Chapter 107: Lewis and Clark
Richmond, Virginia, the United States of America
August 1st, 1790
William Clark brushed off a bead of sweat from his brows and readjusted the straps of his oversized backpack as he walked through the city of Richmond. The capital of Virginia was bustling with human activity as farmers and traders sold crops and purchased goods due to the harvest season. Hundreds of new immigrants moved through the Virginia capital for work or to move west, as Virginia (along with Pennsylvania and Iroquois) was the gateway to Kentucky and other western territories. He also spotted a few Cherokees and Choctaws in the background, exchanging goods and tales with the locals. All in all, it was a fairly peaceful day in Richmond.
He was traveling through the Virginian capital to make his way north towards West Point. He returned back to his family farm in Lafayette, Kentucky (TTL's Louisville) for the early harvest season and was on his way back to the American military academy to continue his term there. His family was doing well without him, which stung a bit but was understandable. He had nine siblings, and all of them (even his older brothers) were assisting the farm to some degree or lived nearby. Thus, his trip back home was a welcoming one but not necessarily a needed one. After staying over for a good part of the summer, he struck out to return to New York and arrive in time for the new semester at West Point.
While he was making his way through Richmond, he decided to stop by the local general store to buy some additional provisions for his long trek north. While the roads were generally safe and paved (the first two presidents' efforts saw much infrastructure in the "important" states being improved), he expected the journey to take at least an additional two weeks. And he was taking a slight detour to New York City to link up with one of his seniors, Richard Arnold. The second child of Benedict Arnold was one of his mentors and a prominent officer in the making. Clark wanted to say that he befriended Richard for friendship. However, he would be lying if he said that was the only reason he befriended Arnold (Richard being the adopted son of the late president was one of many reasons that added to the friendship). Even so, the two were good friends, and he was stopping by Richard's house for a few days to rest for his final stretch to West Point.
After entering a nearby general store, an African American shopkeeper greeted him with a smile, "Welcom'! What you lookin' fo'?"
"A dozen or so dry biscuits, a dozen dried meats, and some rum and fruits if you have them." While he usually stopped by a town before sundown, he liked to sleep outdoors every other day to save money and enjoy the outdoors while he still could. As such, having dry food for backup was a necessity for him.
"Sur' thing suh! The biscuits be ova there, by the entrance. The meats ova by dat shelf. And some ol' fruits in dat box ova there. I'll get da rum from the back, you wai' here suh."
The man disappeared to the back to grab the rum, and Clark quickly met his way through the shop to buy the listed goods, along with a few extra things (mainly a book and an additional canteen). After he finished, he waited for the shopkeeper to come back, as it seemed like the African American man was busy with something in the back. While he was waiting, he skimmed through a newspaper that was shelved near the entrance and sighed. All was not peaceful in the United States. The famous North Carolina v Timothy Kim case sparked controversy around the nation. The jury declared Timothy guilty of inciting rebellion against the government and destruction of property. However, the jury recommended mercy, which resulted in the judge handing out a fifteen-year sentence to the veteran, with a chance of parole. This led to protests (thankfully peaceful ones) across the nation. Some people thought that he was being unfairly treated and the sentence was too long, while others thought that he should have gotten the noose.
Regardless of one's stance on slavery, the issue was divisive and incited frustration in the populace (who believed that this court case, along with the New York court case regarding sodomy, discredited the judicial branch). Clark always heard about the "good old days" under President Kim, when the nation was stable and united, and wondered if the nation would have been in a better state if he was still president (he did live under the Kim presidency, but that was before he was an adult). Even with the unrest and controversy, he had to give it to President Jefferson. He worked hard to bring order to the nation again, occurring frequently in public, and hailed the judicial branch as an independent, fair branch of government, separate from the populace's mood swings. Despite the controversies surrounding the court case, he was getting things done due to the Republican Party's alliance with the Democrat Party (an alliance of rural voters) in Congress. The Whig Party and the Unionist Party were acting as the opposition, though the Republican-Democrat alliance had a majority. President Jefferson introduced criminal reforms (focusing on rehabilitation of criminals), infrastructure expansion out west, and allowing the states to maintain greater autonomy as long as they were not actively hostile to the federal laws (President Jefferson was keen on keeping the states in line and united). He was either popular or hated, but he looked suitable enough for re-election in two years. The Congressional elections this year would be the ultimate obstacle, as the Unionists and the Whigs were challenging the Republican-Democrat majority and seeking to capture a majority in Congress. He hoped the Democratic Party won back in his home state of Kentucky, or at least the Unionists. While the Republicans were decent, it felt like they were focusing too much on the east coast rather than the western states.
Suddenly, a young adult rushed into the shop and nearly knocked Clark over. Thankfully, due to Clark's sturdy frame, the young man toppled over instead. Clark put down the newspaper he was reading and held out a hand for the man to take, "Sorry about that."
As he looked closer at the man, who accepted his hand readily, he realized that the "man" was an older teen. The teen was very tall and in good health. When the teen saw his uniform (he always wore his uniform and had a spare in his backpack for convenience), the boy awkwardly saluted, "My bad, sir!"
"I'm still a cadet at West Point; no need to call me sir," Clark chuckled, "What was the rush?"
"I was checking if Joseph had the book that I requested ready. By the way, I'm Meriwether Lewis, but just call me Lewis."
Lewis politely held out his hand for the officer candidate to shake, and Clark shook it firmly, "William, William Clark. I'm attending West Point Military Academy."
"That's amazing!"
At this time, the shopkeeper (who Clark discerned to be "Joseph") walked out of the backroom with several canteens of rum. He spotted Lewis and gave him a wide grin, "Heya, Lewis! Lemme getcha book after I help da man."
The total of all the items the West Point attendee bought came out to two dollars and ninety-six cents. After fishing over five Eagles, a quarter, two dimes, and a penny to the shopkeeper, he started walking out the door when he spotted the title of the book Lewis was buying.
"Here ya go, da "Kim's Memoir of the Revolutionary War." That be a quarter."
Lewis handed a quarter to Tom and held out his book excitedly. Clark gave the teen a knowing smile, "It's a good read. The president certainly has a way with words in his memoir, every event seems so vivid. I almost imagined I was at the Battle of Quebec City or the Battle of Charleston while reading the book."
"You read it before?" Lewis asked bewildered.
"Of course. It's one of the books in the curriculum back at West Point. After all, the book contains details about the major battles that President Kim fought. Some of my friends back at West Point adore the book. In fact, a few of my instructors are veterans that fought in the war and told me their stories."
The teen shifted his feet uncomfortably, "Do you mind if I ask to hear some of those stories? I've always been interested in the topic."
Clark rubbed his chin. He supposed he could kill a few hours at the local tavern with Lewis to talk about the stories he heard and his own experience. "Sure. Do you know any decent taverns around there? We can drink a bit while we're talking."
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