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A Common Soldier at Camp Douglas, 1866-68
David Eugene Cross, date unknown, courtesy of author.
A Common Soldier at Camp Douglas, 1866-68
BYCATHERINE H. ELLIS
THE HISTORY OF THE REGULAR ARMY AFTER THE CIVIL WAR and up to the turn of the century is closely tied to the settlement of the West and the resulting Indian Wars Camp Douglas, Utah, was never particularly important in these conflicts.1 In 1866 soldiers there "protected the over land mail and transcontinental telegraph lines from the Indians; kept the Mormons under surveillance; guarded the transportation routes crossing Utah in all directions; and aided road surveying parties."2
The campaigns of the Indian Wars have been covered extensively, but the history of the army has usually been told from the viewpoint of the officers. Many enlistees were illiterate or their letters have faded into the oblivion of private family memorabilia. Exceptions include books by Rickey and Coffman,3 but each book only rarely mentions Camp Douglas. Some details of life at the Utah post are found in a group of five letters written between January and May 1863 by Alexander C. Badger, Jr., a civilian employee of the U.S. Army.4 This paper adds to the story by telling of one soldier stationed at Camp Douglas during 1866—68.
David Eugene Cross, born January 23, 1849, in North Bloomfield, Trumbull County, Ohio, participated in the closing scenes of the Civil War; he joined the 5th Ohio Infantry on August 17, 1864. To enlist, he lied about his age (he was only 15 years, 7 months) and entered as a substitute for Joseph A. Giddings. Cross immediately joined General William Tecumseh Sherman's army at Atlanta, Georgia, and thus participated in Sherman's infamous "march to the sea."5
After the Civil War, Cross sought work in Chicago and then enlisted in the Regular Army March 1, 1866.6 Military records describe him as: "Dave E. Cross. Born in Trumbull Co., Ohio, age 19 [really 17 years, 2 months], occupation bookkeeper, eyes blue, hair brown, complexion fair, height 5 feet 514 inches."7 Many men joined as a free ticket to see the West (which may have contributed to his decision), but a November 1865 letter8 to his mother hints that he may have found it hard locating adequate employment after the Civil War, another common reason for enlistment.9
Enlisting in Chicago, Cross first traveled to Jefferson Barracks, Missouri, a large military outpost on the west side of the Mississippi River and a few miles south of St Louis It was the starting point of many military and exploring expeditions. There Company C was organized, and Cross was promoted to corporal.10 On April 14 the men of Company C left for Fort Leavenworth, Kansas. They traveled 10 miles by rail to St. Louis and then 502 miles up the Missouri River on the steamer Clara. Arriving on April 20, they "moved into camp preparatory to march upon the Plains."11 Five days later Company C began "the march for Utah" under the command of Major William Henry Lewis.
The first day, Company C "moved out 8 miles" from Fort Leavenworth and then spent the next day in camp with preparations They marched 8 miles on April 27, 16 miles on April 28, and then camped near Lancaster, Kansas, for one day to prepare the muster rolls. On April 30 the company "mustered at 8 am, [and] at 11 am marched to [camp] on Grasshopper Creek, Ks, a distance of 16 miles." This established the routine: march 13-20 miles each day carrying a pack, with no breaks for Sundays After six to eight days of travel, the company spent one day in camp along the trail, but most stops of any length were at established forts.
At first the army followed the Oregon-California Trail The men camped along the creeks and rivers: Big Grasshopper, Vermillion, Big Blue, Indian, Rock, Big Sandy, and Little Blue. Sixteen days of actual travel were required to traverse the 286 miles from Fort Leavenworth to Fort Kearney. On May 13, the day of their arrival at Fort Kearney, the men covered 28 miles, the most for any day on the trip. They were then allowed five days "rest."
Leaving Fort Kearney, the troops continued traveling along the south side of the Platte River to Fort Sedgwick in northeastern Colorado (twelve days travel with one day of rest). On June 2, Company C forded the South Platte River and camped for another day on the north side. Leaving the Oregon Trail, they followed the Lodgepole River through southeastern Wyoming, reaching Fort Halleck on June 19 This post, located at the northern base of pineclad Elk Mountain in the Dakota Territory (now Wyoming), existed for only a short time (established in 1862 and abandoned July 4, 1866).12 Company C was the last or one of the last companies passing through.
