Secretary to Jefferson

In February of the following year he was invited by newly elected Thomas Jefferson to become his private secretary and aide-de-camp (Lewis p. 16). It is during his service as private secretary to Jefferson that Meriwether Lewis is believed to have been preparing for the journey west along with the president. By this time Lewis had served in a variety of positions in the army including land surveyor and as a quartermaster. These skills along with the skills he had learned growing up in Albemarle and Georgia made him an ideal candidate to explore the new America. After appointing his team, including William Clark, Meriwether Lewis took the first step on his journey west in 1802 by forming the Corps of Discovery.