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What did the men who went west with Lewis and Clark wear? The contrasts are enormous, and answers are few. Just as we would not normally, in diaries of today, write in detail about what color shirt we put on in the morning or whether our pants have cuffs, the diarists of the Lewis and Clark expedition did not often remark on their clothing. The journals kept by Meriwether Lewis and William Clark in conjunction with other expedition documents, however, provide tantalizing clues regarding what they wore. Perhaps in the future, documents will be unearthed which will provide a more complete picture and more specifics on the expedition's clothing. Until then, educated guesses based on the words of the expedition members are our o nly clues regarding the subject. Seventeen of the men recruited for the Lewis and Clark expedition were serving with the U.S. Army in 1803. These men almost assuredly arrived at Camp DuBois, Illinois, in the uniforms of their respective units. The military provided for them with a regular "clothing allowance" at the beginning of the expedition. From the outset, Lewis knew that the clothing issued to the men by the military would not be sufficient for the duration of the expedition. The men would have to provide for themselves, eventually shedding European-style garments as they wore out, and fashioning clothing of animal skins and furs to replace them. The U.S. Army uniform of 1803, brought to the expedition by the 17 soldiers, was described as
Pre-1804 uniform coats were of a "plain pattern worn from 1799 through 1803. They had neither edging or binding, nor buttonholes, turned skirts, or sham pockets," and it cost 80 cents to have these coats sewn together. The uniform coat worn by the members of the Corps of Discovery, then, was cheaply made, and varied little, other than its standing collar, from those worn by the previous generation in the Revolutionary War. Small Clothes & Headgear Under their military coats, the soldiers wore what people of their day called "small clothes." These included flannel shirts, long garments which reached to the knees and were tucked under the body inside the overalls "diaper style" in an era before "underwear." Also in the category of small clothes were the overalls, military-style pants which began at the waist, fitted the leg tightly and ended in a buttoned cover for the shoes, similar to spats. Knee-high stockings were worn under the overalls. Single-breasted vests, cut straight across the bottom and called "waistcoats," were worn under the military coat. Around the throat was worn a black "stock" made of cloth or leather, the "necktie" of the 18th and early 19th centuries. It's purpose was to help protect the neck from sabre cuts in battle. The uniform was accented by a peculiar piece of headgear, a "top hat" 5 5/16" high, with a strip of bearskin arched over the top of the crown, and a brim 2" wide. Woodcuts used to illustrate the original publication of the Patrick Gass journal in 1810 show the men wearing just such hats, with the bearskin strip removed. How much of this clothing was retained during the expedition depended on the individual soldier. It seems likely that small clothes were worn until they were useless. Uniform coats were probably kept packed away with the baggage, and brought out on special occasions. In lieu of a uniform coat, the men wore hunting shirts or frocks, linen garments which, more than leather clothing, were the mark of a frontiersman in the late 18th century, and commonly issued to soldiers for fatigue duties. The Recruits "[G]ood hunters, stout, healthy, unmarried men, accustomed to the woods, and capable of bearing bodily fatigue in a pretty considerable degree..." were also recruited for the expedition, in addition to the 17 soldiers. These additional men arrived at Camp Dubois in civilian clothing, perhaps buckskin, but more likely the woolen and linen European-style clothing of the day, especially breeches, boots, and hunting frocks, over a linen shirt. The Uniforms A hitherto unexplored aspect of the expedition's clothing involves 16 special uniform coats which Meriwether Lewis ordered in 1803. The author's conjecture is that these special uniform coats, or "coatees," were issued to the civilians who joined the Corps of Discovery. Unlike the full-length coats then still being worn by the army, coatees were a shorter, more stylish uniform coat just coming into vogue. Lewis' special coatees were very expensive, especially when compared to the 80 cent per item price for sewing together the army's 1796-1803 coats, or even the $1.50 per item cost of sewing the army's 1804 pattern coatees. In contrast, Lewis' coatees cost $2.50 apiece to sew together. The expedition was originally authorized as a party of 10 to 12 men. Lewis probably ordered the 16 special coatees for this small party, not realizing that the number of the Corps would swell before they set out in 1804. Lewis' coatees were made by Francis Brown, a tailor on Walnut and Eighth Streets in Philadelphia. The cost of making the coatees was broken down in this fashion:
