274 The Winning of the West 



Lewis' troops formed a typical backwoods army, 

 both officers and soldiers. They wore fringed hunt- 

 ing-shirts, dyed yellow, brown, white, and even red; 

 quaintly carved shot-bags and powder-horns hung 

 from their broad ornamented belts; they had fur 

 caps or soft hats, moccasins, and coarse woolen 

 leggings reaching half-way up the thigh. 15 Each 

 carried his flint-lock, his tomahawk, and scalping- 

 knife. They marched in long files with scouts or 

 spies thrown out in front and on the flanks, while 

 axemen went in advance to clear a trail over which 

 they could drive the beef cattle, and the pack-horses, 

 laden with provisions, blankets, and ammunition. 

 They struck out straight through the trackless wil- 

 derness, making their road as they went, until on the 

 2 ist of the month 16 they reached the Kanawha, at 

 the mouth of Elk Creek. Here they halted to build 

 dug-out canoes; and about this time were over- 

 taken by the companies of Russell and Shelby. On 

 October ist 17 they started to descend the river in 

 twenty-seven canoes, a portion of the army march- 

 ing down along the Indian trail, which followed 

 the base of the hills, instead of the river bank, as 

 it was thus easier to cross the heads of the creeks 

 and ravines. 18 



15 Smyth's "Tour," II, p. 179. 



16 "Am. Archives," p. 1017. 



11 Do. Stewart says they reached the mouth of the Ka- 

 nawha on Oct. ist ; another account says Sept. aoth ; but this 

 is an error, as shown both by the "Am. Archives" and by the 

 Campbell MSS. 



18 Hale, 182. 