After only one day at Fort Halleck, they continued the march. On June 22 they camped on the North Platte River where they remained until June 27, and on June 30 the troops camped on Muddy Creek, mustering at 6 P.M AS the trip progressed, less and less information was recorded in the muster rolls. The men spent July 1-19 "on the road en route from Camp No. 5 west from Fort Halleck, D.T. to Camp Douglas, U.T."13 Presumably the rest of the trip followed the Overland Trail. Finally, onJuly 19, after a march of nearly three months, the soldiers of Company C reached their destination—Camp Douglas, Utah.
The arrival of Company C brought a new commander to the post, Major William Henry Lewis, and raised the number of soldiers to 15 officers and 262 enlisted men. In addition, many civilians were employed as clerks, mechanics, teamsters, ambulance drivers, watchmen, herders, blacksmiths, wheelwrights, and laborers, with as many as 147 in September 1866 and as few as 4 in April 1868.11
When David Cross came to Utah, he stepped into the Mormongentile conflict, centered not so much on polygamy (that conflict intensified later) but on commercial (or sometimes disaffected Mormon) problems. In one of two surviving letters15 written to his mother while a soldier, Cross mentions one of the more violent episodes, the killing of Dr J King Robinson ten days earlier.16 However, he mentions it only in passing. Instead, his letter reveals a typical young man not quite eighteen years old. If his figures are correct, he had grown four inches during the eight months since his enlistment.
Camp Douglass U.S Nov 7, 1866
Send some more papers.
In his letter, Cross mentions the boredom of army life; it must have been a stark contrast to his Civil War experience of marching with General Sherman The daily routine for Camp Douglas, as entered into the post record on April 18, 1867, consisted of guard duty and drills with "Dress Parade—Wednesdays and Sundays—lA hour before sunset" and "Sunday morning inspection—9 O'Clock A.M."24
Driven by boredom, perhaps, Cross seems to have had minor skirmishes with military authorities On August 31 he owed $1.08, no reason given; on October 31 he owed $14.70 for clothing. By December 31 he owed $8.43 for clothing, $11.00 no reason given, and was reduced in rank from corporal to private. Then on March 28, 1867, he pleaded guilty at a garrison court-martial "In that [he] did sell, lose through neglect or otherwise dispose of one Infantry Great Coat." His sentence included hard labor for 30 days and forfeiture of $10 pay. 25 Loss of clothing usually meant that it had been sold to civilians.
Routine was broken at Camp Douglas as men prepared to mount two detachments. Orders for the first detachment called for "three non-commissioned officers and forty five privates, . . . armed and mounted as cavalry." Target practice was to begin immediately: "The number of rounds fired each day will be three per man. Company commanders will keep a record of the firing, reporting the number of shots fired and the best shot in the company."26
On May 14, 1867, Cross left Camp Douglas with this detachment, which included thirty-five enlisted men and one officer, Lieutenant William W. Bell, to escort Captain Bates, engineer for the Union Pacific Railroad The smaller number of men in the detachment than called for earlier may have been due to another detachment sent out on May 21 as "escort for gov't train and stock from Camp Douglas, U.T. to Ft. Laramie, D.T."27 Exploring and surveying the best railroad route from the East was a high priority.
When the company had been away from Camp Douglas about a month, Cross, still only eighteen, and another young man, William H. Harrison, decided to desert. This may have been a spur-of-the moment idea, but talk of desertion (and desertion itself) was common. Rickey wrote that "Secretary of War Stephen B. Elkins reported that one-third of the men recruited between 1867 and 1891 had deserted."28 It seems amazing that Cross, who had hunted and captured deserters himself and knew the risks, would now make such plans. However, desertion when away from the fort was very tempting; most deserters who had a half-day start were never caught.29
Plans came to fruition on the night of June 14 when the detachment was camped at Thomas Fork of the Bear River near the present Idaho-Wyoming border The ground around the area was "muddy and [had] considerable backwater from the river. There were ponds of water all around," and it was "about 10 miles to the mountains."30 Cross saddled two horses and picketed them near the edge of the camp; William Harrison had guard duty. About 10 P.M. both men left camp, Cross first. Their absence was immediately reported. Lieutenant Bell stated, "The 1st Sergeant of the detachment which I commanded on the night in question came to my Tent and informed me that the prisoner and two others had just deserted taking with them each his horse, Arms and Accoutrements complete This was after 11 P.M. I mounted a small party as rapidly as possible and started in pursuit."31 An hour or two later both men were back in camp as prisoners.
