Written by James Parshall Terry
(1830 - 1918)

Submitted by Joyce T. Muhlestein

Utah War Incidents

1857 September 25 Friday – I went to Lehi to stack my grain, expecting to be gone a week, but felt impelled to return to my home at Willow Creek or Draper the same day, which I did arriving there late in the evening. I had just got my team taken care of when Capt. Joseph S. Rollings [Rawlings] called upon me to be ready in the morning to go back into the mountains to meet the army that was reported to be fast approaching our Territory.

Saturday 26 – About 3 a.m. my wife gave birth to our first child, a daughter, and about 8 a.m. I was on my way with several others to Salt Lake City preparatory to going to Fort Bridger.

Sunday 27 – Our Company being organized we started for Bridger and camped for the night between the Little and Big mountains.

Monday 28 – This morning an express passed us reporting that Fort Bridger was burnt and that our enemies would be upon us immediately. In consequence of this we left…to five miles up Echo Canyon where we camped for the night.

Tuesday 29 – We reached Bear River and camped here. General D. H. Wells and others came up with us on their way to Fort Bridger and camped for the night.

Wednesday 30 – Arrived at Fort Bridger, the Fort not burnt and word that the enemy were on Hams Fork 30 miles east of here.

Thursday October 1 – Lay in camp at Fort Bridger.

Friday 2 – A company of 44 men was organized with Lot Smith as Captain to scout around the enemy, burn the grass, and otherwise annoy them by stampeding their stock, burning their wagons, or any way to cripple them. Generals D. H. Wells and George A. Smith called the boys together preparatory to our starting and gave some instructions. Among other things they said, “Boys, don’t let them pen you,” Also told us that if the soldiers fired on us we were not to return fire. We started at 4 p.m. traveling 31 miles and camped for the night on the south side of and near Blacks Fork below the Soldier’s camp.

Saturday 3 – While getting breakfast we saw a dust on the main road and supposed it to be a company of the enemy. We got up our horses when Capt. Smith with a part of his men went to see what it was. Found to be a small freight train which he turned towards Green River. We then [gathered] the balance of our company and rode on to Green River. Found a large company of the enemy there with light battery. We went in below them on a big island and camped. It is worthy of note that our mules was perfectly quiet all night while the mules of the soldiers camp kept up an incessant braying.

Sunday 4 – The enemy roled out of camp very early this morning for Hams Fork. Our company divided this morning. Scouting party went back to Blacks Fork. I remained with Lot. We rode on to the Big Sandy, sent out 3 men as scouts. They returned with the news that one freight train of 26 wagons was on Green River and when we held a council whether it would be wisdom to go back to Green River and burn the wagons, when it decided to try it. We arrived at the wagons about 12 o’clock midnight and upon examining them, we found instead of 25 wagons, there was 51 of them in 2 corrals only a little distance apart. The most of the teamsters had gone to bed, but the wagonmaster with those that was still up was just coming out from the trading post near by as we rode up. We took them prisoners although there was about 66 of the teamsters while there was only 26 of us. We placed guards around the wagons and got the men all up of which I never saw a scareder lot in my life until they found that they was not going to be hurt. They laughed and said they was glad the wagons was going to be burnt as they would not have to bull whack any more, as they called it. The teamsters was permitted to take their private clothing and guns out of the wagons and then they were burnt. Capt. Smith was very happy to see that there was no animosity or anything to explode to cause accidents.

There was one wagon loaded with tar rope—ostensibly, as it was said, to hang Brigham Young and his Danites. But suffice to say the tar rope made a grand light. The country was lit up for miles around and we returned to Big Sandy and camped till morning. [We got word about this time that Fort Bridger and Supply was burnt by our Boys. I will here insert the names of the boys or men that was together at this time: Lot Smith Captain, Horton D. Haight, Henry Jackson, Thomas Alihat, Jacob Truman, Lenard Rice, Mark Bigler, Samuel Bateman, John Vance, Oren Lee, Edward Westover, Isaih Cox, -- Woodmanse, James P. Terry, George Sonekin, Philo Dibble, Mahonri M. Cahoon, Orson P. Arnold, Henry Boice, -- Reeves, Peter Saby, -- Lenard, M. Halnbrook, Henry Day, Harry Perkins. There is two or three of these names I cannot remember to be correct. — Not included in the original printing.]

1857 October Monday 5th – We rode up Big Sandy a little ways and got breakfast and then rode on a little further and on to the main road when we came across another train of 24 wagons stopped for noon. The wagon master and some of the teamsters was gone out to bring their cattle and the men that was in camp, we instructed them to take their clothing, guns, and anything that might explode out of the wagons preparatory to burning them. When the wagon master came in, Lot told him he had orders to burn the wagons when he said, “Well you have got the advantage of me. I guess you will have to burn them.” Lot answered him, “Oh I guess not if you think so, There is your guns. There were stacked at the head of the corral, you can take them and we will try for it.” But the wagon boss declined the proposition and said he would rather let the wagons be burnt.

And now began the pleading, he wished to return a wagon to carry their baggage and some provisions on to Green River, but it was some time before Capt. Smith would consent. Finally he yielded. Then the wagon master wanted another and it took some hard pleading before he got it, but finally Lot consented and they pulled out the two wagons and the other 22 wagons was burnt. Here I want to show an overruling providence in our behalf in letting the teamsters retain the two wagons. A few days after [this] incident we was entirely without anything to eat so we went in to Green River, when we found the wagon master with his two wagons which he had been allowed to retain wasn’t burnt. And Lot told him our situation when he said, “you acted the gentleman with me and now you can have all you want of anything we have.” So you see how the Lord can over rule things for good.