MS. Ledger from Fort Bridger 1859-60 At Time 1st Pony Express and Mormon Wars. Customers include Wm. Russell, Gatlin, Sibley, Canby Offers Fascinating View of Frontier Life

[FORT BRIDGER.] William A. Carter, Sutler's Account Ledger at Fort Bridger, 1859-1860, Fort Bridger, Utah Territory [now Wyoming]. 256 pp., 217 with text. 8" x 12.5". All pages are clean, though there is edge wear and some wear to the binding.

This ledger records purchases by a variety of customers of Fort Bridger sutler William A. Carter between July 1859 and April 1860. Each page lists dates of purchases or payments, items purchased, and separate columns for debits and credits. Often the name in the heading is followed by a brief description, such as "farm hand," "employee at SM [saw mill]," "hospital steward," "wagon master," or "mountaineer."

Among Carter's prominent patrons were Colonel E. R. S. Canby (future Union General), Major Henry H. Sibley, Major Richard C. Gatlin (both future Confederate generals), mountain man Jack Robertson, Superintendent of Indian Affairs for the Utah Territory Jacob Forney, and the transportation firm of Russell, Majors & Waddell that established the Pony Express. He also had accounts with individual companies of soldiers and the Commissary, Quartermaster, and Ordnance Departments of the U.S. Army. Eventually, the paymaster at Camp Floyd simply mailed treasury drafts to Carter to pay the soldiers stationed at Fort Bridger. Carter then paid the troops out of the cash he had on hand, after deducting what the soldiers owed him at the store. He could then forward the treasury drafts to his eastern creditors, who kept him supplied with merchandise.

Common items sold by Carter at his store included whiskey, brandy, and other alcohol; tobacco, including cigars; clothing, including shirts, caps, socks, and underwear; playing cards; canned foods, including peaches, pickles, and oysters; candles; equipment like axe helves (handles), canteens, and knives; cooking utensils, such as frying pans, kettles, and skillets; building materials, including nails; and mailing supplies, such as envelopes and stamps.

Reflecting his higher salary and standard of living and remarkable chains of supply, Colonel Canby's purchases included a hoop skirt, a toothbrush, a hairbrush, a pair of "toilet slippers," two pairs of "fine boots," one necktie, a "toilet bucket," a brass kettle, one "Prim[e?] Geography" [book], one dictionary, one box of gilt pens, three pencils, several dozen cigars, pipes and stems, a marine clock, a brass candlestick, twenty-five "best quills," several cans of oysters, red ink, and many yards of cotton, muslin, calico, gingham, and flannel (pp21, 100, 125, 174, 197).

Company K of the 10th U.S. Infantry purchased cups, knives, forks, spoons, and a ladle on October 20, perhaps for an upcoming feast. At other times, they also bought a corn mill, 42 yards of muslin, a bread pan, packages of salt and pepper, and six brooms (p109).

Major Henry H. Sibley's purchases included many quarts of whiskey, additional quarts of brandy and rum, several bottles of champagne, a deck of cards, several cans of oysters, a pair of suspenders, some envelopes, and a sponge (pp158, 188).

To Major Richard C. Gatlin, Carter sold calico, several pairs of children's hose, four split bottom chairs, several pairs of ladies' shoes, buttons, candy, cloves, nutmeg, butter, cinnamon, and other supplies, suggesting that Gatlin's wife and children were living at the fort with him (pp36, 117).

To the post brewery, Carter sold thermometers, tin pails, a sieve, three funnels, honey, yeast powder, a padlock with chain, and a great deal of barley (p112). The quartermaster's department purchased a great quantity of nails and axe handles, some wood screws, saw files, and on December 14, three wagons (pp28, 147, 202). The commissary department limited its purchases to barrels of whiskey, a faucet, a dozen butcher knives, and six packs of needles (p30). The ordnance department purchased only a few items, such as paper, paper tacks, thread, and beeswax, all likely used in the creation of necessary reports (p75)

"Mountaineer" Jack Robertson purchased several bottles of ale and a quarter of whiskey, and 130 pounds of flour from Carter (p74).

Superintendent of Indian Affairs for the Utah Territory Dr. Jacob Forney purchased blankets, boots, gloves, handkerchiefs, tobacco, pipes and stems, a knife, a lantern, and six bottles of whiskey from Carter on October 18, 1859.

