History of Early Steamboat Navigation on the Missouri River, Volume 2 (of 2) Life and Adventures of Joseph La Barge — Reading Notes

Campaigns and River Crossings

The military chapters (XXI, XXXI–XXXII) reveal a pattern: army columns march overland while steamboats carry supplies to rendezvous points. In Sully's 1864 campaign, the general sends his steamers around to meet him at the Brasseau Houses on the Yellowstone, while he leads a wagon train through the Bad Lands. Chittenden notes the peril of fording the Missouri and the wreck of a steamer carrying materials for a new post. This juxtaposition of land and water routes becomes a structural motif, highlighting the steamboat's role as a mobile supply depot.

The River as Obstacle and Highway

Chittenden repeatedly emphasizes the Missouri's physical challenges. The text describes snag removal operations and the river's tendency to shift course, illustrated by the frontispiece map and plates showing steamboats at bank and wrecked vessels. In the account of the 1864 campaign, the Yellowstone is forded "with much peril," and the Bad Lands crossing is called "perilous." These details reinforce the river as both a vital artery and a constant threat, a duality that shapes the narrative's tension.

La Barge's Later Voyages

Chapters XXIV–XXIX follow La Barge's opposition ventures and his travels to Montana and Washington. The structure shifts between river journeys and political lobbying, suggesting the captain's dual role as navigator and advocate. Chittenden includes specific incidents—the Tobacco Garden Massacre (Chapter XXV) and the Blackfoot Annuities affair (Chapter XXVI)—that illustrate the intersection of commerce, Indian policy, and military force. These episodes are presented as case studies in the challenges of frontier enterprise.

The Steamboat's Military Role

Chapter XXXII, "The Steamboat in the Indian Wars," explicitly analyzes the vessel's tactical functions. Chittenden describes how steamers transported troops, supplies, and materials for new posts, and how their loss could derail campaigns. The wreck of a steamer with most of its material prevents construction of a Yellowstone post. This chapter, along with the earlier campaign narratives, positions the steamboat as a critical but vulnerable component of military logistics, subject to the same hazards as the soldiers it supported.

Readers will find that Chittenden's method—alternating between La Barge's personal story and broader historical currents—requires attention to the interplay of scales. The index, covering both volumes, helps track recurring figures and places. Pay particular attention to the illustrations: the map, steamboat views, and wreck images are not decorative but integral to understanding the river's physical demands.

Reading of La Barge watching the river's snags and wrecks pile up, I felt that quiet ache of watching something beloved change. It reminded me of another kind of institutional memory, the careful preserving of early scientific hopes in The Royal Institution: Its Founder and First Professors — Reading Notes. Both are records of beginnings, haunted by what time does to them.