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    Undaunted Courage: Meriwether Lewis, Thomas Jefferson, and the Openin
    Undaunted Courage: Meriwether Lewis, Thomas Jefferson, and the Openin
    Undaunted Courage: Meriwether Lewis, Thomas Jefferson, and the Openin
    Audiobook (abridged)4 hours

    Undaunted Courage: Meriwether Lewis, Thomas Jefferson, and the Openin

    Written by Stephen E. Ambrose

    Narrated by Cotter Smith

    4.5/5

    ()

    About this audiobook

    From the New York Times bestselling author of Band of Brothers and D-Day, the definitive book on Lewis and Clark’s exploration of the Louisiana Purchase, the most momentous expedition in American history and one of the great adventure stories of all time.

    In 1803 President Thomas Jefferson selected his personal secretary, Captain Meriwether Lewis, to lead a voyage up the Missouri River to the Rockies, over the mountains, down the Columbia River to the Pacific Ocean, and back. Lewis and his partner, Captain William Clark, made the first map of the trans-Mississippi West, provided invaluable scientific data on the flora and fauna of the Louisiana Purchase territory, and established the American claim to Oregon, Washington, and Idaho.

    Ambrose has pieced together previously unknown information about weather, terrain, and medical knowledge at the time to provide a vivid backdrop for the expedition. Lewis is supported by a rich variety of colorful characters, first of all Jefferson himself, whose interest in exploring and acquiring the American West went back thirty years. Next comes Clark, a rugged frontiersman whose love for Lewis matched Jefferson’s. There are numerous Indian chiefs, and Sacagawea, the Indian girl who accompanied the expedition, along with the French-Indian hunter Drouillard, the great naturalists of Philadelphia, the French and Spanish fur traders of St. Louis, John Quincy Adams, and many more leading political, scientific, and military figures of the turn of the century.

    High adventure, high politics, suspense, drama, and diplomacy combine with high romance and personal tragedy to make this outstanding work of scholarship as readable as a novel.
    LanguageEnglish
    PublisherSimon & Schuster Audio
    Release dateJun 1, 1996
    ISBN9780743518765
    Undaunted Courage: Meriwether Lewis, Thomas Jefferson, and the Openin
    Author

    Stephen E. Ambrose

    Stephen E. Ambrose was a renowned historian and acclaimed author of more than thirty books. Among his New York Times bestsellers are Nothing Like It in the World, Citizen Soldiers, Band of Brothers, D-Day - June 6, 1944, and Undaunted Courage. Dr. Ambrose was a retired Boyd Professor of History at the University of New Orleans and a contributing editor for the Quarterly Journal of Military History.

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    Reviews for Undaunted Courage

