After being commissioned by President Thomas Jefferson to map, explore, and gather information on the land newly acquired through the Louisiana Purchase, Captain Meriwether Lewis and Second Lieutenant William Clark set out for one of the greatest expeditions of all time. This article will explore what adversities have been faced by the Corp of Discoveries. From militant Indians to diseases like dysentery, they faced it all. And as Captain Lewis documented: “We have come as close to hell as we can get in this lifetime.” (11.Perry)On April 30, 1803, the United States purchased 828,000 square miles of unexplored land from France. This is known as the Louisiana Purchase. Just over a year later, Jefferson's famous "Corps of Discovery" departed Camp River DuBois on the Missouri River. This group was led by Captain Meriwether Lewis, President Jefferson's private secretary, and Second Lieutenant William Clark. They brought with them a keelboat, two smaller rowboats known as pirogues, and fifty-five men including translators, soldiers, a slave, and a dog named Seaman. The main objective of the expedition was to find a water route connecting the Columbia and Missouri rivers. Finding this route would lead to increased trade and travel. While trading with the Indians they initiated the first phase of the fur trade within the Oregon Country. This later led to strong diplomatic relations with some Native American tribes. Lewis and Clark also contributed greatly to the botanical and zoological fields by documenting 174 new plant species and 134 new animal species. But it wasn't all fun and games, as you'll see. (4. "Lewis and Clark Expedition --reading 1.") (11.Perry) (5. "Facts, information, images of the Lewis and Clark Expedition.")Along the journey... half of paper.. ....2014. .8. "Nations on the move." State of the Historical Society of North Dakota 2008. January 27, 2014. .9. "Native Americans." USGS 2005. United States Department of Geological Studies. January 27, 2014. .10. “Nebraskastudies.org.” Nebraska Studies January 31, 2014. .11. Perry, Douglas. "Lewis and Clark Expedition." National Archives Gig Harbor High School. January 23, 2014. .12. Scott, Clark. "Medical Aspects of the Lewis and Clark Expedition." Lweis and Clark Trail January 27 2014.