Day-by-Day / July 1, 1803

July 1, 1803

Rodney's acceptance letter

In Dover, Delaware, Thomas Rodney accepts his nomination “to act as one of the Judges for the Missisipi territory . . . .” He will later meet—and write about—the Lewis and Clark Expedition as their respective boats travel down the Ohio River.

Judge’s Gavel

A modern judge's gavel

StockMonkeys.com. Licensed under the Creative Commons Attribution-ShareAlike 2.0 Generic license.

Dover July 1. 1803.

Dear Sir:

It would be very pleasing to have an agreeable Companion with me—A young Gentleman of good carrecter and promising abilities who studied the Law under my son C.A.R. and was admitted at our last supreme Court has proposed to go with me if he can obtain the appointment of Register or Clerk for Either of the Districts, but would prefer the one in which I may act as Commissioner. his Name is William Shields,

My Intention is To go by the way of Fort Pitt [Pittsburgh] and thence down the Ohio and Missisipi by water to the Natches unless you should think it more to the public Interest to take some other Road. Please to accept assurances of my very high respect and Esteem.

Your Most Obedient

Thomas Rodney[1]Thomas Rodney to Thomas Jefferson, Founders Online, National Archives, founders.archives.gov/documents/Jefferson/01-40-02-0489 accessed 11 June 2022. [Original source: The Papers of Thomas Jefferson, … Continue reading

Thomas Jefferson also offered the position of Commissioner for the district west of the Pearl River.

 

Notes

Notes
↑1 Thomas Rodney to Thomas Jefferson, Founders Online, National Archives, founders.archives.gov/documents/Jefferson/01-40-02-0489 accessed 11 June 2022. [Original source: The Papers of Thomas Jefferson, vol. 40, 4 March–10 July 1803, ed. Barbara B. Oberg. Princeton: Princeton University Press, 2013, pp. 642–643.]

Discover More

  • The Lewis and Clark Expedition: Day by Day by Gary E. Moulton (University of Nebraska Press, 2018). The story in prose, 14 May 1804–23 September 1806.
  • The Lewis and Clark Journals: An American Epic of Discovery (abridged) by Gary E. Moulton (University of Nebraska Press, 2003). Selected journal excerpts, 14 May 1804–23 September 1806.
  • The Lewis and Clark Journals. by Gary E. Moulton (University of Nebraska Press, 1983–2001). The complete story in 13 volumes.

This site is provided as a public service by the
Logo: Lewis & Clark Trail Heritage Foundation
Lewis and Clark Trail Heritage Foundation
with cooperation and funding from the following organizations:

Unless otherwise noted, journal excerpts are from The Journals of the Lewis and Clark Expedition, edited by Gary E. Moulton, 13 vols. (Lincoln: University of Nebraska Press, 1983-2001).