Journal
Sergeant Ordway’s Journal
Sergeant John Ordway kept the only complete enlisted man's journal of the Lewis and Clark Expedition, writing daily entries for the entire duration of the journey. His journal provides essential details often absent from Lewis and Clark's accounts, including observations about camp life, discipline, weather, and interactions with Native peoples from the perspective of a non-commissioned officer.
Ordway’s journal is particularly valuable because it covers the entire expedition without the gaps found in Lewis’s journal. It documents daily routines, hunting results, weather observations, and events in camp that the commanding officers sometimes overlooked. After the expedition, Ordway sold his journal to Lewis and Clark, and it was eventually deposited with the American Philosophical Society. The journal was not published until 1916.
