Sergeant Charles Floyd Dies on Lewis and Clark Expedition

A painted mural depicts the final moments of Sergeant Floyd’s life on a bluff above the Missouri River. 

Sioux City Public Museum

William Clark signed Charles Floyd to the expedition to the Pacific on August 1, 1803, and as far as anyone can determine, he was the only member of the “nine young men from Kentucky” actually born in the state. During the fall of 1803 and over the course of the 1803-04 winter at Camp River Dubois, he demonstrated his value to the party -- he was knowledgable, responsible, and the captains quickly learned to depend upon him. Their confidence in him was demonstrated on April 1, 1804, when he was officially appointed as one of the three sergeants of the Corps.

As a sergeant he was expected to keep a journal, which was found in 1894. It was in his July 31, 1804, entry when he first mentioned the illness that would lead to his death. Floyd apparently rallied for a short time in early August but then the illness turned worse. This might be why his final entries are quite brief.

Sergeant John Ordway noted in his journal on that same date that Floyd had been “Sick Several days but now is Gitting Some better.”

The Corps continued up the Missouri River unaware that the infection was working its poison on Floyd.

On August 19, the journal keepers all recorded that Floyd was very ill. During that day and night Floyd worsened to the point that Clark feared for his life. He stayed up most of the night with him but could do nothing for him. Clark wrote in his field notes that “I am Dull & heavy been up the greater Part of last night with Serjt. Floyd, who is a[s] bad as he can be…”

Clark continued with a summary of the Sergeant’s final hours on Monday, August 20:

“we Came to [to] make a warm bath for Sergt. Floyd hopeing it would brace him a little, before we could get him in to this bath he expired, with a great deel of composure, haveing Said to me before his death that he was going away and wished me to write a letter – we took Buried him to the top of a high round hill over looking the river & Countrey for a great distance Situated just below a Small river without a name to which we name & call Floyds river, the Bluffs Sergts. Floyds Bluff – we buried him with all the honors of War, and fixed a Ceeder post at his head with his name title & Day of the month and year Capt Lewis read the funeral Service over him after paying everry respect to the Body of this desceased man…”

It's believed he probably died from peritonitis caused by a ruptured appendix. Rest in Peace, Sergeant Charles Floyd.