The first detailed account of the Lewis and Clark expedition to be published, and because of the untimely death of Meriwether Lewis, the only one to be available to the public for seven years. Wagner-Camp notes that "Although he had not learned to read and write until an adult, Gass nonetheless complied with Lewis's orders that each sergeant keep a daily journal... Gass became one of the best-known members of the expedition for several reasons: his key role as sergeant brought his name up frequently in the journals of Lewis and Clark; his account was the first to be published; he was the first to have a biography written about him; and finally, he outlived the other members of the Corps of Discovery by decades, dying at the age of ninety-nine in 1870." A carpenter by trade, Gass helped build Forts Mandan and Clatsop, and provides valuable commentary on these activities. This copy with early ownership signature. Graff 2526; Howes G77; Sabin 26741; Wagner-Camp 6:1.