It is a cold Morning snow upon the Mountains it is reported
that Mr Ray is vary sick & not expected to live. He is the
last Gentile Merchant in the city now doing business Mr Bell has sold out & will soon leave for Calafornia Mr Kinkade
is still traiding but will work for us. An express arived
at 1 oclok P.M. Brought a letter to President Young from D H.
Wells & one to me from G. A. Smith. They inform us that
Capt Lot Smith & his company came near being caught
in a trap by the Enemy in the following manner about day
break they came near the Enemies camp & thought they
saw a drove of mules a distance from the camp they made
a charge upon them to stampede them but as they rushed
in among them they found they were mounted men & could
not stampede mounted draggoons the capt of the company
saluted and said Capt Smith you cannot see vary well
good this morning. Capt Smith replied I can see as well as
you can with your Blind Bridles on they looked at each
other awhile the[n] Lot Smith troted off at a slow pace but the
Enemy tried to surround them & they had to gallop over a
vary rough place to get away when they got about 30 rods
off from them the[y] dis mounted & took a dead rest & shot
about 30 bullets at them one ball passed through one mans
Hat & another Ball grazed a horses leg that was all the dange
that was done they might thank the Lord for the preservation
of their lives this is the first fireing done on Either side &
this fireing was done by our Enemies, but no Blood shed
unless it was Blood from a horses leg. We got through
diging potatoes & drawing corn to day
~ Tuesday
^2^ 20th I put my flax in water to rot this morning at 12 oclok
Col Burton with his command of Draggoons or minute
men arived in this city in good health & spirits President Heber C Kimball addressed them a short time And said
By virtue of the Office which I hold I bless you all in the
name of the Lord & if you will live your religion & do
right you shall none of you fall by the Hand of an Enemy
but you shall eat peaches & Apples in this valley untill you
go to Jackson County Missouri & your Enemies shall not
conquer you. keep your guns & fire locks in good order &
do not waste your aminition for Naught, it is not a
day for much preaching but a day for hard service this
is not much that we have to meet with this fall but next
year we must be prepared for work Gen Grant followed
with few words & told then whare to go for quarters
they went to the variouse places allotted them. I spent the
day in the office. I spent the night or evening till 9 oclock at the Govornors
office Brigham Young Jr arived at 9 oclok he rode down the Weber to Ogden from there to this city He brought some Letters to the president
& others. I stoped at the Globe a short time in conversation
with Brother Clements who thinks that Allexander would
surrender if he had an opportunity to do it in a way that He would
not be censured by the Government. The army is in a critical
situation & destruction seems to await them let them do what
they will
~ Monday
Oct 19th
It is a cold morning snow upon the Mountains it is reported
that Mr Ray is vary sick & not expected to live. He is the
last Gentile Merchant in the City now doing business Mr
Bell has sold out & will soon leave for Calafornia Mr Kinkade
is still traiding but will work for us. An express arived
at 1 oclok P.M. Brought a letter to President Young from D H.
Wells & one [FIGURE] to me from G. A. Smith. They inform us that
Capt Lot Smith & his company came near being caught
in a trap by the Enemy in the following manner about day
break they came near the Enemies camp & thought they
saw a drove of mules a distance from the camp they made
a charge upon them to stampede them but as they rushed
in among them they found they were mounted men & could
not stampede mounted draggoons the capt of the company
saluted and said Capt Smith you cannot see vary
good this morning. Capt Smith replied I can see as well as
you can with your Blind Bridles on they looked at each
other awhile then Lot Smith troted off at a slow pace but the
Enemy tried to surround them & they had to gallop over a
vary rough place to get away when they got about 30 rods
off from them they dis mounted & took a dead rest & shot
about 30 bullets at them one ball passed through one mans
Hat & another Ball grazed a horses leg that was all the dange
that was done they might thank the Lord for the preservation
of their lives this is the first fireing done on Either side &
this fireing was done by our Enemies, but no Blood shed
unless it was Blood from a horses leg. We got through
diging potatoes & drawing corn to day
~ Tuesday
20th I put my flax in water to rot this morning at 12 oclok
Col Burton with his command of Draggoons or minute
men arived in this City in good health & spirits. President
Heber C Kimball addressed them a short time And said
By virtue of the Office which I hold I bless you all in the
name of the Lord & if you will live your religion & do
right you shall none of you fall by the Hand of an Enemy
but you shall eat peaches & Apples in this valley untill you
go to Jackson County Missouri & your Enemies shall not
conquer you. keep your guns & fire locks in good order &
do not waste your aminition for Naught, it is not a
day for much preaching but a day for hard service this
is not much that we have to meet with this fall but next
year we must be prepared for work Gen Grant followed
with few words & told then whare to go for quarters
they went to the variouse places allotted them. I spent the
day in the office. I spent the night or evening till 9 oclok at the Govornors
Office Brigham Young Jr arived at 9 oclok He rode down the Weber to
Ogden from there to this City. He brought some Letters to the president
& others. I stoped at the Globe a short time in conversation
with Brother Clements who thinks that Allexander would
surrender if he had an opportunity to do it in a way that He would
not be censured by the Government. The army is in a critical
situation & destruction seems to await them let them do what
they will
"Journal (January 1, 1854 – December 31, 1859)," October 19, 1857 - October 20, 1857, The Wilford Woodruff Papers, accessed November 24, 2024, https://wilfordwoodruffpapers.org/p/X6YA