Along with expedition leaders Meriwether Lewis and William Clark, was the corps of discovery, a specialty established unit of the United States Army. It was a diverse group. Many had previously served in the army, and a handful had valuable experience as boatmen. But only one, perhaps the most unique of the lot, was called Seaman.
The Reconquista, or Christian reconquest of Iberia, took nearly 800 years. The fighting did not come without great attempts by Muslim powers across the strait trying to reestablish their presence in mainland Europe. The last gasp of that effort came in the 1330s, when the powerful Marinid sultanate of what is modern Morocco invaded in an attempt to reverse Christian gains and secure the perilous position of the Sultanate of Granada.