Peter M. Weiser
Encyclopedia
Peter M. Weiser was an American
soldier and member of the Corps of Discovery on the Lewis and Clark Expedition
. The town of Weiser
, Idaho
, and the nearby Weiser River
are named for him.
of German
parentage, the son of John Phillip Weiser. He was the great-grandson of noted settler and diplomat Conrad Weiser
of the Pennsylvania Colony. He was enlisted as a private in the Corps of Discovery by 1 January 1804. He was probably recruited in 1803 by William Clark at Fort Kaskasia, Illinois
while serving in the 1st U.S. Infantry
.
He was one of several soldiers in the Corps who faced disciplinary problems before the expedition left Missouri
. On 3 March 1804, he was court-martial
ed and found guilty of asking permission to go hunting as a pretext for an unauthorized visit to a nearby "whiskey shop." As punishment he was confined to camp for ten days.
During the expedition Weiser often served as quartermaster
, cook, and hunter. During the winter of 1805-06 while the expedition was at Fort Clatsop
, he was part of the salt
-making detail on the Oregon coast
. In the late spring of 1806, while the Corps was camped near present-day Kamiah
in north central Idaho
, he took part in a detached search expedition for food in the surrounding mountains. At the time, the Corps was camped by the Clearwater River
waiting for the snow to melt on Lolo Pass
. After the party noticed that the local Nez Perce had fresh salmon
in their lodges, Weiser, Private Frazer and Sgt. John Ordway
were sent on expedition to hunt for the fish in the nearby Salmon River
, which they called "Lewis's River."
In July 1806 Weiser suffered a badly cut leg. Then on 24 August, when Lewis had gotten the expedition started toward Lemhi Pass
, a Shoshone
rode up from the rear of the column to inform Lewis that one of his men was sick. Lewis went back to discover Weiser, whom he dosed with tincture of peppermint
and laudanum
.
In 1807 Weiser, along with Corps of Discovery members John Potts and John Colter
, joined the party of Spanish
fur trapper
Manuel Lisa
on the Upper Missouri River
. He was at Fort Raymond in July 1808. Between 1808 and 1810 he was on the Three Forks of the Missouri and the Snake River
. He was killed sometime before 1828, probably in a fight with Native Americans
.
United States
The United States of America is a federal constitutional republic comprising fifty states and a federal district...
soldier and member of the Corps of Discovery on the Lewis and Clark Expedition
Lewis and Clark Expedition
The Lewis and Clark Expedition, or ″Corps of Discovery Expedition" was the first transcontinental expedition to the Pacific Coast by the United States. Commissioned by President Thomas Jefferson and led by two Virginia-born veterans of Indian wars in the Ohio Valley, Meriwether Lewis and William...
. The town of Weiser
Weiser, Idaho
Weiser is a city in the rural western part of the U.S. state of Idaho and the county seat of Washington County. With its mild climate, the city supports farm, orchard, and livestock endeavors in the vicinity. The city sits at the confluence of the Weiser River with the great Snake River, which...
, Idaho
Idaho
Idaho is a state in the Rocky Mountain area of the United States. The state's largest city and capital is Boise. Residents are called "Idahoans". Idaho was admitted to the Union on July 3, 1890, as the 43rd state....
, and the nearby Weiser River
Weiser River
The Weiser River is a tributary of the Snake River in western Idaho in the United States. It drains a mountainous area of consisting primarily of low rolling foothills intersected by small streams south and east of Hells Canyon along the Idaho-Oregon border....
are named for him.
