Whitehouse Describes the Ocean Coast

Private Joseph Whitehouse provides a vivid account of the expedition’s first days near the Pacific coast, where massive waves and storms kept them pinned down on the north shore of the Columbia estuary.

“The waves roled mountains high, and the Wind blew verry hard. We could not Stir from our camp.”

Whitehouse’s journal is the longest of the enlisted men’s accounts and provides unique details about daily camp life, food preparation, and the enlisted men’s perspectives. His account of the Oregon coast captures the misery of weeks spent in constant rain and high winds — conditions that would define their entire winter at Fort Clatsop.