08/14/2026
By early August 1806, Meriwether Lewis probably thought, “It’s all downhill from here...about the only challenge will be slipping past the Lakota Sioux.”
But on August 12, as he lay on his stomach in the pirogue, he would have realized risk and danger are never far away on such a journey. The day before he had been wounded in the buttocks with a .54-calibar ball leaving a three-inch gash.
Here’s what happened. In the morning hours of Monday, east of today’s Williston, North Dakota, Lewis and Private Pierre Cruzatte noticed several elk in thick willows not far from the Missouri River. Lewis shot one and Cruzatte wounded another. After they reloaded, both men moved deeper into the thicket.
It should be remembered that Cruzatte, who spoke French, Omaha, English, and possibly a few other languages, was skilled at river navigation, and was talented as a fiddle player. But he had only one “good” eye, and that wasn’t saying much since he was significantly near-sighted.
Just when Lewis was about to fire upon another elk, he was hit by a rifle shot, which spun him around. At first, Lewis thought he had been shot by an Indian. But he later came to realize it was Cruzatte who fired at him, probably believing Lewis was an elk (after all, he was wearing brown leather clothing).
Once back near the river, Patrick Gass helped Lewis get out of his clothes and the captain dressed the wounds himself as best as he could. The next day, Lewis’ party caught up with Clark’s group and that evening Clark washed the wounds, (most likely with river water that had not been boiled).
Ten days later, Lewis was again taking a few steps and the wounds were healing well. He overdid it several times, with minor setbacks, but by September 9 near the mouth of the Platte River, Clark wrote, “My worthy friend Cap Lewis has entirely recovered his wounds are heeled up and he Can walk and even run nearly as well as ever he Could.”
Moral of the story: never hunt in thick willows, wearing brown leather clothing, with a companion who is nearly blind.
Image: Looking south down Lake Sakakawea above New Town, North Dakota. The believed camp site where Lewis and Clark reunited on August 12, 1806, would be approximately 10 river miles south of the Four Bears Memorial Bridge (ND Highway 23). NPS Photo / K. Schlawin
Image Description: Viewpoint is high on a hill overlooking the bridge. Green grass-covered hills are in the foreground, and Lake Sakakawea stretches into the distance.
