Who is Private William Bratton from The Journals of Lewis and Clark and what is their importance?

Private William Bratton born in July 1778. He was an apprenticed blacksmith, as well as a great gunsmith. Bratton was a member of the party that brought Reed, a deserter, back to the Corps in August of 1804. During the winter of 1804, Bratton built a forge in Fort Mandan. The Corps used the facility to repair tools and other metallic objects brought in by the Indians; in return, they received much needed food. On May 11, 1805, Bratton encountered a grizzly bear and shot it. The shot did not kill the animal, and the bear ran after the private, who then had to run for half a mile on the shore with a dangerous grizzly on his tail, before catching up with the Corps and hailing them for help.

The private's health became a cause for concern around the middle of 1806. He was suffering from such intense pain his lower back that he was prevented from walking. He was the only member of the Corps to travel on a horse while the others members walked. Luckily, the Nez Percé treated Bratton in a sweat house and gave him mint tea. The treatment was sufficient to allow the private to walk with little pain during the remainder of their trek to St. Louis.