Among the items purchased by Russell, Majors & Waddell were oats (likely as feed for the horses in their Pony Express and other transportation operations), rope, twine, coffee, crackers, matches, red ink, a pair of "fancy pants," a pair of "fine boots," and a variety of other items (p40). A representative of the Salt Lake Mail Company, which provided mail service between Independence, Missouri, and Salt Lake City, purchased forty pounds of sugar, twenty pounds of coffee, and six stage whips on July 29. At the end of November, they also purchased bacon, a frying pan, a tea kettle, a coffee pot, a skillet, five ax handles, a hand axe, and some knives. (p77).

The only woman customer in the ledger seems to be a "Mrs. Foster," who purchased on March 20, 1860, various sewing materials, a pair of boots, a box of candy, a pair of gloves, and a quart of whiskey (p213).

 Carter's customers may have included Mormons. Carter did in 1863 open a second store at Heber, Utah, thirty miles southeast of Salt Lake City, in partnership with Mormon bishop and merchant Abram Hatch (1830-1911). Despite having Hatch as a partner, Carter closed his store in Heber after a few years.

Historical Background
During the Utah War of 1857-1858, President James Buchanan sent an expedition to the Utah Territory to reassert the authority of the U.S. government there. Members of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-Day Saints (Mormons) prepared for conflict. In early October 1857, members of the Mormon Nauvoo Legion burned Fort Bridger in what is now southwestern Wyoming, approximately 90 miles northeast of Salt Lake City. In the winter of 1857-1858, the forces of the U.S. Army went into winter camps near Fort Bridger.

In the spring of 1858, most of the U.S. forces under the command of General Albert Sidney Johnston entered Utah and passed through Salt Lake City, temporarily deserted by the Mormons. Johnston's forces established Camp Floyd approximately forty miles south of Salt Lake City. Two companies remained at the ruins of Fort Bridger, where the army maintained a depot. Portions of the Sixth and Tenth Infantry and the First Cavalry built storehouses and troop quarters at Fort Bridger, which was reestablished under federal control in 1859. William A. Cutler served as post sutler for the next two decades.

When the Civil War erupted, Colonel Philip St. George Cooke (1809-1895) of the 2nd U.S. Dragoons, who was in command at Camp Floyd/Fort Crittenden in central Utah, abandoned that installation and took his men and supplies to Fort Bridger, where the supplies were sold at auction, primarily to the Mormons. According to some accounts, $4 million worth of goods were sold for $100,000. Cooke then marched both garrisons to Fort Leavenworth and went on to command the 2nd U.S. Cavalry. Cooke left only a few men, whose terms of service were nearly expired, at Fort Bridger with Captain Joseph C. Clark Jr. of the 4th U.S. Artillery in command. In December 1861, Clark received orders to go east, and Orderly Sergeant Bogee and a handful of privates were left at Fort Bridger for nearly a year before a portion of the 3rd California Volunteers arrived to supplement their force.

Fort Bridger (1842-1890) was established by Jim Bridger (1804-1881) and Louis Vasquez (1798-1868) in 1843. It served as a vital supply point and stop on the Oregon, California, and Mormon Trails. At Fort Bridger, the Oregon and California trails turn northwest into modern Idaho, while the Mormon Trail continued west to Salt Lake City. In 1853, Mormons tried to arrest Bridger, who fled, and in 1855, they claimed ownership of the fort. During the Utah War, the fort was burned in October 1857 on the approach of the U.S. Army. At the end of the hostilities, the U.S. government rejected the claims of both the Mormons and Bridger and rebuilt Fort Bridger with William A. Carter as post sutler. From April 3, 1860 to October 1861, it was one of 186 Pony Express stations between St. Joseph, Missouri, and Sacramento, California. Small U.S. Army units were stationed at the fort during the Civil War and regular units occupied it from 1866 to 1878, when it was temporarily abandoned. The Army again occupied it from 1880 to 1890, when it was closed and many of its buildings sold and dismantled.

William A. Carter (1818-1881) was born in Virginia. He came to Fort Bridger with General Albert Sidney Johnston's army in 1857 during the Utah War. He served as sutler, justice of the peace, and probate judge at Fort Bridger from 1859 until his death. After he died, his widow Mary Elizabeth Hamilton Carter continued as the post trader until 1890. As one of the region's earliest businessmen, Carter was also involved in mining, oil, logging, and cattle ranching. He also operated a sawmill.

