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UtahRails.net

U. S. Army In Utah, 1858-1861

This page was last updated on October 30, 2026.

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Overview

(The focus of these notes is to establish the date that the troops departed Camp Floyd in 1860 and Fort Crittenden 1861, with the result that some of them suffered their deaths on the mountain pass that later became Soldier Summit.)

(A secondary focus is to establish a timeline of the Army's entry into Utah in 1858, and the route taken between Echo and Salt lake City.)

Following the conclusion of what has become known as the "the Utah War," the U.S. Army established a large military presence in Utah Territory from 1858 through 1861. In June 1858, the the U. S. Army's "Utah Expedition" under Brevet Brigadier General Albert Sidney Johnston marched through Salt Lake City and established its garrison in Cedar Valley at Fairfield, approximately 45 miles southwest of the territorial capital of Salt Lake City. Named Camp Floyd in honor of Secretary of War John B. Floyd, the post grew to house nearly 3,500 regulars along with roughly 1,000 civilian teamsters, camp followers, and merchants, briefly making the adjacent settlement the third-largest population center in the territory.

During its three-year operation as the headquarters for the Department of Utah, Camp Floyd served as a major garrison, holding nearly a third of the active U.S. Army. The troops maintained order, provided security along the recently established Central Route used by Chorpenning's mail and passenger coaches, as well as the Pony Express, and several mounted regional expeditions to escort emigrant trains and survey wagon routes across the Great Basin. The economic impact on Utah was substantial; local farmers and merchants supplied building supplies, grain, and timber to the garrison, injecting federal monies directly into the regional economy.

With the outbreak of the Civil War in the spring of 1861, the War Department ordered the immediate evacuation and abandonment of the Utah post. Following Secretary Floyd's resignation and siding with the Confederacy, the army renamed the post Fort Crittenden in early 1861 before systematically dismantling or auctioning off millions of dollars worth of military stores, livestock, and adobe structures. By July 1861, Johnston’s successor, Colonel Philip St. George Cooke, led the remaining troops out of Utah toward Washington, D.C., effectively ending the U.S. Army’s pre-Civil War presence in the territory until the establishment of Fort Douglas late the following year.

(These additional sources are what I call agenda-driven academic histories, rather than simple histories of the names, dates, and events that actually took place. Simple history of the focus of this page.)

(Read more about Camp Floyd in the Utah Historical Quarterly, Volume 34, Number 1, Winter 1966)

(Read the Wikipedia article about the Utah War; including the events leading up to it.)

(The above Wikipedia article contains lots of bloated academic fluff, by trying to put the event in context. The attempt fails by providing an extreme level of side detail, obscuring the basic facts. Even the timeline is bloated by too many side events.)

(Read more about the Utah War at The Smithsonian)

Timeline of the Army of Utah

"Shortly after his inauguration in March 1857, President James Buchanan ordered the Army into the Great Salt Lake Valley. Troops from the 4th, 5th, and 10th Infantry, the 2d Dragoons, and the 4th Artillery assembled at Fort Leavenworth in preparation for the operation. In July the Utah Expedition left the fort with 500 men, 97 wagons, and 600 hundred animals under the command of Col. Edmund B. Alexander, the elderly commander of the 10th Infantry." ("The Regular Army Before the Civil War, 1845-1860," by Clayton R. Newell, Center of Military History, United States Army, Washington, D.C., 2014, page 35)

"Following Buchanan's decision to garrison Utah, Lieutenant General Winfield Scott marshalled 2,500 troops of the 5th and 10th Infantry Regiments, 2nd Dragoons and 4th Artillery at Fort Leavenworth, Kansas Territory, in preparation for the march to Salt Lake City. By mid-July of 1857, most of these units had left Leavenworth for Utah, even though many had been seriously weakened by a wave of desertions attributable to the Kansas heat and the grim prospect of a march across the Great American Desert. Although not a large force by Civil War standards, the Utah Military Expedition, or Army of Utah as the War Department designated it, was nonetheless an important one. The Expedition included more than one-sixth of the nation's army." (Utah Historical Quarterly, Volume 31, Number 2, Spring 1963, page 127)

It must be stated here that the event of a large body of Army troops and their freight wagons and herds of cattle, horses and mules passing through Salt Lake City on June 26, 1858 does not appear to have been news. A review of available online newspapers, from four different websites, finds no contemporary coverage, and given the delays in the mails and various messaging services of the period, including throughout July, August and September 1858. The local newspapers regularly quoted other newspapers as they received them in the mail, so these other sources also carried no coverage. In late August and early September 1858 there were numerous notes from local and national figures that the troubles with the Mormons had been resolved peacefully.

The great "Move South," in which Salt Lake City was supposedly "ghostly" and abandoned when the Army arrived, was an optional event, as Brigham Young made clear in his initial speech, and it appears that most residents of Salt Lake City did not take part. With the army almost on Salt Lake City's doorstep, church leaders and many residents had moved to Provo, and in mid-July (three weeks later), the leaders returned to their homes in Salt Lake City, and others were encouraged to also return to their homes.

The New York and other Eastern newspapers covered the buildup of July to December 1857, gleefully telling of the Army making its way to Utah to end the Mormon rebellion. But that coverage died down during the winter of 1857-1858 as it became clear to those on the ground and directly involved that there was no rebellion. Although the initial orders to the commander at Fort Leavenworth in June 1857 made it clear that hostile action was expected.

The following timeline is compiled from histories published in the 1880s to 1960s, with a focus on actual dates and events. Research has found that later histories are mostly agenda-driven interpretations and re-telling of these earlier histories. Having contemporary newspapers available is truly a boon to better research. "The Contributor" a monthly magazine published in Salt Lake City in the 1880s and available from Archive.org, is especially useful in telling the Mormon side of the troubles, as related by the participants themselves.

Buchanan's Blunder

On February 26, 1858, President Buchanan sent a report to Congress concerning the Utah Expedition. The report is 215 pages and includes all of the letters and communications, from both sides, from October 1856 through February 1858, leading up to the troubles and prior to the Army actually entering Salt Lake City in late June 1858. The report is available from Archive.org.

