Girandoni Air Rifle

The Girandoni air rifle was arguably the most significant weapon of the entire expedition, serving more as a diplomatic instrument than a weapon of war. Designed by Italian-Tyrolean watchmaker and gunsmith Bartolomeo Girardoni for the Austrian Army, it was one of the first repeating rifles in military service. Captain Meriwether Lewis acquired the specimen in Philadelphia during the spring of 1803.

Lewis demonstrated the air rifle to nearly every Native American tribe the expedition encountered, and its ability to fire multiple shots rapidly without smoke, loud report, or visible ignition invariably astonished indigenous audiences. The psychological impact of this weapon — suggesting the Corps possessed advanced, nearly magical technology — likely contributed to the expedition’s generally peaceful passage through the territories of dozens of nations.

On August 30, 1803, Lewis accidentally wounded a bystander during a demonstration. The rifle was shown to the Oto, Missouri, Yankton Sioux, Teton Sioux, Arikara, Mandan, Hidatsa, Shoshone, Nez Perce, Chinook, Clatsop, and virtually every other nation encountered.