The "Corps of Discovery" went places no white men had ever been, encountered countless Indian tribes that Easterners had only heard rumors about, and "discovered" plants and animals never before dreamed of by Americans or Europeans. It was a military expedition, with much of the usual military protocol and discipline. But it was also very unusual for a military expedition - there were two commanders instead of one. And they were accompanied by many civilians along the way - including one slave, various Frenchmen, occasional Indian scouts, and an Indian woman and her newborn son. This is a brief introduction to that unusual journey.