(The Utah expedition, Message from the President, February 26, 1858 at Archive.org)

(The Utah expedition, Message from the President, February 26, 1858 at Library of Congress; slow loading)

Within a short period during the 1860s, the whole affair became known as Buchanan's Blunder, since it was Buchanan that ordered the Army to Utah to put down the non-existing Mormon rebellion.

(Read a 1961 history of "Buchanan's Blunder" The Utah War 1857-1858)

Timeline

March 4, 1857
James Buchanan takes office as President of the United States and decides to take action to solve "the Mormon Problem."

March 30, 1857
W.W. Drummond resigned as a justice of the Utah Territory Supreme Court on March 30, 1857, and his resignation letter was published in Eastern newspapers during mid-April 1857, with the newspaper editors speculating as to who would replace Drummond. On March 19, 1857 Drummond had sent his initial public letter, and reports to President Buchanan. Drummond resigned due to severe conflicts in Salt Lake City with Brigham Young and the LDS Church, after which he published widely circulated accusations that helped trigger the Utah War.

Former territorial Judge W.W. Drummond resigned and sent a letter to Buchanan filled with unverified and exaggerated allegations against Brigham Young and the Mormon community.

The newly formed Republican Party attacked the Mormon policy of polygamy ("one of the twin relics of barbarism"), putting pressure on the Democratic Buchanan administration to assert more firm federal control in Utah territory.

June 29, 1857
President James Buchanan declared Utah in rebellion against the U.S. government, and mobilized a regiment of the U.S. Army, initially led by Colonel Edmund Alexander. The mission was install a new governor of the territory, establishing Federal control and replacing Brigham Young.

July 1, 1857
"Washington Correspondence of the New York Herald. - I learn today that official orders and instructions were sent to Gen. Harney, who is to have command of the Utah expedition, and that it is to be composed of the Twentieth Dragoons and Fifth and Tenth Infantry—which will shortly be at Fort Leavenworth—together with the battery of the Fourth Artillery, now at that post, all of which will be prepared to march to, and establish post at or near Salt Lake City, and at the earliest practicable day he (Gen. Harney) will put the troops en route but will until that time retain his present position in command of troops in Kansas. On the 6th of January next; after the Territory of Utah shall have been entered by the troops, it will constitute a new and separate military department, to be styled the "Department of Utah," to be commanded by Gen. Harney or other senior officer present, who, will, from the time of leaving Fort Leavenworth, be the commander of a separate army in the field, within the sense of the 56th article of war. The armament and equipment deemed most suitable for the service of the battery of artillery will be selected, and, if necessary, extended in guns and horses, by the commander of the expedition." (Rochester [New York] Times Union, July 1, 1857)

July 13, 1857
Buchanan appointed Alfred Cumming as the new non-Mormon governor of Utah Territory, replacing Brigham Young, and authorized a large U.S. Army force to accompany Cumming to Utah to take office.

In accordance with presidential orders, military leaders began assembling their so-called "Utah Expedition" in mid July 1857 at Fort Leavenworth, Kansas, on the Missouri River.

July 18, 1857
The first detachments of the U.S. Army's Utah Expedition departed Fort Leavenworth, Kansas, on July 18, 1857, under the command of Colonel Edmund Alexander. The initial infantry and artillery units included parts of the 10th Infantry Regiment when the force left Fort Leavenworth for Utah. Additional units, such as the 2nd Dragoons and the expedition's later commander, Colonel Albert Sidney Johnston, were delayed and departed later, with Johnston catching up to the main force in November 1857 in southwestern Wyoming.

July 24, 1857
During the celebration of the 10th Anniversary of the Pioneers settling in Utah, Brigham Young first learned of the planned U.S. Army deployment to Utah on July 24, 1857. Young received the news while celebrating the 10th anniversary of the Mormon pioneers' arrival in the Salt Lake Valley, during a large gathering in Big Cottonwood Canyon.

The news had come to Utah by way of riders of the Brigham Young Express company, which had been awarded the U.S. mail contract in February 1857 to carry all of the mail between the Missouri River and Salt Lake City. The contract had been canceled in June, but the service continued on an informal basis until the last of the Army units departed Fort Leavenworth in September.

(The contract to move the U. S. mail from the Missouri River to Salt Lake City was canceled in August 1856. It remained in place under a separate contract between Salt Lake City and California. As expected, service became very irregular by use of private carriers, including postmasters simply adding it to freight trains headed to Salt Lake City. A new contract put out for bid and was awarded to Brigham Young, with service commencing in February 1857. That contract was canceled with the "Mormon Troubles" and an entirely new St. Louis to California contract by way to the Southern Route through Texas, New Mexico and Arizona was awarded to John Butterfield in September 1857.)

(Read more about the U. S. mail contracts, 1850-1869)

The news of the approaching army had come from returning travelers and riders, including Salt Lake City Mayor Abraham Smoot, Porter Rockwell, and Judson Stoddard, that federal troops were marching on the Utah Territory.

Young and church leaders were forced to make their decisions without receiving any official notification or explanation from the United States government in Washington, leading Young to declare martial law and mobilize the local militia (the Nauvoo Legion) to resist the expedition. They fully expected a hostile invasion much like their troubles in Missouri in 1844-1845.

On August 15, 1857, Colonel Robert T. Burton was sent east into present-day Wyoming with a advance party of cavalry. Their primary objective was to observe the advancing U.S. Army supply trains, protect inbound Latter-day Saint emigrants, and gather intelligence.

August 28, 1857
Harney and the initial group of soldiers departed Fort Leavenworth in July and was slowly making its way across Kansas and Nebraska, when on August 28, 1857, the Secretary of War, wanting Harney to remain in Kansas to handle the slavery/anti-slavery problems there, replaced Harney with Colonel Albert Sidney Johnston, who was serving in Texas. Johnston then hurried from San Antonio to Fort Leavenworth to take up his new duties.

September 8, 1857
On July 18, 1857, U.S. Army Captain Stewart Van Vliet and a small Army escort had been ordered to proceed directly from Kansas to Salt Lake City, ahead of the main body of troops. Van Vliet carried a letter to Young from General Harney ordering Young to make arrangements for the citizens of Utah to accommodate and supply the troops once they arrived, although the letter included no details of the reason the Army was bound for Utah. To speed his journey, knowing that bad news always travels faster than good news, and fearing that Young would take action based on rumors, Van Vliet left his military escort and proceeded alone.

