New-York daily tribune. [volume] (New-York [N.Y.]) 1842-1866, 1859-08-27
AN OVERLAND JOURNEY.
XIV.
THE ARMY in UTAH.


r.rp F1oyd. 40 miles south Of Salt Lake Ci1y,
= heated on the west side Of dry valley, perhaps
IAN mile. wide by thirty miles long, separated by
Aab hills from Lake Utah, some fifteen 20 '"en.y
,,;I.s distant on the north east. This valley would
he fertile were il not doomed 20 stety by orou'h'
A email stream takes its rise IN copous springs az
N. foot Of the western hills just north Of the camp
hut i, room drank up by the thirsty PLAIN. water
m this ,treap,. and wood Cow CEDAR on the aoJa-
cent hills. probably dictated the selection OF this
,;te for q camp, though ] believe desire II not
ecret compact to locate the troops as far as posi-
HE from the Mormon settlements, had an influence
IN the premises No Mormons live ID this valley
or within sight of it; though all the roads leading
from Salt Lake City, as well as from Provo, and
Tie other settlements around Lake Utah, are within
adsy's march and may be ssid to be commanded
BY the camp The soil Is easily pulverized
when dry, and keeps the entire area enveloped
during Summer in dense cloud of dust visible for
miles in every direction. 1 saw 1t when eight
miles away as came down from Salt Lake City
yesterday.
The Camp is formed Of low and neat adobe
houses, generally small presume there are three
or four hundred Of them-enough a. all events, TO
mako three or four Kansas cities. "Frogtown'
10 satellite, or suburb, whence grog and other
hxuries GncludDg execrable whisky at about $40
Der sallon) are dispensed to thirsty soldiers who
have not already drank up more than their pay
amounts to. The valley is covered with Sagebush
aaS CreasewoOd, as usual; but the Camp has been
freed from these, and is mainly level as house
floor The sdobes were made on the spot by Mex
leans. the boards for roofs, finishing Of, &c, sup
Vae by Brigham Young and his sonin law, from
The only canon opening into Salt Lake Valley which
abounds in timber yellow Pine, believe fit for
sawing. The Territorial Legislature-( is
another name for "the Church" )-grsnted this
canon 10 Brigham, who runs three saw mills there
in at clear profit of $ 100 or so per day His profit
On the lumber supplied to the Camp was proba'
BY over $4,000 The price was $40 per thou
sand feet President Young assured me, with evil
dent sefcompacency that he did not need and
would not accept dollar OF salary from "the
Church"-he considered himself able to make all
tbe money he needed by business, as he had made
the $4,000 worth of property he already pos
ses.es With Legislature ever ready to grant
lin such perquisites as this lumber csnon-(and
] believe the best Wood canon leading INTO Salt
LaLe Valley is held by him under similar free
rrant)-I should think he might. The total cost
Of this post to the Government was about
5000, 900.
The Army in Utah has numbered $500 men
] believe its present strength is but about 5000.
1t is mainly concentrated in this camp, though
some small attachments are engaged in surveying
or opening roads, guarding herds, &c, in different
parts Of the Territory / believe this is still the
largest regular force ever concentrated upon the
soil Of our country in time of peace 1t consists OF
the 9th, 9TH and 10th regiments of Infantry, bat
TALON Light Artillery. sndtw or three companies
OF Dragons i met between Bridger and
HAMS Fork. considerable force of Dragons
going down.
Let us briefly consider the history and position
of this little Army
In the former half of 1857 it was concentrated in
Kanaas; late in that year, the several regiments
composing it were put in march toward the Rocky
Mountains. The MOrmens full soon learned that
Il was to be launched against them, and at once
prepared to give it warm reception; the Army
lad no information on the subject, save general
report Detained in Kansas to give effect to Gov
Walkers electoneering quackeries, 1t was at
length sent on its way at season too late to allow
il 10 reach Salt Lake before Winter. No com
mander was sent with it; Gen. Harvey was an
nounced its chief bat has not even yet joined it,
1t was thus dispatched on long and difficult ex-
pc ihon, in attachments, without chief, without
orders without any clear idea Of its object or des-
tination. Entering Utah thus as no Army, but as a
number Of separate struggling detachments,
neither of which ordered TO protect the Supply
Trains which followed one or two marches behind
them, they had the modification to learn about the
ist Of October, that those Supply Trains without
oven an armed corporals guard in their vicinity,
had been surprised and burnt by Mormon band,
who thus in effect made war on the United States.
Indignantly but ttill without leader and without
definite orders, the Army struggled on to Bridger,
ll3 miles from Salt Lake. which the Mormons
abandoned on its approach. Bddger is many
thousand feet above the sea level and the ground
Was here go buried in snow that IT. gaunt animals
died BY hundreds and the residue were unable TO
drag the baggage over the rivers and steep noun.
tans which still separated it from Salt Lake SO
snV iVHihcnts Haitcn, "uut uuls w eucittI tucn-
selves from the Winters inclemency, and lived
through the snowy season as they might on half
Allowance Of their lean gristy animals, without
salt.
Spring at length came; the day, long hoped and
iDpstiently waited for, when they could advance,
arrived; they had been promised warm reception
in the narrow de6les Of Echo Canon by Lieut. Gen.
Wells and bis Mormon host and thew eagerly