Edward R. S. Canby (1817-1873) was born in Kentucky and attended Wabash College before transferring to the United States Military Academy, from which he graduated in 1839. He served in the Second Seminole War in Florida and then in the Mexican War, during which he received three brevet promotions. After serving in a variety of posts with the Army, Canby participated in the Utah War. He served on the panel of judges in the court-martial of Henry H. Sibley, who was acquitted. At the beginning of the Civil War, Canby commanded Fort Defiance in the New Mexico Territory. Despite limited resources, he successfully forced the Confederates under the command of Henry H. Sibley to retreat at the Battle of Glorieta Pass and return to Texas. Promoted to brigadier general in March 1862, Canby was transferred to the East, where he served as commanding general of the city and harbor of New York City from July to November 1863. He then worked in the office of the Secretary of War. In May 1864, he gained promotion to major general and replaced Nathaniel P. Banks in command of U.S. forces in Louisiana, then administered the Military Division of Western Mississippi. He commanded Union forces in a campaign against Mobile, Alabama, in the spring of 1865. He accepted the surrender of Confederate forces under the command of Richard Taylor in Alabama on May 4, 1865, and others under Edmund Kirby Smith in Texas on May 26, 1865. After the war, he commanded several areas of the South during Reconstruction. He was killed while attempting peace negotiations during the Modoc War in the Northwest.

Henry H. Sibley (1816-1886) was an 1838 graduate of the United States Military Academy and fought in the Seminole Wars in Florida, the Mexican War, and the Utah War. He also invented several military items, including the Sibley tent and the Sibley stove, both used by Union and Confederate armies during the Civil War. Sibley resigned his commission in May 1861, joined the Confederacy, and rose quickly to the rank of brigadier general. His attempt to invade New Mexico enjoyed initial success, but Union forces under E. R. S. Canby, who had served with him at Fort Bridger, defeated his forces at the Battle of Glorieta Pass, and Sibley never again led men in combat.

Richard C. Gatlin (1809-1896) was born in North Carolina and graduated from the United States Military Academy in 1832. After his first wife died in childbirth in 1852, Gatlin married Mary Ann Gibson of Arkansas in 1857. He served in the Seminole Wars from 1839 to 1842 and then in the Mexican War, in which he was wounded and received a brevet promotion to the rank of major. After service in other posts, he accompanied Albert Sidney Johnston to Utah during the Utah War. He commanded Fort Bridger from March to June 1860. When the Civil War began, he resigned his commission and received appointment as adjutant general of North Carolina with the rank of major general of militia. He had command of coastal defense with headquarters at Wilmington, North Carolina. After Union forces captured Fort Hatteras, he made preparations for the defense of New Bern, which fell in March 1862. Too ill for duty, he was relieved of command, though he subsequently served as adjutant and inspector general of North Carolina. After the war, he moved to western Arkansas and farmed there until 1881, when he moved to Fort Smith, where he died fifteen years later.

Jack Robertson (1805-1882) was born in North Carolina a began working for the Rocky Mountain Fur Company in 1831. As he became successful as a trapper, he entrusted surplus funds to a friend who invested them in land near St. Louis. By 1839, Robertson had also established himself as a trader, supplying goods to both trappers and Native Americans. At one point in his career as a trapper and trader, Robertson was said to have assets worth $75,000, mostly in St. Louis real estate. He established a small community near which Jim Bridger and Henry Fraeb would construct Fort Bridger and pursued ranching. He continued living in the mountains until his death and is buried in the Fort Bridger post cemetery.

Jacob Forney (1815-1862) was born in Pennsylvania and studied medicine with a local physician. He practiced medicine until President James Buchanan appointed him as Superintendent of Indian Affairs for the Utah Territory in 1857. and he arrived in Utah as federal troops did. After the Mountain Meadows Massacre of September 1857, Forney learned that 17 child survivors were distributed among Mormon families. He gathered them and returned them to their extended families in Arkansas, but critics charged that Forney ignored evidence of Mormon participation in the massacre. He was removed from office in the summer of 1860. At the beginning of the Civil War, he served as the camp surgeon for a recruiting camp in Pennsylvania, then helped recruit the 107th Pennsylvania regiment. He received a commission as a major in March 1862 and participated in all of the regiment's engagements until September 1862, when he returned to Pennsylvania because he was ill. He died a few weeks later.

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