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Show TTY, I'TAII, SUNDAY, FEBRUARY 20, 1D1G rf7 Monument to Their Honor on State Capitol Grounds osing Letter From Daughter of General Coolie Is Prized ree Distinguished Soldiers Were Members of . the Tl e following i a letter t"r m Mr-- . .!. I. !' Stuart, widow of G u ml M.iart of t rarri in the civil war. to hv Mormon hattali' n in sn-l::.a ..!;;. i of iicnnment ccmrr.is.-ioColonel Cooke's life. Mrs. Stursrt was the daughter of Colonel Cooke. In tie civil ,ur t!i :.tI C-k- -- standir-.s- divided, the f.ithT. CoI with the ur.t ,ri fir.- -. vv';i!r w family r CoAe, hi- - son, and a fought for th outh. The letter from Mrs. Stuart U prized Iy the Daughter of It the Mormon Battalion a- - a historical ept-tlread : ''Th'-rwa heart mitov at the division of my 'Uher's family by the war hut n. r any feeling of antagonism. When my husband wa-- i wounded, May 1! and died the l'Jth, my father wrote at sent for tv and my two little one. I had pa rhildrrn hut the wound win t deep for me to think of ii'dtis? where I vould In srparatfil iroin thor f1'' .hfm hi lifi a irivn. "I m ..t..d in Virginia tmtilandIJW. thru l;nd mit!:fr. My a loving wt'ron. fmrn father son-in-la- w ti e. ' -- v - ' j v. i . . - -- t v'1 -- '.f f fir , -;. - v ' ' ' ' ; 5 St'1 V- - t A. - - -- ".. "-- blsd fr a' ..1 ei-'h- respected. 'I written very hastily, which you will excuse- and accept this note in the .spirit in which it H civen. Verv trulv. hn-v- e - FI.OK.V STtAirr.' I Mrs. J. K. P.. ( trt experlor tat-tati- ! 1 t c- i c-- pt A r fr--- Answers Call of Duty. The man who enlisted, however, dfd not cont.ler h!m.elf ti reeiptnt of any !pecil favor or benefit. Ife went n!y in answer to the Mern call of duty and the yacrifice. required of him. the leaving of hi family tin ier such conditions was the j;reatet h could offr. Fo reat and evident was thH sacrifice that the battalion was called "The ram In th thicket." In the cours of three weeks the various companies wer mad up. Their officers, with exception of the commanding: officer and staff. were chosen from their own ranks. The majority of those who en!ited were descendants of revolutionary ancestors. When an appeal to their patriotism was mad what was mrre natural than that they should respond? From a chest of treasures carefully packed away to be, unfurled in that new land to which they were golnir. the stars and stripes were brouRht forth and fastened to a tree in the midat of the camp. Under Its floating colors the Mormon battalion was mustered Into service of the United States on July IS. had received permission. Joined the company and continued the march with them. Tho death of Captain Allen at this time was the occasion of much sorrow to the members of the They felt that they had lot their best friend, for Captain Allen had known their people and the conditions under which they had enlisted. From Fort Leavenworth to Santa Fc the march was a strenuous one. Lieut. A. J. Smith, U. S. A., was in temporary command. The battalion was composed of volunteers, not seasoned soldicr.. The long, forced marches, severe military discipline, large doses of medicine of which they ,iid not approve, were trials to body and spirit. The hospital wagons were filled to overflowing. Some of the men. unable to continue farther with their companions, fell to the ground and lay there listening to the beat of the drums as the sound died away In the distance. Had It not been for kindly passing Immigrant who picked them up and carried them In their wagons to Santa Fe. these must have perished by the wayside. It son became evident to Lieutenant Smith that such a march as thla must be was not one to be undertaken by women and children. These with an escort under command of Capt.rln Higglns were sent to Pueblo for winter quarters. Upon their arrival at Santa Fe a detachment of men who were sick and disabled about eighty-eigwas separated from the main body, and under command of Capt. James Howen. was sent to Pueblo. Several weeks later another detachment of invalided under Lieutenant Wallace was sent to Pueblo. bnt-ta!ion- w ht Cooke Takes Command. from hi. God. Fort Leavenworth. The battaTlon marched b arm ;tnd accoutrements T,her they received their and $42 each In cash, with which to purchase clothing for the year. At Santa Fe Col. Philip St. George Cooke assumed command of the battalion. He was a man of excellent qualities, but hi- severe discipline was not easily appreciated by volunteers. They realized later, however, that stern . discipline only could have brought theni safely through such a march. The hardships of that march can scarcely be exaggerated. It was evident from the beginning that their supplies were not adequate to their neecds. The good soldier suits which they had sacrificed would have rendered them excellent service now. In the course of a few months but few had anything on save rags and tatters. Shirts were made from strips torn from their tents and blankets, trousers from the skins of animals. Anything that could serve as covering was made ue of. This being a march of infantry they suffered even more for lack of shoes. When they could be" obtained the .skins of animal. were bound about their feet. These were not always obtainable, and many a mile was marked by stains from their bare and bleeding feet. They started from Santa Fe, 100 days' inarch before them, with provisions for but sixty days. Thus from the beginning their rations were reduced to almost half. Later their rations were reduced stilt more. Finally, when they were yet thirty days from their destination, they found themselves with no supplies save the fresh meat which was obtainable in those regions through which they were passing. This they ate without salt. It Is estimated that ten pound? of meat per day constitute full rations for a soldier upon the march where only meat Is eaten. Thc5c men had three and one-ha- lf pounds per day. Thus rationed, it was nevertheless necessary for them to perform the most arduous labor. A Heal Compliment. Home of the Perils. 