Pierre Cruzatte and his fiddle playing delighted captains Lewis and Clark and the many Indians they camped with.

Off the river Cruzatte became important in another way. He could speak the Omaha language, a little Sioux, and was skilled in sign language. The captains used him at their various Indian councils and other Indian encounters with tribes on the lower Missouri. His translating skills helped the expedition gain access to the upper Missouri in September 1804. The Bois Brule Teton Sioux had captured one of the expedition's pirogues and had demanded that the Americans either trade with them exclusively or surrender the pirogue. Cruzatte's interpreting along with gifts the captains provided eased the situation and helped the expedition move on peacefully.

There was one other skill Cruzatte possessed that gained him many mentions in Lewis' journal. Cruzatte was an expert fiddler. Whenever the Corps took time to celebrate, Cruzatte and his violin were there. Another member of the Corps, George Gibson, also fiddled, but Cruzatte is almost always mentioned as the musician for a night's festivities. His exuberant fiddle playing was always a favorite of the men and Indians they camped with.

Of course, all the goodwill Cruzatte created might have been washed away thanks to a nearly tragic incident on the last leg of the expedition. As it is, Cruzatte is known as the man who shot Meriwether Lewis. Accidentally, true, and fortunately not fatal, but he shot his captain nonetheless.

On Aug. 11, 1806, Lewis and his party were trying to catch up with Clark, whose party was a few days ahead down the Missouri. Lewis saw some elk in a thick willow bar along the river. He went ashore and took Cruzatte with him for some hunting.

After they each shot an elk, they reloaded and headed back into the willow bar for more. As Lewis was about to pull his trigger with another elk in his sights, he was spun around by a severe blow. A rifle bullet had hit him an inch below his hip joint on his left side and passed through his buttocks to come out on the right side. The shot left a three-inch gash the width of the ball. No bone had been hit. The ball lodged in Lewis' leather breeches.

Lewis immediately suspected his one-eyed, nearsighted helmsman. "Damn you!" Lewis shouted. "You have shot me!" Cruzatte didn't respond, so Lewis guessed that perhaps an Indian was near. Lewis made it back to the canoes before collapsing and told the men they would have to go back to save Cruzatte from the Indians. The party returned with Cruzatte, who denied everything. No Indians were found. The bullet was from a U.S. Army rifle, one Indians weren't likely to have. Cruzatte later admitted he was at fault, thinking Lewis dressed in brown leather, was an elk in the thick brush.

The return trip to St. Louis was quite painful for Lewis. Perhaps that's why Lewis made no special recommendation for him in the letter requesting pay for the Corps members.

Cruzatte is said to have returned to the Rockies in 1807 on another expedition. He is believed to have been killed between 1825-1828.

back

Search | Contact Us

Privacy Statement and Copyright © 2002-2003 by Wheeling Jesuit University/Center for Educational Technologies^®. All rights reserved.

Center for Educational Technologies, Circuit Board/Apple graphic logo, and COTF Classroom of the Future logo are registered trademarks of Wheeling Jesuit University.

The contents of this web site were developed under a grant from the U.S. Department of Education. However, those contents do not necessarily represent the policy of the Department of Education, and you should not assume endorsement by the Federal Government.

This project is being presented by the Center for Educational Technologies^® with financial assistance from The West Virginia Humanities Council, a state affiliate of the National Endowment for the Humanities.