    4.5/5

    70 ratings37 reviews

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    • 5/5
      Stephen Ambrose writes more than a recounting of Lewis and Clark's expedition of the Louisiana Purchase. It is a bull biography of Meriwether Lewis. IThe book gives details of Lewis's youth and growing up and how Jefferson took Lewis under his wing. This history privides informaton regarding Lewis selctionas a leader to this expediton and the intense trining he underwnet in order to prepare for this long trek. It gives reference to the fact that Lewis received what would have been considered a Masters degree and completed it in several months. This volume references many of the discoveries Lewis made (or at least passed on to the western world). It also goes into detail about the long and difficult journey to the Pacific Coast. There are times when Ambrose does not have information form Lewis or very little from Clark, that he does take license and extrapolate his own thoughts. However, this does not really take away form the book and it is one I highly enjoyed and would recommend.
    • 4/5
      This is not your ordinary retelling of the Lewis and Clark expedition. This is not the regular, run of the mill, same old story. Undaunted Courage is a different perspective of the story often told in the history books. While elements of the expedition are rehashed like interactions with the Native Americans, obstacles relating to weather, terrain and health, and supply management (how could they not?) Ambrose focuses mostly on the collaboration between Commander in Chief Jefferson and Captain Lewis. He tries to get inside the head of Meriwether Lewis to portray thoughts and feelings beyond what was written in the surviving journals and notes, thus making the text more conversational in tone. Because President Jefferson considered the expedition to be Lewis's gig Clark is mentioned where necessary and never becomes a focal point of the story. To make sure the reader is completely aware this is a Lewis story Ambrose continues it beyond the famous expedition and details Lewis's devastating suicide.
    • 5/5
      This piece of work is one which should be studied in every high school in the country. The bravery displayed and the adversity faced by the members of this expedition are not to be believed. It is easy in this day and time to downplay the significance of this journey, however by reading this account, a full appreciation of the hazards faced by the expedition can perhaps be attained. No maps, hostile Indian tribes, constant hunger, wild animals and constant insect infestation (clouds of mosquitoes drove some mad), bitter weather, etc. The picture painted by Ambrose is vivid. A fascinating story told by a less talented writer and historian would not have been nearly as effective.
    • 3/5
      It took me a few attempts to get through the initial biography of Lewis growing up to get to the good stuff (the exciting tale of the expedition) in the middle. But this book tried to both be a biography of Lewis in addition to following the expedition, which IMHO, wasn't really necessary. Stephen Ambrose thoroughly examined the relationship between Lewis and Jefferson, and their friendship. The wrap-up analysis at the end was interesting, but again, was a bit of a slog to go through the depressing end of his life. Ambrose clearly has an appropriate sense of appreciation for their travails and of Lewis' original writings. He often gives us snippets from Lewis' journals, which left me wanting to hear more from that and less praise of them. But at other times Ambrose must have thought that the action wasn't exciting enough because he often indulged in 'What If...?' scenarios that I thought could have been cut.Some of the more interesting portions of the text were about the interplay between the expedition and the Sioux, Mandans, the Osage, Blackfoot, and other tribes, as well as the inter-tribal politics and war, most of which went right over Lewis' head. To me, its amazing they were able to communicate at all, given the number of people that had to be involved for translation of a single conversation! Talk about a game of Telephone!I listened to the unabridged audiobook, but it took me a while to get used to narration by Barrett Whitener. To be honest, at first I really didn't like the way he read - the ends of his sentences were somewhat breathy and clipped - and I felt pauses between sentences were oddly timed. I found that turning my iPod to the Faster setting made it easier. With enough time (the unabridged is nearly 22 hrs!) I got used to it and could turn it back to the Normal setting.
    • 5/5
      Steven Ambrose makes the Lewis and Clark expedition come alive with a wonderful history. Using Meriwether Lewis journals the reader gets to explore the new territory together. An interesting and enjoyable read.
    • 5/5
      In an age of historical ignorance, a lot of people still know the names of Lewis and Clark. They even have a rough idea of what they did. But Lewis and Clark have, for most, long ago petrified into icons. Ambrose resurrects the real people behind the legend.The book is a biography of Meriwether Lewis. But, reflected in the light of Ambrose's examination, we also come to know William Clark as a real man. Of course, the book concentrates on their famous expedition, but it's over a hundred pages before that journey starts. Ambrose doesn't waste the space though. Not only does he show how Lewis' life prepared him for leading the Corps of Discovery, but we also get details of Lewis' friendship with Thomas Jefferson, Lewis' experiences in the Whiskey Rebellion and his training in scientific matters before leaving for the west. We also get a brief, but fascinating, section on how Thomas Jefferson's slaveholding