Mystery Member of the Corps: John Robertson

A Lewis and Clark wayside marker in Glasgow, Missouri.

Of the many mysteries of the Expedition -- one that we know very little about -- is a member of the Corps named John Robertson. It’s believed Robertson, who was occasionally referred to as Roberson in the journals, was a corporal who signed on at Fort Kaskaskia in the Illinois territory, a part of Captain Amos Stoddard’s artillery company. Robertson must have struggled from nearly the beginning. While at Camp River Dubois, William Clark wrote on January 4, 1804, “Worner & Potts fight after Dark without my Knowledge & the Corpl. head of the mess left the hut & Suffered them to bruse themselves much, he has no authority…” Realizing that the corporal could not handle the men of his mess, Clark likely demoted Robertson shortly thereafter to private.

Worse than being demoted, the Captains decided a few months later to send Robertson back to St. Louis early. On June 12, 1804, seven downstream-bound pirogues of the Chouteau Fur Company met up with the Corps near today’s Glasgow, Missouri. After some sharing of information and trading of goods, the Captains hired one of Chouteau’s party – Pierre Dorion, who would be helpful when the Corps reached the Yankton Sioux.

Dorion agreed to travel back up river with the Corps, so the Captains must have realized there was an open seat on Chouteau’s pirogues. As Joseph Whitehouse wrote, “we put on board…one Man…belonging to Captain Stoddards company of Artillery, who is going to Saint Louis…”

Whitehouse was the only journal writer to include this situation and he failed to mention the man’s name. The other two possibilities could have been Isaac White or Ebenezer Tuttle.