From the Louisville Courier.
Interesting Letter from Col. Johnston of the Utah Army.
We have been permitted to make the follow-ing extracts from a letter from Col. A. S. John-ston, commander of the Utah Expedition, to a member of his family in this city. It is the latest authentic news ftom the Utah Army :
"CAMP SCOTT, NEAR FORT BRIDGER, BLACK'S FORK OF
GREEN RIVER, Dec. 12, 1857.
"MY DEAR : I have an opportunity of sending you a line, but only time to say a few words, as I have been engaged till the last mo ment in my public correspondence.
"We are still encamped at this place, and will continue until we move in the spring. The ar-my has abundance of food and clothing and is well sheltered from cold in Sibley tents. With your knowledge of camp life, you would pro-nounce our situation one of great comfort. These Sibley tents are tall, conical tents, 12 feet high and 20 feet in diameter, open at the top, with a vane to prevent its smoking, which it does not quite do. With a stove or fire built in the mid-dle, it is a great improvement in the comfort of the soldier, but not as good as a wall tent with a stove, for an officer.
"I said we have abundance, but inasmuch as no one from the Governor, and civil officers to the private soldier, can obtain more than one ration, we have nothing to give in the way of hospitality, for if I invite my neighbor to dine, he would be no better off than if he staid at home, while I should be damaged by his eating my ration. The regular diner-out would fare badly here. What genius and tact he must be endowed with if he could procure an invitation!
"The day before the reduction took place, we gave a dinner to the Governor, Chief Justice, &c., on our surplus in the larder. Since then I do not think we could feed an extra fat at our mess, such is our health and so nicely is the quantity allowed, adjusted to the measure of our wants. We, of course, find it irksome here, but time will soon roll round, and we shall find our-selves again in the midst of those we love and admire. Until then we must be patient. We fear our friends will suffer from groundless appre-hensions on our account. We have no reason to complain of anything but absence from our families.
"Some think the Mormons, when it is neces-sary to make the issue with them, will submit to the government. I do not agree with them. I think their fanaticism and villainy will lead them to try one encounter at least; and I think our government ought to desire it, as affording a simple solution of a difficult political question. If they resist, a final settlement would be on the basis of a conquest. We could then dictate to them the terms of adjustment."
"Brigham Young wrote to me a few day since, sending as a present some 800 pounds of salt, or, if preferred, we might buy it for the troops.—Knowing they would entertain a fiendish delight in the knowledge that we would starve or freeze, neither of which we intend to do, although we have no salt, I sent it back to him with this message :—'That Brigham Young and his asso ciates are in rebellion against the Government ; that until they return to their allegiance and obey the laws, I will accept no favor or courtesy from them, nor hold any correspondence with them; that when I advance, the people who re-main at their homes or engage only in their pri-vate business, will be undisturbed. If I find them arrayed in arms I will attack them where-ever I meet them ; that if they entertained the delusive hope that the army would retire from the territory, they had better banish it; that the army will never take one step back, &c., &c. * * * * *
Yours, &c.. A. S. JOHNSTON."
19th Century Mormon Article Newspaper Index