Van Vliet arrived in Salt Lake City on September 8. His mission was to contact Governor Young and inform him of the expedition's mission to escort the new appointees, to protect United States' interests in the territory and to establish at least two and perhaps three new U.S. Army camps in Utah. Van Vliet's instructions were to buy provisions for the troops and to inform the people of Utah that the troops would only be employed when called on by the civil authority to aid in the execution of the laws. Van Vliet had been previously known by the Latter-day Saints in Iowa, and they trusted and respected him. However, he found the residents of Utah determined to defend themselves.

(September 11, 1857 - Some historians have stated that the Army was seeking revenge for the Mormon involvement in the Mountain Meadows Massacre on September 11, 1857. But given the slow nature of the news in this period, and the lack of then-current information about the event itself, the timeline seems a bit rushed for the news to have reached Kansas all the way from southern Utah. Also, there was no mail contract in place and no mail being moved in this period of June 1857 (when the B.Y. Express contract was canceled) to May 1858 (when the Hockaday contract went into effect). Such comments are typical fabrications of modern social historians in a rush to tell a version that matches their agenda.)

September 15, 1857
After hearing that the Army was truly on its way to Utah, Brigham Young declared martial law, forbidding "all armed forces of every description from coming into this Territory, under any pretense whatsoever". (The original declaration was dated August 5th, but no action was taken until September 15th.)

On September 15, 1857, Brigham Young issued a formal proclamation of Martial Law. Lieutenant General Daniel H. Wells, commander of the Nauvoo Legion, instructed field officers, most notably Major Lot Smith and Major Joseph Taylor, to actively obstruct the federal troops' advance. General Wells' explicit orders to Lot Smith and the militia were non-lethal harassment, ordering the men to stampede cattle, burn prairie grass to deny feed, burn supply wagons, block roads, and destroy stream crossings without firing on soldiers unless fired upon.

September 18, 1857
Additional U.S. troops under the command of Johnston, departed Fort Leavenworth, Kansas headed for Utah.

On October 4–5, 1857, Major Lot Smith and a raiding party of roughly 40 militiamen intercepted U.S. Army supply trains along the Mormon Trail in present-day southwestern Wyoming, at Simpson's Hollow and the Green River crossing. They captured and destroyed over 70 supply wagons filled with winter provisions and clothing, without bloodshed.

Also in early October 1857, to deny the Army any existing facility, the Mormon militia burned both Fort Bridger, and Fort Supply, about 12 miles southwest of Fort Bridger. Both had been supply points along the route of the Brigham Young Express company until its mail contract was canceled in June 1857.

By November 1857 these delaying tactics by the Mormons, combined with the onset of harsh winter weather effectively halted Colonel Alexander's expedition at a point they called Camp Scott, near the site of the burned-out and abandoned Fort Bridger. This bought time over the winter of 1857–1858, allowing for diplomatic negotiations that resolved the conflict peacefully without pitched battle between militia forces and the federal army.

November 3, 1857
Colonel Albert Sidney Johnston, traveling rapidly with a light brigade of 40 Dragoons, caught up with Colonel Edmund B. Alexander. The rendezvous took place at the confluence of the Ham's Fork and Black's Fork rivers in what is now the town of Granger in southwestern Wyoming. Upon catching up with Alexander's disorganized column, Johnston officially took command of the Utah Expedition and ordered the regiment to move about 40 miles farther southwest along the Black's Fork river to the burned-out and abandoned Fort Bridger. Seeing that the Mormon militia had torched the fort, Johnston ordered his 2,500 troops to set up their winter headquarters roughly two miles south of the ruins, naming the temporary tent city after General Winfield Scott. It was here that Johnston established Camp Scott as the expedition's winter quarters and to delay the move to Salt Lake City until next spring.

The combined combat and support units that made up this force included the following (it was reported as being about one sixth of the standing U. S. Army at the time):

• 5th U.S. Infantry Regiment: This regiment formed the vanguard of the column during the march across the plains.
• 10th U.S. Infantry Regiment.
• 2nd U.S. Dragoons (six Companies): This cavalry unit arrived slightly later than the infantry, having been delayed in Kansas. They suffered immense livestock losses due to severe blizzards while pushing through the mountains to reach Camp Scott.
• Battery B, 4th U.S. Artillery: A tactical unit outfitted with field guns.
• Elements of the 5th U.S. Artillery: Providing supplementary artillery support.
• Ordnance and Quartermaster Detachments: Overseeing the massive supply trains (many of which were operated by civilian contractors like Russell, Majors, and Waddell).

(A regiment at this time included between 800 and 1,000 men, but diminished peacetime budgets and numerous desertions usually resulted in a regiment being half its allowed strength. The reported strength of regiments in the Utah Expedition was 400 to 600 men each. A regiment was ideally made up of 10 companies, each with 75 to 100 men, including officers, sergeants, corporals, and privates. But again, peacetime budget cuts and desertions resulted in 40 to 60 men in each company. The exact numbers are hard to pin down, since recruitments and desertions were constant.)

The U.S. Army was not militarily active against the Mormons during the winter of 1857–1858. Instead, the Utah Expedition was entirely paralyzed and forced into survival mode at Camp Scott/Fort Bridger in southwestern Wyoming, due to a combination of severe blizzards and successful Mormon delaying tactics.

November 1857
Stranded in southwestern Wyoming without adequate shelter or provisions, Johnston’s troops spent the winter focusing heavily on basic survival. They endured sub-zero temperatures, minimal rations, and a severe shortage of horses and mules. The most significant military operation conducted by the Army during this time was not an attack on the Mormons, but a rescue mission for supplies. In late November 1857, Colonel Johnston dispatched Captain Randolph B. Marcy on a perilous, 1,000-mile winter trek south through the Rocky Mountains to Fort Union, New Mexico, a journey of well over 700 miles. Marcy’s objective was to secure critical replacement horses, mules, and provisions to prevent the expedition from starving before spring. (Fort Union, about 95 miles northeast of Santa Fe, was where the Mountain Route and Cimarron Route branches of the Santa Fe Trail re-joined and proceeded to Santa Fe.)

