When the expedition was headed home in August 1806, Lewis and his one-eyed boatman Pierre Cruzatte went elk hunting on a willow island. They both fired on the herd, killing one elk and wounding another. As they tracked the wounded animal, Lewis felt a shot in his left buttock. He later wrote:

…the stroke was very severe; I instantly supposed that Cruzatte had shot me in mistake for an Elk as I was dressed in brown leather and he cannot see very well…

Cruzatte denied shooting Lewis, though the .54 caliber slug recovered from Lewis’ clothes matched the Army-issued rifle the boatman had used. Lewis eventually recovered after spending a few miserable weeks lying on his belly in a canoe while the expedition floated down the Missouri River.

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If you’re interested in learning even more about the Lewis and Clark Expedition, the National Park Service has compiled other fascinating facts here. And you may want to visit several NPS sites that feature exhibits on the expedition, including Gateway Arch National Park, Lewis and Clark National Historical Park, and the 4,900-mile Lewis & Clark National Historic Trail.   

Finally, stay tuned for our March 3 blog post, which will explore the exhibits on Lewis and Clark in the Gateway Arch Museum, and will suggest books and other products that help interpret the explorers’ journey.