To Thomas Jefferson from William Clark, 3 April 1805
From William Clark
Fort Mandan April the 3rd. 1805.
Sir
It being the wish of Captain Lewis,1 I take the liberty to send you, for your own perusal the notes which I have taken in the form of a journal in their original state. You will readily perceive in reading over those notes, that many parts are incorrect, owing to the variety of information received at different times, I most sincerely wish that leasure had permited me to offer them in a more correct form.
Receive I pray you my unfained acknowledgements for your friendly recollection of me in your letters to my friend and companion Captn. Lewis. and be assured of the sincere regard with which I have the honor to be.
Your most obedient and Humble Servent
Wm Clark
RC (DLC); at foot of text: “The President of the US”; endorsed by TJ as received 13 July and so recorded in SJL. Dft (MoSHi: William Clark Papers, Clark Family Collection); in Clark’s hand, with alterations in Meriwether Lewis’s hand; dated 1 Apr. Enclosed in Lewis to TJ, 7 Apr. Enclosure not found, but see below.
The journal that Clark enclosed to TJ has not been positively identified. On 2 Apr. Clark noted his intention to send his journal to TJ, advising that it would cover the period “from the 13th of May 1804 untill the 3rd of April 1805” (, 2:14-17; 3:328).
1. In Dft, Lewis interlined the preceding seven words in place of “As Capt Lewis has not Leasure to <Send> write a correct coppy journal of our proceedings &c.”