In the wilderness, discipline would be important for their safety. Serving together on many campaigns against the Indians, Lewis had the opportunity to see what a proficient woodsman Clark was. Clark had retired from the military at the age of twenty-six, but when Lewis asked him to join the expedition he reenlisted and was given the rank of Lieutenant.
Lewis and Clark spent many months preparing for their journey. While Lewis was in Philadelphia studying plants and animals, and training to find exact locations by the stars, Clark was gathering men for the journey. Each man chosen had to be woodsmen / hunter and most importantly they had to be used to discipline. The crew, which would be known as the "Corps of Discovery," would consisted of 14 soldiers, 9 volunteers from Kentucky, 2 French rivermen, 1 interpreter, Lewis's dog seaman and Clark's slave, York. These men would make the round trip. There were also seven more soldiers and nineteen rivermen, who would serve as protectors for part of the trip. The ages of the men varied from the youngest at nineteen to thirty-five.
After gathering the needed men they Wintered at "Camp Dubois," located across the river from St. Louis. During the winter months Lewis and Clark learned as much as they could about the land they would be exploring and trained the crew. They gathered the much-needed supplies. They packed a portable soup, which Lewis had invented, and preserved foods. They also packed tomahawks, knifes and guns for protection, with extras to present in friendship to the Indians they encountered. Special peace medals with the President's picture on them were brought to be given to every Indian chief they met. An interesting item they took was powdered ink. Although the powder was light and easy to pack, the ink would smear or run if the paper got wet, which on this journey was extremely likely.
May 1804 the Corps of Discovery started their journey.
