Lewis and Clark Expedition
Small Arms, Personnel, and Miscellany
by Walt Walker
A 9 part series examining details of the men and their guns
Chapter 10: Homeward Bound
On August 15th, Colter was discharged from the corps with the captains’ blessing. He was furnished with powder and lead, but no rifle. The captains would not have given him his government rifle but would have put it back in the inventory. He might have received a gun from the two men with whom he partnered. Colter also might have been given the gun Lewis retrieved from the encounter with the young warriors. Either way, Colter would not receive a government gun.
Charbonneau and his family left the party at the Mandan Villages, but LePage went on to St. Louis. It has been stated before that he had no strong ties with the villages. He had lived with the Cheyenne and had only come to the villages in the late summer of 1804.
On the 17th August, two more of the largest canoes were converted into a catamaran to carry some chiefs and their families and an interpreter to St. Louis and on to Washington. Pryor, Willard, and Weiser were assigned to man this catamaran. The two small canoes held the best hunters, except for Drewyer and the third canoe is under Ordway's command. All of the rest of the enlisted hunters, except Gass, traveled in those three canoes. Gass commanded the catamaran Clark built on the Yellowstone. He had Hall, Howard, Potts, and Whitehouse on board. The Field brothers, Shannon, Shields, and Collins were the hunters in the two small canoes. Gibson and Bratton were in Ordway’s canoe as were Frazer and LePage. Two extra oarsmen picked up on the way were on Gass’s catamaran. On August 28th and 29th, Frazer and Bratton were ordered to collect some prairie dogs.
Excepting Gass, Cruzatte, and Ordway, the Field brothers, Collins, Shannon and Shields did most of the hunting on this leg. Pryor, Willard, Drewyer, and Labiche only hunted a little. The last day the hunters were sent out was the 18th of September.
Chapter 11: The Sprint
On September 20th, 1806, the catamaran Clark built on the Yellowstone was set adrift and its passengers distributed among the other vessels. The Corps arrived in the afternoon and spent the night in the village of LaCharrette. The next day, they arrived at St. Charles. On the 22nd they arrived at Fort Belle Fontaine.
On the 23rd, they arrived at St. Louis amid a boisterous welcome. Clark’s journal entries end on the 26th of September, 1806 with his writing the phrase, “a fine morning, we commenced wrighting &c”.
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Small Arms, Personnel, and Miscellany
by Walt Walker
A 9 part series examining details of the men and their guns
Chapter 10: Homeward Bound
On August 15th, Colter was discharged from the corps with the captains’ blessing. He was furnished with powder and lead, but no rifle. The captains would not have given him his government rifle but would have put it back in the inventory. He might have received a gun from the two men with whom he partnered. Colter also might have been given the gun Lewis retrieved from the encounter with the young warriors. Either way, Colter would not receive a government gun.
Charbonneau and his family left the party at the Mandan Villages, but LePage went on to St. Louis. It has been stated before that he had no strong ties with the villages. He had lived with the Cheyenne and had only come to the villages in the late summer of 1804.
On the 17th August, two more of the largest canoes were converted into a catamaran to carry some chiefs and their families and an interpreter to St. Louis and on to Washington. Pryor, Willard, and Weiser were assigned to man this catamaran. The two small canoes held the best hunters, except for Drewyer and the third canoe is under Ordway's command. All of the rest of the enlisted hunters, except Gass, traveled in those three canoes. Gass commanded the catamaran Clark built on the Yellowstone. He had Hall, Howard, Potts, and Whitehouse on board. The Field brothers, Shannon, Shields, and Collins were the hunters in the two small canoes. Gibson and Bratton were in Ordway’s canoe as were Frazer and LePage. Two extra oarsmen picked up on the way were on Gass’s catamaran. On August 28th and 29th, Frazer and Bratton were ordered to collect some prairie dogs.
Excepting Gass, Cruzatte, and Ordway, the Field brothers, Collins, Shannon and Shields did most of the hunting on this leg. Pryor, Willard, Drewyer, and Labiche only hunted a little. The last day the hunters were sent out was the 18th of September.
Chapter 11: The Sprint
On September 20th, 1806, the catamaran Clark built on the Yellowstone was set adrift and its passengers distributed among the other vessels. The Corps arrived in the afternoon and spent the night in the village of LaCharrette. The next day, they arrived at St. Charles. On the 22nd they arrived at Fort Belle Fontaine.
On the 23rd, they arrived at St. Louis amid a boisterous welcome. Clark’s journal entries end on the 26th of September, 1806 with his writing the phrase, “a fine morning, we commenced wrighting &c”.
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