Mountain Meadows Burial Detachment, 1859: Tommy Gordon's Diary

Utah Historical Quarterly

Vol. 35, 1967, No. 3

Mountain Meadows Burial Detachment, 1859: TOMMY GORDON'S DIARY

BY A. F. CARDON

T he spring following the Mountain Meadows Massacre saw Albert Sidney Johnston's army march through Salt Lake City and establish Camp Floyd in Cedar Valley, about 40 miles distant from Salt Lake City. The establishment of the camp stimulated the economy of the area by providing employment for Utah residents. Among those who applied for work was a young Mormon convert by the name of Thomas Cardon. While working at the camp, Tommy became friends with another Frenchman serving as a clerk with the army. A firm friendship developed, and apparently because of his friend's persuasion, Tommy joined the army.

At the time of his enlistment, Tommy's English was poor and the enlistment officer understood his surname to be "Gordon," and it was so entered on the official records. Tommy Gordon's friend taught him to read and write English, and he began to keep a diary of his life as a soldier. His first recorded adventure was when he was sent with a detachment of troopers to bury the victims of the Mountain Meadows Massacre. The expedition started April 21, 1859. Since Tommy had hardly started to learn English, he wrote sparingly of the trip in the form of notes of the marches, the distance traveled each day, and the sites of each camp.

After burying the remains the soldiers proceeded to Santa Clara and then returned to Camp Floyd. The Tommy Gordon diary describes the trek and the Mountain Meadows, where "one of the most lamentable tragedies in the annals of the west" occurred.

TOMMY GORDON'S DIARY*

For full citations and the table for his diary please view this article on a desktop.