N3803

Lewis & Clark Expedition - Bicentennial

Fred's Anecdotal Note

Private John Shields

In an 1807 letter to Secretary of War Dearborn, Lewis wrote, "Nothing was more peculiarly useful to use in various situations than the skill and ingenuity of this man as an artist in repairing guns." His skills extended beyond an expert gunsmith. Lewis recorded, "He makcs his own tools principally and works extremely well in either wood or metal, and in this way has been extremely serviceable to us, as well as being a good hunter and an excellent waterman." At Fort Mandan temperatures were so cold hunting became almost impossible. Shields made battle axes to trade for Indian corn. His blacksmithing prevented dire consequences. Lewis wtote, "It would have been dfficult to have devised any other method to have procured corn from the natives."

Born in 1769, John was one of the oldest members at 36 and left wife Nancy and daughter Janette to trek to the Pacific. In July 1806 as Clark's group traveled toward the Yellowstone, they passed through a beautiful river valley. As a tribute to this invaluable soldier, Clark named it the Shields River, and it remains so to the present day.