Many interesting clues to the appearance of the coatees are provided by this invoice. First, the color is mentioned: drab. Drab is defined in the dictionary as: "dull gray; dull brownish or yellowish gray. Any of several fabrics of this color, especially of thick wool or cotton." Lewis ordered a fine grade of woolen cloth, expensive at $7 per yard, which was probably stained brown with butternut dye. The coatees were military in cut but not in color or appearance. They were functional and well-made. A second interesting side-light offered by the invoice is that they carried far fewer than the standard 40 large buttons and 8 small buttons on the uniform coat of the day. Lewis' coats had only 18 large and 6 small, which would have represented a significant reduction in the weight of each coat, (the buttons were made of solid pewter), thus making the coats lighter to wear and transport. The false pockets and unnecessary buttons on the cuffs of ordinary uniform coats are probably the ones which Lewis had the tailor leave off. Unfortunately, until more documents or drawings are discovered, this is all we will know about the special coats Lewis ordered for the Corps of Discovery. Other Clothing Tidbits In addition to the coats, Lewis ordered 15 pairs of blue woolen overalls for the men. Perhaps Lewis ordered the special coats and overalls because he wished his men to look like a cohesive unit without actually being dressed in the uniform of the United States Army, thus not offending the representatives of any European power they might encounter on the journey. Whatever his original intention, as the number of men on the expedition grew, those already enlisted in the army continued to wear the uniform they were issued, whether 1st or 2nd Infantry or Artillery, while the new drab coatees and blue overalls were issued to the nine young men from Kentucky and other initially non-military personnel. Another aspect of the expedition's clothing involved the health of the men. We know that Meriwether Lewis tried scrupulously to follow the advice given him by Dr. Benjamin Rush. It is reasonable to assume that he also followed Rush's two points regarding clothing:
Lewis ordered 45 flannel shirts with linen collars and wrist bands, not enough to give every man two shirts, but enough to supply the 18 new men and issue replacements as needed. Lewis ordered 20 pairs of shoes, the common military low quarter shoe of the day. No notation survives to indicate whether the heels were removed as Dr. Rush suggested. Lewis also ordered:
And:
The expedition set out primarily in European clothing. Some proof that the men wore linen and flannel rather than buckskin is offered by evidence that on several occasions early in the trip the officers and non-coms gave the men the opportunity to wash their clothes. Fatigue uniforms of small clothes and hunting frocks were probably worn most of the time as the expedition made its way up the Missouri. Full-dress uniforms of red, white and blue for the regulars and drab and blue for the new recruits would have been worn during military inspections, ceremonies with and parades for various Indian tribes, and formal occasions such as the court-martial and punishment of Privates Moses Reed and John Newman, and the August 20th burial of Sgt. Charles Floyd. During the winter at Fort Mandan, the men of the expedition found their European-style clothing to be unsuited to the rigors of 32 degree-below-zero weather. Footwear was also inadequate, and the hats that had been issued were useless. On December 8, Sgt. John Ordway reported that "2 of our men Got their feet frost Bitten & one Got his Ear frost bitten this day". This was no great surprise considering that the snow lay 6-18" deep and the temperature fell to 10 to 21 degrees below zero on December 8, 10 and 11. Officers issued the cold weather clothing Lewis had procured in 1803. "Blanket cappoes provided for each man who Stood in need of them & C." Sentries were relieved more frequently due to the numbing cold. Captain Clark noted that "I line my Gloves and have a cap made of the Skin of the Louservia (lynx)..." Adopting Native American Clothing to Fit the Needs It seems that the party had not yet come to understand the practicality of Indian clothing, particularly winter moccasins lined with fur. During the 1804 journey, the expedition members were amused at the dress of the Indians, noting that "Those people are all naked, Covered only with Breech Clouts Blankits or Buffalow Roabes, the flesh Side Painted of Different Colours & figures." As the expedition continued, the men began to acquire pieces of Indian apparel such as moccasins and buffalo robes. In fact, on November 11, 1804, Sgt. Ordway recorded his first meeting with an important expedition member, who brought warm clothing to the men. "a frenchmans Squaw came to our camp who belonged to the Snake nation. She came with our interpreters wife & brought with them 4 buffalow Robes and Gave them to our officers. they Gave them out to the party. I Got