Character guide

Commander Robert E. Peary

major

Also known as Peary, Robert E. Peary

Peary is the expedition's driving will — a civil engineer turned commander who inspired in Henson an almost instinctive loyalty the first time they met in 1888. He demands total commitment from every man and returns it with relentless purpose, but the cost of his ambition falls heaviest on those closest to him. Henson's account quietly measures what Peary's fame obscured: that his faithful and often only companion through two decades of Arctic work was a Black man from Maryland.

Matthew Henson

major

Also known as Henson, Matt Henson, Matthew A. Henson, Matt

Born free in Charles County, Maryland, in 1866 and orphaned at seven, Henson went to sea as a cabin-boy bound for China before he was grown, then spent four years sailing the world as an able-bodied seaman. When he met Peary in Washington in 1888, he recognized the qualities that made him willing to serve — and stayed through every expedition since 1891, in a role called 'assistant' that covered a multitude of duties, abilities, and responsibilities. His narrative is both expedition log and quiet corrective: the man the world barely knew, insisting on his place in the record.

Captain Bob Bartlett

supporting

Also known as Bartlett, Captain Bartlett

As master of the Roosevelt, Bartlett occupies a distinct rank in the expedition's hierarchy — answerable to Peary, but responsible for every soul aboard when the ship is in motion. His authority rests on seamanship rather than command, and the northern passage tests both his judgment and the vessel's hull. For Henson, Bartlett is a fellow mariner whose competence is measured in the same practical terms Henson learned as an able-bodied seaman.

Professor Ross G. Marvin

supporting

Also known as Marvin, Professor Marvin

Marvin brings scholarly precision to a venture otherwise defined by brute endurance, handling the observations and records that give the expedition its scientific legitimacy. He is respected enough to be entrusted with the hardest sledge work, and his presence among the supporting parties shapes how the final push is organized. Henson's narrative treats him as a colleague whose fate becomes one of the journey's heaviest losses.

Professor Donald B. MacMillan

supporting

Also known as MacMillan, Professor Donald B. MacMillan, Prof. Donald B. MacMillan, Prof. MacMillan

MacMillan joins the expedition as one of the educated men Peary gathered around him, and his time on the Roosevelt and in winter quarters serves as his apprenticeship in northern travel. He is part of the supporting cast whose competence frees Peary and Henson to attempt the final dash. For readers, he is a quiet thread connecting this expedition to the next generation of Arctic exploration.

Dr. J. W. Goodsell

supporting

Also known as Goodsell, Dr. Goodsell

Goodsell's role is unglamorous and constant: treating the injuries, illnesses, and slow physical deterioration that Arctic travel inflicts on the entire party. He works in a world where a minor wound can become fatal and where morale depends on his steady presence. His care is part of the invisible infrastructure that lets the expedition keep moving toward its goal.

George Borup

supporting

Also known as Mr. Borup, young Mr. Borup, Mr. George Borup, George Borup, Borup, George

Young, eager Mr. Borup serves as Peary's assistant, bringing college-boy energy to a brutal Arctic expedition where enthusiasm must survive ice, hunger, and the long dark.

Ootah

supporting

Also known as faithful old Ootah

Faithful old Ootah, an Inuit hunter and dog driver, knows the ice like scripture and carries the expedition's survival in his hands and harness.

Harry Whitney

minor

Also known as Mr. Harry Whitney, Mr. Whitney

American hunter and explorer who wintered in the Arctic.

Dr. Frederick A. Cook

minor

Also known as Dr. F. A. Cook, Dr. Cook, the Dr. Cook

Rival explorer who claimed to have reached the North Pole first.

Kudlooktoo

minor

Eskimo member of the expedition team.

Josephine Diebitsch Peary

minor

Also known as Mrs. Peary

Peary's wife, who accompanied him on earlier Arctic expeditions.

Charley Percy

minor

Also known as Charley

Expedition steward and assistant.

Egingwah

minor

Eskimo hunter and dog driver on the expedition.

Chief Engineer Wardwell

minor

Also known as Chief Engineer Wardwell

Chief engineer of the ship Roosevelt.

Hugh J. Lee

minor

Also known as Hugh Lee, Lee

Expedition member and assistant.

Seegloo

minor

Eskimo member of the expedition.

Rudolph Franke

minor

Also known as Franke

Expedition member and assistant.

Murphy

minor

Expedition member and assistant.

Billy Pritchard

minor

Also known as Billy, Pritchard

Expedition member and assistant.

Panikpah

minor

Also known as old Panikpah

Eskimo woman encountered during the expedition.

Pooadloonah

minor

Eskimo member of the expedition.

Ooqueah

minor

Also known as young Ooqueah

Young Eskimo hunter on the expedition.

Koolootingwah

minor

Eskimo member of the expedition.