1 S1 1 s. Hl', .'lilt I II l( There was a gran 1 farewell ball given under the bowery. This was the scene of sad parting between lovers and friends, but sadder than thce were the farewell words spoken at the. sick bed of a wife or child or aed parent; for there was much sickness In camp, many of the people being M with malarial fever. The battalion marched away to the tune of The Girl I Left Behind Me." Many a pirl was left behind in sorrow and tears, wondering how. her lit tie ores would fare during the cold winter to come, sheltered by the flimsy cover of her wagon and protected by her puny strength. Many a boy marched away realizing fully the dire condition of hi loved ones, and sustained only by hi deep religion faith and the belief that a cult from hi country- was a catl - As the battalion marched up to sisn the "s M s JiX x ' mutcr r tl Captain Allen turned t. his asociate offlcrr and siid: '"That Is the only battalion in the United States army In which every man can sign his own nam e." At Fort Leavenworth a number of women and Udren, families of members of the battalion who - Colonel Cooke had received orders to "build a wagon road to the Pacific coast." It was not possible to do this along the route Just previously taken by General Kearney and his escort of picked cavalrymen. The colonel chose the lower route, along which they traveled without chart or guide and tl iztd a trtil for a, distance of 4.0 miles. While this 4 CAPT. JAJMES BROWN. from 18S3 to 1887. COL. GEORGE STONEMAN. Stuart) mi'r anl trial nf that n Tt. pT5nal pha? of the unrarall'lH march. vivt-ltIn the tor of the enlistportray-trM When ty thni It hreatkvs ment nrnl th march. fnrth n ?;.lrit of herol" "aerifies hut feebly lrnttatfl when ret-!hy ether. In th Utter part of June, Captain Allen, an officer of the UnltM Ht.ite army, arrival at Cotmcll TUuff. whTf th Utih pl'neri were then encamped. II h'l ten uptit by GfrifMl Kearney am n. harrr rf , i.ipateheji frmntlnar to the Mormon people 5 0 ) tr en In th t i r r.rlil!.. - r. f n ! ' jrf n nrmt of the t he mafchf! t California. Hy the talor an act r,( kln1-tifof the pnp! thU wa st-tn the pnrt rf the Cr.lte.i Kovernment. t in th-lat f rr ha.l ake.l Journey to the They In wa whlrh ft wa.i offrel. am! thl the mnnnr Five huritre! of their r.umbr. heflt.le recelvfrsr regfor on year. wouM the ular piy t a..iitel tn their Journey acrM the continent, their famine an.l the company a a wh"!e wouM be benefited by the means thui afforded; they wotij.l retain their arms nnl accoutrement after their term of enlHtmer.l had expired. Such benefits were too rent t' b rejertel. their cr.vn :::-:.- : .1 s jr. . 5 vi.sit horn rrrnaind in Virrii'ia and an I Ave?rTiic. '.va-to my parent wa.n mad, w vrrv oli! cnour!i to When my son and dati'.-htfrk I Irt jran u;.u 1m f.iri.c mv Iit r;o to I I was was very trapliinc for hrt!ier-indaw- . )!,--. WiHinm a dear havir.E; !y Alex. Stuart, who was to rr. a real lnther. My n.ki. though very po r, (twn brother, J. hn If. wan a rh'ri"U man and lived in Uhdunond and tliere resided and j ars a hard worker, t of children, all honored and reared a family shot ...v.'.v.v.'.v'V.:.:--'..:.- - c hrr ........u...',' Battalion Three distinguished American soldiers were members of the Mormon battalion, Gen. Philip St. Oeorjre Cooke, (Jen. Andrew Jackson Smith and Col. (Jeorjre Stoneman. Genera! Smith (1815-97- ) was born in Butler county, Pa. He was graduated from West Point in 18:58. served in Mexican war as member of General Cooke's staff of the Mormon battalion. Tn S01 was given command of the Second California cavalry, lie became a briga-- , diet- general of volunteers in 1864 and took a prominent part in the campaigns of the Mississippi valley and Vicksburg and distinguished himself, in the disastrous l?ed River expedition; in the battle of Nashville," December, 1864, he commanded the Sixteenth corps on General Thomas' right and received the brevet of major general, U. S. A., for his services in that battle. In I860 f was app'ointed colonel of the Seventh cavalry. He resigned from the army in 1869. Colonel Stoneman (1822-94- ) was bom in Busti, N. Y., and wr-- graduated from "West Point in 184(5. Accompanied the Mormon battalion to California as a member of Colonel Cooke's staff. Served in. the west from 1S40 to 857. In 1861 was in command of Fort Brown, Tex., with the rank of captain. Ordered by General Twiggs to surrender his post to the Confederates he refused and managed to bring his command in safety to N'ew. York, lie was in command of the cavalry Potomac and