was not only a moral failing, as he knew it was, but also not justifiable on an economic level since German farmers in Virginia had profitable farms with fewer acres and no slaves.Of course, the bulk of the book is taken up with Lewis and Clark's trip to the Pacific and back. And it's a gripping tale of survival, exploration, first European contact with some Indian tribes, and, briefly, of combat. Ambrose's style is emminently readable even if, as some have noted, he does repeat certain passages from time to time. His biggest contribution may be to emphasize Lewis' scientific contributions. Lewis faithfully gathered a great many samples of the plants and animals he found and made detailed descriptions in his journal.Those journals are at the heart of a mystery covered in this book. Lewis' raw notes are still extant and are extensive. But, for great chunks of time on his trip, he made no entries. Ambrose, following other scholars, offers an explanation for those gaps.Lewis' journals are also central to the mystery of his psychological dissolution. Though he made preparations to organize his notes and publish them in book form, he never completed the job though he had plenty of time. He came back a hero in 1806; he died from a gunshot wound in 1809. Ambrose blames early fame, alcoholism, and Lewis' tendancy towards depression. And he makes a convincing case, conspiracy theories notwithstanding, that it was suickide and not murder, a conclusion bolstered by Lewis' history and the opinion of his friends. The failure to publish his findings and pass his knowledge on to a wide audience hurt the historical reputation of the expedition. It was only in the 20th Century that Lewis and Clark became popular figures of American history.Ambrose's account will certainly keep Lewis and Clark from falling into obscurity again.
    • 5/5
      Boy, I usually have trouble finishing even the highest quality non-fiction, but this one was extremely readable and very interesting. It was a page turner for me.
    • 4/5
      Highlights the intense sacrifice of the men who first pioneered west to open the frontier. Remarkable what these men and Sacagawea endured!
    • 5/5
      The best historical accounts are the ones that read like fiction, and this is certainly the best one I've ever read. Combines detailed research with their journal entries. This is one I'd like to reread someday. The passages about Lewis' death were gut-wrenching. Everything I read in this book made me wonder if he had bi-polar disorder. Any other opinions?
    • 4/5
      Histgory of the Lewis and Clark expedition. Tremendous detail about events that are almost stranger than fiction. Long and involved but worth the ride. Amazing that the history would have been impossible without a huge amount of goodwill from Native Americans along the trip.
    • 5/5
      Tremendous, detailed account of the first mission to explore the American west, by Lewis and Clark, illustrating the sheer guts required and privations endured.
    • 4/5
      Mediocre writing, but a great tale nontheless.
    • 4/5
      This book really focuses on Lewis. It does place him on a broad tapestry. I learned, for example, that Aaron Burr wanted to turn trans-Appalachia into a separate country. There was quite a bit of discussion of the Federalists vs the Republicans. My US history is pretty shaky so it was very nice to learn a lot of this. Still, the focus stays centered on Lewis.I am planning a bike ride that will go through the Bitterroot Valley in Montana. The geography is pretty complicated up there. I can't say that this book helped me get it straightened out... The Bitterroot Mountains are on the west side of the continental divide. The book doesn't make any mistakes about that, but doesn't get it crisp and clear either. It sort of marches right through the complexity. But that got me staring at various maps and scratching my head. It's complex terrain up there!It's a great fun read, a delightful way to learn some history.
    • 5/5
      This sat on my shelf for years until a recent road trip out west sparked my interest in Lewis and Clark?s famous trip. This nonfiction account of Meriwether Lewis and William Clark?s incredible journey covers everything from the earliest planning stages to the final attempts at publishing the journals from the trip.Written by the revered author of Band of Brothers, the book reads like a novel at many points. The men encountered Native American tribes (both hostile and friendly), diseases, wild animals, vicious turns in weather and a myriad of other obstacles to complete their goal. They traveled across the majority of the United States to reach the far west coast with canoes and horses as their only form of transportation. That alone is impressive, but then you realize that they also gathered and inventories dozens of new animal and plant species along the way. They worked on mapping out the entire area that they traveled along while also gathering new scientific data and establishing trade routes. The project was a goal of Thomas Jefferson?s and when he became the president he began to put his plan into action. The book mainly focuses on Lewis? life, his struggles and his role in blazing the trail out west. He was a brilliant, but troubled man and this trip was both the greatest and hardest endeavor of his life. BOTTOM LINE: One of my favorite nonfiction books of the year. I know that traveling out west this fall certainly prompted my reading this book, but I think I would have loved it regardless of that. I learned so much about the individuals behind the trip and the sheer scope of what they accomplished. I highly recommend if you?re a fan of US History or just great nonfiction stories of accomplishment. ?
    • 4/5
