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Historical Figure

John Collins

Private John Collins was a member of the Corps of Discovery who was court-martialed early in the expedition for getting drunk on duty and tapping into the whiskey supply. Despite this early disciplinary issue, Collins became a dependable member of the expedition and was skilled at hunting and making beer from the camas root during the westward journey. He was frequently assigned to hunting parties and served reliably throughout the remainder of the expedition. Collins is believed to have been killed in the 1823 Arikara attack that also killed several members of William Ashley's fur trading party.

0 treaties 166 total items 165 mapped locations

Biography

John Collins (c. 1775-c. 1823) was one of the more colorful members of the Corps of Discovery, known both for disciplinary troubles and for his skills as a hunter. He was court-martialed twice during the early weeks of the expedition — once for being drunk on duty and once for tapping the whiskey barrel.

Despite these early infractions, Collins proved to be a capable soldier and hunter for the remainder of the journey. His ability to brew beer from camas roots during the stay with the Nez Perce was noted with appreciation by his fellow soldiers.

Collins is believed to have been killed in 1823 during a Arikara attack on William Ashley’s fur trading party near the Grand River — one of several expedition veterans who died in the dangerous fur trade on the upper Missouri.

Related Locations

Pin color = Planning (1801–1804) Westward (1804–1805) Fort Clatsop (1805–1806) Return (1806) Post (1806–1812)

Master expedition route

Note: the longest gap between tagged appearances is about 7 months (Jan 14, 1805 → Aug 21, 1805). John Collins may have been present in the corps during that span but is not named in the journals.

Journal Entries (166)

