John B. Thompson was a private in the Corps of Discovery who served competently throughout the entire expedition. He was a surveyor by training, which may have assisted with the expedition’s mapping work.
Thompson is infrequently mentioned in the expedition journals, suggesting he performed his duties without notable incident — in many ways the ideal soldier. He participated in the full round-trip journey and received the standard pay and land warrant upon return.
After the expedition, Thompson’s life is poorly documented. He may have returned to surveying work in the frontier territories.
