Exploring with Lewis and Clark: The 1804 Journal of Charles Floyd

Sergeant Charles Floyd was one of the first three men enlisted in Lewis and Clark’s Corps of Discovery. Born around 1782 in Louisville, Kentucky, and personally recruited by William Clark, Floyd followed orders and kept a careful diary of the expedition, but only for ninety-nine days. On August 20, 1804, Floyd became the only member of the Lewis and Clark Expedition to die along the route, apparently succumbing to a ruptured appendix near present-day Sioux City.

This elegant volume is the first facsimile edition of Floyd’s journal. Readers will feel that they are holding the original journal as they see and read Floyd’s own handwriting alongside new transcriptions. James J. Holmberg’s detailed scholarly introduction and thorough, all-new annotations trace Sergeant Floyd’s experiences with Lewis and Clark, his death, and the development of monuments to Floyd, including the stone obelisk that became our nation’s first Registered National Historic Landmark. Exploring with Lewis and Clark captures Charles Floyd’s story and his legacy and is a treasure for anyone with an interest in exploration and the American West.

James J. Holmberg is curator of special collections for the Filson Historical Society in Louisville, Kentucky, and editor of Dear Brother: Letters of William Clark to Jonathan Clark. Gary E. Moulton is editor of The Journals of the Lewis and Clark Expedition. He resides in Lincoln, Nebraska.

Gary E. Moulton, Professor Emeritus of History at the University of Nebraska, Lincoln, is the author or editor of numerous articles and books, including John Ross, Cherokee Chief.