Vermont watchman and State journal. [volume] (Montpelier, Vt.) 1836-1883, 1862-03-14
REM1NlscENcEs on aEN. lame

|
During the remarks Of Mr. Notthond o
Essex, in the Mass. Senate Oh Monday after
noon, relative TO the death of Gen. Lander
he read the following interesting account o
the Generals services in connection with th,
Wagon Road explorations,
lion. Nm ID. Nonhend. Mass Senate
Dear Sir-There was one passage in Gen
Lander's life, unfamiliar TO most people, bui
known personally and intimately to me-
in which he deserved especial admiration.
refer to the years he passed on the Great
American Plains, and among the Rock,
Mountains, engaged in explorations. surveys
and Typographical labors Of every description
in connection with the expeditions for short
oning the wagon route from our Missouri-Io-
wa frontier to the Pacific. / met him on the
| Plains and among the Wind River mountains
in 1857, and again in 1858, while we were
! engaged IN this work and again in Wash
| ington after he had successfully completed il,
For various reasons had cause TO become
mlnutely acquainted with the nature of his
work-its cos, the manner of expenditure and
The practical results accomplished by it,-as
well as with the character of the men with
whom he was associated in its prosecution,
and with some Of whom he had. then and sub
sequently, rough personal encounters He
Justly earned the credit during these years of
being almost the only civH superintendent of
any such government expeditions, who was
sorupuously honest and economical in his
disbursements Of government funds, and as
scrupulously faithful in the quality of the
work which was done under his direction.
The expedition Of 1857 was not under his own
control, but was directed by Pennsylvanian
who was utterly deficient in some of the re-
quis'os for such a trust. The result was the
dispersion OF the surveying and working par
~, some Of whom returned to the States
J. nder among the number and the rest in
GLIDING hagraw, enlisted in the volun Ger
battalion organized by Gen. A. S. johnson at
Camp Scott, near Fort Bridger, where the ex-
pcditonary corps of the army against Utah
was compelled to winter. The wagon.road
expedition Of the following year ls5S was
under Lander's own control, and was a COM
plete success, accomplishing the result of
shortening the road to the Pacific nearly
hundred miles.
The experience of Lander on these expedi- /
lions, and on other surveys and explorations
he made in the West, rendered his judgement
extremely valuable with regard to all matters
of plan and of detail connected with the pro-
posed central routes for Pacific Railroad
During the winter he passed at Washington,
after his return from the second expedition,
he was respectfully consulted by the commit
Ices OF both Houses of Congress upon that
subject, and it seemed at one time as if the
plan proposed by him was likely to be adopt
I'd at that session, by combining the desire to
make practical commencement of a Pacific
railroad on the central route. with the ques-
ion OF transp rtation of reinforecements and c
supplies to the army in Utah.
Lander's plan in brief was, to lay a light, \
heap road, with very slight entertainments, b
traight up the level bottomlauds of the I
latte River to Fort Laramie, which he was /
learly of opinion could be accomplished in a !
lngle season. land to use this for the trans
'ortation of the material for constructing .
more solid structure along its own route, as u
veil as across and beyond the mountains Il
lie prepared statistics to show that the fright n
nl expenses in which Secretary Floyd, in a
ombinatIon with his contractors, Russell, "
lajors, and Waddell,-wa involving the :
luartermaster' Department for transporta- Ii
ION to Utah would, in two years, more than -,
over the utmost limit of the possible cost of n
UGH work and he and others gave warn d
ngs of the probable completely between Floyd
nd Russell, which would have saved the d
ountry much money, and perhaps many lives n
-Lander's own among the number-had /
hey been needed by those to whom they =
'ere addressed.
| would gladly write more of Lander's en- i,
rgy, intelligence, and integrity, in this con
ection,-if had the time this morning but f.
have not, and my only excuse in taking the f
berty to suggest them to you, who knew him Z
O intimately, is to be assured that in any re- 4
marks you or others may make about him in c
he Senate, they shall have due prominence, !
for to persons who have resided permanent
y in the East, and have had no connection
With the far Western country, the objects and
nature of Lander's life on these expeditions |
nay appear vague and indefinite. tried to
10 them justice in some remarks made in
ecture you may recollect that 1 delivered in ,,
Salem two or three years ago :; and am per-
'uaded that in time general justice will be
lone to their value, and his plan for the i'm
mediate mmencement of Pacific Road be
duly appreciated and credited to its oligina-
tor Yours respectfully,
A. q. BROWNE, in.
Boston, March 8, 1862
SECESSION "Malakoff," the Par
is correspondent Of the N. Y Times, writes
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