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On May 11, 1805, in what is now Garfield County, Montana, William Bratton came running back to the river at full speed, yelling for help. He had been walking the shore to hunt — an infected hand kept him from paddling — and had shot a grizzly bear through the lungs. The wounded bear chased him for half a mile.
Bratton's Corps of Discovery discharge, issued by Meriwether Lewis on October 10, 1806. His aged daughter Ella gave it to historian Olin D. Wheeler in 1901. Credit: National Park Service.
Who he was
Bratton was one of the nine young men recruited from Kentucky, but he was born in Augusta County, Virginia, on July 27, 1778. His father's name isn't known for certain — George or James Bratton — and the family moved to Kentucky around 1790. Thirteen years later, William volunteered for the Corps of Discovery.
He was described as over six feet tall, square-built, rather quiet and of strict morals. Apprenticed to a blacksmith as a youth, he may at times have helped John Shields and Alexander Willard at the forge; he was also qualified as a gunsmith and a reliable hunter.
A cure at Camp Chopunnish
From mid-February to June 1806, Bratton suffered such severe pain in his lower back that he could not sit upright and had trouble walking; William Clark got an extra horse just for him on the return journey. In late May, at Camp Chopunnish, John Shields suggested a remedy:
- a steam-induced sweat;
- large amounts of strong horsemint tea;
- two plunges into the cold river nearby.
It seemed to work: Bratton was soon walking around camp nearly free of pain, and two weeks later Lewis pronounced him cured.
After the expedition
| After 1806 | Returns to Kentucky briefly, then moves west to Missouri |
| 1811 | Living in New Madrid, Missouri, at the time of the great earthquake |
| November 25, 1819 | Marries for the first time, at 41, to Mary H. Maxwell; they live for a time in Greenville, Ohio |
| By 1822 | Settled in Waynetown, Indiana, where they raise eight sons and two daughters; he farms and is elected justice of the peace |
| November 11, 1841 | Dies at 63; buried in Waynetown's pioneer cemetery |
Sources
Based on "William Bratton: Lewis and Clark Expedition Member," Lewis and Clark National Historic Trail, National Park Service; a work of the United States government in the public domain.
Dans ces publicationsLewis & Clark National Historic Trail
Licence : CC0 1.0 (domaine public) · Adapté de www.nps.gov
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