While the troops at Camp Scott entered survival mode, the federal government in Washington went into action, or at least got off dead-center. President James Buchanan and Congress spent the winter organizing massive reinforcements. They authorized two volunteer regiments and ordered 3,000 additional regular troops to prepare to march to Utah as soon as the spring thaw allowed. The reinforcements did not arrive at Camp Scott until spring 1858.

The military standstill allowed political maneuvers to take place. In February 1858, Thomas L. Kane, a non-Mormon friend of the Latter-day Saints, arrived in Utah as an unofficial mediator. By March 1858, Kane traveled to Camp Scott and successfully persuaded the newly appointed governor, Alfred Cumming, to travel to Salt Lake City peacefully without his military escort. This diplomatic breakthrough ultimately prevented active hostilities from breaking out when the snow finally melted.

February 28, 1858
Thomas Kane, a friend of the Mormons, arrived in Salt Lake City to act as a negotiator between the Mormons and the approaching army.

March 3, 1858
Brigham Young announces plan to vacate settlements north of Utah County because of their mistrust of Johnston, despite Kane's intervention and his letters from Buchanan to order the Army to pass through Salt Lake City; the move south begins later in the Spring.

March 4, 1858
Kane visited Camp Scott persuades Governor Cumming to travel to Salt Lake City without military escort, under guarantee of safe conduct. They travel to Salt Lake City together then return back to Camp Scott. After seeing for himself that the Mormons were peaceful and that Salt Lake City was quiet, Cumming and Johnston are now at odds as to what the mission actually was, which was Kane's intention.

April 2, 1858
Governor Cumming returns to Salt Lake City with his wife to assume duties, but without the Army. Kane returns east.

April 6, 1858
President Buchanan issued "Proclamation on the Rebellion in Utah" (officially registered as Proclamation 74), with a blanket pardon for the Mormons, "a free pardon for the seditions and treasons heretofore by them committed."

June 1858
Peace commissioners arrive, validating the agreement Kane worked out with Buchanan, then followed by Johnston's army's passing through a now very quiet Salt Lake City on June 26 to establish Camp Floyd some 50 miles distant in Cedar Valley (southwest of Eagle Mountain)

June 15, 1858
The Army of Utah departed Camp Scott, Wyoming. Camped at the Bear River crossing (Evanston, 25 miles) on June 16th.

June 19, 1858
Camped at the Needles at Yellow Creek, about 10 miles southwest of Evanston on Yellow Creek (very near current Utah-Wyoming line).

(The military column then proceeded northwest, along today's Wasatch Road, to the head of Echo Canyon, near today's Wahsatch exit. The route was likely chosen because of the availability of grazing and water.)

June 21, 1858
After passing down Echo Canyon, the military column camped at Witches Rocks, two miles northwest of Echo.

June 23, 1858
The military column marched northwest to "Forney's Bridge" (today's Henefer), then southwest to a point in East Canyon about six miles from Witches Rocks.

June 24, 1858
The military column marched nine miles to a point near today's East Canyon Resort.

June 25, 1858
The military column marched 16 miles, over Big Mountain summit, descending by use of ropes and drags on the wagons due to the steep descent. The 16-mile distance places the camp in the close vicinity of today's Mountain Dell reservoir.

June 26, 1858
The military column them crossed over Little Mountain and into Emigration Canyon, then down into Salt Lake Valley.

When Colonel Johnston and his 2,500 troops marched through the city on June 26, 1858, they encountered a very quiet Salt Lake City. Many of the residents along the route had taken their families south. This mass evacuation, greatly romanticized, has become known as "The Move South."

Salt Lake City was supposedly almost completely empty, but it was not entirely abandoned. Journals and diaries show that it was only along the route through the city that was empty, except for the "police" force placed at each intersection. Citizens more than a half mile away, about 4-5 city blocks, were asked to stay quietly in their homes until the Army had passed.

The column continued west to cross the Jordan River by way of John Taylor's bridge (today's North temple Street), then south along the river's west bank for three miles where the column stopped for two days (June 27 and 28), near today's 2100 South Street.

June 29, 1858
The military column traveled farther along the west side of the Jordan for about 16 miles, to a point on what was then called "West Creek," or today's Bingham Creek. Remained at West Creek for a full week, including a celebration of July 4th.

(Research by Duane Bylund and his associates found military relics along the north side of Bingham Creek in the area south of 10200 South and east of Grandville Avenue, 5600 West. Presented in his book about Old Camp Floyd. -- "In Search of Johnston's Army, Old Camp Floyd and West Creek, As Seen through the Eyes of a Relic Hunter" by Duane A. Bylund, 2009, page 274)

July 6, 1858
Camp moved 20 miles south to what became Camp Floyd.

According to the article about Camp Floyd in the Utah Historical Quarterly (Volume 34, Number 1, 1966), on the morning of June 26, 1858, Johnston's column marched down Emigration Canyon, and passed through the largely empty Salt Lake City. Various witness accounts mention that there were groups of men on the street corners keeping a close watch on the progress of the column. The active marching column consisted of approximately 2,500 soldiers, comprising elements of the 2nd Dragoons, 5th Infantry, 10th Infantry, and the 4th Artillery. In addition, there were approximately 1,000 civilians that accompanied the column, including teamsters, quartermaster employees, herdsmen, sutlers, laundresses, and camp followers. The column included several hundred heavy supply wagons from freighting contractor Russell, Majors & Waddell, along with ambulance wagons, artillery pieces, and thousands of horses, mules, and beef cattle. The march through the city took almost the entire day, from early morning until late afternoon.

(This particular timeline is difficult to imagine, with the column having crossed over Little Mountain summit and down Emigration Canyon that same morning, a distance of 16 miles. Anyone who has read the details of the movement of other military columns of the period likely sees that this earlier part of the trip likely took the entire morning, before even entering the city.)

One has to ask, did the rest of the Utah Expedition that was strung out across Wyoming that spring of 1858 take a different path? Available research shows that the main army did not split into completely separate mountain routes to enter the Salt Lake Valley from the east, with the Emigration route being the route recorded by Captain Tracy. Other elements of the full Utah Expedition, including reinforcements and re-supply trains, were staggered across hundreds of miles due to logistics, reinforcements, and long supply lines.