Meeting Trappers Dickson and Hancock from Illinois

Silver-Grey Bears at the Yellowstone's Mouth

Waiting for Straggling Hunters; Pressing Past Buffalo Herds

Wiser Cuts His Leg; Wheels Repeatedly Fail

Portage Camp Established in Heavy Rain

Lewis Rejoins Party After Blackfeet Confrontation

Mountain Sheep Skins Preserved for Eastern Transport

Buffalo Herds Spotted Along the Gentle Current

Headwinds Force Halt at Wisdom River Mouth

Collins and Cruzatte Fill the Larder with Game

Wind Forces Halt at Gates of the Rocky Mountains

Expedition Departs by Land and Water Simultaneously

Clark's Canoe Nearly Swamped by Sudden Wind

Reunited at Three Forks of the Missouri

Colter Kills Beaver; Headwinds Halt Progress

Lewis Calls Volunteers for Marias River Exploration

Waiting at Camas Flat for Mountain Snows to Clear

Horses Rounded Up; Party Reaches Camas Ground

Eight Hunters Return Laden from Weippe Prairie

Sweat Lodge Treatments; Canoe Built for Camp Fishing

Pryor and Collins Bring In Black Bear and Grizzly

Horses Swum Across River; Camp Set Awaiting Snowmelt

Hauling Canoes Through Rapids; Trading for Mountain Sheep Skin

Drouillard Sent to Purchase a Canoe from Clatsops

Lewis Praises Dog Meat; Clark Remains Unconvinced

Ordway's Party Packs Seventeen Elk by Nightfall

Fields Meets Party with Salmon and Root Bread

Whitehouse Frostbitten; Shannon Reports Rich Hunt

Camp Chosen to Dry Cargo and Rest the Men

Hunters Kill Game After Overnight Storm

Horses Recovered; Collins Shoots 134-Pound Buck

Drouillard Reports Oto Village Abandoned

Clark Returns with Fat Bear Near Sharriton Creek

Gass and Field Scout the White River

Buffalo Bull Retrieved; Clark Shoots Fat Buck

Scouts Return: Tribes Away Hunting Buffalo

Drouillard Kills Five-Hundred-Pound Bear

Revisiting Pleasant Camp Near Corvus Creek

Reunion with Labiche After Passing the White River

Meridian Observation at the Mouth of Cheyenne River

Meeting Illinois Trappers Dickson and Hancock on the Missouri

Field Brothers Scout for Clark Near White Earth River

Waiting for Colter and Collins; Departing at Noon

Reuniting the Two Parties at the Yellowstone

Field Brothers Haul Twenty-Five Deer Since Yesterday

Passing Milk River and Rattlesnake Encounter

Violent Storm Leaves Lewis Soaked and Shelterless

Cold Southwest Winds Slow Progress on Jefferson

Canoes Cached; Hard Winds Hamper Missouri Departure

Ordway Returns Horses; Tobacco Cache Not Found

Nine Horses Missing; Shoshone Theft Suspected

Three Nez Perce Guides Lead Party Back Eastward

Colter Rejoins; Native Guides Secured at Collins Creek

Unexpected Haul of Eight Deer and Three Bears

Hunters Return with Eight Deer and Three Bears

Rifle Offered to Secure a Nez Perce Mountain Guide

Hunters and Fishermen Return Nearly Empty-Handed

Slick Roads and Fallen Timber Test Rainy Departure

Ascending Toward Hungry Creek Through Fallen Timber

Eight Deer Taken Near Collins Creek Before Departure

Party Departs for Quamash Flats to Await Snowmelt

Crossing Difficult Collins Creek Through Fertile Timber

Trading Scrap Iron and Files for Root Bags

Sparse Trade for Pack Ropes at Commeap Creek

Sweat Treatment Revives Ailing Nez Perce Chief

Broken Arm Delays Guide Selection Until Late Summer

Broken Arm Stays the Night; All Patients Improving

Failed Trading; Drouillard Sent to Recover Tomahawks

Coat Buttons Bartered for Three Bushels of Roots

Buttons and Medicines Traded for Roots and Bread

Canoe Swept Away; Blankets and Goods Lost

Sunken Canoe Loses Blankets and Trade Goods

Goat Hair Gathered; Roots and Bread Replenish Stores

Goodrich Returns with Roots and Goat Hair

Hunters Dispatched; Sick Child Slightly Improved

Hohastillpilp Arrives; New Village Found with Provisions

Hohastillpilp Offers Horses Freely for the Journey

Visiting Indians Share Deer; Sick Child Treated

Bratton's Sweat-Bath Treatment; Sacagawea's Child Worsens

Failed Sweat for Chief; Child's Condition Worsens

Bratton's Sweat Lodge Treatment Attempted

Ailing Nez Perce Chief Too Weak for Sweat

Indians Help Chase Wounded Deer Across River

Pryor Scouts Downriver; Cliffs Block Route

Captains Soaked in Poor Shelter; Hunters Lose Wounded Bear

Canoe Construction Begun; Trade Goods Divided Among Men

Canoe Building Underway; Willow Lodge Proves Comfortable

Fair Day; Baggage Aired and Roots Dried in Sun

Twelve Hunters Depart; Sacagawea Dries Fennel for Mountains

Hunters Return Empty-Handed; Salmon Fragment Signals Hope

Heavy Rain; Snow Costs Shannon and Colter Their Quarry

Drouillard's Strayed Horse Returned; Hohastillpilp Departs

Lost Horse Recovered; Sacagawea Gathers Fennel Roots

Rain Soaks Lewis's Chronometer; Pryor and Collins Return

Rain Drenches Camp; Lewis Repairs Pocket Watch with Bear Grease

Multicolored Bears Declared One Species Distinct from Black Bear

Crossing the Flathead River; Chiefs Arrive Ceremoniously

Permanent Camp Established; Chiefs Tunnachemootoolt Visits

Hunters Supply Deer; Natives Survived Winter on Pine Moss

