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Show Pioneer Trails Articles contributed by the S.TJ.P. Memorial Foundation. While being driven from their beautiful city of Nauvoo by mob violence out into the wilds of the western plains-without governmental govern-mental protection, these early stalwarts stal-warts accepted the call of their country, enlisted in the Mormon Battalion and made one of the most remarkable infantry marches in the annals of military history. On arriving at their destination, the Mission of San Diego, California, Cal-ifornia, by order of their military commander, Lt. Col. P. St. George Cooke, an officer in the regular army of the United States, the following commendatory order was issued and read to Mormon Battalion Bat-talion members on February 4, 1817: Headquarters, Mission of San Diego January 3 of 1847 Lieutenant Colonel commanding command-ing congratulates the (Mormon) battalion on its safe arrival on the shores of the Pacific Ocean, and the conclusion of its march of over two thousand miles. History may be searched in vain for an. equal march in infantry; nine-tenths of it through a wilderness, where nothing but savages and wild beasts are found, or deserts, where, for want of water, there 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 prairies where water was not found for several marches. With crowbar and pick-axe in hand, we have worked our way over mountains, which seemed to defy aught save the wild goat, and hewed a passage through a chasm of living liv-ing rock more narrow than our wagons. To bring these first wagons to the Pacific, we have preserved the strength of the mules by herding them over large tracts, which you have laboriously guarded without loss. The garrison of four presidios the walls of Tucson, gave us no pause; we drove them out with of Sonora, concentrated within , their artillery; but our intercourse inter-course with the citizens was unmarked un-marked by a single act of injustice. in-justice. Thus marching, half-naked half-naked and half-fed, and living upon wild animals, we have discovered dis-covered and made a road of great value to our country. Arrived at the first settlement of California, after a single day's rest, you cheerfully turned off from the route to this point of promised repose, to enter upon a campaign, and meet, as we believed, the approach of the enemy; and this, too, without salt to season your sole subsistence subsist-ence of fresh meat . . . Thus, volunteers, you have exhibited ex-hibited some high and essential qualities of veterans, but much remains undone. Soon you will turn your strict attention to the drill, to system and order, to forms also, which are all necessary neces-sary to the soldier. By order of P. St. George Cooke, Lt. Col. P. C. Merrill, Adjutant No battalion of soldiers ever received re-ceived greater commendation from their commanding officer than did the Mormon Battalion boys on that occasion. General Kearney, commander-in-chief of the army of occupation in California, in speaking speak-ing of the heroic accomplishments of this body, also stated that history his-tory would be searched in vain for an infantry march equal to the Battalion's, adding that "Bonaparte "Bon-aparte crossed the Alps but these men crossed a continent." |