Daily Iowa State Democrat. [volume] (Davenport, Iowa) 1856-1859, 1857-12-18
THE UTAH EXPEDITION.
omcial Despatch from Colonel Johnsto

Dispatches have been received at
the War Department from Col. John
son. the commander of the army Of
Utah. They include several letters
from Col. Alexander, commanding the
main body ofthe expedition. Annex
ed is the dispatch from Col. Johnston
HEADQUARTERS ARMY OF UTAH,
SouTH Pass EN- ROUTE TO SALT
LAKE CRY,
October ls, 1857.
MAJoR-Accompanying this COM
munlcation ! send you two letters from
Colonel Alexander, the commander at
present of the main body Of the army
of Utah. These letters refer to mat
tiers relative to the propriety, or wheth-
or he had the authority, to assume the
command Of the entire army. He then
goes on to say-pursuing his design
indicated in his letter of October 8, as
you will learn from his letter Of Octo-
Der l4-that he had advanced up
Hams Fork OF Green River, thirty five
miles above the crossing, and there di-
reefs the movements to be made by his
own immediate command and the
troops in his rear to form a junction,
which, from erroneous suppositions,
would be wholly impracticable.
First. He evidently believes that
Colonel Smith, escorting the remain
der Of the supply trains-in all about
nine, including three suttlers's trains
is advancing on the Kinney road, or
cutoff, with the force named in Har-
ney's report Of August l 8, and Of course
he has not received the countermand
of that order lie assumes that the
command IN the rear is more capable
of movement than his own, and there
fore after waiting one day at the point
indicated, will resume his march. In
this, also, he would have been disap-
pointed, a. the trains in the rear, suf-
fering from fatigue and scarcity Of
sustenancc and without rcst-which
the teams with him have had-could
not, if where he supposed them, over
take him. These are the facts, and if
known by Col. Alexander, his indispo-
sition, as determined in his letter of
October s, would have been entirely
different.
COL Smith is at this camp with fifty
men Of his regiment. | overlook him
the day before yesterday, the 10th inst,
about twenty miles west Of this, and
have added my escort of fifteen noun
ted dragons to his force.
Lieut.. Smith, in command of
squadron of dragons and fifty of the
Tenth infantry, a force OF about two
hundred men, may be expected here in
three or four days. He is aware of the
necessity of pronptness, and | am sure
will lose no time.
Mr.. William Magraw, Superinten-
tcndcnt Of the South Pass wagon road,
with patriotism highly credtablc to
him, places at the disposition of the
government as many Of his employees
as will volunteer. lie thinks fifty or
sixty will be organized, and l have
agreed to accept their services, and
have them mustered in for three or SIX
months, as they may select; and he
has also rendered fifteen or sixteen good
teams Of mules and wagons, which l
have also accepted, and have directed
them to be receipted for when deliver
ed.
Four supply trains containing cloth
ing-which the troops in advance, /
am informed, now begin to need-ord-
nance, medical and subsistence stores,
are still in the rear and may be expec-
ted in two or three days. The storm
of .ast night may have destroyed some
of their oxen, and on that account
there may be more delay than l antic-
ipate.
Eleven mules of Col. Smiths train
persisted last night. The thermometer
this morning at sunrise was at sixteen.
The sky is now clear, and the Their
momoter at l O'clock stands at thirty
four, and the small quantity of snow
that fell last night is melting so that the
cattle can Craze freely.
am this minute for the reason that
the order transmitted to Col. Alexan-
der yesterday morning may be fully
comprehended. His intended move
ment if met with opposition, would
have SO retarded his march as to have
made it impracticable, and would
probably have SO entangled him in the
midst Of the deep snow in the valley
of Bear river-which l understand
never fails to fall there, and very early
IN the season-as to place him be-
You'd the means of extrication. Our
most potent enemy at present is the
snow, and constitutes our chief embar
rassment.
The movement of Col. Alexander
would have separated him from sup
plies indispensable to the comfort and
safety Of the army and deprived him
of the assistance of the force which will
be concentrated here in few DAYS:
which, however, being partly of caval-
ry, is Of vital Importance.
In ordering Col. Alexander to the
mouth Of Fontenelle creek, a position
about thirty miles from his camp on
Hams Fork, ] did SO with design of
making junction practicable. 1t is
about 70 miles hence, and he can
reach it by good road and without
any danger OF surprise. There is an
abundance of grass, and it is a point