Staunton spectator. [volume] (Staunton, Va.) 1849-1896, 1858-02-10
Col. Cookies March to Join the Utah Army
Terrible SukerinsS.

Terrible SuKerinss.
The arrears of news that come in day alter day
from orr Utah army are diScouraglng. Colonel
Co,ks's report to the Adjutant General OF the
T-tob army. of his march from the Missouri to
the valley of the Salt Lake, is full of curious in
ters,t. lie started in command of six cOmPa
MES ID Dragons, from Fort Leavenworth, on
the l7th ofSeptemaer, and his Journal ends with
his arrival at Fort Bridger on the 10th OF No
vem6er He says;
The regiment had been hastily recalled from
service 10 the field, and allowed three or four
DAYS only by my then commanding oIhcer 10
nreDare for a march of eleven hundred miles,
over an uninhabited and mountain wilderness.
In that time the six companies OF the regiment
who were to compose the expedition were reor'
oanized: 10 transfers necessarily maze from
and to other companies; horses TO De c"hueuln,
ed and many to be obtained; the companies paid
and about fifty deSertions occurred; the COM
manders of four of them changed.
~ marched them on the 18th. Then it was
to be proved that three or four more days were
to be lost in waiting for the Quarterinasters De-
partment to supply the absolutely necessary
TRANSFORMATION. On the 18th, 107 mules were
furnished which the same day had arrived from
8 march of. perhaps, 1000 miles to and from
ers were nearly worthless from want and age,
and recurring several hours to harness a team.
On the morning of the 10th, twenty team
sters were wanting, and men were furnished ut
terly ignorant of the business and WiVhoUV out
fits
UHaIf allowance, or six pounds day OF corn
for horses and mules, was the largest Item OF
TRANSFORMATION three or four laundreSses, with
their children, were with each company"
The regular journal of each days march is
Given. how it rained, and how the mules died,
and the men complained On October 9th ne
arrived at Fort Kearney; on the 10th crossed
the South Platte-the thermometer was at IL,
and the river full Of ice.
IL WAS discretionary with Col. Cooke to win
fer ct Fort Laramie or to post on to Salt Lake
He preferred the latter course. On November
4th his command was at Sweet Water Pass, IN
the Rocky Mountains; next day they gained
Devils Gate.
"Ou the 9th we found the ground once more
white and the snow falling, but then very mod
erately. | marched as usual On tour mile
Hill the north wind and drifting snow became Sc
we're the air seemed turned To frozen log noun
inc, could be seen we were struggling in treez
inc cloud. The lofty wall at Three Crossings
was happy relief, but the guide, who had late
" passed there, was relentless in pronouncing
Sbat there was no grass the idea of finding anC
Feeding upon grass IN that wintry storm, under
4he deeD snow, was hard 10 entertain, but as hC
promised grass and other shelter two miles fur
cher. we marched on, crossing twice more the
rocky stream, half choked with snow and ice
finally he led us behind a great granite rock, bu
all too small for the promised shelter, only par
of the regiment could huddle there, in the deel
snow while, the long night through, the storm
continued, and in fearful eddies from above, DO
fore. behind, drove the falling and drifting snow
Thus exposed, for the hope ofgrass, the poor an
finals were driven with great devotion by TIN
men once more across the stream, and three
quarters of mile beyond, to the base OF gran
lite ridge but which almost faced the storm
there the furnished mules, crying piteouSy dix
not seek to eat but desperately gathered IN
mass, and some horses escaping the guard, wen
back to the ford, where the lofty precipice frs
gave Us so pleasant 4 relief aud shelter.
Thus morning light had nothing cheering t.
reveal, the air still filled with driven snOw--th
animals soon came driven in and mingled III con
fusion with men, went crunchiug the snow ii
the confined and wretched camp, tramping al
things in their way. 1t was not time to dwel
ON the fact that from the mountain desert Their
was no retreat. no. any shelter neas, but tim
for action. Blu, for six hours the frost or irozel
fog tell thickly like snow, and again we march
ed on as in u cloud
The deep snow drifts impeded us much, an'
in crossiug Sweet Water the ice broke in III
middle. Marching ten miles only, got bette
camp aud herded the horses ON the hills; it wa
different road, where q few days before TN
bodies of three frozen men were found"
On the Sth the thermometer stood at A deg
below the freezing point. The snow was deep
~,
were abandoned.
mine trooper horses were left freezing anC
dying on the road, aud number of soldiers ant
teamsters had been frost bitten. Ii was . DIES
perately cold night; the thermometers wer,
broken, but by comparison must have marked
% deg below zero, a bottle Of sherry wine
troze IN q trunk. Having lost about fifty mules
in thirty-Six hours, the morning OF the 18th, OF
the report of the Quartermaster felt bound Il
leave wagon in the bushes filed with seventy
four extra saddles and brides and some SabreS.
Next day the corn gave out, and the mule
were dying OF hunger.
They guawed and destroyed four Wagon
tongues, number OF wagon covers, ate thel
ropes, and getting loose, ate the sage fuel col
lected at the tents Some Of these they also at
tackled Nine died.
The fast growing company Of dismOunteC
men were marched together as separate com
inand by day; the morning OF the 18th a mum
Der of them were frost bitten from not being il
motion, although standing by fires.
That day eighteen mules were marched tC
Big Sandy where the guide found grass, and fu.
ell with it; 50 good that the 18th was made s
day OF rest the animals were all herded at the
grass. Fifty horses had been lost since leaving
Laramie"
He closes the report of the march with the
following:-
II have l44 horses and have lost 1874. Mos
of tue loss has occurred much this side Of Soutl
Pass, in comparatively moderate weather i
has been OF starvation. The earth has a ne
more lifeless, treeIeSs, CRASHES desert; it con
tainS scarcely wolf to glut itself on the hun
dreds Of dead aud frozen animals, which for thir
ty miles nearly block the road with abandoned
and shattered property. They mark, perhaps
beyond example in history, the steps Of an adj
yancng army with the horrors Of a disastrous
retreat"
The Tennessee Legislature has by vote o
80 to 81, rejected resolutions requesting the Con
gressmen from that State To vote for the aGmis
sion of Kansas with the Lecompton constitution