ABSTRACT
The original goal of the Missouri expedition, was to locate troops near the mouth of the Yellowstone River in Montana, or, if that proved too difficult, to get the soldiers at least as far as the Mandan Indian villages in central North Dakota. There were several major areas of responsibility which the army had toward the Missouri Valley Indians. In 1818 Secretary of War Calhoun urged that a mature officer be chosen to lead the Missouri expedition. The army's undistinguished record in the Missouri Valley raises questions about military competence in dealing with Indians elsewhere throughout the nineteenth century. Frontier and military historians have placed increased emphasis upon the contributions of the United States Army to the westward movement. In addition to assuring American dominance over the Indians, the army penetration of the Missouri Valley was supposed to "capture" the region and its Indian inhabitants for American fur traders.
