Oxford Democrat. [volume] (Paris, Me.) 1833-1933, 1858-02-05
Utah Army-.Tcrrible suiTerings.

suffering. The narrative Of Col. Cooks
march exceeds anything thus far received.
lie started in command Of six companies
Of Dragons. from Fort Ieavenworth. on
the i7th OF September, and arrived At Fort
Bridger (Rocky Monntains) on the 10Th Of
November. How he and his men Jared. tho
Colonel himself states in hisj ournal, which
he has sent TO Washington. lie says;
ION the 9th Of November we found tbe
ground once more white and the snow fall
ing. hut then very moderately. ! marched
as usual. On four mile hill the north
wind and drifting snow became severe; she
air seemed turned to frozen fog; nothing
could he seen; we were struggling IN u
freezing cloud. The lofty wall at Thrcc
Crossings was happy relief. but She
guide, who had lately passed there, was re-
len,less in pronouncing that there was no
grass the idea Of finding AMI feeding spon
crass in that wintry storm, under the deep
snow, was hard to entertain, but a. he
promised grass and other shelter two nHes
further, we marched on, crossing twice nore
the rocky stream, half choked with snow
and leo finally he lei us behind great
granite rock. hat all too small for the PROM
ICED shelter. only part Of the rcgHnent
could huddlc there, In the deep snow vhilcl
the long night through, the storm contin-
ucd, and in fearful cddics from above. be-
fore, behind, drove the falling and drifting
snow. Thus exposed, COZ the hope II gas,
the POOR animals were driven with Srcn, de-
yo,ion nv the men once more across the
stream. aud ,hrcc-quaricrs " a mile bcyend,
to the base ola granite ridge, hut which a.
most faced the storm there the iamrhed
mules, crying pi,eou.ly, did not seek to eat.
desperately gathered in a mass, and souc
horses, escaping the guard, went back to
the ford, where the lofty prceiPieo fr't gave
US 30 pleasan, relief and shelter
Thu. morning light had nothing cht,r.
ing to reveal, the air still Slci with driven
snow-ihc animals soon came driven in,
aud mingled in confusion with men, went
crurchiug the snow in the confined AMI
wrc;chcd camp. trumpins all things in ,hczr
way. II Wa not time 70 dwell on the fast
iha, from be mountain desert there was ~
rc,rca, nor any shelter near, bot = time Ice
action but Tor .iI hour. the frost or frorca
los IN ,hickly, like snow, and asain W.
marched on As IN a cloud.
The deep snow drifts impcl,i as much.
aud IN crossing Sweet Water the Ice broke
in the middle Marching ten milos only, I
got better camp. and hcrleI the horses on
the hills. it was drnrr,a, road, where a
lew day, before the bodies Of three frozen
men were found"
GA the SIh tho thermometer stool 81 deg.
below the frcvIins point. The snow was
deep; tweniy.thrcc mules gave out, aud I've
wagons were abandoned.
mine trooper hor-es were leit irccIing
and dying on the road, and a number Of
soldiers and tcam.isrs had bccn irustbi,ten.
IL was desperately cold night the Their
mumcters were broken, but by COMPARISON
must have marked - deg. below zero. \
bottle Of sherry wine frolc in trunk llav-
ing loo, about 50 mules in thirty.'iS hours,
the morning Of the ll,h. on the report OF
the Quar,erma.tcr, i,lt bound % leave
wagon in the bushes, filled with seventy -four
extra saddles aud brides aud some sabrcs "
Mex, day the corn gave out, the mules
were dying OF hunger.
Thcy snawci and destroyed four wagon
tongues, a number Of wagon cover, ate the
ropes, and getting loose, ate the sage fuel
collected at the tents. some OF these they
also attacked. Nine died.
" The fast growing company ofdismouu,.
81 men were marched together as spar.
ate command by day the morning Of the
twelfth number OF them we're fro-tbrttcn
from not being in motion, although stand.
ms b, frcs.
That day eighteen mlcs were marched
to the Big Sandy. who're the guide found
grass, and iucl with 1t 50 good that the
18th was made day Of rs, the animals
were all hcrdcj a, the grass. Fifty horses
had been los, since leaving Laramie"
lie closes the rcpor, Of hi. march with The
following
~ have ~ horses and have lost l3i.
Mos, OF the los has occurred much this SIDE
Of South Pass, in comparatively moderate
weather. II has teen Of starvation. Tho
earth is liielcss. leaAcs.. trcelcss, CRASHES
dcsert; i, contains scarcely wolf to glut
itself on the hundreds of dead and frozen
animals, which for thirty miles nearly block
the road, with abandoned and shattered
property. They mark, perhaps, beyond
example in history, the steps Of an advance
ing army"
DWlSIoN on Towns. We learn that a
movement is in progress, in the central Por-