warm weather some of the men prefer to sleep under the stars.  There are times when we are able to sleep inside.  Forts Stuben and Massac presented these opportunities.  It is really nice to have a roof over your head and a floor under you.  At Fort Massac we were six or seven to a room, rather crowded.  On the last morning Captain Lewis said that it was like sleeping in a TB Ward, with all the coughing, gurgling, snorting, throat clearing and teeth grinding all night.  A new snoring champion was crowned at Fort Massac.

As for showers, we take them whenever the opportunity presents itself.  In Elizabeth, PA a resident took three re-enactors at a time to his home to let us use his shower.  At Pittsburgh, PA we could use a shower located in the museum next to where we camped.  In Rochester, PA we were camped within walking distance of the sewage treatment plant and the guys operating the plant let us use their shower.  In Wheeling, WV we were camped next to the Wheeling Arena which is the home of their local ice hockey team and we were allowed to use the visiting team's locker room for showers.  In Louisville, KY the Corps paid for two hotel rooms and we were able to use the showers in the hotel.  In Clarksville, IN the Southern Indiana Tourist Association let us use the showers which were located in the basement of their historic toll gate building.  In Old Shawneetown, IL the Junior High School showers were opened for us.  In Paducah, KY the City of Paducah paid for a hotel room for the Corps and we could use this room for showers.  At Fort Massac the campgrounds showers were available for showers.  I am sure that I have omitted some other gracious offers for showers but this list will give you an idea of how the locals are assisting the Corps in their journey.

Entertainment is sporadic.  There are several members of the Corps that play musical instrument and they are very entertaining when on the river. The most notable of these are The Booneslick Strings.  In Elizabeth, PA the local movie was showing a Lewis & Clark movie and anyone in uniform was admitted free.  The guys in the Elizabeth City Maintenance Department built a big bonfire on a lot next to our encampment each night and had a barrel of beer for our use. On the last two nights in Elizabeth they brought in their local rock and roll band and gave us free music.  Louisville, KY invited us to a period ball preceded by period dance instructions the night before.  The New Albany Indiana High School presented a play titled, "Lewis and Clark: The American Journey" while we were in the area.  It was free for re-enactors. We were brought up on stage before the performance and recognized for our endeavors.  A very moving experience.  The play was outstanding for a high school presentation.  Old Shawneetown, IL put on a local show with local talent which was quite entertaining. It covered the early settlement of their part of Illinois.  The Veterans Day fireworks display at Fort Massac was a show to behold.  The half hour presentation should not take a back seat to any other Veterans Day display.  It was outstanding.  I have only covered the time that I have been on the river.  I am sure that other forms of entertainment have been offered to the Corps but unfortunately I have not been privy to their presentations.  Naturally, local pubs and taverns have provided aid and comfort to Corps members.

We have spilled blood twice on this trip that I know of.  (Don't tell me that I should not end a sentence with a preposition.)  The first time was at Patrick Gass' cemetery ceremony.  One of our members got his hand caught in his flintlock and ended up bleeding quite profusely.  He was marching from the ceremony with blood dripping from his hand.  The other incident occurred when one of our members cut off the tip of his thumb.  I think it took eight stitches to put him back together.  I offered both of these men a Purple Heart Medal but they both said, "No. Don't belittle this award by such an act of stupidity."

The crew has now been on the river for eleven weeks and have traveled 22 miles down the Monongahela River and 973 miles down the Ohio River.  They have turned the corner and will be traveling 195 miles up the Mississippi River to Fort DuBois, IL.  I plan to join them again at Fort Kaskaskia, IL where they will pick up the white pirogue.  This will give the Expedition a third boat. Consequently, a larger boat crew will be needed.  I feel honored and privileged to be part of this historic adventure and look forward to being a part of this journey for the next three years.

Ed Scholl as HUGH HALL a fellow Pennsylvanian