The Army of Utah did not travel as a single consolidated block. Because of the sheer length of the wagon trains and the necessity of grazing thousands of livestock without depleting water holes, the force was broken into divisional elements and separate supply trains. While Johnston's primary headquarters division passed through Salt Lake City on June 26, several trailing supply trains, livestock herds, and rear guard detachments entered the valley over the subsequent days. Documentation is missing but these elements may or may not have followed the same primary corridor down Emigration Canyon.

In March 1858, President James Buchanan authorized massive reinforcements to support Johnston. These reinforcements were en route across Nebraska and Wyoming when peace negotiations succeeded in June 1858. The record suggests that these additional regiments met up with Johnston's command at Camp Scott/Fort Bridger and entered Utah. These reinforcements were made up of Colonel Loring's regiments from Fort Union in New Mexico, and regiments from Fort Leavenworth on the Missouri River.

The army's movement into Salt Lake City on June 26 was strictly governed by the agreement brokered by Thomas L. Kane and Peace Commissioners Lazarus Powell and Ben McCulloch. The military was permitted to pass through Salt Lake City, but was strictly forbidden from making camp inside the city limits or molesting property along that route.

After marching down South Temple, past Brigham Young's home and continuing westward, the column crossed the Jordan River late on June 26 and established a temporary camp on the west bank. Over the next three to four days, trailing supply units, civilian teamsters, and guarded herds joined the main force at the Jordan River encampment, and continued to join the main force after the initial move for better water and grazing to what was known as the West Creek Camp, near today's 10200 South and 5600 West. Once the full operational force and its heavy freight trains and herds had regrouped west of the Jordan, Johnston marched the army south into Cedar Valley to establish permanent quarters first at "Upper Camp" at the northwest corner of Cedar Valley in July 1858, then in September 1858 at the newly established Camp Floyd.

To avoid bottlenecking in the narrow canyons and starving the livestock, non-essential heavy freight trains, herds of beef cattle, horses and mules, and secondary quartermaster trains were kept back or routed directly down the benchlands toward the Jordan River crossings (near present-day 2100 South/Redwood Road area) rather than filing directly through the narrow grid of downtown street blocks. (This points to the likely fact that these units passed into the Salt Lake Valley by way of Parley's Canyon, by way of the existing Territorial Road.)

(The North Temple bridge was a toll bridge as approved by the Territorial assembly in 1853. The only other bridge across the Jordan was a similar toll bridge at Lehi, also approved by that same assembly in 1853. Although an additional bridge is unrecorded, the Army included a full compliment of engineers, fully capable of building any temporary bridge needed to have the secondary columns join the main column at this camp west of the river near today's 2100 South.)

Available research shows that the approximately 2,500 soldiers and 1,000 civilians marched through Salt Lake City on June 26, 1858, representing Johnston's main regiments, while additional regiments and supply trains, and additional livestock bypassed the immediate city core or trailed behind over the next several days to meet up at the camps west of the Jordan River.

The population of Salt Lake County in 1860 was approximately 11,300, with 8,100 in Salt Lake City. So an army of 3,000 soldiers and related civilians passing through Salt Lake City and into the valley itself would have been a major event. Especially if they all came into the valley through Emigration Canyon, which is doubtful. During late June and early July 1858, as the army moved between the three camps its held along the west side of the Jordan River(and the dust being raised), would have been visible from throughout the valley. The reality and logistics of such a body of men and equipment does not support the reports that the army passed through the city on a single day.

The Route, Echo To Salt Lake City, 1858

Almost all sources refer to the movement of Johnston's Army as being by way of Emigration Canyon, when in fact by 1858, the existing Territorial road used Silver Creek and Parleys canyons. The logistics of moving thousands of men and hundreds of heavy freight wagons by way of Big Mountain Pass, Little Mountain summit and Emigration Canyon is a true stretch of one's imagination. The U. S. Army's Utah Expedition included units and squads of engineers meant to construct and improve the routes and roads that the column used.

The passage of the U. S. Army's Utah Expedition in late June 1858, with its thousands of soldiers and hundreds of heavy wagons, and the column's attendant engineer squads, most assuredly greatly improved the road through Three Mile and lower Parleys canyons. By this time, no toll was being collected for what was Parley Pratt's Golden Pass road, and the government would likely have not paid such a toll in any case.

A review of the day-by-day entries in Captain Albert Tracy's journal shows that the initial military column traveled the Pioneer Trail from Echo to East Canyon, to Big Mountain, then Little Mountain, then Emigration Canyon.

"The Utah War, Journal of Albert Tracy, 1858-1860," in Utah Historical Quarterly, Vol XIII, 1945 at Issuu.com. Presents a compiled and edited view of everyday life of an officer in Johnston's Army.

Arrival At Camp Floyd

The site of Camp Floyd was chosen because there was plenty of water and grazing, and it was on the route of the U. S. mail between Salt Lake City and California.

According to the Salt Lake Mining Review of June 15, 1913, page 14, the site of Camp Floyd was already settled by several families in the area:

February to April 1858
Colonel Thomas L. Kane brokered peace discussions between territorial leaders and newly appointed Governor Alfred Cumming. Governor Cumming arrived in Salt Lake City in April without a military escort, peacefully assuming office from Brigham Young.

March to June 1858
Uncertain about the army's intentions, Brigham Young ordered the "Move South." Approximately 30,000 to 35,000 residents evacuated northern Utah settlements—including Salt Lake City—moving into Utah Valley and areas further south.

June 12, 1858
Federal peace commissioners offered a presidential pardon to the citizens of Utah, which church leaders formally accepted.

June 26, 1858
Johnston’s Army (roughly 2,500 soldiers, accompanied by supply trains and civilian teamsters) officially marched down Emigration Canyon, through the completely deserted streets of Salt Lake City, crossed the Jordan River, and camped on its west bank. A small group of militia was stationed in the city with orders to burn all structures if the military breached the peace agreement.

General Albert Sidney Johnston led the U.S. Army's Utah Expedition through Salt Lake City, marking the military climax of the Utah War.

