Pierre Cruzatte

Who is Pierre Cruzatte?

Private Pierre Cruzatte was a member of the Lewis and Clark Expedition. He was of French and Omaha tribe Indian heritage. He enlisted with Lewis and Clark on May 16, 1804, at St. Charles, Missouri. Cruzatte had formerly been a trader on the Missouri River for the Chouteau fur interests. He could speak the Omaha language and was skilled in sign language, so was of valuable assistance to the captains at the Indian councils and encounters with the tribes on the lower Missouri. He was a small man, wiry, and had one eye. Like the other enlisted men, he was awarded extra pay and a 320-acre land warrant after the expedition’s return.

In addition to possessing geographical knowledge, Cruzatte had spent several winters trading up the Missouri as far as the Platte River. An expert riverman, he was assigned to the crucial position of bowman in the keelboat for his ability to spot the slack water eddies that would assist in advancing the boats upstream.

Even with his skills, Cruzatte’s vision problems were cause for a near-fatal accident during the Corps’ return journey, in August 1806. While elk hunting, Cruzatte accidentally shot Lewis in the “left thye,” a harrowing event that caused the captain to believe Blackfeet Indians were in their midst. Later, after the Corps found no evidence of the Indians’ presence, Cruzatte admitted his fault. Lewis graciously let the matter be. Clark treated and dressed the wounds with medicines that they carried. Lewis was made comfortable in the bottom of the white perogue, but he discontinued writing until reaching St. Louis, suffering a very painful healing process.