Includes bibliographical references (pages 173-178) and index.

"The sole black member of the Lewis and Clark Expedition, William Clark's body servant York has been something of an enigma to students of the expedition. More often than not, reputable historians have assumed that the myths surrounding York--that he was a man of superb physique and stamina; that he clowned and womanized his way across the continent; or that he made no significant contributions to the outcome of the undertaking--were reliable characterizations of the first black man to reach the Pacific Ocean. In this concise and solid study Robert Betts removes many of the fallacies surrounding York and pinpoints the important role he played in the success of the Lewis and Clark Expedition. Neither the hero that a few romantic chroniclers have drawn nor the buffoon of many accounts tainted with racism, Betts's York emerges as a believable human being touching both the heights and depths of the world he lived in. On the one hand, York suffered the limitations and degradations of life as a slave; on the other hand, as a participant in the Lewis and Clark Expedition he must have had the rare sensation of knowing that he helped to shape the destiny of the American people"--Jacket.

SACFinal081324