led the cavalry in the of Army of the peninsular campaign. He took command of fJeneral Kearney's division after the death of the latter at Chantilly and commanded the Third ?orps at Frdericksburg. At Chancellorsville he ommanded the cavalry and conducted raids on general Lee's line of supplies. He was a prisoner by the Confederates while attempting a raid in He was governor of California Andersonville. - n. :?!.:. route avoided both the Rocky mountains and the Sierra Nevada with their snows and proved the most feasible for he builders of, the Southern Pacific railroad, it nevertheless presented tremendous difficulties, it led 'through burning deserts, over vast stretches of miry clay and through beds of shifting quicksands. With ropes fastened about their necks the men drew their wagons up steep mountainsides. With pick and ax and crowbar they opened passages through walls of solid rock. They assisted their emaciated animals over mountain heights while they themselves were half starved. Their keenest suffering was from thirst. Often after a long day's march they would record in their diaries such a story as this: "A little brackish water tonight," or "We dipped up some water in our teaspoons," or "Dry camp tonight." They would wrap their blankets about them and He. clown to dream of mountain streams and flowing fountains. At Last the Goal! For ninety miles they marched through the scorching sands of the American desert without seeing a drop of water save in the. deep wells which they themselves dug. These wells were carefully preserved for the benefit of future travelers. Upon one occasion a large number of the men barely escaped perishing from thirst. When the verdant valley burst upon their view they fell to the earth with Hps parched and dry and tongues protruding, too far exhausted to obtain for themselves the refreshing drink even when the murmur of the water was singing In their ears. They arrived at the point from which they could view the Pacific ocean on January 27, 1847. They had completed a march of 2000 miles the longest march of infantry in history. It was for them a moment of supreme joy. The scene of beauty that burst upon their view was one by them never to be forgotten. One man wrote in his diary that before them for one mile stretched a field of crimson morning glories. Bejond that lay the white sands of the beach and beyond that the deep blue of the Pacific ocean. The flag which they had followed was sun-fade- d and weather-beate- n. Here the first thing to greei them was nature's wel- come in their own colors made bright and beautiful. On the 29th of January" the battalion arrived at San Diego, the point for which they had set out. In "Order No. 1." received here, they learned for the first time their commanding officer's real sentiment toward them. Upon their arrival in California the war was practically over. The battalion fought no battles save with wild animals. Several times an engagement seemed imminent, but the occasion had passed and none was had. Nevertheless the battalion performed a worthy past in the conquest of the Cali-fornia- sun-bake- After a course In military tactics, in which they became very proficient, company B was assigned to San rMego to do garrison work, while companies A, C, D and E were sent to Los Angeles. These latter were engaged in various expenditions and in erecting a fort. Company B had time to spare from military duties and were granted permission to apply the various arts and trades vyith which they were so well equipped. They built a courthouse, schoolhouse and bakeshop. They burned the first brick in California. They dug the first sanitary wells and built the first sanitary houses. They laid the first pavement. They found San Diego a dilapidated and filthy Spanish post and left it a thriving and sanitary American town. They were so well liked and made their presence so desirable that when company B was ordered to Los Angeles the citizens gave them a royal banquet in their new courthouse and sent a petition to the commander asking that another company of Mormons be sent there. Mpny of the battalion were descendants of sturdy Puritan ancestors. To the licentious, indolent and intemperate people of this sunny clime they set a worthy example of virtue, industry and temperance, thus demonstrating that American civilization had far more to offer them than that to which thes' had been accust6med. Are Mustered Out. Having enlisted for one jear, the battalion was mustered out of service on July 16, 1847. They were Had they done so, Capt. Jefferurged to re-enli- st. son Hunt of company A would have succeeded Colonel Cooke as colonel commanding. This would have made one of their own number the third in command in California. One hundred men made up for another six from the five companies months, Capt Daniel C. Davis of company E was placed in command of this company. Ten men of the battalion were selected to act as an escort to General Kearney upon his return march to the east with Colonel Fremont as his prisoner. re-enlis- ted SKETCH OF GENERAL C00KE Gen. Philip St. George Cooke Avas born in London county, Virginia, June 13, 1809. He was graduated from West Point in 1827, being one of the youngest graduates West Point ever turned out. He was assigned to the Fourth, then to the Sixth infantry, and