Four Deer Brought In; Native Stone Fishing Traps Observed

Colter Recovers Tomahawk Stolen at Wahclellah Village

Wah-clel-lah Village Architecture Described; Tomahawk Recovered

Trading at Clah-lah-lar Village Above the Rapid

Knife and Elkskins Traded for Mountain Sheep Skin

Violent Northeast Winds Split a Canoe at Camp

Lean Elk Meat Abandoned; Collins Departs to Hunt

Cloudy Skies Block Lunar Observations; Meat Redried

Poorly Dried Elk Meat Recovered and Redried

Gass Returns with Bear and Venison from Hunt

Hunters Return Empty-Handed; Provisions Nearly Exhausted

Last Day's Provisions; Drouillard Ordered to Hunt

Collins's Elk Retrieved; Drouillard Acquires Two Canoes

Volley of Shots Signals Hunters Found the Herd

Four Elk and Deer Returned; Lost Canoe Still Missing

Drouillard Sent to Clatsop Village to Buy Canoe

Bratton's Back Pain Eases with Treatment

Collins Kills Three Elk at Point Adams

Hunting Parties Dispatched Toward Point Adams

Bratton's Rheumatism Treated with Liniment and Flannel

Kuskelar Departs with Distant Slave Boy's History

Mixed Hunting Results; Pox Patients Nearly Recovered

Collins Kills Buck Elk; Willard Remains Very Ill

Gass Party Retrieves Three Elk; Two Left to Jerk

Clatsop Man Kuskelar Offers Slave Boy for Sale

Five Elk Killed; Gass Ordered to Retrieve Meat

Tahcum the Chinook Chief Visits with Twenty-Five Men

Chinook Chief Tahcum Welcomed; Bratton Worsening

Rain Drives Hunters Back; Fisher Spotted and Lost

Ordway's Salt Works Party Returns to Fort Clatsop

High Waves Turn Back Ordway's Salt Works Party

Ordway Repelled by Waves; Swamp Pine Examined

Fresh Meat Sought for the Sick; Gibson Improving

Gibson Out of Danger; Joseph Fields Returns

Willard's Tomahawk Wound; Gibson Gravely Ill

First Black Bear Spotted Near Fort Clatsop

Gibson Too Ill to Move at Salt Camp

First Black Bear Spotted Since Arriving at Coast

Ten Elk Located; Two Abandoned on Inaccessible Mountain

Comowool Departs; Collins Arrives from Salt Camp

Comowool's Party Leaves; Colter Reports Scarce Game

Collins Ordered to Salt Camp with Trade Goods

Werner and Howard Overdue; Collins Sent to Salt Works

Shannon Reports Ten Elk Killed in Difficult Terrain

Last Blue Beads Traded for Sea Otter Skin

Men Dress Skins; Distant Gunshots Signal Elk Found

Lost Canoe Unrecovered; Hunters Return Empty-Handed

Cuthlahmah Chief Visits; Clark Returns from the Coast

Meat Scarce at Fort Clatsop; Drouillard Sent Hunting

Comowool Brings Whale Blubber from Tillamook Shore

Sun Briefly Appears; Shannon Sent to Check Salt Makers

Chimneys and Bunks Finished; Salt Makers Assigned

Hunters Dispatched; Salt Camp Established at the Shore

Fourth Day Stranded; Canoes Battered by High Seas

Non-Swimmers Sent Overland Below the Great Shute

Fog Delays; Hunters Bring Buck and Geese

Bitter Cold Start; Acorns Purchased at Native Lodges

Canoe Work Continues; Drouillard Kills Two Deer

Cache Buried After Dark to Avoid Shoshone Notice

Stone Idol Creek and the Arikara Transformation Legend

Buffalo Retrieved; Elk Escape Despite Heavy Gunfire

Detachment Orders Appointing Provision Superintendents

Court-Martial of Collins and Hall for Stealing Whiskey

Violent Pre-Dawn Storm Delays Departure into Snag-Choked River

High Winds Force Halt; Arms Inspected Ashore

Detachment Orders Organize the Corps of Discovery

Court Martial for Collins and Two Others at St. Charles

Cross-Narrator Analyses

AI-assisted scholarly analyses that cite or discuss John Collins — showing 6 of the most recent matches.

October 15, 1805

Two Journeys, One Date: Diverging Accounts of October 15, 1805

On a single autumn day, Ordway and Gass record strikingly different experiences — one a chaotic elk-recovery expedition ending in a cold,…

Figure: Nathaniel Pryor

Sergeant Nathaniel Pryor: A Steady Hand of the Corps of Discovery

From squad leader at Camp Dubois to trusted lieutenant of small parties, Sergeant Nathaniel Pryor emerges from the journals as one of…

Figure: George Shannon

George Shannon: The Youngest Soldier of the Corps of Discovery

From a starving boy lost on the prairie to a trusted hunter and trader on the return journey, George Shannon's three-year apprenticeship…

Discipline and a Near Disaster at the Kansas

On June 29, 1804, the Corps of Discovery left the mouth of the Kansas River after a court martial and a brush…

Court-Martial at St. Charles: Discipline on the Eve of Departure

While three enlisted men reduce the day to weather and waiting, Clark's journal and Ordway's orderly book document a court-martial that tested…

Discipline and the Nadawa: Mess Orders Beside the Largest Island

On a Sunday camp at the head of Nadawa Island, Lewis issues formal provisioning orders while Clark counts the sick, Ordway corrects…

From Heacock's Writings

2 mirrored articles by Robert Heacock that mention John Collins.

John Newman

Private

Alcohol Rations

Ardent spirits on the expedition

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