Day-by-Day / August 20, 1804

August 20, 1804

Burying Sgt. Floyd

Sioux City, IA Clark spends most of the night attending to Sergeant Floyd who is gravely ill. The expedition leaves Fish Camp, but soon stops near present-day Sioux City, Iowa to intern Sergeant Floyd with a full military ceremony. The former Spanish governor of Louisiana reports on several American expeditions in contested Spanish territory.

Sergeant Floyd’s Grave

Body wrapped in canvas and laying in a grave

© 2011 by Kristopher K. Townsend. Permission to use granted under the Creative Commons Attribution-Share Alike 4.0 International license.

Sergeant Floyd Dies[1]Originally aired weekdays by Yellowstone Public Radio during the Bicentennial observance of 2003-2006. Narrated by Hal Hansen. Scripts by Whit Hansen and Ed Jacobson. Produced by Leni Holliman. © … Continue reading

Rough Night

I am Dull & heavy been up the greater Part of last night with Serjt. Floyd, who is a[s] bad as he can be to live the [motion?] of his bowels having changed &c. &c. is the Cause of his violent attack &c. &c.
—William Clark

Floyd’s Death

we Came to [to] make a warm bath for Sergt. Floyd hopeing it would brace him a little, before we could get him in to this bath he expired, with a great deel of composure
—William Clark

Related: Charles Floyd | Floyd’s Monument by Air

Floyd’s Burial

we buried him with all the honors of War, and fixed a Ceeder post at his head with his name title & Day of the month and year Capt Lewis read the funeral Service over him after paying everry respect to the Body of this desceased man
—William Clark

Related: Sgt. Floyd’s Burial | Sgt. Floyd’s Memorials | Divine Encounters

Salcedo’s Report

In an unsigned draft letter to the Commandant General of [Spanish] Interior Provinces, Juan Manuel de Salcedo reports on several American expeditions and warns they will take away the trade with the Native Nations.

New Orleans, August 20, 1804

Most Excellent Sir:

. . . it is almost eight months since the United States of America took possession of this province . . . . with great activity and care they are sending expeditions to the Upper Mississippi, Missouri, Arkansas and Red Rivers in order to reconnoitre their sources and courses, examine the lands, and attract and conciliate the Indian nations to them, which with study and with cautious skill they will separate from our friendship with their extended trade and presents.

. . . . .

May God keep, etc.[2]Salcedo to Cevallos, New Orleans, August 20, 1804 in Before Lewis and Clark: Documents Illustrating the History of the Missouri 1785–1804, ed. A. P. Nasatir, Bison Books edition. (Lincoln: … Continue reading

The expeditions referred to were Lewis and Clark (Missouri), Zebulon Pike (Mississippi), Freeman and Custis (Red), and Hunter and Dunbar (Ouachita tributary of the Red River). James B. Wilkinson, the son of James Wilkinson, would detach from Pike’s second expedition to explore the Arkansas River.[3]Jay H. Buckley, “Exploring the Louisiana Purchase and Its Borderlands, Parts One and Two,” August 2020 and February 2021, Vol. 46 No. 3 and Vol.47 No. 1. Both are available at our sister … Continue reading See also Spanish Opposition.

 
logo: Lewis and Clark National Historic Trail logo: National Park Service

The Sergeant Floyd Monument is a High Potential Historic Site along the Lewis and Clark National Historic Trail managed by the U.S. National Park Service. The site is managed by the Sioux City Museum.

 
 

Notes

Notes
↑1 Originally aired weekdays by Yellowstone Public Radio during the Bicentennial observance of 2003-2006. Narrated by Hal Hansen. Scripts by Whit Hansen and Ed Jacobson. Produced by Leni Holliman. © 2003 by Yellowstone Public Radio.
↑2 Salcedo to Cevallos, New Orleans, August 20, 1804 in Before Lewis and Clark: Documents Illustrating the History of the Missouri 1785–1804, ed. A. P. Nasatir, Bison Books edition. (Lincoln: University of Nebraska Press, 1990), 745,749–50.
↑3 Jay H. Buckley, “Exploring the Louisiana Purchase and Its Borderlands, Parts One and Two,” August 2020 and February 2021, Vol. 46 No. 3 and Vol.47 No. 1. Both are available at our sister site: https://lewisandclark.org/wpo/pdf/vol47no1.pdf#page=14 and https://lewisandclark.org/wpo/pdf/vol46no3.pdf#page=13.

Discover More

  • The Lewis and Clark Expedition: Day by Day by Gary E. Moulton (University of Nebraska Press, 2018). The story in prose, 14 May 1804–23 September 1806.
  • The Lewis and Clark Journals: An American Epic of Discovery (abridged) by Gary E. Moulton (University of Nebraska Press, 2003). Selected journal excerpts, 14 May 1804–23 September 1806.
  • The Lewis and Clark Journals. by Gary E. Moulton (University of Nebraska Press, 1983–2001). The complete story in 13 volumes.

This page was funded in part by the Lewis and Clark National Historic Trail, U.S. National Park Service.

This site is provided as a public service by the
Logo: Lewis & Clark Trail Heritage Foundation
Lewis and Clark Trail Heritage Foundation
with cooperation and funding from the following organizations:

Unless otherwise noted, journal excerpts are from The Journals of the Lewis and Clark Expedition, edited by Gary E. Moulton, 13 vols. (Lincoln: University of Nebraska Press, 1983-2001).