Toussaint Charbonneau - On The Lewis and Clark Trail

On The Lewis and Clark Trail

In the winter, as the expedition was preparing toy, Charbonneau had second thoughts about his role. He quit the expedition, having said he was dissatisfied that he would be required to stand guard, perform manual labor, etc. But, on March 17 he returned and apologized, saying he would like to re-join the company; he was re-hired the following day.

His performance during the journey was mixed: Meriwether Lewis called him "a man of no peculiar merit", and many historians have painted Charbonneau in a distinctly unfavorable light (these historians may have been influenced by his earlier attempted rape of a girl in 1795).

Most of Charbonneau's positive contributions to the expedition itself were overshadowed by the incident with the "white pirogue." The party noted that on May 14, 1805, the pirogue guided by Charbonneau was hit by a gust of wind, to which he turned broadside. He lost control to the point that Pierre Cruzatte, in the boat with him, threatened to shoot him if he did not regain his composure, but to no avail. Charbonneau nearly capsized the boat, which would have meant the loss of valuable equipment and papers. Meriwether Lewis was irate, writing that Charbonneau was "perhaps the most timid waterman in the world."

Charbonneau, however, did make several contributions to the success of the expedition. He was helpful when the expedition encountered French trappers from Canada. He served as a cook; his recipe for boudin blanc (a sausage made from bison meat) was praised by several members of the party. Additionally, his skill in striking a bargain came in handy when the expedition acquired much-needed horses at the Shoshone encampment.

William Clark was particularly taken with Charbonneau's son, young Jean Baptiste (whom he nicknamed "Pomp"), and by extension the entire Charbonneau family, including Toussaint. Despite having had to reprimand Charbonneau with regard to his duties (October 27, 1805) and having intervened in a marital dispute in which Charbonneau hit his wife (Sacagawea) (August 14 of that year), Clark offered to set up Charbonneau and his family in St. Louis after the expedition. His offer included providing for the education of Jean-Baptiste.