one fine one myself." Some of the men obviously knew the rudiments of skinning and tanning hides the first year out, but it was not until the spring of 1805 that the diaries state that hides were used for making clothing. By early 1805, evidence appears that the men were beginning to adopt Indian-style dress, with Ordway commenting on April 11 that "the day [was] verry warm. Some of the men worked naked. only a breech cloth." The men of the expedition, having watched the women of the various Indian nations prepare hides and make clothing during 1804, began to copy the Indian styles of clothing for their westward march in 1805. Moccasins were very easy to make, once the pattern was established in the minds of the men. The same was true of leggings, wherein each leg was made from one deer or elk skin. The journals most often specified the names of Indian clothing when they described the dress the men adopted: shirts, leggings, breechcloths and moccasins. They did not talk about hunting frocks, and rarely mentioned overalls in connection with this clothing. Of course, each man's clothing wore out at a different rate, but it is safe to assume that the men were clad wholly in leather, with the possible exception of flannel shirts, by the time they reached the West coast. Certainly Sacagawea would have been very useful in assisting with the construction of Indian-style clothing, guiding the men in learning the patterns, cutting out the pieces and putting them together. For this reason the clothing of the expedition may have been heavily influenced by Shoshoni and Mandan styles. By early 1805 the men were uniformly clad in moccasins. Unused to soft-soled shoes, reference after reference exists in the journals of this period regarding their feet being hurt by the sharp rocks along the banks of the river. "The banks are so slippery in some places, and the mud is so adhesive, that they are unable to wear their mockcasins; one-fourth of the time they are obliged to be up to their armpits in the cold water, and sometimes they walk for several yards over the sharp fragments of rocks which have fallen from the hills." Moccasins wore out every two days, and were constantly repaired or replaced, a tedious and time-consuming duty. One of the most unusual aspects of the appearance of the officers was that they continued to carry spontoons and wear chapeau de bras (bicorn military hats issued to officers), even after they adopted the Indian manner of dress. Enlisted men also continued to use the military knapsacks they had been issued. In short, the group presented the appearance of a strange blend of European and Indian clothing. Several references show that the tall beaver hats issued to enlisted men at the time of the outbound journey were no longer being worn; in fact, the men were not wearing hats at all. The work of making Indian-style clothing proceeded. The conversion from European clothing to Indian modes of dress was complete by the time of the arrival at the Shoshoni nation. "Cameahwait, with great ceremony and as if for ornament, put tippets or skins around the necks of our party, similar to those worn by themselves. As this was obviously intended to disguise the white men, Captain Lewis, in order to inspire them with more confidence, put his cocked hat and feather on the head of the chief; and as his own over-shirt was in the Indian form, and his skin browned by the sun, he could not have been distinguished from an Indian. The men followed his example..." During August the men were dressing skins, while the Shoshoni women mended their moccasins. Their feet continued to suffer in footgear to which they were unaccustomed. The Lolo Trail in Idaho, said Capt. Clark, was "So covered with Snow, that in passing thro we are continually covered with Snow. I have been wet and as cold in every part as I ever was in my life, indeed I was at one time fearfull my feet would freeze in the thin mockersons which I wore." This would tend to indicate that the men were still making unlined, summer moccasins for themselves. The men "traded for Some root Bread & Skins to make Shirts," and observed the way the Indians made their clothing, beginning to learn lessons in how to protect themselves from the cold. "Some have dressed Elk and Deer Skins with the hair on," noted Sgt. Ordway. When the expedition reached the Pacific coast, the rain rotted the old leather clothing seemingly as fast as the men could make replacements. By now practiced at making Indian clothing, the members of the party knew just what kind of game they were looking for, and what types of skins the game would yield. The Indians "generally agree that tho most Elk is on the opposit Shore, and that the greatest numbers of Deer is up the river at some distance above. The Elk being an animal much larger than Deer, easier to kiled better meat...and Skins better for the Clothes of our party..." That the men were unused to dressing in leather either before the expedition or during the first portion of it is reinforced by a comment made in a journal entry on the Pacific coast. In noting