[Hosea Stout Diary] Thursday March 1st 1849. This morning a large drove of horses were driven in from the North by the order of President Daniel Spencer for the use of the expedition to the Utah Valley. In this case the Law imposing a fine of 25 dollars, for driving a horse from his range without leave from his owner was suspended by the President because the emergency of the case was such that the oweners could not be seen in time[.] There was about 100 horses drove in & taken out yet only thirty one men could be raised with horses to go.
The rest of the horses fit for service were taken out by their owners or some one interested under the pretence of going & then did not, which left the company minus 19 men as 50 men were ordered out.
The company went out under the command of Col John Scott, whose orders were simply to take such measures as would put a final end to their depredations in future.
We started about noon and traveled to the Second Cottonwood where we encamped for the night on a blanket of deep snow which we overlaid with coarse willow brush.
The night was very cold & the wind penetrating under our bed through the brush rendered our situation very uncomfortable. The grass was also very poor which made the situation of our horses about as unpleasant as our own. About 9 at night Br La Feyette Grainger overtook us with word that the horses were not stolen & that he had sent back B Furgerson to report the same to President Spencer.
About midnight we recieved a letter from Spencer stating that as the horses were not stolen that we need not spend any more time in search of them but to proceed with the Indians for killing cattle as had been before directed so that the nature of our expedition was not in the least changed.
Our company being 19 men less than was required the Col raised some volunteers in these settlements which augmented our numbers to 35 men
[source: Diaries of Hosea Stout]
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