# Commander Robert E. Peary — A Negro Explorer at the North Pole character guide > Commander Robert E. Peary in A Negro Explorer at the North Pole by Matthew Henson. **Role:** major **Also known as:** Peary, Robert E. Peary **First appearance:** 0002-a-negro-explorer-at-the-north-pole ## Snapshot The Navy engineer whose twenty-year Arctic obsession drew Henson from a Washington barbershop into the ice, and whose name the world attached to the Pole. ## Who they are 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. ## In the story ### [A Negro Explorer at the North Pole](https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/a_negro_explorer_at_the_north_pole_se/chapters/a-negro-explorer-at-the-north-pole) Leader of the expedition, guiding the team toward the North Pole. ### [I](https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/a_negro_explorer_at_the_north_pole_se/chapters/i) Civil engineer in the U.S. Navy; Henson's employer and leader of Arctic expeditions; broke his leg on the 1891 North Greenland Expedition; froze his feet in January 1899 losing all but one toe; known for persistency and fortitude. ### [II](https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/a_negro_explorer_at_the_north_pole_se/chapters/ii) Leader of the expedition, described as tall with gray hair, steel-gray eyes, and a commanding voice. ### [III](https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/a_negro_explorer_at_the_north_pole_se/chapters/iii) Orders the rescue of Franke, gives trading instructions, and consents to Whitney staying. ### [Preparing for Winter at Cape Sheridan](https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/a_negro_explorer_at_the_north_pole_se/chapters/iv) Keeps to his cabin, hums popular airs, and maintains a strict boundary with the Eskimos. ### [V](https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/a_negro_explorer_at_the_north_pole_se/chapters/v) Designed the new sledge pattern; instructs Henson to secure fresh meat. ### [VI](https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/a_negro_explorer_at_the_north_pole_se/chapters/vi) Devised the plan of constant winter activity; was struck by a flying box during a storm in 1894. ### [Ready for the Dash to the Pole](https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/a_negro_explorer_at_the_north_pole_se/chapters/ix) Arrived at camp with his dog team in the lead, immediately issued orders, and sent Bartlett and Borup forward onto the ice. ### [Forward! March!](https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/a_negro_explorer_at_the_north_pole_se/chapters/x) Issues the command 'Forward! March!' and leads the expedition; his sledge carries the flags to be broken out at the North Pole. ### [Fighting Up the Polar Sea—Held Up by the 'Big Lead'](https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/a_negro_explorer_at_the_north_pole_se/chapters/xi) Directs the party, reprimands Kudlooktoo for breaking his sledge, and orders camp when halted by the Big Lead; shows unusual patience with the delay. ### [Pioneering the Way](https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/a_negro_explorer_at_the_north_pole_se/chapters/xii) Leads the overall expedition; insists on pushing forward despite delays, sends back unfit members, and keeps the party together as long as possible. ### [Chapter XIII: The Final Supporting Parties Turn Back](https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/a_negro_explorer_at_the_north_pole_se/chapters/xiii) Gives orders for the march; instructs Henson to speed up and later to sort dogs and rearrange loads. ### [XIV](https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/a_negro_explorer_at_the_north_pole_se/chapters/xiv) Leads the main party, calculates distances, and allows Bartlett one more short march north before his return. ### [The Pole!](https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/a_negro_explorer_at_the_north_pole_se/chapters/xv) Relentless leader who takes the final observations and plants the flag at the North Pole. ### [The Return Journey](https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/a_negro_explorer_at_the_north_pole_se/chapters/xvi) Shows signs of extreme fatigue but also a look of victory; his face is lined and seamed, beard long, yet his eyes flash with triumph. ### [Safe on the Roosevelt—Poor Marvin](https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/a_negro_explorer_at_the_north_pole_se/chapters/xvii) Arrived at the Roosevelt about seven hours ahead of Henson. ### [XVIII](https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/a_negro_explorer_at_the_north_pole_se/chapters/xviii) Remains aloof from Henson for weeks, then gives matter-of-fact orders to build sledges; continues to manage the expedition and ration provisions. ### [The Roosevelt Starts for Home](https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/a_negro_explorer_at_the_north_pole_se/chapters/xix) Orders the ship into Whale Sound for walrus hunting and directs the overall journey home. ### [XXI Etah to New York — Coming of mail and reporters — Home!](https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/a_negro_explorer_at_the_north_pole_se/chapters/xxi) Leads the expedition home, reunites with family at Sydney, and gives the first interview to reporters at Battle Harbor. ### [List of Illustrations](https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/a_negro_explorer_at_the_north_pole_se/chapters/list-of-illustrations) Featured in an illustration titled 'Robert E. Peary in his North Pole furs'. ## Links - HTML: https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/a_negro_explorer_at_the_north_pole_se/characters/commander_peary - Book: https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/a_negro_explorer_at_the_north_pole_se - All characters: https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/a_negro_explorer_at_the_north_pole_se/characters