| Show PHILIP ST 81 GEORGE COOKE the announcement of the death of brigadier general philip st george cooke which occurred at detroit michigan yesterday march 20 will awaken in the minas of many utah people memories of a brave talented and patri patriotic otle officer with whom some of the founders of this territory haa baa ao an intimate association and acquaintance during times ft ct extreme hardship and peril peri general cooke was born near leesburg virginia june 13 1809 be graduated from the U 8 military acil academy demy in 1827 and remained in the military service of the government for over forty five years yean until placed on the retired list out 29 1873 he took raft in the great military events event of his hie time indian wars wan the mexican war and abe war of the rebellion he was an author as well as a a soldier and has published several books connected with the experiences of his bis military career it was waa in COD connection with the mormon battalion that gen cooked acquaintance with utah people be he bau baa per performed formea effective military service bervice in kansas texas now new mexico and other localities localities I 1 and immediately after the arrival of the mormon battalion in santa fe in october 1846 six months before the pioneers leit left winter quarters quarter for the great salt bait lake valley goi gei cooke won then a lieutenant was appointed to be command of the be battalion by col kearney continuing to la that position until march 1847 of the memorable journey across cue much has been said and written it la Is but recently that the NEWS NE WB published a brief account thereof in we biographical notes of a member of the battalion in which frequent reference was wai made to geo gen cooke in orders to the battalion at sau san diego jan 30 1847 the general himself sali ot of the th trip lieutenant colonel commanding congratulates the battalion on its iia safe arrival on the shores of the pacific oce anand the conclusion of its march of over two thousand miles history may be searched in vain for an equal march of infantry nine tenths of it through a wilderness where nothing but savages and wild beasts are found foun founder dor or deserts where for want of water there 1 is no living creature there with almost hopeless labor we have dug deep wells which the future traveler will enjoy without a guide who had traversed them we have ventured into trackless pr prairies alRes where water was not found for several marches with crowbar and pickax pick ax in handee hand we have worked our way over mountains mount which seemed to defy wight aught save the wild goat and hewed a passage through U a chasm of living rook rock mote more narrow than our wagon wagons bobring to bring these arst wagons to the pacific we have preserved the strength streng ot the mules by herding them over large tracts which you yon have laboriously guarded without foss the garrison of four presidios dios of sonora concentrated within the walls of tucson gave us no pause we drove them out with their artillery but our intercourse with the citizens was unmarked by a single sot act ot of injustice thus thu marching half naked and half fed and living upon wild animals we have discovered and made a road of great value to our country arrived at the first settlements of california after a single mingle dayn dayle rest you cheerfully turned off from the route to this thin point of promised repose to enter upon a campaign and meet as an we believed the approach of the enemy and this too without even malt aalt to season your sole subsistence of fresh meat in the trouble in california with colonel john C fremiot Fremo Fre moot iDt when the latter reused refused to recognize general kearneas Kear authority kearney backed by colonel cooke aud the mormon battalion the principal force at his command had bad fremont arrested tor insubordination and supremacy of control by he united states slates was established the next association of general cooke with 8 people was in connection with the buchanan Buc banan expedition of 1857 8 he commanded the cavalry in s army armmand arm yand aDd passed through a severe exper once ence on en route near bridger in november 1857 from hunger and intense cold on toe of june 1868 1858 he be wow was made colonel of the ad dragoons and twelve d days ag yg me later june 26 entered salt bait biake city with the army on its way to camp floyd whitneys Whit history ol of utah referring to that event says ot of him colonel cooke as an he rode ode through the silent street bared his bis head in honor cf the brave wen men so recently his bis foes many of whom he bad formerly fur merly led to in their count rys cause against mexico N he succeeded general johnston in command at camp amp floyd and when the pest was broken up presented its flagstaff to president young at as a memento of the events which bad occurred and as aa a token of ship in his actions be recognized that the mormon people were not rebels notwithstanding the assertions of general johnston and others and that his judgment on this point was wa based on loyalty to is witnessed by the fact that while johnston Job espousal espo espouse usel J the rebel cause in the war with the south general cooke declared his own allegiance le legi ance to the union rather than tu to his native had he did valiant service in the union cause to we the lull full extent of the demands made upon him alter after over twenty years of retired life following upon more than double that time in the active service of his country the stern rugged honest soldier h has a 9 laid down his aged mortal frame 1 in honor and in pence peace and the boys pa of the mormon battalion who still remain with their friends will wili feel in their hearts to make an aim ofie of respect to their old commander who was with them during the time of that struggle abich brought a large area of the great west including utah within the domain of the united states |