Biography
Weiser was born in PennsylvaniaPennsylvania
The Commonwealth of Pennsylvania is a U.S. state that is located in the Northeastern and Mid-Atlantic regions of the United States. The state borders Delaware and Maryland to the south, West Virginia to the southwest, Ohio to the west, New York and Ontario, Canada, to the north, and New Jersey to...
of German
Germany
Germany , officially the Federal Republic of Germany , is a federal parliamentary republic in Europe. The country consists of 16 states while the capital and largest city is Berlin. Germany covers an area of 357,021 km2 and has a largely temperate seasonal climate...
parentage, the son of John Phillip Weiser. He was the great-grandson of noted settler and diplomat Conrad Weiser
Conrad Weiser
Weiser's colonial service began in 1731. The Iroquois sent Shikellamy, an Oneida chief, as an emissary to other tribes and the British. Shikellamy lived on the Susquehanna River at Shamokin village, near present-day Sunbury, Pennsylvania. An oral tradition holds that Weiser met Shikellamy while...
of the Pennsylvania Colony. He was enlisted as a private in the Corps of Discovery by 1 January 1804. He was probably recruited in 1803 by William Clark at Fort Kaskasia, Illinois
Illinois
Illinois is the fifth-most populous state of the United States of America, and is often noted for being a microcosm of the entire country. With Chicago in the northeast, small industrial cities and great agricultural productivity in central and northern Illinois, and natural resources like coal,...
while serving in the 1st U.S. Infantry
United States Army
The United States Army is the main branch of the United States Armed Forces responsible for land-based military operations. It is the largest and oldest established branch of the U.S. military, and is one of seven U.S. uniformed services...
.
He was one of several soldiers in the Corps who faced disciplinary problems before the expedition left Missouri
Missouri
Missouri is a US state located in the Midwestern United States, bordered by Iowa, Illinois, Kentucky, Tennessee, Arkansas, Oklahoma, Kansas and Nebraska. With a 2010 population of 5,988,927, Missouri is the 18th most populous state in the nation and the fifth most populous in the Midwest. It...
. On 3 March 1804, he was court-martial
Court-martial
A court-martial is a military court. A court-martial is empowered to determine the guilt of members of the armed forces subject to military law, and, if the defendant is found guilty, to decide upon punishment.Most militaries maintain a court-martial system to try cases in which a breach of...
ed and found guilty of asking permission to go hunting as a pretext for an unauthorized visit to a nearby "whiskey shop." As punishment he was confined to camp for ten days.
During the expedition Weiser often served as quartermaster
Quartermaster
Quartermaster refers to two different military occupations depending on if the assigned unit is land based or naval.In land armies, especially US units, it is a term referring to either an individual soldier or a unit who specializes in distributing supplies and provisions to troops. The senior...
, cook, and hunter. During the winter of 1805-06 while the expedition was at Fort Clatsop
Fort Clatsop
Fort Clatsop was the encampment of the Lewis and Clark Expedition in the Oregon Country near the mouth of the Columbia River during the winter of 1805-1806...
, he was part of the salt
Salt
In chemistry, salts are ionic compounds that result from the neutralization reaction of an acid and a base. They are composed of cations and anions so that the product is electrically neutral...
-making detail on the Oregon coast
Oregon Coast
The Oregon Coast is a region of the U.S. state of Oregon. It runs generally north-south along the Pacific Ocean, forming the western border of the state; the region is bounded to the east by the Oregon Coast Range. The Oregon Coast stretches approximately from the Columbia River in the north to...
. In the late spring of 1806, while the Corps was camped near present-day Kamiah
Kamiah, Idaho
Kamiah is a city in Idaho and Lewis counties in the U.S. state of Idaho. The largest city in Lewis County, it extends only a small distance into Idaho County. The population was 1,160 at the 2000 census...
in north central Idaho
Idaho
Idaho is a state in the Rocky Mountain area of the United States. The state's largest city and capital is Boise. Residents are called "Idahoans". Idaho was admitted to the Union on July 3, 1890, as the 43rd state....
, he took part in a detached search expedition for food in the surrounding mountains. At the time, the Corps was camped by the Clearwater River
Clearwater River (Idaho)
The Clearwater River is a river in north central Idaho, which flows westward from the Bitterroot Mountains along the Idaho-Montana border, and joins the Snake River at Lewiston. In October 1805, the Lewis and Clark Expedition descended the Clearwater River in dugout canoes, putting in at "Canoe...
waiting for the snow to melt on Lolo Pass
Lolo Pass (Idaho-Montana)
Lolo Pass, elevation , is a mountain pass in the United States, in the Bitterroot Range of the northern Rocky Mountains. It is on the border between the states of Montana and Idaho, approximately west-southwest of Missoula, Montana....
