From the Discovering Lewis & Clark site.
Along with this in formation on Patrick Gass, they have a day-by-day chronology on the Expedition, often written in William Clark's interesting spelling.
It says Gass was the Expedition's carpenter and the last surviving member.
He also became the sergeant of it by election. A nominating vote for replacement of Sergeant Charles Floyd was held at present-day Elk Point, South Dakota and nineteen of the group's 25 enlisted men voted for Gass as the replacement. He must have been held in high esteem.
Pennsylvania-born Irishman Patrick Gasswas a career soldier signing up in 1799 at age 28 and wanted to join the Expedition when they arrived at his post at Fort Kaskaskia in Illinois, but his commander, Captain Russell Bissell wanted to keep him for his services as a carpenter, so Gass went to Meriwether Lewis who persuaded Bissell to let him join.
Gass had previously served in the Army Rangers and now was the expedition's third oldest member after John Shields (b. 1769) and Captain Clark (b. 1770)
--Brock-Perry
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