The Evansville daily journal. [volume] (Evansville, Ia. [i.e. Ind.]) 1848-1862, 1859-09-02
The Army I'm Utah.

From Mr.. Greely's letter, dated Camp
Floyd, July 81, we learn the following
items in relation to the army in Utah =
Camp Floyd, so miles south of Salt Lake
City, is located on the west side of dry
valley, perhaps ten miles wide by thirty
long, separated by high hills from Lake Utah
some fifteen TO twenty miles distant on the
north east, and is formed of low and neat
adobe houses, generally small. presume
there are three or four hundred of them
enough, at all events, to make three or four
Kansas cities. The boards for roofs, finish
ing off, &c, were supplied by Brigham
Young and his son-in-law, at SO per 1000
feet. Brigham's profit on the lumber was
probably over $4,000. The army i'm Utah
has numbered $500 men. Its present
strength is about 5000. 1t is mainly con-
centrated in this camp, though some small
detachments are engaged in surveying or
opening roads, guarding herds, &c, in diff
ferent parts of the Territory. This is still
the largest regular force ever concentrated
upon the soil of our own country in time Of
peace. Ii consists of the 5th, 9TH and 10th
regiments of Infantry, battalion of Light
Artillery, and two or three companies of
Dragons.
After giving q description Of the history
and position of this little army, Mr.. G.. says:
al concur entirely in the conviction of
the Army that there is no use in its reten-
ton here under existing orders and circum-
stances, and that three or four companies
of Dragons would answer every purpose of
this large and costly concentration of troops.
The Army would cost less almost anywhere
else, and could not anywhere else be less
useful.
a suspicion that is kept to answer private
pecuniary ends is widely entertained here.
Ii is known that vast sums have been made
out of its transportation by favored con-
tractors. Take single instance already
quite notorious: Twenty-Five cents per
pound is paid for the transportation of all
provisions, munitions, &c, from Leaven-
worth to this point. The great contractors
were allowed this for transporting their
years supply of flour. By little dexterous
management at Washington, they were not
allowed 10 furnish the -four here, being
paid their twenty-five cents per pound for
transportation, in addition TO the prime
cost on the Missouri. As Utah has a better
soil for growing wheat than almost any.
thing else they had no difficulty in sub
letting this contract at seVeR cents per
pound nett. making u clear profit of $780,
600 on the contract, without risking dollar
or lifting finger.
"Again: Pursuant TO a recent order from
Washington, the Assistant Quartermaster-
General here is now selling by auction
some two thousand Mules about two thirds
OF all the Government owns in this Terri
tory. These mules cost SIZE each, and are
worth to>day $l25 10 $3.50. attended the
I sale for an hour or SO this forenoon; the
range of prices was from $50 TO Sis; the
average of the 700 already sold about S75.
! Had these mules been taken to California
and there properly advertised aud sold, they
would have brought nearly cost; even at
! Leavenworth they must have sold for at
/ least $lO0, 900 more than here, where there
( is practically no demand and no competition
I for such an immense herd; and after every
Mormon who can raise hundred dollars or
over shall have supplied himself with span
! OF mules for half their value, one or two
spectators will make as much as they
please, while the dead loss to the people will
! be at least 100000.
j Look at another feature of this transac-