Marching Again

Next, Clark returns to the subject of marching. Record how he describes it this time. 

Does Bowman say anything that would back up Clark’s claim?

What language do Clark and Bowman use to describe the march and the strength of the men? 

Can you find any evidence earlier in Bowman’s journal entry that might describe why the marching is difficult or why the men are so tired?

Now compare what you found with this example.

What did we find?

Earlier in Bowman’s Journal, he reported the road to be “very bad, with mud and water.” After slogging through muddy and flooded roads for 9 hours a day, it is no wonder that Clark describes the marching as “difficult and very fatiguing.”

It is also interesting to note that both Clark and Bowman use the word “fatiguing/fatigued” in their account. Is there any significance behind this? 

 Keep in mind that Clark wrote his Memoir 10-15 years after experiencing the events he described while Bowman wrote his account during the expedition. Could Clark have been looking back at a copy of Bowman’s Journal before or during the writing of his own memoir and decided to copy Bowman’s wording? Or was “fatiguing/fatigued” simply the best word (that was popular at that time) to describe the situation Clark’s men were in?