The Salt Lake herald. [volume] (Salt Lake City [Utah]) 1870-1909, 1897-07-22

Nll1ESclDE
should exclairn. I wish l could he in
Washington, ID. c. for a couple Of
hours, l would easily prove to the pres
ldent that we need no troops here
Why had the people gone south? Not
Through fear of any army. No, theirs
was better and stronger reason
Brigham Young gave orders to leave
the city, and knew that the orders
would be obeyed, and he wished to
show the first Gentle governor that he
knew how to govern the people and the
people knew how 10 obey. Hence the
desertion of the Great Salt Lake City
/ in July 1858. on reaching Cedar valley
I the army here pitched tent and for the
next few months were very busy build
ing more comfortable quarters into
which they moved in early winter. 1t
was about this time that / became
acquainted with Colonel Crossman,
chief quartermaster at the post. and
with whom l contracted TO furnish sup
plies fer the troops, and / continued 10
| do so as long as the troops remained,
and l am thoroughly posted in every
| thing as it occurred and can speak from
| personel knowledge. 1t was in my con-
recsion with the post as contractor that
learned the true reasons for the pres
ence of a military post in Utah.
The Drummond reports and letters
were not now believed in Washington.
but they were made the pretext, a
] shield behind which to secrete a big
! steal Johnson's army was not here on
any account of disloyalty to the parent
| government. nor was il in the territory
20 throw the protecting arm of the
| government around the brave and in
trepid pioneers in the far west. No, 1t
was for purposes wholly apart from
his. it was for reasonable reasons.
After the conclusion of peace with
Mexico in April, 1913, and the cession
If this immense western territory,
with the exception of the Union flag,
hat so often floated from the Flagstaff
in the old Fort square, nothing existed
TO indicate that this was the United
States. This territory, with its popu-
alton, their habits and customs ana
heir religion all at once became United
states territory, though scarcely
soul knew the fact for some months
ater The parent government consid-
red il had done its duty TO its last
lorn child when it had appointed
Brigham Young to be governor and
He'd the full list of territorial officials,
md so the people were again LETT
alone, unmolested, except by the In
lians and a few palefaces more hate
I'll and deceitful than the red man.
The true reason for Johnsons army
5000 men being sent TO this terri
Dry was the invention of the admin
tration to cripple and impoverish, in
very way it could, the national treas
ry, and il is very well known TO-DAY
low completely this was done, for
hen Lincoln went into office the treas
Try was completely depleted. The ad-
ninistration of Buchanan was thor
ughly in sympathy with the south,
and during the four years of its too
ong a life this administration helped
0 give the south all the common and
;ther munitions of war that it would
reed During the term of Buchanan,
N pretense of establishing naval dock
ards, arsenals and military posts IN
IL the gulf states, immense quantities
f all kinds of munitions of war were
hipped by ocean, rail and river from
he north to the south at cost or
probably $60,00O,000.
The expedition against Utah-John-
sons army, the army of occupat ton
vas another scheme on the part or
he government to rob the treasury.
This army Of over 5000 was thorough
ly fitted, equipped and supplied tor
several years, wagons of supplies Eor
them at regular stated times.
After arrival here the army did moth
ing, took no interest in the political af-
fairs, ETC., around them. During 1860
on many occasions l saw some things
that set me to thinking On several
different occasions 1 saw munitions
hauled out by the men in handcarts,
stacked up in great piles and then
burned. 1 gathered up tons or melted
lead after some of these by-plays. On
April u. 1865, at 4:S0 a. m, the Ilrst
gun of the rebellion was fired at Fort
Sumter. South Carolina. News was
very soon received at the post, Camp
Floyd. and again the cannon, rifles,
swords and other munitions of war
were hauled out and stacked in piles
and deliberately destroyed. On one OF
these occasions l remarked to Colonel
Crossman, the quartermaster: Colo
mel, it seems to me very cruel to de-
stroy such valuable property in this
way. Why do you not appoint an agent
to look after these things? They
would be perfectly safe here" To
which the colonel replied: In that
case these people would use these arms
against u.s. few weeks later bills
and notices were posted everywhere to
the effect that on a certain day at
Camp Floyd all the supplies, stores,
etc, would be publicly sold to the
highest bidder. Accordingly some mer-
chants from the city and other persons
(Of whom | was one) went to the sale,
where we bought supplies at our own
figures, irrespective of cost 10 the gov
eminent, for the one thing needful 10
the army, on it's departure was money,
not baggage AT $3.50 a M. on July T.
1861. Johnson's army, with guide,
broke camp and forever turned away
from Camp Floyd, taking the route by
way of Spanish Fork canyon, Soldier
Summit down into the valley of Price
river thence through southern Colo
RADIO and Texas, until it reached its
destination, the Confederate lines,
where Colonel Albert Sydney Johnson
had gone and perhaps was waiting
for them. II is said that by the time
they reached the Confederate lines
there were less than 1000 men all
told. And here I viii add that l had
always been somewhat curious to as
certain the full cost of this expedi-
ton.
on one occasion asked the governor
and he said ne was not able to give the
out would find out when
he was in Washington. On his return
from that city he informed me that he
had received the information, and OBJ |
tanned it from a reliable source. that
Johnson's army expedition cost the |
government over $5S, 100000 This, to-
gether with other extrava Sances, may |
account for some S120.060010. Shortly |
after the departure Of the army from
Camp Floyd the Indians, realizing the |
dSfenSeleSS CONDITION Oh the peOPie,
again began to plumber and murder |
the settlers, which acts of violence
continued for some time. The Indians
were the most troublesome in the |
northern part of the territory, but re- !
lief was closer at hand than we |
thought. Colonel P. Edwards-Conncr
(blessed he his name and memory |
came to our rescue with the Second /
and Third regiments of California vol /
unteers, and came by what is called /
H. Hum holt OF. mort harn route