September 1858
The army established its permanent station, Camp Floyd, near Cedar Fort in Cedar Valley (about 40 miles southwest of Salt Lake City). With the troops situated at a distance, northern Utah residents began returning to their homes.

The Move South

Beginning in March 1858, Brigham Young had recommended (not ordered) the evacuation of all northern settlements, including Salt Lake City. In what became known as "The Move South," roughly 30,000 to 35,000 citizens packed up their families, livestock, and belongings and moved 50 miles or more south to Provo and other central Utah communities. Some houses were reportedly completely boarded up and emptied of furniture.

To protect the buildings along the Army's route, a small group of several hundred Mormon militiamen stayed behind to act as a police force all along the route. They watched from out in the open and from behind walls and empty buildings. Some were reported as having carried torch materials and were under strict orders to burn the entire city to the ground if a single federal soldier broke ranks to loot a home or steal from an orchard.

Johnston was well aware of the volatility of the situation. To ensure the peace commissioners' deal remained intact, he enforced strict discipline. The army marched through the quiet city streets in perfect formation. They marched straight through the capital, briefly camped that night across the Jordan River, and then proceeded south along the west side of the Jordan River, eventually establishing Camp Floyd 40 miles to the south, honoring the agreement to stay far away from Mormon population centers.

June 30, 1858
"Returning to Their Homes. — The First Presidency and a few others left Provo at 6 p.m. of June 30, and arrived at their homes in G. S. L. City at 3 a.m. of July 1. All who wish to return are at liberty to do so." (Deseret News, July 14, 1858)

Once the army peacefully occupied Camp Floyd and it became clear the threat of violence had passed, Brigham Young signaled the end of the exodus. Throughout July and August 1858, the population returned north to reoccupy their intact homes.

The Men Of Camp Floyd

The following comes from the Salt Lake Mining Review, June 15, 1913, in an article about the Mercur mining district.

Camp Floyd Renamed Fort Crittenden

February 27, 1861
Camp Floyd was named for Secretary of War John B. Floyd, but was changed to Fort Crittenden by order of Colonel Coke on February 27, 1861, after Secretary Floyd resigned in December 1860 and on May 23, 1861, was appointed a brigadier general in the Confederate States Army. Fort Crittenden was named after Senator John J. Crittenden of Kentucky.

Camp Floyd was designated in honor of Secretary of War John B. Floyd in August 1858, after being established in June 1858 by Col. Albert Sidney Johnston, 2nd U.S. Cavalry, during the Utah War. (General Order 49, Department of Utah, August 24, 1858).

Colonel Philip St. George Cooke (usually P. St. George Cooke, Col.) was put in command of Camp Floyd after General Johnston was called east to Washington D.C. in 1860. Johnston was given command of the Pacific Department in San Francisco, a post he resigned in May 1861 with the start of the Civil War. Johnston said of his sympathy for the Southern cause, "I have been long identified with Texas, her interests and public men, and her action may control my future destiny." (Texas seceded on February 23, 1861, and joined the Confederacy on March 23, 1861)

(Colonel Philip St. George Cooke had commanded the Mormon Battalion on its cross-country trek in 1846-1847 nearly 1,950 miles from Council Bluffs, Iowa, to San Diego, California. It was Colonel Cooke, recently promoted from Lieutenant-Colonel, that commanded the calvary unit of Johnston's army, known as the 2nd Dragoons, as it passed through Salt Lake City on June 26, 1958, en route to Camp Floyd.)

Camp Floyd was redesignated as Fort Crittenden in February 1861 in honor of Senator John J. Crittenden of Kentucky. (General Order 3, Department of Utah, February 6, 1861)

(Read the Wikipedia article about John B. Floyd)

(Read the Wikipedia article about John J. Crittenden)

July 15, 1861
On July 15, 1861, pursuant to General Order 12, Department of Utah, most of the fort property was sold. The last troops departed on July 27, 1861." (Finding Aid, Single roll of microfilm, "Headquarters Records Of Fort Crittenden (Camp Floyd), Utah Territory, 1858–1861"; part of Records of U.S. Army Continental Commands, Roll M2161, Record Group (RG) 393, National Archives and Records Administration, Washington, DC)

Soldiers Summit

Several sources in popular history tell of Soldier Summit being named for a group of soldiers from Camp Floyd who were caught unaware in a winter storm, with several being frozen to death.

Actual newspaper reports of the period tell of groups of departing soldiers traveling east from Camp Floyd in May 1860, and the remainder departing east in July 1861. Research was completed to find if one of these two groups of soldiers may have spent the freezing night on the pass that later became Soldier Summit.

Newspapers of the period revealed that none of these departing groups of soldiers traveled by way of what today is known as Soldier Summit, the pass between Spanish Fork canyon and Price River canyon. Of the two large "columns" of departing soldiers, one company in May 1860 intended to travel by way of the pass, but the difficulties of building a road forced them to divert by way of Salt Creek canyon, then by San Pete Valley to Salina and the Old Spanish Trail through Salina Canyon, then across lower Castle Valley, and southeast to the Green River crossing, then east to the Colorado-Utah line. Traveling the Old Spanish Trail to the east would put them in western Colorado, then across southwestern Colorado, then to Fort Garland in south central Colorado, where they were encamped for the duration of the war.

The other (and last) departing company in July 1861 traveled by way of Provo River canyon to Heber City, then crossing over between the Provo River drainage to the Weber River drainage at Francis and Kamas, then north to Echo canyon, then east into Wyoming and Fort Bridger. Then, following the well established immigrant trail to St. Joseph, Missouri, then by train through Quincy, Illinois, to Chicago. Then by train to Washington DC.

This route through Provo Canyon was described by Hamilton Gardner of Cambridge, Massachusetts, in his review of the book, "The Utah Expedition, 1857-1858." By LeRoy R. Hafen and Ann W. Hafen, (Utah Historical Quarterly, Volume 27, Number 1, April 1959)

So the story of a group of soldiers freezing to death on the pass is apparently another group of soldiers, not those that departed Camp Floyd/Fort Crittenden.

