In St. Louis, Meriwether Lewis fills in form letters to obtain the final pay for at least nine enlisted men: William Bratton, Thomas Howard, Joseph Field, John Shields, George Shannon, Richard Windsor, John Potts, Alexander Willard, and John Collins.
Final Pay for Alexander Willard
U.S. National Archives.
Final Pay
Saint Louis October [11th] 1806
Sir
My Bill of Exchange No. 83 of this date in favor of Alexander Willard or order for one hundred Dollars twentytwo—Cents is for that sum due him inpart, on final Settlement for his Services as a Private on an expedition lately Conducted under the auspices of the Government through the interior of the Continent of North America to the Pacific Ocean.
I have the honor to be with due
Consideration
Your obt. Servt.Meriwether Lewis Capt.
1st U.S. Regt. Infty.
On this day, Lewis fills out similar bills of exchange for eight other enlisted men. The first and last in the series are dated 11 October, but he leaves the other dates blank. Besides Willard, the other names and amounts are:
- No. 71 William Bratton, $378.15
- No. 72 Thomas P. Howard, $100.00
- No. 74 Joseph Field, $266.93
- No. 75 John Shields, $180.07
- No. 76 George Shannon, $70.00
- No. 77 Richard Windsor, $100.33
- No. 80 John Potts, $400.00
- No. 84 John Collins, $100.00[1]National Archives Catalog, Record Group 107: Records of the Secretary of War, Unregistered Letters Received, 1805 THRU 1807, L-MISC-1806, catalog.archives.gov/id/450641036, accessed 21 Dec 2025.
Notes
| ↑1 | National Archives Catalog, Record Group 107: Records of the Secretary of War, Unregistered Letters Received, 1805 THRU 1807, L-MISC-1806, catalog.archives.gov/id/450641036, accessed 21 Dec 2025. |
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- The Lewis and Clark Expedition: Day by Day by Gary E. Moulton (University of Nebraska Press, 2018). The story in prose, 14 May 1804–23 September 1806.
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