George Drouillard firearm?

[Bushwacker30]

Looking for info about the gun he might have used when as the hunter/scout with Lewis and Clark? any thoughts /or documented info? thanks .

 

[paulvallandigham]

Have you read the Lewis and Clark Journals? They are back in print, and probably available now at your local library. The journals give the most complete and detailed information about the personnel and equipment taken on the exploration. However, individual members also published diaries, often years later.

This is not my area of interest in American History, so I can't help you with sources off-hand. However, a good University Library would be a place to start. We have some members here who have spent years studying the expedition, and members. We know about the contract guns from the Harper's Ferry armory that were used by all the people on the expedition, and we know that one of the two officers had a private rifle of his own, as well, on the trip. Beyond that, little has come to light. I don't recall reading anything about Hunters using different rifles than those supplied by the Government. Mainly, it was the need for uniform ball diameters for all the guns to lessen the weight of all the material taken on the trip that decided what Kind and whether any different type or caliber of gun was going to be allowed along. Remember that most of the river voyage took place in canoes- not boats. The hunters were put ashore to scout ahead, and obtain fresh meat for the expedition daily. They basically walked from St. Louis to the Pacific, and back again, rather than riding on a keelboat.

 

[rabjr]

It really didn't matter that they all had the same calibers Paul as the lead was made into square powder containers and melted, molded into balls as needed. So any of these guns for hire only needed his own mold to fit his gun.

 

[Zonie]

The way I read some of the Lewis & Clark books I came to the conclusion that several different caliber guns were taken along and used.

As Swampy mentioned, the powder was carried in sealed lead canisters which were melted down to make balls after the canister was emptied.

As it turned out it was a good thing this was done because more than once their powder was temporally lost in creeks and rivers.
After retrieving the canisters the powder was still dry and usable.

 

[paulvallandigham]

They were counting ounces for the expedition- an extra mold was not something they wanted to take along. I knew about the powder "cans". The only Non-Harper's Ferry gun taken on that trip was the one that belonged to one of the two officers, from the histories I have read.

That doesn't mean that someone doesn't have a gun now that belonged to George D., before, or after the expedition. But, like so many historical figures, the market is full of fraudulent claims about guns, even concerning the members of this expedition.

Since the Expedition camped at Wood River, Illinois over the winter before beginning the journey, any of them may have carried a private gun to that location, only to be left behind or returned to relatives, when the expedition up the Missouri River was launched. It would not take much of a skilled wordsmith to come up with an affidavit that was at least partially true, while suggesting that a gun in issue was actually WITH the owner during the ENTIRE expedition, when it wasn't.

 

[rabjr]

This man was a hired French guide was he not? He would have had his own stuff. It is not inconceivable that he would have his own ball mold.

 

[Rod Lassey]

Toussaint Charbonneau had a "elegant fusee", probably his personal NW gun (he previously worked for the North West Company). The hunters from Kentucky supplied their personal rifles, as well. Evidentally they had moulds for these, as they wouldn't be a standard military bore.

As far as issued guns, both rifles and 1795 Springfield muskets were issued, obviously two different calibers there.

As for what George Droulliard carried, I'm not sure. As a hired civilian, it may be a relatively safe bet he supplied his own firearm---now whether it was a common NW gun or rifle, I don't know. The Shawnee in the west did have a tradition of preferring rifles to smoothbores, as did a number of displaced eastern tribes involved in the fur trade.

Rod

 

[KHickam]

Not sure what caliber or kind of gun it was. I think, that it was rifled based on some of the distances he was noted to have made shots on.

 

[Dphar]

Looking for info about the gun he might have used when as the hunter/scout with Lewis and Clark? any thoughts /or documented info? thanks .

It was one of the rifles Lewis picked up at Harpers Ferry. Don't ask what it was, nobody knows.

I am not sure that any of the enlisted men used their own rifles. I think they used the rifles Lewis furnished.
Personally I think that Lewis took pre-production 1803s just from reading the journals. The rifles were short and 2 burst toward the muzzle of the barrel. A problem that the 1803s were known for.
But this is just my *opinion*.
They could have been modified 1792 contract rifles I just don't think so.
This has been heavily debated on the WWW sites and basically its all supposition since the journals have no description of the rifles other than they were "short".
We know "Drewyer" used an issue rifle since it was repaired on March 20, 1806 with parts made at HF, its stated in the Journals.
"The guns of Drewyer and Sergt. Pryor were both out of order. the first was repared with a new lock, the old one having become unfit for uce; the second had the cock screw broken which was replaced by a duplicate which had been prepared for the lock at Harpers ferry where she was manufactured."
Now he could have been indicating the lock was made at HF or the rifle? Since he used "she" rather than "it" I think it was the rifle.
But we don't *know*.

Dan