(Read more about Soldier Summit, as part of the story of D&RGW in Utah)

Some versions of the story mention that the soldiers passing over the pass were either deserters, or men who had resigned to take up the Southern cause. There is no newspaper reference of such happening, except one account that some of the officers at Fort Crittenden had Southern sympathy, but honored their oath to their nation, and that the enlisted men were all "Unionists." More research in less available sources is needed.

Departure

Concerning the unit strength of Army companies, the following comes from "The Personnel Replacement System In The United States Army," By Leonard L. Lerwill, Department Of The Army Pamphlet No. 20-211, August 1954.

Tullidge's 1886 book, "History of Salt Lake City" included the following paragraph on page 248:

(Read more about the wagons sold as surplus from Camp Floyd)

The following comes from a history note in the June 11, 1960 issue of the Deseret News, on the occasion of a 100-year anniversary.

May 1860
"Movements of Troops. -- We are informed that the regimental staff and band, and companies B, C, J and G, 10th Infantry, under command of Capt. Cumming, took up their line of march from Camp Floyd on Thursday, the 10th inst., agreeably to Army Orders published by us in No. 35. The 1st sub-column will move on Tuesday next [May 15], the 2nd on the day following [May 16]." (The Mountaineer, May 12, 1860)

(At the start of the Civil War, an Army company ideally consisted of 97 men and three officers, but due to illness, casualties, and desertion, companies often had closer to 30-50 men. In the above case, the departing columns of four companies and staff, likely consisted of about 200 to 300 men.)

(One of the later departing companies was the 2nd Dragoons, consisting of about 60 men. This company took part in the Battle of Wilson's Creek near Springfield, Missouri, on August 10, 1861.)

When the soldiers departed from Fort Crittenden in 1860, they were bound for "New Mexico and Arizona" (actually, Fort Garland in south-central Colorado). A published map shows that the planned route, but not the route taken. This planned route was eastward following Spanish Fork Canyon over the Wasatch summit, then down the White River and Price River to the Green River, where their trail met the Old Spanish Trail. The Old Spanish Trail then continued southeast (passing today's Arches National Park and the city of Moab) through southeastern Utah and southwestern Colorado, then into New Mexico and their destination.

But the column did not travel this route. As noted below, the column bound for Fort Garland in Colorado went by way of Salt Creek canyon, then by way of Sanpete Valley to Salina Canyon, where they would have picked up the Old Spanish Trail, then by the Northern Route to Fort Garland in south-central Colorado.

(Read the Wikipedia article about the Old Spanish Trail; including changes to the Northern Route after 1830 that brought it through Utah)

(View a map of the Old Spanish Trail and the National Park Service's website)

May 10, 1860
"Marching. -- According to orders, previously promulgated, the companies of troops that were to leave Camp Floyd, by the Timpanogas, for Forts Bridger and Laramie on the 10th inst., took up their line of march on that day. From the punctuality, with which such movements are generally executed, we believe that the division that was ordered to commence its march yesterday, en route for New Mexico, is in motion, tho we had no positive knowledge in relation thereto, up to the time of going to press." (Deseret News, May 16, 1860)

May 30, 1860
"The second column of the troops ordered from Camp Floyd to New Mexico consisting of the 5th Infantry and companies A, F and H, 10th Infantry, under command of Lt. Col. Canby, that were to march by Spanish Fork kanyon to Green river, at the point where Loring's trail crosses that stream, have, as reported, changed their course and proceeded via Salt Creek and Sanpete valley. Soon after the orders for the march were issued, a large company of sappers and miners were sent up the Spanish Fork to open a road over the divide between the waters flowing into Utah Lake, and those flowing into Green river, but it seems that it was a bigger job to make the road than was anticipated and consequently not completed by the time the troops were ordered to be on their way; the result of which would have been a delay of the march of the column for some considerable time, so long, at least, that it would have been impossible to reach Fort Garland by the 24th of July, if a change of route had not been made." (Deseret News, May 30, 1860)

"The troops from Utah to New Mexico will proceed by way of Col. Loring's trail, and not by the Spanish Canyon, as previously ordered." (New York Times, June 19, 1860, quoting from recently issued Army Special Order 76)

(Colonel Loring was post commander at Fort Union the year before and was familiar with the post's situation and capabilities. Loring traveled with Captain Marcy upon Marcy's return to Fort Bridger and the Army of Utah in early June 1858, and was returning to his post when he departed Camp Floyd in July 1858.)

(The route Loring took became known as "Loring's trail." His route was south from Camp Floyd to Goshen and Nephi, then by way of Salt Creek to Manti, Gunnison and Salina, then by Salina Creek, over "Wahsatch Pass" to Emery and Castle Dale. This portion east of Salina was also known as the Spanish Trail, which continued east from Castle Dale to the Price River, skirting the south side of Cedar Mountain. The expedition followed the Price River to a crossing of the Green River, then due east to the Grand [Colorado] River and Grand Junction, then through Delta, Montrose, Cimarron and Gunnison, over Cochetopa Pass to Alamosa and Fort Garland, then south to Taos and Fort Union.)

(Fort Garland, in Colorado's San Luis Valley, 25 miles east of Alamosa, was established in 1858, and remained as a military post until 1883. In 1862, during the Civil War, soldiers from Fort Garland fought in the Battle of Glorieta Pass, 11 miles southeast of Santa Fe, which put an end to Confederate attempts to hold New Mexico or invade Colorado.)

