Gun and Horse thievery in 1806 – Lewis and Clark Commemorative Silver Dollar Coin

Today, the Lewis and Clark Commemorative Silver Dollar Coin remembers the camp 210 years ago and the Indians’ attempt at gun and horse theft.

From the Original Journals of the Lewis and Clark Expedition, 1804-1806, Volume 5, published in 1904, Captain Meriwether Lewis’s own words (edited for modern spelling):

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July 27, 1806. Sunday.

This morning at daylight the Indians got up and crowded around the fire, J. Fields who was on post had carelessly laid his gun down behind him near where his brother was sleeping.

One of the Indians, the fellow to whom I had given the medal last evening, slipped behind him and took his gun and that of his brother unperceived by him, at the same instant two others advanced and seized the guns of Drewyer and myself.

Fields seeing this turned about to look for his gun and saw the fellow just running off with her and his brother’s. He called to his brother who instantly jumped up and pursued the Indian with him whom they overtook at the distance of 50 or 60 paces from the camp.

Seized their guns and arrested them from him and R. Fields as he seized his gun stabbed the Indian to the heart with his knife. The fellow ran about 15 steps and fell dead; of this I did not know until afterwards.

Having recovered their guns they ran back instantly to the camp.

Drewyer who was awake saw the Indian take hold of his gun and instantly jumped up and seized her and arrested her from him but the Indian still retained his pouch, his jumping up and crying damn you let go my gun awakened me.

I jumped up and asked what was the matter which I quickly learned when I saw Drewyer in a scuffle with the Indian for his gun.

I reached to seize my gun but found her gone, I then drew a pistol from my holster and turning myself about saw the Indian making off with my gun.

I ran at him with my pistol and bid him lay down my gun which he was in the act of doing when the Fieldses returned and drew up their guns to shoot him which I forbid as he did not appear to be about to make any resistance or commit any offensive act.

He dropped the gun and walked slowly off. I picked her up instantly.

Drewyer having about this time recovered his gun and pouch asked me if he might not kill the fellow which I also forbid as the Indian did not appear to wish to kill us.

As soon as they found us all in possession of our arms they ran and endeavored to drive off all the horses.

I now hollered to the men and told them to fire on them if they attempted to drive off our horses. They accordingly pursued the main party who were driving the horses up the river and I pursued the man who had taken my gun who with another was driving off a part of the horses which were to the left of the camp.

I pursued them so closely that they could not take twelve of their own horses but continued to drive one of mine with some others.

At the distance of three hundred paces they entered one of those steep niches in the bluff with the horses before them.

Being nearly out of breath I could pursue no further. I called to them as I had done several times before that I would shoot them if they did not give me my horse and raised my gun.

One of them jumped behind a rock and spoke to the other who turned around and stopped at the distance of 30 steps from me and I shot him through the belly.

He fell to his knees and on his right elbow from which position he partly raised himself up and fired at me, and turning himself about crawled in behind a rock which was a few feet from him.

He overshot me, being bareheaded I felt the wind of his bullet very distinctly.

Not having my shot pouch I could not reload my piece and as there were two of them behind good shelters from me I did not think it prudent to rush on them with my pistol which had I discharged.

I had not the means of reloading until I reached camp. I therefore returned leisurely towards camp.

On my way I met with Drewyer who having heard the report of the guns had returned in search of me and left the Fieldes to pursue the Indians.

I desired him to hasten to the camp with me and assist in catching as many of the Indian horses as were necessary and to call to the Fieldes, if he could make them hear, to come back that we still had a sufficient number of horses.

This he did but they were too far to hear him.

We reached the camp and began to catch the horses and saddle them and put on the packs.

The reason I had not my pouch with me was that I had not time to return about 50 yards to camp after getting my gun before I was obliged to pursue the Indians or suffer them to collect and drive off all the horses.

We had caught and saddled the horses and began to arrange the packs when the Fieldses returned with four of our horses.

We left one of our horses and took four of the best of those of the Indian’s.

While the men were preparing the horses I put four shields and two bows and quivers of arrows, which had been left, on the fire, with sundry other articles.

They left all their baggage at our mercy.

They had but two guns and one of them they left.

The others were armed with bows and arrows and eyedaggs.

The gun we took with us.

I also retook the flag but left the medal about the neck of the dead man that they might be informed who we were.

We took some of their buffalo meat and set out ascending the bluffs by the same route we had descended last evening leaving the balance of nine of their horses which we did not want.

The Fieldses told me that three of the Indians whom they pursued swam the river, one of them on my horse.

And that two others ascended the hill and escaped from them with a part of their horses.

Two I had pursued into the niche. One lay dead near the camp and the eighth we could not account for but suppose that he ran off early in the contest.

Having ascended the hill we took our course through a beautiful level plain a little to the S. of East.

My design was to hasten to the entrance of Maria’s river as quick as possible in the hope of meeting with the canoes and party at that place having no doubt but that they [the Indians] would pursue us with a large party.

And as there was a band near the broken mountains or probably between them and the mouth of that river we might expect them to receive intelligence from us and arrive at that place nearly as soon as we could.

No time was therefore to be lost and we pushed our horses as hard as they would bear.

At 8 miles we passed a large branch 40 yards wide which I called battle river.

At 3 P. M. we arrived at rose river about 5 miles above where we had passed it as we went out, having traveled by my estimate compared with our former distances and courses about 63 miles.

Here we halted an hour and a half took some refreshment and suffered our horses to graze.

The day proved warm but the late rains had supplied the little reservoirs in the plains with water and had put them in fine order for traveling.

Our whole route so far was as level as a bowling green with but little stone and few prickly pears.

After dinner we pursued the bottoms of rose river but finding it inconvenient to pass the river so often we again ascended the hills on the southwest side and took the open plains.

By dark we had traveled about 17 miles further, we now halted to rest ourselves and horses about 2 hours.

We killed a buffalo cow and took a small quantity of the meat.

After refreshing ourselves we again set out by moonlight and traveled leisurely.

Heavy thunderclouds lowered around us on every quarter but that from which the moon gave us light.

We continued to pass immense herds of buffalo all night as we had done in the latter part of the day.

We traveled until 1 o’clock in the morning having come by my estimate after dark about 20 miles.

We now turned out our horses and laid ourselves down to rest in the plain very much fatigued as may be readily conceived.

My Indian horse carried me very well in short much better than my own would have done and leaves me with but little reason to complain of the robbery.

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The Lewis and Clark Commemorative Silver Dollar Coin shows with an artist’s image of Captain Lewis shooting at the Indians taking the expedition’s horses.

Lewis and Clark Commemorative Silver Dollar Coin