Rocky Mountain Museum of Military History

10/17/2026

10/15/2026

Where did the Lewis and Clark Expedition begin?

Some say Pittsburgh. Others point to Washington City, St. Charles, or even “in Jefferson’s mind.” But some believe it began when Meriwether Lewis and William Clark reunited along the Ohio River in October 1803.

Lewis had been traveling down the Ohio River with a small party. Along the way, they faced the challenge of getting their keelboat through the Falls of the Ohio, a long series of rapids. Lewis likely stopped at Louisville, on the Kentucky side of the river, to hire an experienced pilot to help them navigate the rapids.

Once past the rapids, Lewis went to find William Clark, who was living nearby with his older brother, George Rogers Clark. The two men had not seen each other in nearly seven years. Their reunion likely took place on October 14 or 15, 1803, near Clarksville in what was then Indiana Territory.

Following a joyous reunion, they got to work. They started planning, studying, and interviewing local men interested in joining the expedition. After two weeks of preparation, the keelboat and two smaller pirogues set out down the Ohio River on October 26.

For many followers of the Lewis and Clark story, this meeting is the notable start of the Expedition. It's summed up best in one short sentence of “Undaunted Courage,” by Stephen E. Ambrose: “When they shook hands, the Lewis and Clark Expedition began.”

Image: Statue “When They Shook Hands,” created by Carol Grende, outside the Falls of the Ohio Interpretive Center, Clarksville, Indiana. Adobe Stock

10/14/2026

The majority of the American Revolution was fought on land, but the action on the seas had significant impacts on land battles and the outcome of the war....

10/14/2026

10/13/2026

10/13/2026

10/13/2026

250 years ago today, on October 12, 1776, as the British searched for them, the remnants of Benedict Arnold’s fleet that survived the Battle of Valcour Bay regrouped and rested at Schuyler Island. At the same time they scuttled tw0 American gondolas - Providence and Jersey - that were too damaged to continue the retreat south. Laborers had spent the summer building ships to defend Lake Champlain, now after a single clash with the British many were sitting at the bottom of Lake Champlain.

They wouldn’t stay on the bottom of Lake Champlain forever. To explore the artifacts recovered from the Battle of Valcour Bay, and other shipwrecks on the lake, check out our digitized online collections here: https://hub.catalogit.app/lake-champlain-maritime-museum

Image: “Battle of Valcour Island,” V. Zveg, 1975. Naval History and Heritage Command.

10/12/2026

October 13, 1776 — Arnold Slips Away at Lake Champlain

Two hundred and fifty years ago today, Benedict Arnold accomplished one of the most daring escapes of the Revolutionary War.

During the night after the Battle of Valcour Island, Arnold quietly led his battered fleet through a narrow gap between the anchored British ships and the western shore of Lake Champlain. Under cover of darkness and with muffled oars, the Americans escaped undetected.

The reprieve proved temporary. Over the next two days, the British overtook the retreating Americans. Rather than surrender his remaining vessels, Arnold ran them aground, stripped them of supplies, and ordered them burned before leading his men overland to Fort Crown Point and then Fort Ticonderoga.

Although the British destroyed nearly the entire American fleet, Arnold had achieved his purpose. The campaign had been delayed until mid-October, leaving General Guy Carleton too little time to continue south before winter. Instead, the British withdrew to Canada and postponed their invasion for another year.

That delay gave the Americans precious time to strengthen their defenses, reinforce positions at Fort Ticonderoga and farther south along the Hudson corridor, and continue preparing for whatever campaign the British would launch the following year. Arnold had lost a fleet, but he had gained the Continental Army one of its most valuable resources—time.

And that’s the way it was, October 13, 1776.

OnThisDay #1776