American union. [volume] (Morgantown, Va. [W. Va.]) 1855-1859, 1858-02-19
Col CoOko's March to jolu tho Utah

ooy "AsSi uay iipui our YUAN army are
discouraging. Colonel Cookies re-
port to the Adiutant General Of the
Utah army, of his march from the Mis-
souri, to the valley Of the Salt Lake,
is full Of curious interest. he started
in command of six companies I'd ORA
goons from Fort Leayenworth, on the
18th of September, and his journal
ends with his arrival at Fort Bridger
on the 10th of November. He says:
"The regiment had been hastily
recalled from service in the field, and
allowed three or four days only by
ia.y then commanding officer to prepare
! for s march of eleven hundred miles,
over an uninhsbited and mountsin vii.
derness. In that time the six compa-
MES of the regiment who we're to COM
pose the expedition were reorganized;
ITO transfers necessarily made from
and to other companies; horses to be
condemned and many TO be obtained;
the companies paid anil about fifty de-
sertions occurred; the commanders of
four of them changed.
81 marched them on the 18th. Then
1t was to be proved that three Or four
more days were to be lost in waiting
for the Quartermaster's department.
to supply the absolutely necessary
transportation. On the 18th, 1O7
mules were furnished, which the same
day had arrived from march of, per.
haps, 1000 miles to and from Bridcers
pass; above one hundred Of the others
were nearly worthless from want and
age, and requiring several hours to
harness q team. On the morning of
the 18th, twenty-seven tcamsters we're
wanting, and men were furnished ut.
terly ignorant of the business and with
| out outfits.
"laif allowance, or six pounds
day of corn for horses and mules, was
the largest item oftransportation; three
or four laundresses, with their chill
dren, were with each company"
The regular journal of each days
march is given, how it raincd, and how
the mules died, and the men complain
ed. On October 9Th he arrived at
Fort Kearney; on the 10Th crossed the
South Platte-the thermometer was
at IL, and the river full of ice.
twas discretionary with Col. Cooke
to winter at fort Laramie or to post on
to Salt Lake. He preferred the lat
ter course. On November 18th his COM
mand was at Sweet Water Pass, in the
Rocky Mountains; next day they gain.
cd Devils Gate.
son the 9th we found the ground
once more white and the snow falling,
but then very moderately. l march
ed as usual. On four mile hill the
north wind and drifting snow became
severe; the air seemed turned to fro
zen fog; nothing could be seen; we
wore struggling in a freezing cloud.
The lofty wall at "Three Crossings"
was happy relief, but the guide, who
had lately passed there, was relentless
in pronouncing that there was no grass;
the idea Of finding and feeding upon
grass in that wintry storm, under the
deep snow, was hard to entertain, but
as he promised grass and other shelter
two miles further, we marched on,
crossing twice more the rocky stream,
half choked with snow and ice; final
ly he led US behind a great granite
rock, but all too small for the promis-
cd shelter, only part of the regiment
could huddle there, in the deep snow;
+ while, the long night through, the
storm continued, and in fearful eddies
from above, before, behind, drove the
falling and drifting snow. Thus ex-
posed, for the hope of grass, the poor
animals were driven with great devo-
ton by the men once more across the
stream, and three quarters of a mile
beyond, to the base Of a granite ridge,
but which almost faced the storm
there the famished mules, crying pitt
ously, did not seek to eat, but dcsper-
ately gathered in mass, and some
horses, escaped the guard, went back
to the ford, where the lofty precipicc
first gave us so pleasant a relief and
shelter.
"Thus morning light had nothing
I cheering to reveal, the air still filled
with driven snow--the animals soon
came driven in and mingled in confu-
sion with men, went crunching the
snow in the confined and wretched
camp, tramping all things in their way.
1t was not time to dwell on the fact
that from the mountain desert there
was no retreat, nor any shelter near,
but time for action. But for six
hours the frost or frozen fog fell thick
ly like snow; and again we marched
on as in cloud.
t.rrln H. 1890. liz. .1,