Press Releases
"The 1803 Corps of Discovery, an Army expedition under the command of Captain Merriwether Lewis and William Clark, embarked on a four year journey at the direction of President Thomas Jefferson to explore the newly acquired Louisiana Purchase. Along the way, Lewis carried a unique weapon, a .46 caliber air rifle that fired without using gunpowder and made almost no sound. This military technology was beyond comprehension to the Indian tribes that the Corps of Discovery encountered, and became a symbol of 'powerful magic.' Impressive firing demonstrations of the weapon created great respect for the travelers and significantly contributed to the ultimate success of the expedition. Over time the Lewis and Clark air rifle became one of the more mythic weapons in American military history.
After the expedition the air rifle was last recorded as part of a Philadelphia estate in 1847 before disappearing from the pages of history. Recent forensic examination of an Austrian Girandoni air rifle owned for over 30 years by Dr. Robert Beeman and his wife Toshiko, founders of Beeman Precision Air Guns, revealed that this rifle perfectly matched the damage and repairs to Captain Lewis's weapon as recorded in the journals of the expedition. Thus, a significant historical military weapon finally reemerged.
Now, 200 years after the Corps of Discovery's voyage, the Beemans have donated the original Lewis and Clark air gun to the Army Heritage Center Foundation. Dr. and Mrs. Beeman and Mike Perry, Executive Director of the Army Heritage Center Foundation, signed the deed of gift during a formal donation ceremony held at the Army Heritage and Education Center in Carlisle, Pennsylvania, on September 25, 2006. 'We are indeed fortunate and proud to accept this gift,' said Perry. 'Dr. Beeman has recognized that this unique gun is of great historical significance to the Army.'
Dr. Beeman previously loans the Girandoni to the Army Heritage and Education Center for a May-November 2005 exhibit. Impressed by the planned facilities at the Center and its capabilities to showcase the Lewis and Clark gun, the Beemans recently decided to donate the weapon to the Army Heritage Center Foundation for permanent display in Carlisle.
The Army Heritage Center Foundation, a not-for-profit corporation, is a member of the public-private partnership created to fund and support the construction and endowment of the Army Heritage and Education Center. The Center comprises the Military History Institute and Army Heritage Trail, both now open to the public, as well as the planned Visitor and Education Center and the Army Heritage Museum. The Foundation's Voices of the Past Speak to the Future Campaign invites the contributions of organizations and citizens interested in supporting this Army initiative to honor American Soldiers."