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A letter from geologist Augustus E. Jessup, written at Pittsburgh as he waited for the expedition party headed by Major Stephen H. Long to begin their trip to St. Louis and beyond. Dated April 25, 1819, Jessup details the trip from Philadelphia, including a nerve and body-wracking trip in the stage coach, along with Major Long, Titian Peale, and two officers. He actually walked the road from York to Gettysburg, arriving there two hours before the stage. Then he walked the 126 miles from Gettysburg to Chambersburg. He closed his letter, thinking they would leave Pittsburgh in a few hours. However, there were problems with the expedition's steamboat, the Western Engineer, that delayed their departure until early May. Jessup traveled with the party to St. Louis, then on to the Engineer Cantonment at Council Bluffs, where the expedition would winter with the troops stationed there. Long, however, decided to return to Philadelphia for the winter, and Jessup went with him. Jessup chose not to return to the expedition. 2 1/2 pages. Pittsburgh. April 25th, 1819. Respected Friend, Agreeable to my promise to you, I now sit down to commence a letter, which I trust will not come amiss. I called on your family several times previous to my leaving Philad.a, but wasn t fortunate enough to find you at home. Presuming that it will not be uninteresting either to you or your family, to hear some accounts of my journey, together with some observations relative to different establishments that I have visited since my arrival in this place; I shall proceed to the enumeration. I left Philad.a on March 19th in the stage in company with Maj. S. [Stephen] H. Long, Lieut.s [James D.] Graham and [William H.] Swift and Mr. [Titian] Peale. Our first day s journey (which was as far as York) was pleasant and easey [sic]. The roads were tolerable; but the company not very lively, as all excepting myself were usually nodding their heads being fast asleep. Of course we had not much conversation to beguile the tedious hours, and I had full, and uninterrupted leisure to examine the beauties of nature that every where appeared throughout the country I passed. I do not know how it is with others; but I invariably feel regret on leaving friends and places that I am attached to, especially when I am going some distance, and do not know what length of time I may be absent. These feelings being predominant when examining natures [sic] works, creates in the mind a melancholy pleasure. But I am digressing, and must proceed with the account of my journey. I took my seat in the stage from York to Gettysburgh, but had not proceeded more than one mile before I found I was in a very precarious situation; the road grew from that time, continually worse and worse, and had it not been that the ruts were cut as deep as to admit the wheels up to the hubs we should have been dashed to pieces more than an hundred times in less than four miles ride, and I could not stand it as it was; as the stage continually shook from one side to the other, and made me exceedingly sore. I therefore left the stage and proceeded on foot, every step I took was in mud and water from the depth of six inches to near two feet; notwithstanding the badness of the walking I arrived in Gettysburgh after a walk of twenty six miles, near two hours sooner than the stage. We all left Gettysburgh a little before sunset, and arrived in Chambersburgh about midnight. From Chambersburgh I walked without intermission one hundred and twenty miles; the roads being in general as bad as the one I gave a description of before. I was in the road six days from my leaving Philad.a until I reached this. The face of the country is in general level from Philad.a to near Chambersburgh, near this the hills commence, and the country puts on a rough and rugged appearance. From the top of some of these hills I enjoyed prospects more romantic, and beautiful than I had ever previously beheld. One in particular I cannot neglect.
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