The Men of the Corps of Discovery
The "nine young men from Kentucky"

After William Clark had agreed to join the expedition, Lewis wrote to him that "It shall be my duty to find out and engage some good hunters, stout, healthy, unmarried, accustomed to the woods and capable of bearing bodily fatigue to a considerable degree; should any young men answering this description be found in your neighborhood I would thank you to give information of them on my arrival at the falls of the Ohio; and if possible learn the probability of their engaging in this service . . ."

Charles Floyd
Sergeant - Enlisted on August 1, 1803
Born in Kentucky, Floyd was one of the first members to the expedition. Floyd kept a factual journal concerning land quality and soil conditions. On August 20, 1804, Floyd became the only member to die during the expedition. Diagnosed by Lewis & Clark as having "bilious cholic" which medical historians have concluded was a ruptured appendix. At his grave site in present Sioux City, Iowa, a 100 foot high sandstone masonry obelisk, second in size only to the Washington Monument, was dedicated in fitting ceremonies on Memorial Day 1901.

Nathaniel Pryor
Sergeant - Enlisted on October 20, 1803
Pryor had taken a wife in 1798, and was an exception to the recruiting stipulation that only unmarried men would be enlisted. On April l, 1804, Pryor was appointed sergeant and became part of the Permanent Party. When the expedition departed Camp DuBois on May 14, 1804, crews had been assigned to each of the three vessels. The keelboat would be manned primarily by members of the Permanent Party. Both pirogues were manned by French watermen who would go only to Fort Mandan, where they would winter and return downriver on the keelboat the following spring. Considered "a man of character and ability," Pryor often was assigned responsibilities of army administration.

William Bratton
Private
Born in Virginia, Bratton’s family migrated to Kentucky around 1790, qualifying him as one of the "nine young men from Kentucky." Considered an excellent woodsman and hunter, he also apprenticed as a blacksmith and was an excellent gunsmith which made him a useful member to the expedition.

John Colter
Private - Enlisted on October l5, 1803
Colter was born about 1774, near Staunton, Virginia. When he was about five years old, his parents moved to Maysville, Kentucky. A fine hunter he was recruited by Lewis at Maysville and later became part of the Permanent Party.

Joseph and Reuben Field
Privates - Enlisted on August l, 1803
Reuben was born about 1772, and his brother, Joseph, about 1774, both in Culpepper County, Virginia. The brothers may have been known to Captain Lewis before their enlistment and were two of the earliest to join the expedition. Raised in Kentucky, both were excellent woodsmen and hunters, and usually accompanied one or the other of the captains in every duty of advance scouting requiring trust and dependability.

George Gibson
Private - Enlisted on October 26, 1803
Born in Pennsylvania. In addition to being an experienced woodsman and a good hunter, Gibson was one of two fiddle players among the explorers and he had some sign language skills.

George Shannon
Private - Enlisted on October l9, 1803
Born in Pennsylvania in 1787, of Irish-Protestant ancestry. A relative of Governor Shannon of Kentucky, George was sent to live with his mother’s family while he was attending school. During a visit to Pittsburgh he met Captain Lewis, who was awaiting the completion of the keelboat to be used on the expedition. A short while later Shannon enlisted as one of the "Nine young men from Kentucky" at Louisville. Despite being the youngest member of the expedition he was selected to the Permanent Party at the Camp DuBois.

John Shields
Private - Enlisted on October l9, 1803
Born in 1769 near Harrisonberg, Virginia. Despite the rule that only unmarried men would be considered for the expedition, Shields was recruited at Louisville by Lewis. Shields was a blacksmith, gunsmith, and general mechanic.