when the regiment of dragoons was raised in 1833 he was transferred to the First Dragoons and promoted to a captaincy in 1835. He was married in 1832 while at Jefferson Barracks, Mo., and there his son John was born in 3833. In February, 1847, he was given the rank of major and. was ordered to go to California this being the occasion of the memorable march of the Mormon battalion, which he commanded. He went to Mexico during the war and returned an invalid in the fall of 1848. Late that year he was ordered to Philadelphia to take charge of the recruiting service for the cavalry. In the spring of 1849 he went to Carlisle Barracks, Pa., in command of the service and drill of recruits for the cavalry. He remained at Carlisle until 1852, then was ordered to Texas, where he remained less than a year, being transferred to command at Fort Leavenworth, Kan. In 1854 he was on the plains for some months and on his return was ordered to Fort Riley. In 1853 he was made lieutenant colonel and in 1858 colonel. In 1857 he was sent to Utah again and remained here almost continuously until 1861, being here when the civil war broke out. He gained distinction in four years of hard campaigning, attaining the rank of major general. Retired in 1873 he lived until March 20, 1898. At the outbreak of the war his son John offered his services to the south and fought at Seven Pines, Fredericksburg and Sharpsburg, receiving seven wounds. John's sister Flora in 1855 married Gen. "Jeb" Stuart, and the family was thus doubly divided the father for the north, the son, daughfor the south. ter and With peace came reconciliation. son-in-la- w ns. Those who had spent the winter at Pueblo under command of Capt. James Brown entered Salt Lake valley five days after Brigham Young and company. Thirteen of their number had overtaken the pioneeers at Green river and entered the valley with them. The suggestion to turn the waters of City d creek upon the hard soil in all probability came from some of these battalion boys who were familiar with the system of irrigation employed by the Spaniards at Santa Fe. Of those who had been mustered out in California and were now ready to return, some met their families in Salt Lake valley; others continued on to the east where their families were still located, while others concluded to remain in California and obtain work. These latter secured work at Sutter's fort. While engaged in digging a mill race their shovels turned the soil which revealed the first gold discov- ered in California. " i ciivf juciv neeus. When the wealth of California's trpoical beauty was unfolded at the weary feet of the Mormon battalion it seemed to them that they had entered a veritable paradise. It was the desire of their hearts that their people should come and make their home in this lovely land. When they learned that Brig-haYoung and the pioneers were settling in the valley of the Great Sale lake a vast arid region they w'ere disappointed, but they determined to tak"e back with them a part of this wealth and beauty. To this end they collected seeds of grains, fruits, vegetables and flowers. These men were the first upon the spot when the gold was discovered. They were not insensible to the fact that great riches were theirs for the taking, but it presented scarcely a temptation. They were not goldseeekers, they were men of religious fervor drawn from many lands by a common impulse and bound- - together by the ties of fraternal love. It is told of a number of them that they entered Salt Lake valley almost destitute of clothing an Indian blanket only about them. The gold they had left behind, but upon their backs they bore the sacks of priceless seeds. Dearer to them than great riches were the welfare and happiness of their people and . the glory of the hills and valleys of their Zion. For several reasons the Mormon battalion incident in history is an unusual one; as to the manner of Its enlistment; as to the length and hardships of the march; as to the character and sentiments of the men but of more Importance still as to the great movements of western and national significance with which it was so closely associated. Seventy years ago the west was a vast region of unknown but Imaginable possibilities. Proper gov- ernmental conditions were lacking for the developing of these possibilities. These were supplied by the planting of the stars and stripes on the shores of the Pacific ocean. Transportation was beset by difficulties and dangers. These were largely overcome by the missionaries, trappers and soldiers who blazed the trails and pointed the way. With the opening of the highways immigration was made feasible, but there was still lacking the incentive for immigration. In the discovery of the first gold in California this Incentive was supplied. The unfolding of the wonderful mineral resources of the west was initiated by this gold discovery. The peculiar agriculture of the west the cultivation of her arid regions wras inaugurated by the race. introduction of Irrigation to the Anglo-Saxo- n That members of this battalion are citizens of this state is an honor. Utah owes it to herself to She can afrord memorialize their achievements. to do so only in a manner commensurate with their greatness. By so doing she will proclaim her placu among her sister states. m |