Daily Nashville patriot. [volume] (Nashville, Tenn.) 1857-1858, 1857-11-17
Utnh.-rhe rTormons.

The telegraph announced few days ago,
the beginning of serions troubles with the
Mormons, in the destruction by them, of gov
eminent trains on the way to U'ah. The St.
Louis Republican, of the 11th, has the follow
ing interesting article on the subject:
Highly important int lligepce has just been re-
ceived at Fort Leavenworth, by express from Fort
Laramie with advices of October 22d Lieut. Col
CooKE's command Of I'd Dragons were four miles
this side and had encountered a storm FIVE
DAYS previously. Col. Albert s. johnston was last
heard from two hundred aud thirty miles beyond
Fort Larsmie and snow was seven inches deep one
hundred miles this side Of where the express | It
him Owing to the slim supply Of corn, and entire
absence of grass. the teams Of the entire command
and the horses of the Cd Dragons failing
rapidly.
News had reached Laramie that the Mormons
had burnt three government trains (seventv-fvP
wagOns) near Green river, ninety miles behind Col.
Aexanders command, ooh Infantry which con-
sttuted the van guard Of the army. Il was ru~
mOred that the 10th and 9th Infantry and the Bat
teries of Artill' ~ would 90 and take posses
sion of Mormon village on Bear river, for winter
quarters Il is said that the Ora goOns bad months
supply Of corn, at half allowance, and not parti
Gle of grass. With snow on the ground at that II
seems like madness for them to proceed beyond
Laramie-crrtainIy such step could only be iusti
fed in view of the prospect of actual hostilities
this winter, Of which no one at this distance can
judge.
There was probably never before, any portion of
our army subject 20 such privations and to whom
the future presents such gloomy picture as is the
case at present with the ''Army for Utah" And
il be said without dsparagement TO others
that portion of our army could have been better
5elected to battle with the hardships of cam
paign, which more than all Others proves the SOL
der, than the Army for Utah" The Command r
Col Albert S. johnson, of the I'd Cavalry, stands
among the first in ability in the army with the in
defatigable Maj. Fitzjohn Porter at lis elbow Un-
der his command. and emulaling him in the patriotic
the 10th Infantry, Col. Alexander and the 9Th In
fantry, Lieut.. Col. Waite, while the irving duty
the almost hopeless task of conducting the "rear
guard" (the six companies of ID Dragoons) through
snowy path to its distant goal, rests with Lieut..
Col Cooke. No one familiar with the operations
OF our army for the last twentyyears will fear that
any oil these officers will prove recFeant to the i'm
portant trusts cObfded to them. We may rest as
sured that, If upon Col Johnstons arrival on the
verge of the Salt Lake Valley, circumstances urge
the propriety of immediate action, extensively, to
wards the hormons, At UiH be done with a bold and
decisive han. Certainly act is better calcutta
ted to hasten the inevitable doom of Mormonism,
than this attempt their part to destroy the army
supplies. Nothing should shield them from
just retributon of an outraged government
We doubt if Col. Johnston will be able, when
his whole force is concentrated to muster over one
thousand men for duty. Such army so far from
she base-line, is too small to cope long with vgor
GUS resistance.