The daily union. [volume] (Washington [D.C.]) 1845-1857, 1845-08-09
ke the mar, which iIlustrate il. win he ,lrcllr

u
gey. greater degree OF popular interest MI hd W
impaired to H. by admitting greater latitude of lave
/ was deemed best to adhere to the rigorous chao,.
report, and 10 present nothing either IN the narraf
tiop. v positive Obst,, i
The journals both open in the same wov =,
the natural way, with the names Of those com Su
the expedition, and their means of prosec~r'
and accomplishing its objects About tbi,n
one hundred horses and mules, some NIX, Ma
to carry the instruments, some caule
killed before reaching the bu,laloes IA
supply Of coffee and -four, with good Ia. %n
powder, and lead, and some stole Of mr.. -
To concilIate Indians, constitute tie eon,O~
The men are engaged for the occasion. Fi y
woodsmen trained 10 the perils and hprdshio.
aud prairie life, able and wiIIn, Is
existence by tho tenure ofthe rifle, to find t1e;,
food before they eat it, the earth for Their NM
bed, some bushes and blanket for Their Is rs
from SHE petings Of the ptiless storm, nnd N
find compensation for the dangers and sniff.
they endure, in the excitement which il
Looking over the names of these men we sea N \
Of many nations French, American, German !" !
ish--ihe French coming from the Canadian
fouisirnn stocks The time of setpy on, "a. S'
month of May, when the young grass il Gar ona.1
advanced 10 sustain the animals; the pom, Of d..
mre is the western lnit OF clvilizatiou-thc Go1'
of Missouri-near the mouth Of the Kansas ri,,' Il
The order of the march and encampmen, !.
scrbed and is always the same, excep, wbs. Nh
creased danger requires increased vigilance ~ 4
whole expedition, from the moment Of leays. y
frontier, ID i progress of danger, in which v;g;s.
and courage, and constant readiness to msks 4 n
fence, are the price of the travellers safety ana T.
only security for life and property. Adavh,.t
rising of the camp--a SUNRISE breakfast !
hour by sun commencement of the marcb-v.s,l
daily order of movement; and then the MOVING s,m
assumed the form Of military procession No.
ed scouts ahead and on the hanks, TO prrform n
double duty Of vedetles and hunters; front an,
rear division of the men TO be ready for battle en-
way, with the baggage. IN the centre;--suc6 Il,
the order of march. The encnmpmsnt At ni,
was strictly military, and four things were Oe.,
sary 70 constitute good one; water, grass, hs
and defensiblc position. The rule was to Mn \
hour before sunset, to have time to arrange and q
cure the camp. Two guards were lmmedn,,,
formed--one called the horse guard from its duv5
guard the horses while feeding round the camp; An
other TO guard the camp at night aud in pl.o,
of more than ordinary danger, the one.hld n
even the one-half of the men would be Inn
employed. The camp would be arranged into
square or circle, the carts forming angles OF e,t
rorlnes and barbados of trees or bushes often sd
ed, and sufficiently large to contain the horses ana
CATTLE as well as the men. AT nlghtfal ALL eycru
the camp guard, were collected within the barricaGs,
the horses being picke,ed-i. c, haltered 10 piSs
eighteen inches long, driven into the ground ,nI
with sufficient length of halter to allow the amin.
a circle of thirty feet diameter, within which 10 fsr
on the grass during the night. On this feeding d,
ring the night, and pickings during the day, d.
horse was to live and keep himself in order for scr
vice for, from the moment OF leaving the frontiers
of Missouri until he gets back, or dies farewell
a long farewell-is hidden by the hose to all the A.
Communications of the stable, and TO all the suppt,
of the rack or the trough. Northumberland ibis fad
will receive an astonishing development and an i'm.
mense application in the OF the expeditions
this grass, within few days march from The from
tiers of Missouri, becomes nutritious in quality
and so abundant in quantity, that any number II
horses and cattle may be subsisted upon it for an,
distance of march, and any length Of time SUNNI
and winter, quite out to the Pacific ocean The cam,
guard watches without the barricade, while the ma
and horses sleep and feed within; but every mail
sleeps on his rifle, which 1t is his last care to see Il
in perfect order, and well loaded. The night oval
the return of the day brings return of the daIy
routine of early rising and early moving which q
lntermitted, except when, for some cause then
is day or an interval of repose.
The military view of this subject was, of coun,,
the first object of the explorers attentions and d
this, the result of the examination has been en,rr
satisfactory. 1t had been supposed, and even affirmed
by leading authorities in Europe and America
that distance, mountains, hostility of Indians, and
The impossbilily Of subsising men and horses il
so long march, would present masquerade OBJ
staclcs to military expedition from the uGIe
States TO Oregon. All these impossibities hNya
vanished before the facts of Capt Fremont's report
The distance, counting from the frontier OF Misut
ri to the tide water IN Oregon, is only eben!iv'
thousand miles; the mountains are easily passed,
the whole way is practicable, even in state Of r$
ture, for carriages and artillery; an abundant aud
nutritious grass furnishes food to horses and 10 bed
cattle and as for the Indians, it is on proof thai
twenty-five men, with rifles and a howlzer, may
move in safety, 10 spite of the hostility Of any
tribe So minute and particular is the report, ard
that illustrated by maps, that an army may u
marched upon the journal as its guide, finding d
the particulars of ground, grass, water, and fuel 81
minutely stated, that, with the book in hand ea
days march, and each nights encampment, may n
laid down beforehand, and confidently relied up@
with all the certointy of absolute knowledge. VIM
this minuteness Of typographical information, ar
given some enlarged views Of the mililory strength
of Oregon, as a country TO be defended; and dcn
the peculiar structure aud confguraon OF thecO
try-iis lron-bound coast, and double range Il
mountains; its single communication with the saI
by the mouth Of only one river; and the unity dld
concentration Of all its waters in the centre Of B
great valley, surrounded by mountains and by ds-
erts--the conclusion is drawn, and the opinion eS-
pressed, that Oregon is the most impregnabe coun-
try In the world The captain uses the word tn-
pTcgnabte, which implies defence, and mparls strong
emphasis to the advantage of first possession
The British government seem to have been aware q
this important fact and to have awaited themselves
of their Hudson Bay Company 70 do for themn
Oregon what the East India Company have done i'
them in Asia.
Connected with the military view of the country
or rather as the basis Of all military operatosirOa
the mississippi to the Pacific, Capt Fremont prom
nently and perseveringIy presents the seemingly %,
significant article of grass. At one hundred SDl
fifty mtlcs, or weeks march, from The frontiers d
Missouri, the short, rich, nutritious, and abundaR
butialo-9rass sets in, equal to domestic pro'eN
der for horses and cattle, and equally good lnli
green or dry state; being thus available summer On
winter This grass prevails to the Rocky Moun1
talns, and is even found in those mountains at ~
elevation of ten thousand feet Beyond ibOs
mountains another species of grass sets IN, 'onsg
ana OF different character, but not less Wluau'
than the buffalo, and endowed with the rcmarhi4'
property Of second growth coming on in the w
alter the death or destruction Of lis first growp
This Is called bunch grass, from its fnrln, growing
clusters; end likd.the buffalo, il loves the moaH,
talns aud elevated plains II seems to be unlvsrs
on the western slope of our continent as the blla'
grass is on the eastern slope of the Rocky Moulf
Jams; and was found suieioat for the susenance y