the scanty dress of the Clatsop Indians, Lewis theorized that the sea coast must remain fairly warm all winter. "[I]f this Should be the Case it will most Certainly be the best Situation of our naked party dressed as they are altogether in leather." One article of clothing was supplied by the Clatsop Indians, who "sold us several handsome Hats made of some kind of Splits curiously worked & C." "...these hats are of their own manufactory and are Composed of Cedar bark and bear grass interwoven with the fingers and ornamented with various Colors and figures, they are nearly water proof, light, and I am convinced are much more dureable than either Chip or Straw [hats]." It is not known whether the men traded for the hats for the practical purposes of wear or merely as curiosities, but because they were suffering so greatly from the constant rain it is possible that they wore them on fatigue duty. Even the manufacture of Indian-style clothing presented problems on the rain-soaked Pacific coast. "They find great difficulty for the want of branes [with which to soften the skins]," noted Lewis. "we have not soap to supply the deficiency, nor can we procure ashes to make lye; none of the pines which we use for fuel affords any ashes; extraordinary as it may seem, the greene wood is consoomed without leaving the residium of a particle of ashes." Despite these problems, by February 23, 1806 the captains could report that "the men have provided themselves very amply with mockersons and much more so indeed than they ever have since they have been on this voige." By March 12, the party was "furnished with 358 par of moccersons, exclusive of a good portion of Dressed leather, they are also previded with Shirts Overalls Capoes of Dressed Elk Skins for the homeward journey." Despite these optimistic reports, Lewis was upset by the loss of a boat on May 30, 1806, along with three blankets, a blanket-coat, and a small amount of merchandise. Lewis remarked that "in our bear state of clootheing this was a serious loss." During the return trip, little time could be expended on the manufacture of new clothing, while the old continued to wear out. Deer skins were dressed on July 20, and Aug. 2, 9, 10 and 28, 1806. "we landed, and began to calk and repair the canoes, as well as prepare some skins for clothing, for since we left the Rocky mountains we have had no leisure to make clothes, so that the greater part of the men are almost naked." Clothing was important to the men of the Lewis and Clark expedition to keep them warm, protect their feet and skin, and to impress Indian tribes who saw them dressed in their formal uniforms. Clothing also played an entirely different role, as a very important item of trade. The expedition set out with a large amount of presents for the Indians, including "12 red Silk Hanckerchiefs, 24 hanks sewing silk," and 48 shirts made by Matilda Chapman of Philadelphia. The Lewis and Clark expedition also distributed at least 15 military coats, 11 cocked officer's hats, 5 white shirts, 1 checked shirt, and five American flags to the Indians. Most of the military coats seem to have been artillery officers coats, which were brought along specifically for the purpose of ceremonial gifts for Indian chiefs, although none of the existing invoices list them. Trading Clothing On the return journey, clothing became a trade item of inestimable value. On March 14, 1806, Capt. Lewis offered his own laced uniform coat for a canoe, but was rejected. Two days later it was noted that "the Indians remain with us all day, but would not dispose of their Canoe at a price which it was in our power to give consistently with the state of our Stock of Merchandize. One handkerchief would contain all the small merchandize we possess, the balance of articles of Stock which Consists of 6 small blue robes or blankets one scarlet. one uniform coat and hat artillery, 5 robes made of our large flag, a few old Clothes trimmed with ribon. On this Stock we have to depend for the purchase of horses and wholy such portion of our subsistence as it will be in our power to obtain. a scant dependence indeed for the tour of the distance that is before us." On March 17, "Drewyer returned with a canoe which he had bought for Capt. Lewises Uniform coat and a small piece of tobacco." "it seems that nothing except this coat would induce them to dispose of a canoe which in their mode of traffic is an article of the greatest value... I think the U' States are indebted to me another Uniform coat, for that of which I have disposed on this occasion was but little woarn - " Capt. Clark traded his personal uniform coats on April 18, 1806. When the soldiers bartered with the Indians "they brought with them Several Elk Skins, two of my Coats and 4 robes of the party to add to the Stores I had with me for the purchase of horses." Noticing the love the Indians had for brass buttons, and having exhausted their trade supply, the men began to cut the pewter buttons off their own uniform coats as trade goods. Obviously, the military dress coats of the men had been preserved