Letter to Ilus Fabyan Carter, 7 January 1858
Brother Ilus
Dear Sir,
As the California Mail is about
to start, I feel to improve the opportunity of droping a
few lines to you. I must of course run the risk of its
ever reaching you. I wrote you a long letter by Docr
Bernhisel, which I trust you got. I then told you my
feelings, and our determinations with regard to submitting
any longer to the oppression of our enemies. The army
sent by the President of the United States, approached to
Fort Bridger one hundred and fifteen ^miles^ from this City,
and there stopped for the Winter, the inhabitants of that
Country burned every thing to the ground at the approach of
the enemy; they burned up improvments worth about
$300,000 dollars and retired into Salt Lake County. The
army is now in Winter Quarters, we shall defend ourselves
as long as we can, then burn every thing and flee to the
Mountains; we all feel it to be more honorable to even loose
our lives in maintaining those rights and blessing
guaranteed unto us by the Constitution and Laws of our
Country, than to longer submit to tyranny, oppression and
religious persecution.
I forward you by this mail, three papers, one containing
[ink faded] Young's message, and our last issue of Jan. 6th, 1858.
[ink faded] also an extra containing our memorial to Congress
[ink faded] all the members of the Legislature, and also Govr
