Charles Floyd, Much Lamented

harles Floyd, born in Kentucky in 1782, was a cousin of another expedition member, Sergeant Nathaniel Pryor, and possibly was also related to William Clark. On August 11, 1803, he enlisted in the Corps of Discovery directly from civilian life. During the winter of 1803-04, Clark systematically groomed him as a soldier. On 20 February Lewis placed him in charge of the officer's quarters during their absences in St. Louis, and added: "the commanding Officer hopes that this proof of his confidence will be justifyed by the rigid performance of the orders given him on that subject." He was promoted to the rank of sergeant on 1 April 1804.

Floyd began his journal on May 14, 1804, the day of the Corps' departure from Camp Dubois, and faithfully entered his brief, often fragmentary, but pointed memoranda. His phonetic spelling sometimes rivalled Clark's in originality, colored as it was by his own rural dialect: "Thursday august 16th Capt Lewis and 12 of his men went to the Creek a fishen Caut 709 fish Differnt Coindes."

Plaster cast of the skull of Sergeant Charles Floyd1

On July 30 Clark noted that Sergeant Floyd was "verry unwell a bad Cold & c," and the next day Floyd himself admitted, "I am verry Sick and Has ben for Somtime but have Recoverd my helth again." Meanwhile, the captains were preoccupied with the pursuit and punishment of Private Moses Reed, and diplomatic relations with the Oto Indians. On August 18th Floyd wrote his last entry, noting that "the Grand Chief of the ottoes" had arrived in camp. That same day, Clark reported that Floyd was "dangerously ill," and that "every man is attentive to him," principally York. Shortly after noon on the 20th, Floyd asked Clark to write a letter for him, but within moments died "with a great deal of composure."

Today it is generally conceded that the reported symptoms indicate he suffered a ruptured appendix, with resultant peritonitis. The captains did everything they were capable of, but even the best medical care of that day would have been futile.

"We carried him to the top of a bluff," Clark wrote, "below a small river to which we gave his name and he was buried with the honors of war, much lamented." Lewis read the funeral service, and the men placed over the grave a cedar post bearing the sergeant's name and the date of his death.

On August 22 the men elected Patrick Gass, originally a private in Floyd's squad, to assume Floyd's rank and responsibilities.

On the expedition's return from the mouth of the Columbia River in early September of 1806, the men paused to visit Floyd's grave and found it had been partly uncovered. They refilled it and replaced the fallen cedar marker. Clark later told editor Nicholas Biddle that a Sioux chief had placed the body of his own dead son beside Floyd's, "for the purpose of accompanying him to the other world believing the white man's future state was happier than that of the Savages."

Site of Sergeant Floyd's grave in 1895. This (third) gravesite was between the two posts at lower right.2

In his January 7, 1807, report to Secretary of War Henry Dearborn, Lewis stated that Floyd was

a young man of much merit. His father, who now resides in Kentucky, is a man much rispected, tho' possessed of but modernate wealth. As the son has lost his life while on this service, I consider hes father entitled to some gratuity, in consideration of his loss, and also, that the deceased being noticed in this way, will be a tribute but justly due to his merit.

Charles was entitled to $86,33-1/3 cents for one year's service (August 1803-August 1804); his sister sold his land warrant for $640.

--Joseph Mussulman; rev/01/04

1. Olin D. Wheeler, The Trail of Lewis and Clark, 1804-1904 (New York: G. P. Putnam's Sons, 1904), 84.

2. Ibid., 87. The original photo is in the collection of the Filson Club Historical Society, Louisville, Kentucky.

Funded in part by a grant from the National Park Service, Challenge-Cost Share Program.