Hasn't been done since November 1832...
Lewis and Clark's Expediton
"Beyond this frontier point the consumption of spirits falls into place as an orderly part of military protocol. The first Detachment Order issued
26 May 1804 after the river voyage had commenced defined how the ration was to be handled. According to this order, the men were assigned to messes, squads and places of duty on board; duties of the Sergeants were specific. Included among the duties of the sergeant at the center of the barge (a post "rotated" among the three sergeants) was command of the guard; he was also charged to "attend to the issues of sperituous liquors." Whiskey had also been previously prominent in earlier orders of the Expedition. For example, a large part of the very first Detachment Order, issued by Lewis at Camp Dubois on
20 February 1804, had been devoted to the ration. "No whiskey," Lewis ordered, "shall . . . be delivered from the contractor's store except for the legal ration and as appropriated by this order, unless otherwise directed by Captain Clark or myself." This order sets forth in detail a system of rewards of extra gills of whiskey each day to the sawyers and the blacksmiths during the days they labored at their tasks; the sugar producers were similarly awarded a half gill. Extra rations (or, better said, "extra shots"?) were also offered as incentives to excel in
rifle target practice. The order specified that the practicing party "will discharge only one round each per day . . . all at the same target and at the distance of fifty yards off hand. The prize of a gill of extra whiskey will be received by the person who makes the best show at each time of practice."
Aside from the above rewards, the issuance of extra portions of spirits during the first year accented special days or events, as well as relieved unusual strains and stresses among the party. Until the end of September 1804 (when the supply as noted above must have been considerably depleted) the extra distributions were in gills, on the following occasions:
Quote:
13 April 1804: Clark returned to Camp Dubois after several days absence. "I give out to the men Lead, Powder, & an extra gill of whiskey."
4 July 1804: Independence Day"we Closed the [day] by a Discharge from our bow piece, an extra gill of whiskey."
18 August 1804: Lewis's 30th birthday, also trial of Reed for desertion"the evening was Closed with an extra gill of whiskey & a Dance until 11 oClock."
