Clark, William

an American general and explorer, в. in Va., 1770, and emigrated to Kentucky in 1784. In 1803 the U. States govt. organized an expedition to explore the vast region acquired by their recent purchase of Louisiana; and President Jefferson offered C. the rank of captain of engineers, and the joint command of the party, with Capt. Meri wether Lewis. The expedition left St. Louis in March, 1804; ascended the Mi ouri to its source; cro ed the Rocky Mountains; struck one of the upper branches of the Columbia, and descended that river to the Pacific Ocean. They returned in the autumn of 1806, having performed the most extensive and important exploration ever undertaken by the American govt. C.'s journal was published in 1814. С. was afterwards made superintendent of Indian Affairs, and p. in 1838. Clark, in Indiana, a township of Johnson co.; pop. 1,474. -A township of Montgomery co. -A township of Perry co.