Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1857-11-24
WASHINGTON NEWS AND GOSSIP.

| prospects OF our gallant military friends now
supposed to be just going into winter quarters
In the neighborhood Of Fort Bridger, some l9o
miles this side of Salt Lake City. These IN
| quiries come for the most part from individual
| friends of individual officers and men, who
know well that the Star is at this time the
newspaper of the country most looked to for
| correct news concerning army movements, pros
poets and interests, and that it numbers among
| its subscribers more men of all degrees in the
service, from the generals in command of the
different military departments, down to privates
in the ranks, than any other journal.
In reply to these queries we have to say that
there has been Of late remarkable dearth of
detailed information from the troops recently
dispatched to Utah. That is, of information
not official. And that all the latter proper to
be published has been duly spread before the
public. In the mean time we find in late
number of the Journal of Commerce, the fol-
lowing interesting account of the particular
region of country now occupied by those troops,
from the perusal of which their friends may
obtain capital idea of their present position,
condition and prospect for the winter. It is as
follows:
| The CAMP-GRoUND OF THE UTAHExPEDIrIoN.
ears ago, when Fort Laramie was but a small
French trading post. and before emig ration
across the Plains had fairly commenced, the old
| trappers and ''mountain men" used eQuently to
resort to the upland valleys OF the Rocky Mount
aims to winter. There, in the sheltered parks and
plateaus, they not only escaped the barren and
Indictment regions Of the Plains but were enabled
to obtain fair allow anee of fresh meat by hunt
ing the buffalo, deer, and other animals which
also resorted thither in the winter time to gain
that subsistence which they could not obtain upon
the inhosPitable prairie. One Of the most favored
of these locations was the - New Park, - which
receives the waters of the Laramie, Medicine Bow
and Sweetwater rivers, and near which also rises
the North Fork of the Platte river. little to the
| north of the New Park, and inclosed by the great
bend Of the Platte, lies the broken tract of coun-
try known the Laramie Plains, which are
| bounded by the Black Hills on the north, and on
| the south by the Medicine Bow mountains This
| was also favorte hunting ground. From the
bend of the Platte, westward, extends an incon-
siderable range, slipping gradually until it reaches
an elevated plain which forms break in the
Rocky Mountain chain, and affords the easy pas
sage known as the Great or South Pass So grad
ual is this ascent that, were it not for the majes-
tic presence OF the rugged peaks towering heav-
onward away to the rig ht and the left, one would
scarcely realize that he is standing upon the di-
vidin9 ridge between the waters that flow into
the Atlantic and Pacific oceans. Still more in
credible is the fact that he stand near by aud
toss two sticks into two ad jacent streams. one of
| which flows eastward to the Gulf of Mexico, and
the other in the opposite direction to the Gulf Of
California.
Through this pass was the usual route Of the
mountain men TO the beaver Astounding valleys
of the Green and Bear rivers and the Uintah
country; and many an Indian and superstitious
old hunter has traversed, years ago, the we'll
known path to the mystic Beer or Soda Springs
| TO smoke the propitiatory pipe, and invoke the
fountain spirits to grant him good luck in the
| Ise.
The wagon trail To Oregon and California and
10 the salt Lake re. ion traverses all this section
| OF country, following the Sweetwater Valley
through the Pass, over to the Big Sandy, across
Green river to Fort Bridger, and thence to Salt
| Lake and beyond. This is the route of the Utah
expeditions and some location between the noun
| tains and Fort Brdger will he their camping
ground for the winter, for il is not at all probable
In the present hostile attitude of the Mormons
that 1t will be able to force its way to Salt Lake
city until Spring. In this contingency they will
De ia better of in the mountains than on the
| plains. Indeed, no camp, however we'll provis-
Toned and protected, could survive the piercing
blasts and terrible snow storms that sweep over
| the exposed and barren prairie, where betimes
the hardy mountaineer, Cvertaken by the unex-
pected gale has only saved himself from perish
| ing b. killing his horse and crawling into the
warm and smoking carcass which he had
opened.
Well provided as the expedition is with am
| muntion and provisions, II will not suffer for
sustenance, If nnmoiested though its experience
OF the RIGGS Of a winter among the mountains
Will be anything but agreeable. A camping
ground may be selected where both wood and
water are abundant; fresh meat may lie obtained
Dy hunting ana even though the horses and
mules may perish for want Of grain and fodder
the men may weather IL throug h till spring. Ma
graw's wagon train has aIeady carnped for the
winter, though at considera Bile distance north
Of the present position OF the Amy, account Of
the grass having all been burned of to the South
ward The old ex psrienced montaineers have Sc
leeted just such Location for a camp that in
which fortune has placed the ex ped Itio1. So, as
has been remarked, there need be little apprehen-
sion for their condition through the winter, pro-
vlded they had no fear Of Inolestation from en-
emieS.
From the Intelligence received up to date, it Is
pro that the expedition has gone into win
ter quarters on the soda Spring tfail-a route
which has been much Travelled of late by emf
grants, to avoid the mole direct road through
AOrnondon This position would be as safe as
anv. though farther from Salt Lake than Fort
Bridger, which Is only 1l3 miles distant Still
II IS the belief OF the best judge. that they will
not pass tire winter in mOiotonau. peace The
| country has long been frsqueBted by the warike
tribes OF Utahs, Sioux, Chey ennes, Crows, and
Snakes or shoshones who have needed no in
centive to their natural hatred Of the white man.
| To induce them 10 seek his blood; AVID now that ,
| as allies Of the MormoDs, they urged COM
Inanded, paid, to hunt the white mans scalp
excepting Saint) they will not refrain from EN-
bracing the present unusual and welcome oppor-
tunity. The wild Indian who has continually
lowered around the camp Of the veteran trappe !,
seeking plumber, or his scalp, as a more desired
prize, has ever been the Object Of the trapper's
solicitude. His attention has been divided be.
tween his traps and circumventing the wiles Of
tue reu ndn, WnO ike WOLF, lopes around his
camp FIRE, follows him when he hunts waylays
him in bis path, or sends an arrow to his breast
while he sleeps; and Notwithstanding his vigil
lance, bis backwoOds craft, and his bravery when
assaulted or surprised, many Of theseyeteran trap
| pers have "gone under" betimes, as the numer-
| ous creeks, rivers and mountains which bear
their names in record Of their fate, will testify
We say-when snch Is the fate Of the hardy
| mountaineer, what can we expect for the green
horns OF the army when heinmed in and harrass
| ed by the Indians, Of whom they know nothing
| 70 say nothing Of the Mormon backwoodsmcn
who will undoubtedly lose no opportunity to cut
| them of!
II is well 10 consider The perlous predicament
| In which the expedition will lie placed II COM
PEELED To encamp in the mountains, provided the
Morrnons use all the means in their power to
harass them. The winter, 1t Is said, has set in
with unusual severity; all the grass that has not
been burned by the Mormons is covered with
| snow, and can profit the animals but little
/ port says that fodder is almost exhausted, and
that large number Of animals have already d ed
The great loss, therefore, will be their live
| stock; and the whole expedition will thus be
Il Az IN No m IL uofx vhenf