The Salt Lake herald-Republican. [volume] (Salt Lake City, Utah) 1909-1918, 1910-05-30
TODAY RECALLS THE
WAR Upon INDIANS
Utah Soldier Busy Fighting
Redskins During Rebel
lion Period.
LINCOLN CALLED YOUNG
HE RAISED CAVALRY COMPANY
THAT PROTECTED PROPERTY.

victories and disaster reached Salt
Lake, but the active interest taken by
communities whose sons were in the
army was unknown in the far west.
Salt Lake and the neighboring settle
ments had troubles of their own in the
constantly recurring Indian depreda-
uonS- 1t was in Indian warfare alone
that Utah soldiery took an active part
in the days of '61-'65.
In October, 1851, the Pacific, or
Overland, Telegraph company COM
pleted its line to Salt Lake. April IS,
1862, President Lincoln, through Adj
jutant General Thomas, telegraphed
Ex-Governor Brigham Young to raise.
arm and equip a company of cavalry
TO be employed in protecting the prop
erty of the Telegraph and Overland
Mall companies in and about indie.
pendence Rock, the scene of late In.
dian disaster. The following tele-
gram is the best testimonial to the
ready response which the order met:
Great Salt Lake City, May 1, 1862.
"AdJutant General l. Thomas, L. s
A, Washington City. D. c.:
Immediately on the receipt of your
telegram of the 2Sth ult, at $3.50 p.
m, 1 requested General Daniel H.
company of cavalry to be mustered
into the service of the United States
for ninety days, as per your aforesaid
telegram. General Wells forthwith is
sued the requisite orders, and yester-
day the captain and other officers
were sworn by Chief Justice ]. F.
Kinney, the enrolling and swearing in
of the privates attended to, and the
company went into camp adjacent to
the city.
To-day the company. seventy-two
privates, differed as directed, and ten
baggage and supply wagons, with one
assistant teamster deemed necessary,
took up their line of march for the
ne1ghborhood of Independence Rock.
BRIGHAM YOUNG"
Charles Crismon, a veteran of the
company, residing at 101 North West
Temple street, and a member of Oil
yer Q. Howard post, G. A. R., said
yesterday that there We're los men in
the band that set out for Independ-
ence Rock, on the Sweetwater, Wyom-
ing, including teamsterS. OF that
between twenty-five and thir-
ty are now living. Among them are
DR.. Seymour B. Young, As South
Fourth East street; Joseph Fisher,
Forest Dale; Thomas Harris, Bounti-
full; Bishop John Neff, East Mill
Creek: Dr. H. C. Hullinger, Vernal;
William Longstroth, Cache valley, and
Spencer of Sewer.
Taste of Real Warfare.
Mr.. CrismOn was at that time Is
years of age. He says that the COM
pany experienced no active engage
ments with Indians, but that the
hardships encountered and the earnest
efforts made 70 ruond UP the maraud-
ing bands gave the men a taste of real
warfare. On the Sweetwater the COM
pany met an Ohio regiment sent to
guard the mails, and the Utah band
then turned back to Fort Bridger. In
the latter part of July the command
set out from the vicinity of Fort
Bridger in pursuit of band of hostile
Indians who had robbed the ranch of
a moUntafneer named John Robinson.
They followed them to the mouth of
the Teton canyon and returned, cross
ing the river where one of the COM
pany, Donald McNichol, was drowned.
The company was mustered out Au-
gust II, 1862.
Captain Lot Smith was in COM
mand of the company Whitney's
History OF Utah says of him: The
Lot Smith in command of the expedi-
ton to Independence Rock was the
same officer who, as major of militia,
burnt the government trains on Green
river IL the fall of 1857. He and his
command now rendered equally eff
cient service in the cause of Uncle
Sam, and won golden opinions from
the United States army officers who
Joined them with troops
and directed their later movements"
The company was known as the
First Utah volunteer cavalry. Many
of the band are buried in the city
cemetery or near here, and their
graves will be decorated today.
Among them are James Sharp, James
Barlow, Benjamin Neff, Francis
Platt, Richard H. Atwood, Moses
Hyrum B. Clemens, Mark
Murphy, Hugh Parks, Ounce KnowI-
ton and Joseph Rawlins
It was in wartime that Fort Doug
las was built by troops under COM
mand of General Patrick Edward
Common OF California. The companies
sent to Utah on Nthe first expedition
were the Third California infantry,
the Second California Cavalry and a
few companies from Nevada They
had enlisted to serve in the civil war,
but were under orders for Utah. and
did not get east of this point. Their
oStensible purpose was to guard the
settlements against Indians. What
ever other reason they may have had
for their service here was never stated
publicly, and is now supposed TO have
existed only in the minds of certain
persons
Helped Build Log Fort.
L. A. Billings of 50 South Fifth West
street was member of Captain Johns
command at Fort Douglas from 1863
to 1856. When the troops were dis
charged in 1856 Mr.. Billings went to
work in the Salt Lake postoffice, and
is still valued employe of the mail
ing department. The postmaster at the
time he began his long term of SER
vice was Matthew Stein.
Mr.. Billings was stationed at Fort
Douglas and helped build the first log
fort. He was carrier between the
army post and the village for the
Daily Union Vidette, a small sheet
owned by General Conner and print
ed at Fort Douglas by the officers and
men. During his term of service he
was for a part of the time sent out
with squads to guard the mail lines
between Salt Lake and Denver. A
daily stage was at that time due in
Salt Lake, but, owing to Indian trou-
bles, there were many periods of in
terruption.
In 1862, previous to Mr.. Billings
enlistment, occurred the most disas-
irons Indian enga cement known as