Fort Bridger. U.T.
A CORRESPONDENT sends us the following historical in formation concerning Fort Bridger, U.T.:
In 1857 the Government of the United States sent an army of several thousand men to Utah, to suppress what was termed the “Mormon Rebellion.” An expe-dition across a thousand miles of wilderness was a mat-ter of importance, and Colonel Sydney Johnston, re-garded as one of the most accomplished officers in the army, was assigned to the command. In the early winter the foot-sore and jaded column approached a Mormon fortification, the remains of which still stand facing the western front of the parade at Fort Bridger. The Mormons did not remain to give battle or stand a siege, but acted on the maxim of the doughty Falstaff, which proclaims discretion to be the better part of valor. The invading army encamped near the abandoned fort and finally went into winter quarters at Camp Scott, two miles above. The next summer the army moved toward Salt Lake, but Major, now Brevet Major-Gen. Hoffman, of the Eighth Infantry, was assigned to the duty of building quarters and commanding the new post, which it had been determined to erect and name after the guide of its expedition, Bridger. This was the origin and beginning of the present post. We now append, in chronological order, the names of the officers who have held command here, with some facts connect-ed with their lives. Major William Hoffman, Eighth Infantry, spring of 1858. Brevet Lieutenant-Col. E.R.S. Canby, Tenth, Infantry, fall of 1858. Major Gat in, Seventh Infantry, fall of 1859. Captain Cummings, Tenth Infantry, summer of 1860. Captain Gardner, Tenth Infantry, summer of 1860. Captain Jesse Gove, Tenth Infantry, fall of 1861. Ordnance Sergeant Bo-ger, from summer of 1861 to fall of 1862. Captain Lewis, California Volunteers, fall of 1862. Captain Price, California Volunteers, spring of 1863. Major Gallagher, California Volunteers, fall of 1863. Col. Williams, Nevada Cavalry, summer of 1864. Major O’Neil, California Volunteers, winter of 1864-’65. Cap-tain Brown, California Volunteers, spring of 1865. Major Baldwin, Nevada Cavalry, summer of 1865. Gen. Stagg, Michigan Cavalry, fall of 1865. Colonel Smith, Sixth U.S. Volunteers, winter of 1865-’66. Major Bald-win, Nevada Cavalry, spring of 1866. Brevet Major Burt, Captain Twenty-seventh U.S. Infantry, July, 1866, Brevet Lieut.-Col. Anson Mills, Captain Eighteenth In-fantry, December, 1866. Brevet Lieut-Col. H.R. Mizner, Captain Thirty-sixth U.S. Infantry, July, 1867. Brevet Col. H.A. Morrow, Lieut.-Col. Thirty-sixth U.S. Infan-try, November, 1867.
Major, now Col. And Brevet-Major Gen. Hoffman, was Commissory General of Prisoners during the war with headquarters at Washington. He is now on the Plains.
Col., now Brig. And Brevet Major-Gen. Canby, was in the field and was greatly distinguished for his sagacity and excellent judgment. He is now in command of the Third Military District headquarters, Charleston, S C.
Major Gatlin left the army before 1861, but it is not known what became of him.
Captain Gardner resigned his commission and entered the service of the South. He was afterward captured at Port Hudson as Gen. Gardner. It is not known what became of him subsequent to this.
Captain Jesse Gove was killed at the battle of Seven Pines, heroically fighting under the National flag.
Captain Clark was severely wounded at Antietam and is now Assistant Professor of Natural and Experimental Philosophy at West Point.
Ordnance Sergeant Boger was the only person in the military service of Bridger between the summer of 1861 and the winter of 1862. He had entire charge of the public buildings and of public stores to the amount of thousands of dollars. His conduct was exemplary in every respect. During his time of service here his period of enlistment expired, but true to his trust, he re-enlisted himself and was sworn in by Judge Carter, the post trader. Sergeant Boger is still in the service.
Very little is known of the Volunteer officers who commanded at Fort Bridger. After serving their coun-try faithfully, they returned at the conclusion of the war to civil life.
Major Gallagher has been for some time a respected citizen of Salt Lake City, but has now taken up his residence at Sweetwater. Major Baldwin is at the Sweetwater mines. Gen. Stagg is in Michigan. Major Burt is with his company at Fort C.F. Smith. Colonel Mills is with his command at Fort Reno.
Col. Mizner was Col. Of the Fourteenth Michigan Vol-unteers during the war, and greatly distinguished him-self before Atlanta. He was promoted to the rank of Brig. Gen. by Brevet for his conduct during the war.
Col. Morrow is the present Post commander. He en-tered the service in August 1862, as Col. Twenty-fourth Michigan Volunteers, and retired from the same at the conclusion of the war with the rank of Brevet Major-General. In July, 1866, he was commissioned Lieutenant-Colonel of the Thirty-sixth U.S. Infantry.
