The Union and eastern journal. [volume] (Biddeford [Me.]) 1854-1858, 1858-02-12
Terrible suffsrings Of the Troops fol
Utah.

Utah.
Col. Cook's report To the Adjutant Gcner'
al, Of his march from Missouri To the valley
OF tie Salt Lake, gives VIVID account OF
the suasrlngs Of the trVop' for Utah, on
their winter campaign. Col Cook started
in comm nd Of SIX comPanies al Dragons,
FROM Fort I. avcn~orth, ON thu 18th oi S'Pt.,
and his i,urnal ends with his arrival ut Fort
Brldger, ON the 10Th Of November. lie ays
the regimen WIS hastily called irom ser ice
in the field and allowed only three or four
days to prepare for march Of eleven hun
dred miles over an uninhabited and noun
famous wilderness. They started on the
18th, bu. three or four days were lost in
waiting for the Quartermaster'. Department
to SUI ply the absolutely necessary transpor
tauon. On the 18th, LOT mules were fur
nish-d, which the same day had arrived
from march Of, prhaps, 2'OO miles to
and from Bridger's Pass above 100 OF the
others were nearly worthless frou want and
age, and requiring several Lours to harness
team. On the morning Of the 10Th, q
teamsters were wanting, and men were fur
nished utterly Ignorant Of the buLiness and
without outfits.
The regular Journal Of each days march
is given; how it rAined, and how the mules
died, and the men complained. On Novem
Der 18th they reached Ssee, Water Pass, in
the Rocky Mountains the rext day they
gained Devils Gate. Col. Cook says:
"On the 9Th W. found the grouLd once
more white, and the snow falling but then
very moderately. l marched as usual. On
four mile hill the north wind and drifting
TO iruzen fog nothing could be seen; We
were struggling in irerzing cloud. The
lofty wall at Three Crossings was happy
relief, but the gui1e, who had lately passed
there, was RELENTLESS IN pronOuncing that
there was no griss the idea OF finding and
feeding upon grass IN that wintry storm.
under ihe deep snow, was hard To entertain,
bat as he Promised grass and other shelter
two miles further, We marched on, crossing
twice mOr the rocky strelln, halt clicked
witt snow ana ice finally he led us hehin'l
L great granite rock. but all tOo small Tor
the promised shelter q, ly u part oi the
regiment could huddle there, in lh. deep
sn,w: while, the hong night through, the
storm continued. AMI in fearful ediles lr IA
above belurr, behind. drwv III, ialling aud
drifting SNOW. Thus rxpu~ed, Tor the hnIs'
of MAS, th. pour,aniuals were driven with
great devotion by the men once mort acr,ss
I've s''e' ~ 81" h .,,a,,;,'. ,;dsn mn,
which nlmosr faced the st,rm; there are
furnished mules, crying pitsDusly did MT
Geek To eat, hut DESPERATELY gathered IN a
mass, and some hor-s, escaping the quart
went back 10 the lord, where the loity prec.
ipiee fret gave US 80 pLa sint Relief md
shelter.
THUS morning light lad no'hlng cheering
"a reveal. the mir sill hll'i with driven s''"~
the animals sc"n came driven in, and
mingled ~ Confusion with men, went crunch.
INK the sn"~ IN the confined and wretched
camp, tramplng all things IN their way. IL
Was not = time To- dwell on the 'act that from
that mo"n'aln d,srrt there wa no re'nat
nor any shelter NEAR. but time i"r action
But or siI houis the fiust ar iruzen iug 10 ]
thIckly, like SNOW, and again We marched On
Us IN cloud.
Tie deep now drifts impeded us much,
and IN crossing Sweet Water the Ice brIk.
IN the mi die Marching ten miles On'y,
got better camp, aud he' ded the horss on
the hills; it was different rad. where u
lew days before the bodies vi irVzsn men
were found"
On the sth the tbermom ter stood ~ de.
-, =, r..
'"' ''''s P'"''
was ueep' twenty three mules gave ou''anu
Eve wagons were abandoned.
same trooper hors~ were left irerzing
and dying on the road, and u number vi
s,lli,r, and t..,m.t,rs had h en- fro-tb,ttsp
IL WAS d. sr-n,,rly cold night the Their
mom,ter- w,r, broken, but by comtari.on
must have marked IS deg below nero. A
h,ttle of .b-,ry wine froxe m n trunk
uuyi, @ l~t nh,u, 6fty mules in thirty six
lour. IN, morning OF the lltb, on the re-
port Of the Ouartermaster, | FELT bound To
leave wagon in the bushes. filed with "a
extn, ndIles and br,d,es and some s,bres. =
Next day the cprn gave oat. and the mules
were diving of hanger
"T6.y gnawed and DESTROYED four wagon
tongues. n numb-r Of wagon covers, ate
al, $500. "a. 49,. ~ ~. IA ' VI '"'''