in the Corps' baggage, or buttons had been salvaged for other uses. On April 21, 1806 "we formed a Camp purchased Some wood & 3 dogs for which we gave pewter buttons." Two days later, Indians traded some dogs and wood for small articles, which "consisted of pewter buttons, strips of tin iron and brass, twisted wire &c." By April 28, in trading for a horse with the Walla Walla Indians, "Capt. C[lark] gave him his swourd a hundred balls and powder and some sall [sale?] articles with which he appeared perfectly satisfyed." The group was growing more desperate. By May 20, 1806 Capt. Lewis noted that "the men have taken advantage of their prepossession in favour of buttons and have divested themselves of all they had in possession which they have given in exchange for roots and bread." And on June 2, Clark noted that "McNeal and York were Sent on a tradeing voyage over the river this morning. having exhosted all our merchendize we were obliged to have recourse to every Subterfuge in order to prepare in the most ample manner in our power to meet that wretched portion of our journy, the Rocky Mountains... Our traders McNeal and York are furnished with the buttons which Capt. L --. and my Self Cut off of our Coats, Some eye water and Basilicon which we made for that purpose and Some phials of eye water and Some tin boxes which Capt. L. had brought from Philadelphia. in the evening they returned with about 3 bushels of roots and Some bread haveing made a Suckcessfull voyage, not much less pleasing to us that the return of a good Cargo to an East India merchant. - " As the men neared civilization, they traded with the fur expeditions coming up the Missouri. On September 6, 1806, Sergeant Ordway reported that he "traded [with Chouteau's party] for a hat and Shirt by giving them beaver Skins." So by the time the group reached Fort Bellefontaine, the men of the expedition returned to "civilization" clad in some buckskins but also wearing new linen or flannel shirts. It may have been a sign of how badly they missed the life they had left behind that they were so eager to divest themselves of the clothing of the frontier. The trading performed with European clothing and buttons on this latter part of the expedition literally saved the lives of the men, providing transportation in the form of canoes and horses, and food for men near the point of starvation. It seems that the clothing of the Lewis and Clark expedition not only protected them from the elements and provided some cohesion and pride for the unit, but also assured the ultimate success of the expedition through trade with the Indians. Few men have ever had cause to be so grateful for clothes! Equipment Expedition Members of the Corps of Discovery were probably issued the following items (per man): Clothing
Arms and Accoutrements 1 rifle or musket Harpers Ferry Model 1803
rifle, Charleville-like "Model 1795" U.S. 69 caliber musket made
at Springfield or Harpers Ferry Armory, or a Kentucky Rifle. The
Captains may have carried fusils - pronounced "fuz-zees," which
were elegant, lightweight rifles with brass decoration; Clark lost
his at Great Falls.
1 Haversack, oil cloth.
Contents:
1 Painted Knapsack
Tents
Russia sheeting bags for tents, oiled, with thread and cord. Bags and tents numbered, 8 tents, 16 bags (Lewis). Cooking Equipment
Source for equipment list: Donald Jackson, The Letters of the Lewis and Clark Expedition; Rene Chartrand, The Uniforms of the United States Army in the War of 1812, p. 107; coats and numbers of buttons from Alan Archambault and Marko Zlatch, "Corps of Volunteers for North Western Discovery, 1804-1806," fn. 7 and 8, in Military Collector and Historian, Vol. XLIV No. 4, Winter 1992. Orderly Books and letters in the National Archives, Washington, D.C.
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This
seems like a simple question, but in looking at the various works
of art created over the years to illustrate the epic journey, a
wide variety of clothing is depicted, reflecting the confusion this
subject has continued to cause among artists and historians. Most
illustrations portray the men dressed in the frontiersman style
of buckskin hunting frock and trousers. Some artists, like Frederic
Remington, depict the co-captains in full Revolutionary-era military
uniforms, even on the West Coast! 
The
uniforms worn by the men of the expedition have been the subject
of a great deal of speculation, especially since an official change
was made in the uniform coat in 1804. According to excellent research
by Detmar H. Finke and H. Charles McBarron, a proposal for these
new coats was not finalized until November 14, 1803, and the go-ahead
to make the coats not issued until early 1804. In order for the
soldiers of the expedition to wear the 1804 coats, Captain Lewis,
after he was notified of the official change, would have had to
order them and had them shipped to St. Louis in early 1804. It seems
nearly impossible that the new 1804 pattern coats could have been
sewn and shipped to St. Louis between February and May, 1804, when
the journey began. 
