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1854 December 27 Letter to Soldier and His Band

Title

1854 December 27 Letter to Soldier and His Band

Description

Brigham sends greetings to the Indians and again invites them to live among his people and learn to live by their own labors.

Type

Correspondence

Sender

Brigham Young

Recipient

Soldier and His Band North

Date

1854 December 27

Location

Great Salt Lake City

Number of Pages

2

Subject

Indian Affairs
Charity

Item sets

Letterbook v. 1

Great Salt Lake City Decr. 27/54

To Soldier & his Band North.

As James Brown your Kind friend and mine, is to start tomorrow to go North and see you, I have thought that you would be pleased to hear from me, and also to shew you that I am not unmindful of you and my brethren the Utes who used to be in your band when you used to hunt.

I hope that you will stay among my brethren the whites, and get along among them as amicable as you, and the rest of your band possibly can, I am, and ever has been the warm hearted friend of the poor Indian, and in order to <have> this <feeling> better carried out, I wished you and your brethren of your band to come among my brethren, that you might learn how we live, and bye & bye you will be able to live by your own labor far easier and happier, than when you roamed through the valley, and mountains with but little to eat, as little to clothe you; and having no particular place for home. There may be among my brethren the whites some men and woman that will not act straight, nor talk straight the same as you must know there is among your brethren the Indians, but these should not discourage those of your brethren or mine who love to do well, to keep doing good, and the great Spirit will listen to the good and prosper them, and give them pleasant dreams, while his ears are shut to the cries of those who do evil.

It is my wish that you should learn every thing that is good, and shun evil, and be kind, and generous toward each other, so that you may be useful to the whites, and they to you, and thus live together in good feeling and make each other happy.

James Brown my friend and your friend will talk to you, he knows my mind, and he will give you good advice and counsel, listen to the words he may tell you, treasure them up, keep them in remembrance, and they will do you much good, and give you peace. I send by him a few plugs of tobacco to give to you, that you may smoke, the pipe of peace and be happy.

Hoping that you and your brethren are well, and feel well, I as ever subscribe myself your friend & brother

Brigham Young