Transcript
Transcript for Reddick N. Allred journal, 1854 August-1856 November
Oct 6th. 1856 I attended conference in Salt Lake City, but as the
8th. We crossed the big mountain and overtook Bro. Grant on East Kanyon [Canyon] at the cotton wood grove[.] encamped for the night where we joined his camp and organized. G. D. Grant had been apointed by letter from the President to lead the company and R. T. Burton clerk. Charles Decker capt 1st. ten and I of the 2nd. ten[.] Wm. H. Kimball Sergt. of guard and C. H. Wheelock Chaplain.
It snowed all the afternoon & evening so that I took cold and it gave me a severe pain in my breast that lasted one month that was almost like takeing my life.
Sunday 12th. we reached Bridger where we got seven beef cattle.
Monday 13th. met Capt. A. O. Smoot in advance of the church train, in order to obtain supplies. & <He> returned with us and on Big Sandy on the 15th. left with Bros. Wheelock, Joseph A. Young[,] S. Taylor & A. Garr who were sent ahead to meet the trains. We crossed Green River and on the 16th. met Cpt. [Abraham O.] Smoots train on Big Sandy where we camped. I suffered much from the pluricy or a pain in my breast & side.
Oct. 18th. 1856 We arrived at the South Pass and camped on the Sweat Water [Sweetwater] 3 miles from the Pass. It snowed and was quiet cold.
19th. Capt. Grant left me in charge of the supplies of flour, beef cattle, four waggeons, the weak animals, and eleven men for guard. I killed the beef cattle & let the meet [meat] lay in quaters where it frose and kept well as it was very cold & storming almost evry day. We were reinforced by 3 wageons & 6 men loded with flour.
23rd. I recieved an express from Wm. H. Kimball in charge of Capt. Willy's hand cart company then at stony point forty miles below in a deploreable condition.
24th. I took 6 teams and met them 15 miles below in such a hard west wind that they couldnot travel faceing the drfting snow even if they had been ready for duty. I found them <some> dead & dying laying over the camp in the drifting snow that was being piled in heaps by the gale & buerrying their dead.
We set in with the rest to make them as comfortable as posable & remained in camp till next day.
25th. The waggeons were all filled with the most infirm and we made my camp in goo altho. many didnot arrive till late at night. Fifteen were bueried on the ground below & three at my camp. On our return to camp we found one of the men sick with the small-pox and to avoid any further out brake if posable I sent <him> homeward with one man alone to obtain a Physician.
Oct. 26th. Bro. Kimball sent an express to the city for more help as the other companies hadnot been yet heard of, and went on himself with Capt. Wille's company leaveing me with a few men <(7)> to keep up the station till the last train should arrive. Capt Grant had said that he would send me back with the first train, but he sent word by Bro. Wm. Kimball that he wouldnot feel satisfied unless I stoped at the station as their lives depended upon it. <being kept up>
On the 13th Nov. Ephram Hanks arrived from S L. City and reported 150 wageons on the way to relieve us, but nothing having been heard from the trains I sent a man with him to meet them.
They started next morning (14th.) and as it was very cold & the wind blowing a gale from the West he set a sail behind his wageon and struck out at the rates of ten knots. Bros. John Van Cot & Claudeous V. Spencer arrived this morning but their stay was short as another man was comeing down with the smallpox. Bro. Spencer tried to induce me to brake up camp and return to the City. I declined this propposition, and he said he would return. I advised him to stay for the lives of the Company the depended upon us & he then said that he moved that as I was President of the Station they center their faith in me that I should get the word of the Lord to know what we must do. to this I objected as he had already said what he would do. They returned next day. I sent a letter by them to the companies on the road sent out for our assistance, for them to come on as fast as the condition of their teams would allow, but <he failing to present the letter> all the teams companies turned back with them untill they got to "Bridger" where Lewis Robinson prevailed on them to stop untill he could send a messenger to President Young, the result of which was to turn them all back again with instructions to go untill they met Capt. Geo. Grant. Spencers team after reaching the Big Mountain was turned back and arrived at my Camp the same evening that Capt. G. —arrived with the last company. The team was in an exhausted condition, reminding them of my words to them, that "if they wanted to save the team leave it with us, & keep it there to help the needy," but C. A. Spencer wouldnot consent. President Young told Wm. Kimble that he didnot care if he turned same so quick that it would snap their neck. But I saved my neck by sticking to my post. Joseph A. Young came to my camp with the first inteligence from the last companies, & went on to the City next day.
Capt. Grant got into my Camp on the 17th of Nov. just 30 days since he left me, and saluted me with "Hurah for the Bull Dog—good for a hang on."
Nov 18th. The teams having all arrived we were organized into Companies of (10's) Tens by wagons—each ten taking up a Company of one hundred as they were organized in the Handcarts—my ten wagons hauling Capt. Mayo's company. All could ride, altho. much crowded. We then set out for the City with this half starved, half frozen and almost entirely exausted Company of about 500 saints. But from that time on they did not suffer with hunger or fatiegue, but all suffered more or less with cold. As well as I was provided I even lost my toe nails from frost
I had a good tent & took in 5 Bretheren—including Capts. Tyler & Martin, and the 3 sisters Quinn to do our cooking
After geting well started Capt. Grant with a number of others started ahead to the City leaving Robert T. Burton in Command with me to assist him, and after hard marches & much suffering, which was however, lessened by assistance from Salt Lake City in the shape of Cooked provisions & men to Clear the snow on the mountain passes—making it possible for our much exausted teams to get along with their heavy loads, we arrived in the City in triumph. Capt. Burton leading one & I the other as we moved up the Street in two lines to the Tithing yard where we were greeted with much praise & a hearty welcome to the City of the saints where we as well as the new comers could rest from our labours and our work could follow us.
Thus ended one of the hardest & most succesful Missions I had ever performed, for although the Mission with the Mormon Battalion was long hard & teadious, & therefore very severe, yet this was Short & Sharp in the extream.