      Loved reading about the risk-taking of Lewis. Having grown up in Oregon, these early views by westerners of places I have spent endless time in was fun. Tidbits I remember -- fatty dog meat was a delicacy because the venison was so lean.
    • 4/5
      Ambrose relates the story of the Lewis and Clark expedition, using primarily the journals of the trip as his source material. Fascinating details that I was not familiar with, including the fact that Sacajawea, the female native American guide, was pregnant during the trip!
    • 4/5
      The beginning and end of the book are a bit like quicksand to get through, the former talking about Lewis' life growing up and the latter recounting everything after the adventure. But the hefty middle portion covering Lewis and Clark's trip to the Pacific and back is like reading a children's adventure book. Amazing. The account truly gives you the feeling and appreciation for being one of the first "Americans" to see the Rockies or a Great Plains' worth of Buffalo. If only I could see those scenes for real!
    • 5/5
      very thorough detailed account of the Lewis and Clark Expedition. Plenty of background, but not so much as to be overwhelming. Haven't finished yet.
    • 5/5
      As we are going on a L&C road trip in 2015-09 I thought it a good idea to read this book. Superb decision.I have seen criticisms this is a boring book and much like a long list of events. Well I suppose it is a long list but certainly not boring. The book is in 4 chucks - Lewis' upbringing and early life; his time with Jefferson, the expedition, and after the expedition. Altogether the book was comprehensive but I never found it to drag or to get weighed down by the copious quotes taken from the original notes and letters. I enjoyed the original English including the bizarre contemporary spelling especially by Lewis!The narrative describing the expedition was among the best I've read. It never drags and while non-fiction it (fittingly) reads like an adventure story. Read about the plans before we white folk got there and weep!I didn't know what happened to Lewis after the expedition and while not giving anything anyway if you don't then prepare yourself for the ending.
    • 5/5
      What an excellent book! If you have any interest in how our country expanded, this is a must read. Wonderful character studies of Lewis and Clark. Exciting detail of exploration. This is the book that caused me to discover the excellent historical fiction writer, A. B. Guthrie, Jr., and his outstanding novels, "The Big Sky" and "The Way West."
    • 3/5
      Many people learn of the Lewis and Clark expedition in school as a part of history, but the interesting parts of the journey are in the details including various encounters with native Americans along the way. Ambrose supplies these details, making it possible for the reading to get a safe taste of what it would have been like to be along for the trip.
    • 4/5
      ?Echo Burning? is a very good mystery featuring Jack Reacher. It takes place in southern Texas in an area that does not get much rain. Reacher is walking along a two-lane highway when Carmen Greer picks him up and tells him a story. She talks about her home town, her family, her husband and the ranch where they live. There is trouble brewing and Carmen asks Reacher to help her. He won?t do what she asks but will go with her to see what?s going on. This visit could cost them their lives. There are twists and turns, violence, and wonderful descriptions of the area. Lovers of good mysteries will love this book.
    • 5/5
      In American History in high school I think we spent 10 minutes on Lewis and Clark. Too bad this book hadn't been available back then. It describes in fascinating detail the ultimate camping trip. One of the amazing things about the Lewis and Clark journey was how the Corp of Discovery would temporarily split up then re-unite hundreds of miles downstream. They would do this by leaving a note on the riverbank for the other party. Seems like they left a lot to chance, doesn't it? The operatic ending has Mr. Lewis alone in a shack on the Natchez Trace with the "failures" of his life running through his brain. A tragic ending to an exhilarating story.Will somebody please adapt Undaunted Courage into a musical or opera?
    • 4/5
      One of the better storytellings of the Lewis and Clark expedition.
    • 5/5
      This narrative history of The Lewis and Clark Expedition had me rapt from about page three. What a story. And Ambrose's knack for engaging detail and his clear love for the topic come through in spades. Order it immediately!Ambrose has such a gift for description and a greta eye for excerpting the Journals in ways that make you feel like you are there.
    • 4/5
      A very enjoyable story about the lewis and clark expedition. The book focuses on Lewis and Jefferson at the expense of Clark, but the author is very clear about that early in the book. Some of the descriptions through the plains and mountains make any adventurer yearn for such an opportunity.
    • 4/5