. After the party noticed that the local Nez Perce had fresh salmon
Salmon
Salmon is the common name for several species of fish in the family Salmonidae. Several other fish in the same family are called trout; the difference is often said to be that salmon migrate and trout are resident, but this distinction does not strictly hold true...
in their lodges, Weiser, Private Frazer and Sgt. John Ordway
John Ordway
Sergeant John Ordway , the youngest of ten siblings, was an important part of the Lewis and Clark Expedition across the United States. John Ordway was one of the sergeants from the United States Army who stepped forward as a volunteer for the expedition...
were sent on expedition to hunt for the fish in the nearby Salmon River
Salmon River (Idaho)
The Salmon River is located in Idaho in the northwestern United States. The Salmon is also known as The River of No Return. It flows for through central Idaho, draining and dropping more than between its headwaters, near Galena Summit above the Sawtooth Valley in the Sawtooth National...
, which they called "Lewis's River."
In July 1806 Weiser suffered a badly cut leg. Then on 24 August, when Lewis had gotten the expedition started toward Lemhi Pass
Lemhi Pass
Lemhi Pass is a high mountain pass in the Beaverhead Mountains, part of the Bitterroot Range in the Rocky Mountains The pass lies on the Montana-Idaho border on the continental divide, at an elevation of 7373 feet above sea level.-History:...
, a Shoshone
Shoshone
The Shoshone or Shoshoni are a Native American tribe in the United States with three large divisions: the Northern, the Western and the Eastern....
rode up from the rear of the column to inform Lewis that one of his men was sick. Lewis went back to discover Weiser, whom he dosed with tincture of peppermint
Peppermint
Peppermint is a hybrid mint, a cross between the watermint and spearmint . The plant, indigenous to Europe, is now widespread in cultivation throughout all regions of the world...
and laudanum
Laudanum
Laudanum , also known as Tincture of Opium, is an alcoholic herbal preparation containing approximately 10% powdered opium by weight ....
.
In 1807 Weiser, along with Corps of Discovery members John Potts and John Colter
John Colter
John Colter was a member of the Lewis and Clark Expedition . Though party to one of the more famous expeditions in history, Colter is best remembered for explorations he made during the winter of 1807–1808, when Colter became the first known person of European descent to enter the region now known...
, joined the party of Spanish
Spain
Spain , officially the Kingdom of Spain languages]] under the European Charter for Regional or Minority Languages. In each of these, Spain's official name is as follows:;;;;;;), is a country and member state of the European Union located in southwestern Europe on the Iberian Peninsula...
fur trapper
Fur trade
The fur trade is a worldwide industry dealing in the acquisition and sale of animal fur. Since the establishment of world market for in the early modern period furs of boreal, polar and cold temperate mammalian animals have been the most valued...
Manuel Lisa
Manuel Lisa
Manuel Lisa, also known as Manuel de Lisa , was a Spanish-American fur trader, explorer, and United States Indian agent. He was among the founders in St. Louis of the Missouri Fur Company, an early fur trading company...
on the Upper Missouri River
Missouri River
The Missouri River flows through the central United States, and is a tributary of the Mississippi River. It is the longest river in North America and drains the third largest area, though only the thirteenth largest by discharge. The Missouri's watershed encompasses most of the American Great...
. He was at Fort Raymond in July 1808. Between 1808 and 1810 he was on the Three Forks of the Missouri and the Snake River
Snake River
The Snake is a major river of the greater Pacific Northwest in the United States. At long, it is the largest tributary of the Columbia River, the largest North American river that empties into the Pacific Ocean...
. He was killed sometime before 1828, probably in a fight with Native Americans
Native Americans in the United States
Native Americans in the United States are the indigenous peoples in North America within the boundaries of the present-day continental United States, parts of Alaska, and the island state of Hawaii. They are composed of numerous, distinct tribes, states, and ethnic groups, many of which survive as...
.