(Read more about Colonel Loring and his expedition returning to Fort Union)

June 13, 1860
"Movement of the Troops. -- Major Howe, with the three companies of dragoons that have lately been stationed at Camp Floyd, passed through the city on Thursday last en route for Fort Hall [Pocatello, Idaho], where, report says, the troops are to be stationed during the season to protect the emigration passing on the northern route. By the movement of the dragoons northward, in the absence of the artillery company on the mail and express route, Camp Floyd is nearly deserted -- there being but two skeleton companies, E and I, 10th Infantry, left there to guard the stores; and some who have come from there since the departure of Maj. Howe with his command, report that the post, with it surroundings, has a very desolate appearance." (Deseret News, June 13, 1860)

June 18, 1860
"Special Dispatch to the New-York Times. - Washington, Monday, June 18. - Army Movements For The Protection To Emigrants. - By special Army orders (number seventy-six) it is directed that the three companies of Second Dragoons at Camp Floyd, B, E, and H, march for Lander's Road, in the southern part of Oregon, with the view of affording protection to emigrants against marauders and Indians, and of chastising depredators, during Summer and Autumn. Assistant-Surgeon BREWER is assigned to this command. The commanding officer is to establish his dépôt, with a sufficient guard, at some suitable point in the vicinity of the junction of the Soda Springs and Lander's Road, or where the latter crosses Pont Neuf River, from whence he will make detachments, with pack animals, in sufficient strength to patrol the roads in all directions towards Soda Springs and the City of Rocks, extending the march beyond these points as circumstances may require. He will also open communications and concert measures with the Commander of the detachment of troops, which it is understood is to be ordered from the Department of Oregon, to take post at or in the vicinity of the City of Rocks. These troops will be rationed for five months, and beef is to be issued to destitute emigrants. Transportation will be limited to absolute wants, each man to be supplied with one hundred rounds of cartridges." (New York Times, June 19, 1860)

(The troops of the 2nd Dragoons returned from Fort Hall and Fort Neuf to Camp Floyd in mid September through early October 1860.)

July 11, 1860
"Arrival of Merchandise. -- A train of thirty wagons, ox teams, belonging to Messrs. Livingston, Bell & Co., freighted with merchandise, arrived on the afternoon of the 5th inst., eleven of which were unloaded at the store of that firm in this city; the others were dispatched the same evening for Camp Floyd. Another similar train, belonging to the same firm, arrived on the afternoon of the 9th. Eighteen wagons belonging to this train were sent on to Camp Floyd; the other twelve discharged their freight here. The wagons were made in Chicago and were ordered expressly for this market and, as we understand, most of them are for sale." (Deseret News, July 11, 1860)

February 6, 1861
The name of Camp Floyd was changed to Fort Crittenden, as stated in General Orders No. 3, dated February 6, 1861. The change had not yet been approved by the War Department. (Deseret News, February 20, 1861)

(The Civil War began on April 12, 1861, with the bombardment of Fort Sumter on April 13, 1861, which resulted in Virginia seceding on April 17th.)

Concerning the Southern sympathizers at Fort Crittenden:

"A letter in the St. Louis Republican, from Utah states that rumors from Camp Floyd that was, but Fort Crittenden that now is, indicated the predominance of Southern sympathy among officers, and the likelihood of some of them sending in their resignations and returning home. But I learned from Col. ------, last evening, that only one officer had gone that far, and the others had persuaded him to defer action. The cavalry and artillery officers are generally Southern gentlemen; but the infantry officers are all "Union men."" (St. Paul [Minnesota] Weekly Pioneer And Democrat, April 5, 1861)

"We have advices from the Utah army to June 14. Everything was prepared for the march, and the soldiers could all be on the road in ten days. Lieutenant Dudley, whose command was abroad, was ordered to return to the fort and await orders from Washington. Col. Cooke, of the Second dragoons, Dr. Moore, and Lieutenant Green had been visiting Salt Lake City. The rumor that disloyalty had shown itself in Fort Crittenden is officially contradicted." (Harrisburg [Pennsylvania] Daily Telegraph, July 12, 1861)

July 22, 1861
"The first detachment of troops, with commissary train, were expecting to quit Fort Crittenden to-day." (New York Times, August 10, 1861)

July 24, 1861
The following comes from "Charles A. Scott's Diary Of The Utah Expedition, 1857-1861," Utah Historical Quarterly, Volume 28, Number 4, October 1960, page 389-402. Charles Scott was a soldier in the last group departing Fort Crittenden in July 1861.

The following comes from October 18, 1861 issue of the Philadelphia Enquirer ("Tuesday" was October 15)

California Volunteers of 1862

October 17, 1862
Colonel P. E. Connor, with five companies of the Third Infantry, and two companies of the second cavalry, California Volunteers, arrived at Fort Crittenden from Ruby, Nevada, on Friday October 17, 1862, and the next day continued on toward Salt Lake City. Connor stated that he had no intention of choosing Fort Crittenden as his destination. The troop continued on to Salt Lake City, arriving on October 20th. (Deseret News, October 22, 1862)

Edward Tullidge wrote in his 1886 History of Salt Lake City, that Fort Crittenden (formerly Camp Floyd) was mostly deserted by mid October 1862 when Connors' California Volunteers passed through from Nevada en route to Salt Lake City. The camp was deserted, except for civilians who had purchased the Army buildings the previous year. These civilians were disappointed that Connor refused to re-purchase the buildings of the former camp, with Conner intending to continue and find a place "within striking distance of the heart of Mormondom."

The Salt Lake Mining Review of June 15, 1913, page 14, contradicts Tullidge, stating that there were several families in the area:

The farmers remained on the north side of the stream, and those springs continue to flow today, providing water to the remaining farms in the area.

(Read more about P. E. Connor and the California Volunteers of 1862)

More Information

The Utah expedition. Message from the President of the United States, February 26, 1858, at Archive.org

The Utah Expedition 1857-1858, edited by LeRoy R. Hafen and Anne W. Hafen, 1958, at Archive.org

Camp Floyd, Utah, 1858-1861, in Utah Historical Quarterly, Volume 34, Number 1, 1966, at Issuu.com

"The Utah War, Journal of Albert Tracy, 1858-1860," in Utah Historical Quarterly, Vol XIII, 1945 at Issuu.com. Presents an edited and limited view of everyday life of an officer in Johnston's Army.

"A Local Paper Reports On The Utah War," in Utah Historical Quarterly, Vol. XXV, 1957, page 297, at Issuu.com. Reports of the Deseret News newspaper.

"In Search of Johnston's Army, Old Camp Floyd and West Creek, As Seen through the Eyes of a Relic Hunter" by Duane A. Bylund, 2009; an excellent non-academic summary of the movements of the Army of Utah during 1857 and 1858 in his book, on pages 319-334

"Roll Call At Old Camp Floyd, Utah Territory, Soldiers Of Johnston's Army At The Upper Camp, 8 July To 8 September 1858," by Roger B. Nielson, 2006; an excellent, very detailed non-academic treatment of the units of the U. S. Army that came to Utah in 1858.

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