Southern Counterpart to Lewis and Clark: The Freeman and Custis Expedition of 1806 (American Exploration and Travel) [Paperback]

Thomas Freeman (Author), Peter Custis (Author)

Book Description

Publication Date: February 15, 1986

In 1806 President Thomas Jefferson sent cartographer Thomas Freeman and botanist Peter Custis to explore the southen Louisiana Purchase westward to the Rocky Moutnains. Stopped by a Spanish army in what is today extreme southern Oklahoma, they did not complete their mission. President Jefferson minimized their failure by focusing instead on the success of their northern counterparts Lewis and Clark. Hence the fame of Lewis and Clark and the virtual anonymity of Freeman and Custis-until now, thanks to editor Dan L. Flores.

Dan Flores presents the primary documents created by Freeman and Custis during their ill-fated attempt to explore the Louisiana territory and areas west of the Mississippi in 1806.

Product Details

• Paperback: 408 pages
• Publisher: University of Oklahoma Press (February 15, 1986)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0806119411
• ISBN-13: 978-0806119410
• Product Dimensions: 9.1 x 5.9 x 0.9 inches
• Shipping Weight: 1.2 pounds (View shipping rates and policies)
• Average Customer Review: 3.0 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (2 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #559,329 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

12 of 12 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars An intriguing study of forgotten history, July 26, 2002

By 

M. A Michaud "michael_michaud" (Dulles, VA United States) - See all my reviews
(REAL NAME)   

This review is from: Southern Counterpart to Lewis and Clark: The Freeman and Custis Expedition of 1806 (American Exploration and Travel) (Paperback)

Few people living today know that President Thomas Jefferson launched two expeditions into the Louisiana territory purchased in 1803; Lewis and Clark to the north, Freeman and Custis to the south. Lewis and Clark have been covered thoroughly, even triumphally, because they completed their task. Freeman and Curtis have been ignored because they were intercepted by Spanish soldiers after exploring hundreds of miles of the Red River. Historian Dan Flores, drawing on both American and Spanish sources, performs a real service by describing this southern expedition and placing it within the context of its time (1806). Flores reminds us that the Spanish tried to stop Lewis and Clark too, but missed them. He shows us that the scheming General Wilkinson wanted the Freeman and Custis expedition to provoke a war with Spain, and nearly succeeded. Flores provides an introduction before the expedition's own account, and an epilogue after. His annotation of the expedition's documents is exceptionally thorough and often fascinating. The book includes numerous black and white illustrations and reproductions of several old maps. A modern map of the area would have been helpful. This book is one of an excellent series published by the University of Oklahoma Press.

3 of 13 people found the following review helpful:

2.0 out of 5 stars Where????, September 24, 2003

By A Customer

This review is from: Southern Counterpart to Lewis and Clark: The Freeman and Custis Expedition of 1806 (American Exploration and Travel) (Paperback)

How annoying to not show us a current map (or a sequence of current maps) with the trip route noted! My first question is "where did they go?" And then, what Red River are they tallking about? It's not the Red River of the North (too far north), it's not the Red River in northern New Mexico-- where is it? One must find some other maps ---of Louisiana and parts due west, and dig around to find the geographic area covered by this book. It was hard to keep interested when I could not get a true feel for the geographic locations. The botany and annotations regarding the botany were intriguing.