Bell's description of that night mentions a third man, William T. Thompson. At the court-martial, Thompson made this statement:
[Written in side margin] I wish to add that I would have called Lance Sergt Smith as a witness in my defense but he has since deserted and cannot be called. William T. Thompson.32
All three young men were then placed "in arrest" pending courtmartial. However, six weeks after the desertion attempt, Cross wrote another letter to his mother, and from this it is apparent that, at least initially, the three simply continued on with the field detail. The tone of this letter is not one of despondency, and it seems possible that Cross did not mention the desertion to his family When the three were allowed to continue with the detachment, he may not have realized the seriousness of his situation. Instead, this letter mentions encounters with the Sioux Indians and the spectacular scenery of western Wyoming.
In the Green River Mountains August 2nd 1867
I had still another half sheet from Emerson. Plan of his house.
The surveying detachment arrived back at Camp Douglas on December 4, 1867. Cross was considered "in arrest" awaiting courtmartial, and a deserter was usually kept heavily guarded Sometimes the men were shackled so they could work outside the guard house during the day without much danger of their escaping. Various men were "in arrest" each month, with as many as ten from Company C in November 1867.34
Orders for courts-martial to be held at Camp Douglas were received February 27, 1868, from the Headquarters Department of the Platte, Omaha, Nebraska Twenty trials were held during the next two months for crimes including desertion, drunkenness, sleeping on duty, and theft and/or selling of government property. Cross's trial was held March 25, William Harrison's March 26, and William Thompson's March 27.35 The three men were each charged with desertion and theft of government property (i.e., "one [1] horse and equipments, one [1]Joslyn Carbine and Accoutrements complete and one [1] Remington Army Revolver and Accoutrements"). 3 6 They defended themselves and were permitted to question the witnesses or call their own. All three men entered slightly different pleas.
On Monday, Cross pleaded guilty to desertion and to theft of the horse but claimed he took no arms with him The tribunal spent considerable time questioning several witnesses about the carbine and pistol. Although the carbine may have been on the saddle, no one ever said they saw the pistol. The trial moved along rapidly, and after the prosecution closed its case Cross called Lieutenant Bell as a character witness. Cross was found guilty of both desertion and theft and not guilty of taking the pistol and carbine.
The next day, Harrison pleaded guilty to desertion but not guilty to theft. Cross, called as a witness against Harrison, was particularly asked if he had seen Harrison with the horse after leaving camp. When asked who saddled the horse, Cross answered, "I dont wish to answer as it might criminate myself."37 Finally, Harrison made this closing statement: "It was first my intention to take the horse with me. I had the horse saddled and after wards got afraid to take it fearing what the consequences might be. I left the horse where it was picketed and never had him in my possession I walked about one hundred and fifty yards Eastwards of where the horse was left when I saw Lt Bell and party approaching I then ran into the Swamp and remained in the Swamp until I thought Lt. Bell and party had gone back, a part of them had gone back. [Then] I came out from the Swamp and was captured by Lt. Bell. I don't make this Statement to try to exonerate myself from any blame whatever, I simply wish to state the facts as they are and leave my case with the Court. I deserve no mercy and ask for none."38 He did not get any mercy from the court, which found him guilty of desertion and theft of arms but not guilty of stealing the horse.
On Wednesday, Thompson pleaded not guilty to both desertion and theft. The main witness for the prosecution was Lieutenant Bell, who stated: "I mounted a small party as rapidly as possible and started in pursuit After a short ride, I came upon this man discovering him attempting to cross [the overflowed?] portion of the low ground adjoining the River. His horse although urged to its utmost, could scarcely keep his feet owing to the softness of the ground he was on. As soon as I discovered him, I commanded him to halt. He paid no attention to the order but tried hard to get out of my reach. Fearing that he would reach the other side of the slough long enough before me to escape in the darkness up the mountain, I fired upon him. After two shots had been fired, he cried out don't shoot, don't shoot, I'm coming back, I'm coming back."39
Thompson consistently denied planning to desert and called both Harrison and Cross as witnesses in his behalf. Both men denied that he was part of their plans, although Cross said, "I heard him say something in regard to deserting. In fact I heard nearly every man in the outfit speak of deserting."40 Thompson then presented the statement previously quoted about going outside camp to buy whiskey and that Lance Sergeant Smith had since deserted and therefore was unable to corroborate his story. Regardless of this statement and the testimonies of Harrison and Cross, the court found Thompson guilty of both desertion and theft.
