I hope this view of the scene as it might have happened 200 years ago captures some of the pageantry and emotion as these men honored one of their own and left him in a lonely grave on the vast prairie. As Clark wrote that evening in his journal; 'We buried him with all the honors of War'. A letter in the Missouri Historical Society’s collection describes a military funeral conducted in St. Louis in 1808. This document is the only actual description of a period military funeral I've seen and goes into some detail describing the evolutions involved. This description dovetails with 'Von Steuben's Manual of Arms' which was the manual in use by Lewis and Clark for drilling the men. The men were drawn up in formation facing to the South in double ranks. The Sergeant to the extreme left of the viewer is Sgt. Ordway and his squad, which included three 1st. Infantrymen, three 2nd. Infantrymen, two Recruited Privates and one Artilleryman. The Infantrymen are distinguished by their Round Hats, fully dressed with bearskin crests and deers tail plumes. The Artillerymen are in similar uniforms, the most noticeable difference being the distinctive Chapeau de Bras on their heads. Both the Infantry and Artillerymen were probably dressed in white linen overalls with black gaiters. The recruited privates are distinguished by their coatees of drab wool which Lewis had specially made in Philadelphia, and the dark blue overalls which Lewis procured from Government stores there. Corp. Wharfington aligns his men to their left. His men include three 1st . Infantrymen and four Artillerymen. In rank to their rear are Sgt. Floyd's men (soon to be commanded by Sgt. Gass) and Sgt Pryor's squad. I've been able to determine the actual men in each squad thanks to the excellent work of Bob Moore, NPS. The men would have been at 'Mort' or 'Reverse Arms' with the muzzles of their muskets or rifles resting on their left foot and forehead resting on their hands folded together on the butt of the gun. Lewis is reading a passage from the Bible as Clark stands at attention. York, who tended diligently to Sgt. Floyd during his final illness, stands behind and a little apart holding the cedar post which served as the grave marker. This post was hewn and branded with the date and Floyd's name and became a landmark on the river for years to come. Scattered in small groups are the French rivermen hired at St. Charles and, leaning on his rifle, George Drouillard, hunter and interpreter. These engeges were Catholic and most likely would have been very sympathetic, though unofficial, observers of the ceremony. It's unlikely the engeges would have brought along anything other than work clothes so are represented accordingly with various work jackets, capotes and shirts. These items plus breechcloths and leggings formed the standard work dress of the voyageur. Several of the men might have worn rough linen pants which were common among the habitants of Haute Louisiana. Their leader, or patron, is on the far right holding his Cross of Lorraine and rosary beads. The colonial period French were noted for their predilection for blue cloth of all shades and general love of color and personal adornment. The Lewis and Clark journals put Sgt. Floyd’s death at sometime between noon and 2:00 PM so, factoring in the time needed to complete the arrangements for the funeral, I've set the scene for late afternoon. I've tried to create a mood of somberness and sense of drama by the natural elements of light, sun and wind. The sky symbolizes the transition between life and death and this theme of transition is also carried forward by the shadows in the foreground, particularly the shadow falling half on the grave and casket. The wind sweeps patterns in the grasses on the hill. I also intend for the wind to give some feeling of motion to the scene and emphasize the wilderness the expedition was moving forward into.

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