laststandonzombieisland

Lewis and Clark at the mouth of the Columbia River, 1805. LC-USZ62-50631

While everyone knows the legend of the Girandoni .46 cal. 20-shot repeating air rifle carried by the Lewis & Clark Expedition on their 28-month exploration of the West, it was far from their only piece.

According to research by S.K. Wier, Lewis obtained 15 rifles, likely Model 1792 Contract Rifles from Harpers Ferry Arsenal in the spring of 1803, and there were likely another 15 .69 caliber Charleville-pattern Model 1795 Springfield muskets carried by attached soldiers as well.

Plus:

Clark brought some personal guns, including a small .36-caliber “squirrel rifle” and an “elegant fusil,” a lightweight gentleman’s sporting smoothbore.

Lewis brought a case of matched pistols, one of which he traded for a horse, and a “fowler,” an extra-long smoothbore, also traded to the Indians for supplies.

Both captains carried a military-issue “horseman’s pistol,” either the “US 1799 North and Cheney” model (similar to the French Charleville 1763 pistol), or the “US 1799 Contract” pistol (McCormick model), both now great rarities.

As to the powder for said muskets, rifles, and pistols, there were 52 custom powder casks which were built to carry 208 pounds of assorted powder, and were crafted of 416 pounds of lead that could be, in turn, melted down to yield at least 5,700 balls.

Lead canisters at the Columbia Gorge Discovery Center & Museum, The Dalles, Oregon.  NPS Photo / K. Schlawin

Detailed by the NPS’s Lewis and Clark National Historic Trail last week:

Meriwether Lewis’ name won’t be found in a search of the names of inventors at the U.S. Patent and Trademark Office, but maybe it should be for his innovative waterproof packaging of gunpowder.

In the spring of 1803, the young captain contracted the production of 52 custom gunpowder canisters with a plumber in Philadelphia named Geoge Ludlam.  In his design, Lewis had calculated the ratio of lead vs. powder for each container — eight pounds of lead would hold four pounds of powder. Ludlam charged 50 cents per canister.

Once a canister was emptied, the lead would be melted down and made into the number of balls that could be fired using the next container’s four pounds of powder.  Most of the firearms used by the soldiers used either .54-caliber or .69-caliber balls. That means a canister would provide enough lead for 110-240 balls (varies depending on the  caliber).

S.K. Wier, in an article, “Meriwether Lewis’s Lead Powder Canisters,” calculated that the canisters were probably about 10.4” tall and 4.1” in diameter, made from lead that was 0.125” thick.  The single hole for pouring the powder was sealed with a cork and then covered in wax.  This increased the probability of keeping the gunpowder dry, even if the containers were dropped in the water.

The more you know…