      I?ve been reading a lot of Stephen Ambrose recently. There is, of course, something of a controversy over Ambrose?s plagiarism, which he didn?t quite deny and didn?t quite admit.Undaunted Courage is a biography of Meriwether Lewis, with the Lewis and Clark Expedition as the centerpiece and occupying perhaps 2/3 of the text. Lewis was a Virginia planter who joined the military and eventually became secretary to fellow Virginian Thomas Jefferson, leading Jefferson to pick him to lead the expedition to the newly acquired Louisiana Purchase. Lewis put a lot of effort into preparation, learning what he could of botany, zoology, cartography and zoology before setting off. He selected William Clark as co-leader; Ambrose notes that Clark was supposed to be promoted to captain, the same rank as Lewis, but the War Department never got around to commissioning him and he remained a lieutenant (although he received back pay as if he had been a captain). There never seems to have been any conflict between the two despite the apparently divided command.Ambrose notes the purpose of the expedition was a little different from what I had learned in high school American history. Jefferson was under the impression that the Rockies were similar in height and ruggedness to the Appalachians, and expected there would be a relatively short portage between the headwaters of the Missouri and the Columbia; he also thought that the Missouri might swing across the 49th parallel and give the US a claim on part of Canada (which wasn?t called Canada yet; at least not out there). Thus a major part of Lewis and Clark?s mission was to thwart British/Canadian/Northwest Company influence in the area by persuading Indians to trade with Americans rather than the NWC. This was sometimes problematic; for example when negotiating with the Nez Perce, Lewis explained his purpose to trapper Toussaint Charbonneau in French. Charbonneau relayed this to his wife Sacajawea in Hidatsa, which she had picked up when captive. Sacajawea then talked to one of the Nez Perce who knew Shoshone, who then explained to the rest of his tribe in Salish. One expects that it came out a little distorted at the end.Sacajawea gets quite a bit of acknowledgement, and it isn?t all political correctness; for a 16-year-old who was one of two wives of a disreputable voyageur she did remarkably well; one wonders what she thought about the whole thing. A lot of the expedition?s experience with the Indians didn?t come across in American History class either; Lewis and Clark and their men would have starved to death without the generosity of the natives (as it was, they ate a lot of roast dog). Incidentally, Indian hospitality also resulted in the entire party ? with the possible exception of Lewis and Clark themselves ? coming down with syphilis.There is no denying that Lewis accomplished a lot; he discovered, described and named numerous animals and plants previously unknown (including, for example, prairie dogs; he sent one back to Jefferson and it made it to Monticello alive). He kept his troops in reasonably good morale and when presented with route finding problems almost always made the right choice; Ambrose argues that his only bad decision on the entire expedition was to split the party to explore the Marais River in northern Montana, where he got in a gun battle with a hunting party of Blackfoot Indians.But all was not cloudless glory when he got back. Ambrose finds symptoms of depression or bipolar disorder through Lewis? entire life. None of this really came out on the expedition itself, except for a puzzling gap in Lewis? journals where he didn?t record anything for weeks. Ambrose notes there?s no hint of anything amiss for the dates on either side of the gap and expresses the hope that the missing pages remain to be found somewhere. However, after his return Lewis seemingly fell apart. Jefferson appointed him Governor of Louisiana (which took in the entire area; his headquarters were at St. Louis.Lewis began to behave self-destructively, taking to drink and laudanum, and getting into debt. His attitude toward his journals was especially puzzling ? he arranged (and paid for) engravers to illustrate, astronomers to reduce observations, botanists to go over the plant descriptions, but somehow, despite repeated requests by Jefferson and other interested parties and their value for settling his accounts, he never submitted them to a publisher. On the way to Washington to explain some of his financial dealings to the War Department he attempted suicide twice, and finally did succeed in an isolated cabin in Tennessee. Although maybe not; there are persistent theories that it was murder instead. His journals finally did get published but only in an abridged form; full publication didn?t come for many years (meaning Lewis didn?t get credit for a lot of his zoological and botanical discoveries).Well written, as usual for Ambrose ? even if some came from somebody else. Excellent maps; contemporary engravings; well referenced. It?s been commented that the book reads like a novel; I didn?t see that but obviously Ambrose did have to speculate about motives and actions for parts the expedition that weren?t covered by the journals.
    • 2/5
      i have alot of mixed thought on this one. i read the story on lewis and clark when i was little and was quite excited to read it again. it was done ok, and i know this guy is known for his historical achievements. don't get me wrong it was entertaining and all but he kindof blew off alot of clark information. i know there is less on him but still, it felt to me that it concentrated on lewis, then jefferson, and oh by the way there was a guy clark on the trip too, just so you know... i had another beef with it but can't remember what it is now so this will suffice. just not too impressed.
    • 5/5
      As Ambrose follows the Corps of Discovery on their journey to the Pacific, he comments on the significance of their activities, and weaves in passages from the Journals.
    • 4/5
      This is not your ordinary retelling of the Lewis and Clark expedition. It is a different perspective of the story often told in the history books. Ambrose focuses mostly on the collaboration between Commander in Chief Jefferson and Captain Lewis. He gets inside the head of Meriwether Lewis to portray thoughts and feelings making the text more conversational. Because President Jefferson considered the expedition to be Lewis's gig Clark is mentioned where necessary and never becomes a focal point of the story. A great tale.