|
|
“NINE YOUNG MEN FROM KENTUCKY”
(You are here)
Meriwether
Lewis set out to find the best possible men he could and
recruit them to join his expedition. The criteria for
the positions were no easy things to come by, the men
were expected to be excellent hunters with a variety of
skills that would ensure their survival in the
wilderness. They must be brave, unwed, and undeniably
healthy.
William
Clark was put in charge of actually recruiting the men
to meet Lewis’ criteria and went Louisville and
Clarksville to do so. Over one third of the party’s
permanent members were from that surrounding area and it
is believed that as many as half of the expedition
members were Kentuckians or had close Kentuckiana ties,
these men became known as the “Nine Young Men from
Kentucky”.
These men
were chosen to be an integral part of a crucial journey,
where their footsteps and triumphs would forever change
and create history, making every single one of them
legends and heroes for generations to come.
Charles Floyd, Sergeant
Floyd County, Indiana bears the name of this man because of the
work he did while traveling with Lewis and Clark on their
expedition. While Floyd was born in Kentucky, some time
afterwards his family decided to move to Clarksville, Indiana.
At the young age of 18 he was named the first constable of
Clarksville Township, and enlisted into the army on August 1,
1803. Floyd was the first member to join the expedition,
however, he also became the first and only member to die during
the expedition, the cause being none other than what Lewis and
Clark described as “bilious cholic” which is presently known
today as a ruptured appendix. He is best known for his detailed,
factual journals concerning land quality and soil conditions.
Floyd was buried in Sioux City, Iowa close to the spot where he
died in August 20 1804. His gravesite consists of a
100-foot
high sandstone masonry obelisk, which was dedicated to him on
Memorial Day in 1901. It is the second largest in size, the
Washington Monument being the first.
John
Ordway, Sergeant
Born and raised in New Hampshire, John Ordway was responsible
for providing a detailed account and descriptions about Native
American life, which has proven to be invaluable to history.
Ordway was considered to be one of the few well-educated men
that served in the expedition. Not only did Ordway provide us
with a historical account of Native American life, but during
the expedition he was responsible for tasks such as issuing
provisions, commanding the group while Lewis and Clark were
away, keeping all records, and appointing guard duties.
Nathaniel Pryor, Sergeant
When Lewis began his expedition it was decided that only
unmarried men would be allowed to enlist. However, Nathaniel
Pryor became the only exception to this rule. Pryor enlisted on
October 20, 1803 and became a sergeant and part of the Permanent
Party on April 1, 1804. His duty was to serve on the keelboat,
which was to be manned by all members of the Permanent Party as
well as assume the roles of army administration. Pryor was
described as a man of impeccable character with the ability to
accomplish anything.
William Bratton, Private
Born in Virginia but raised in Kentucky, William Bratton is
considered one of the “Nine Young Men from Kentucky”. Bratton
became a member of the Lewis and Clark expedition on October 20,
1803 and became one of the most vital members of the team. He
was not only a superb woodsman and hunter, but he was most
useful as a blacksmith and an even better gunsmith. His talents
were limitless and he was a true asset to the expedition. After
the expedition Bratton served in the War of 1812, and moved from
Kentucky, to Missouri, to Ohio before finally settling down with
his wife in Waynetown, Indiana. In June of 1824 he was chosen to
be the first justice of peace in Wayne Township and became the
first superintendent of schools in section 16T 20N R6 only a few
months later. He was pronounced dead on November 11, 1841 at the
age of 63.
John Colter, Private
Born near Staunton, Virginia in 1774 John Colter then moved at
the young age of five to Maysville, Kentucky where he was
raised. He enlisted on October 15, 1803 and was selected by
Lewis to join the expedition because of his remarkable hunting
skills and later became a part of the Permanent Party.
Joseph and Reuben Field, Privates
Reuben Field was born in 1772 in Culpepper County, Virginia,
while his brother Joseph was born two years later in 1774,
however, their family quickly moved to Kentucky where the boys
were to be raised. They enlisted on August 1, 1803 and became
the earliest members to join the expedition. Both men were
skilled woodsmen and hunters and often accompanied one another
in every duty, building a lasting relationship of confidence and
loyalty.
George Gibson, Private
George Gibson, who enlisted on October 26, 1803, offered a
variety of expertise to the expedition members, like others he
was a skilled hunter and an experienced woodsman. However,
Gibson was one of the two fiddle players in the expedition and
also possessed sign language skills.
George
Shannon, Private
In 1787 George Shannon was born, a relative to Governor Shannon
of Kentucky and of Irish-Protestant descent. During a visit to
Pittsburgh he had a chance meeting with Lewis who was patiently
waiting for the completion of the keelboat that was to be used
on his expedition. Shortly afterwards Shannon enlisted on
October 19, 1803 and became one of the “Nine Young Men from
Kentucky” and the
youngest member of the expedition. He was
selected to be a member of the Permanent Party and was sent to
Camp Dubois.
John Shields, Private
Born in 1769 in Harrisonberg, Virginia John Shields at the age
of 34 was recruited by Lewis and enlisted on October 19, 1803
becoming the expeditions oldest enlisted member. Shields
possessed immaculate
blacksmith, gunsmith, huntsmen, and
craftsmanship skills, he was also a general mechanic. The
success Shields had with all of these things were astonishing,
there are over 70 references in journals made about Shields’
success with hunting. A year after the expedition, he spent a
year with a close relative, Daniel Boone. Shields finally
settled in near the Falls of the Ohio in Corydon and it is
believed that he was a member of the Squire Boone Party that
moved there. He resides in Little Flock Cemetery in Harrison
County, having died in November of 1809.
York,
Body Servant
York, according to history has proven to be much, much more than
a slave. Born in Caroline County, Virginia York was chosen to be
William Clark’s servant at the age of 11 moving from place to
place with the entire Clark family. York became the first
African-American to cross the United States from coast to coast
and the first African-American to cross the North American
continent north of Mexico. After the expedition York was forced
to return to life as a slave, but was granted freedom in 1815
when he was 42 years of age. Afterwards, he was in charge of
freight operations, however, when the business failed he decided
to travel. He died in Tennessee shortly after before ever having
the chance to travel, and it is rumored that he lived the last
few years of his life with the Crow Indians in the Rocky
mountains.
Seaman
Seaman was a black,
Newfoundland dog that was owned by Lewis. He
accompanied Lewis and Clark during the expedition and it is
believed that he survived the entire trip and was the only
animal to accompany the men. Lewis described Seaman as extremely
active, docile, and strong. Seaman was a remarkable hunter and
killed everything from swimming squirrels to pronghorn antelopes
attempting to cross the river. Not only did he hunt but Seaman
was an incredible watchdog who fought away a buffalo and a bear
in the middle of the night, who both posed serious threats to
the expedition if they were caught off guard. |
|
