And Lewis was the head of it.........both were US Army captains...........O3s............but M. Lewis was more capable........people get jealous............



In 1803 Jefferson appointed Lewis commander of an expedition to explore the American territory newly acquired in the Louisiana Purchase. His considerable frontier skills, military service, physical endurance, intellectual prowess, and literary skills made him an excellent choice. Lewis traveled to Philadelphia to study astronomy, botany, zoology, and medicine with some of the country’s brightest scientists and doctors. He also began making preparations, recruiting men, and purchasing equipment, boats, and supplies for the expedition. When Jefferson informed Lewis of the numerous commercial, scientific, and diplomatic purposes of the venture, Captain Lewis invited his good friend Clark to co-command the expedition. Although Clark was officially a lieutenant and second in command because the U.S. secretary of war refused him the same status as Lewis, the expedition leaders referred to each other as “captain” to mask this bureaucratic distinction.