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1858 February 4 Letter to Amasa Lyman

Title

1858 February 4 Letter to Amasa Lyman

Description

Brigham counsels Lyman to be on alert for Government troops and supports his plan to visit Lt Ives surveying team on the Colorado. He also advises Lyman to help fill the needs of the Indians so they don't resort to stealing.

Type

Correspondence

Sender

Brigham Young

Recipient

Amasa Lyman

Date

1858 February 4

Location

Great Salt Lake City

Number of Pages

2

Subject

Government
Indian Affairs
Disputes

Item sets

Letterbook v. 4

G. S. L. City U. T.
Feb. 4th. 1858.

Elder Amasa Lyman,

Dear Brother: -- Your letter of Jan. 20th, came safe to hand, and I was gratified with the steps you have taken and with the success attending your labors and the removal from San Barnardino. From all we can learn by the papers, letters and rumors by the last Cal. Mail, our enemies are still anxious to do us all the harm they can and may soon undertake sending in troops by the south route, for which reason you readily see the necessity for your being constantly on the alert, that our enemies may not be able to take any advantage of ignorance or carelessness on our part.

You are probably aware, ere this, that a Lt. Ives with a surveying party of some 100 men is about to proceed or is proceeding up the Colerado to explore it to its sources. It is not likely that they will in the least undertake to molest any of the people or property of the settlements, still it will be best to keep an eye upon their movements, so soon as you learn that they are approaching our borders. They are, I presume, the Americans whom the Indians have reported as coming up the Colerado. At any rate, your plan for a small party and a few missionaries to visit the Colerado and Iats is a very good one, and you can doubtless find men enough to easily spare for that purpose.

Both humanity and sound policy require the continued exercise of forbearance and leniency towards the untutored red men around you, and also, as speedily and as far as possible, to advise ways and means for supplying their more pressing wants, that they be not compelled to resort to stealing.
We have no late information from the East, but are now taking energetic measures to be in readiness for whatever may transpire as the weather moderates.

I shall be pleased to have you report at every opportunity, and additional facilities for so doing will Probably ere long be afforded by our home-mail arrangements, which go into operation this morning to take a weekly mail to Parowan, from whence it will be taken to our most southern settlements.

Praying for your prosperity in every good work, I remain, as ever,
your Brother in the Gospel,

Brigham Young