Stephen E. Ambrose

From the bestselling author of "D-Day" comes the definitive book on the most momentous expedition in American history--and one of the greatest adventure stories of all time. "An adventure filled with high romance and personal tragedy, involving the greatest expedition ever undertaken in the history of this country".--Alexander Theroux, "Chicago Tribune". Illustrations throughout. Maps.

Undaunted Courage: Meriwether Lewis, Thomas Jefferson, and the Opening of the American West

'This was much more than a bunch of guys out on an exploring and collecting expedition. This was a military expedition into hostile territory'. In 1803 President Thomas Jefferson selected his personal secretary, Captain Meriwether Lewis, to lead a pioneering voyage across the Great Plains and into the Rockies. It was completely uncharted territory; a wild, vast land ruled by the Indians. Charismatic and brave, Lewis was the perfect choice and he experienced the savage North American continent before any other white man. UNDAUNTED COURAGE is the tale of a hero, but it is also a tragedy. Lewis may have received a hero's welcome on his return to Washington in 1806, but his discoveries did not match the president's fantasies of sweeping, fertile plains ripe for the taking. Feeling the expedition had been a failure, Lewis took to drink and piled up debts. Full of colourful characters - Jefferson, the president obsessed with conquering the west; William Clark, the rugged frontiersman; Sacagawea, the Indian girl who accompanied the expedition; Drouillard, the French-Indian hunter - this is one of the great adventure stories of all time and it shot to the top of the US bestseller charts. Drama, suspense, danger and diplomacy combine with romance and personal tragedy making UNDAUNTED COURAGE an outstanding work of scholarship and a thrilling adventure.

The Pioneering First Mission to Explore America's Wild Frontier

Undaunted Courage

Kelsey Lynn

I'm not a big history person, so I was a little concerned when my book club picked this. 
However, while long-winded at times, this was a thoroughly interesting read. A true view of this journey, that has been romanticized through history, however, in reality, was rife with issues. 
It was very eye-opening to finally learn the actual story.
However, my brother who picked this grew up with this story and tales of Daniel Boone and Davey Crockett, and was excited about an adventure, I think his dreams were crushed by the reality and he was very disappointed. So if you romanticize this story, it might be one to skip, lest having your dreams crushed haha.

Wynn Netherland

Drawing heavily upon the journals of the Lewis and Clark expedition, Ambrose employs the type of ensemble cast storytelling that made Band of Brother such a good read.

S. R. Spencer

D VA

Michael Cowell

Andrew John Kinney

Kylie Frazer

Meriwether Lewis, Thomas Jefferson, and the opening of the American West

Undaunted courage

Jacqueline Wilson

Keven Wang

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.

Undaunted Courage: Meriwether Lewis, Thomas Jefferson, and the Opening of the American West

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