Dear Brother: Letters of William Clark to Jonathan Clark [Hardcover]

Professor William Clark (Author), Curator James J. Holmberg (Editor)

Book Description

Publication Date: May 1, 2002 | Series: The Lamar Series in Western History

Over the course of his career, American explorer William Clark (1770-1838) wrote at least 45 letters to his older brother Jonathan, including six that were written during the epic Lewis and Clark Expedition. This volume publishes many of these letters, revealing important details about the expedition, the mysterious death of Meriwether Lewis, the status of Clark's slave York (the first African American known to have crossed the continent from coast to coast), and other matters of historical significance. There are letters concerning the establishment of the Corps of Discovery's first winter camp in December 1803, preparations for setting out into the country west of Fort Mandan in 1805, and Clark's 1807 fossil dig at Big Bone Lick, Kentucky. There are also letters about Lewis's disturbed final days that shed light on whether he committed suicide or was murdered. Still other letters chronicle the fate of York after the expedition; we learn the details of Clark and York's falling out and subsequent alienation. Together the letters and the informative introductions and annotations by James J. Holmberg should provide insights into the lives of Lewis and Clark and the world of Jeffersonian America.

Editorial Reviews

From Library Journal

Holmberg (curator of special collections, Filson Historical Society) presents a fascinating and informative collection of 54 letters William Clark sent to his older brother Jonathan and other family members, many of which are published here for the first time. The letters begin in 1792 and end with Jonathan's death in 1811. Clark writes about his experiences in the U.S. Army (1792-96), his business travels, the Corps of Discovery epic, his time as Superintendent of Indian Affairs in the Louisiana Territory, plus plenty of family gossip and news from the neighbors. Detailed notes regarding places, events, and people follow each letter. Of special interest are the letters Clark wrote concerning Meriwether Lewis's suicide, which reveal the depths of Clark's anguish. Also of interest are the references to York, Clark's slave who journeyed to the Pacific with the Corps. With the upcoming bicentennial of the Lewis and Clark expedition in 2004 and continued interest in the lives of these great explorers, this book will surely be popular. Recommended for all libraries. Margaret Atwater-Singer, Univ. of Evansville, IN
Copyright 2002 Cahners Business Information, Inc.

Review

"With Dear Brother we get a chance to see into the heart of William Clark and finally acknowledge how indespensible he was to the success of the Expedition. We now have a much more complete portrait of the man who co-piloted and mapped the Corps of Discovery to its rightful place in the history of North American Exploration." Stephen E. Ambrose

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Product Details

• Hardcover: 320 pages
• Publisher: Yale University Press (May 1, 2002)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0300090102
• ISBN-13: 978-0300090109
• Product Dimensions: 9.5 x 6.5 x 1.1 inches
• Shipping Weight: 1.4 pounds (View shipping rates and policies)
• Average Customer Review: 4.8 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (4 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #1,109,662 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

28 of 28 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars This book is a MUST for Lewis and Clark enthusiasts! BUY IT!, April 14, 2002

By 

David K. Longest "toybookwriter" (Clarksville, Indiana) - See all my reviews
(REAL NAME)   

This review is from: Dear Brother: Letters of William Clark to Jonathan Clark (Hardcover)

Mr. Holmberg's new forthcoming edition of letters discovered
in an old Louisville, Kentucky estate some two decades ago
will shed new light on many long unanswered questions regarding the life of William Clark, of Lewis and Clark Expedition fame.
Aside from being an archivist at Kentucky's prestigious Filson
Club which holds its own substantial William Clark collection,
Holmberg is himself an expert Lewis and Clark enthusiast who brings passion, intelligence, clarity and understanding to interpretation of these significant letters. I have been privileged to hear the lectures of Mr. Holmberg at U.S. Army Corps of Engineers Lewis and Clark Training Academies, and without a doubt this book and its letters give valuable
insight into the life of York, William Clark's slave and
fellow expedition member, the winter at Fort Mandan, William Clark's relationship with his wife, Julia, and his ongoing honest and open, although often grossly misspelled, literary discourse with his brother Jonathan. Readers of Ambrose's UNDAUNTED COURAGE will revel in this book as it gives further insight into the character of William Clark, who often gets
far less press coverage than the colorful figure of
Meriwether Lewis. Every Lewis and Clark enthusiast should
be sitting on the front porch swing awaiting the VERY MOMENT when the mailman delivers this upcoming Amazon offering. The fact that these unknown letters survived AT ALL is amazing. The added scholarship and editing added to the project by
one so respected in the field as Jim Holmberg makes the prospect of this literary work almost too grand to imagine.

Discovery of the letters of William Clark is as significant
as finding an undiscovered portrait of Lincoln. We knew the
man before the discovery, but now we will know him better!

8 of 8 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars A TREASURE CHEST OF HISTORICAL NUGGETS, September 7, 2002

By 

Richard L. Pangburn (Bardstown, KY USA) - See all my reviews
(VINE VOICE)    (REAL NAME)   

Amazon Verified Purchase

This review is from: Dear Brother: Letters of William Clark to Jonathan Clark (Hardcover)

This is the kind of book cherished by all lovers of frontier history--historical researchers and genealogists, as well as those who simply love to read about it. Not just a book of letters, but a lusciously annotated treasure chest of biographical information, and not just on the Clarks, but on the frame of frontier history which surrounded them.

The insights on William Clark and York are indeed interesting, but biographical sketches in the notes reveal arcane facts on Daniel Boone, General James Wilkinson, Meriwether Lewis, Thomas Jefferson, and many others less known but equally interesting. Mr. Holmberg sometimes indulges in speculation and tentative assertions, but the demarcation between fact and inference is always clear.

The work is handsomely constructed, the font easy to read, the notes easy to follow. A complete bibliography is provided along with a complete index. All and all, a pleasure to peruse, a delight to own.

1 of 2 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Another View of William Clark, August 16, 2006

By 

my98mustang (North Dakota) - See all my reviews

This review is from: Dear Brother: Letters of William Clark to Jonathan Clark (Hardcover)

James Holmberg has done an excellent job of providing new insight into the Clark family, in particular the relationship between William and his eldest brother by twenty years, Jonathan. ALthough the basis of the book is a set of letters that were uncovered just a few years ago, the information is a fresh look at the Clark we normally view as being part of the word "LewisandClark".

The Journals of Lewis and Clark can tell you a lot about how he acts when he is in a business or military setting, but these intimate letters that he wrote to his brother show that William was a much deeper man that just an explorer. He truly looked up to his brother, and because they lived 200 years ago, that relationship is often lost, especially in since published Clark or Expeditionemorbelia. This is a wonderful book, and if you are trying to get a better persepective of the Lewis and Clark Expedition, this book is a must read to better understand the man that became famous.