Although the three pleas and the three verdicts were slightly different, each man received the same sentence: dishonorable discharge, forfeiture of all pay (except the money due to the laundress), a brand (the letter 'D' VA inches long) on the right hip, and confinement at hard labor for four years. 41
After the twenty courts-martial were concluded in April, all the sentences were reviewed. Most sentences were simply approved with a few parts mitigated. No sentence was reversed. The sentences for Cross, Harrison, and Thompson were confirmed, but the period of confinement was mitigated to two years, the customary time for desertion, and the place designated was the penitentiary at Fort Madison, Iowa.42 The penitentiary portion of the sentences for these three men was strikingly different from the other sentences at Camp Douglas. Others charged with desertion simply received two to six months at hard labor with ball and chain and a dishonorable discharge and were drummed out of the military with their heads shaved.
Regardless, it is uncertain how much of any sentence was ever carried out Cross was dishonorably discharged on May 19, 1868, and undoubtedly lost all pay. Before being discharged he was probably branded (which at that time usually meant indelible ink rather than a hot iron). Years later his son, Bill Cross, said that his father had extensive tattoos on both arms and one leg43 and another time "prominent tatoo [sic] marks put on in the army."44 It is probable that one of these tattoos was the "D" for deserter and that Bill, as a young boy, simply did not recognize its significance or later in life chose to ignore its implication. It is a matter of record, however, that David Cross did not serve any time in the prison at Fort Madison, Iowa. Not one of the three did.43
Postscript: After the courts-martial, William Harrison and William Thompson were lost to history. It appears that Lieutenant William W. Bell was assigned to lead a detachment from Fort Fetterman to Fort Sanders, Dakota Territory His death was reported "on the morning of the 14th of June, 1868, from the effects of a gun shot wound, received ... at the hands of one James Brown, a Private . . .while the said Lieut. William W. Bell was in the discharge of his duty trying to quell a mutiny."46 The muster roll states that James Brown was then "shot dead ... by the enlisted men of the company."47
Cross must somehow have escaped before being taken to Fort Madison.48 Earlier, he thought that after getting out of the army, he might buy a horse for $50 and ride east, but with the forfeiture of pay he probably did not have $50. Faced with the dilemma of no money to go east and the likelihood of rearrest at Camp Douglas, he made an intriguing decision—he changed his name to Bradley W. Willson and became a Mormon. He was baptized September 21, 1868.49
For his new identity Cross added a few years to his age (something he was used to doing), created a new mother (Elizabeth Dark Carson), and simply changed his father's surname (Abisha Willson).50 By early 1869 he was working in Sanpete County,51 and on February 28, 1870, he married a Mormon girl, Louisa Guldbrandsen. 5 2 They began a family, living in Fountain Green and later Spring Lake.53
Becoming a Mormon and living in Sanpete County was probably a fairly good disguise. The army had much less contact with the Mormons of Sanpete County than with the Mormons of Salt Lake City. Also, the animosity between the Mormons and the army was great enough that there was very little chance that a Mormon would turn one of their own over to the army even for the bounty money.
David Cross lived in Utah for six years after his court-martial. Eventually he felt comfortable enough with his new identity to make at least two trips to Salt Lake City.54 He left Utah permanently in 1875, relocating with his family in Freeport, Illinois.
NOTES
Ms. Ellis is a writer living in Oracle, Arizona. She wishes to thank personnel in the military division of the National Archives for help in locating original documents.
1 For a history of Fort Douglas, see Irma Watson Hance and Irene Warr, Johnston, Connor, and the Mormons: An Outline of Military History in Northern Utah (Salt Lake City, 1962); Lyman Clarence Pederson, Jr., "History of Fort Douglas, Utah" (Ph.D. diss., Brigham Young University, 1967), and Charles Gustin Hibbard, "Fort Douglas 1862-1916: Pivotal Link on the Western Frontier" (Ph.D diss., University of Utah, 1980).
- U.S Park Service, Soldier and Brave: Historic Places Associated with Indian Affairs and the Indian Wars in the Trans-Mississippi West, National Survey of Historic Sites and Buildings, vol. 12 (Washington, D.C.: National Park Service, 1971), p 342.
3 Don Rickey, Jr., Forty Miles a Day on Beans and Hay (Norman: University of Oklahoma Press, 1963); Edward M Coffman, The Old Army: A Portrait of the American Army in Peacetime, 1784-1898 (New York: Oxford University Press, 1986).
4 Dennis R Defa, ed., "The Utah Letters of Alexander C Badger, Jr., Utah Historical Quarterly 58 (1990): 64-80.
5 Pension file, David Eugen e Cross, Application No (Widow) 947-840, National Archives, Washington, D.C., hereinafter NA.
6 He was assigned to Company C, 3rd Battalion, 18th Regiment, U.S. Infantry, which became Company C, 36th U.S. Infantry, in December 1866.
7 Pension file, David Eugene Cross.
8 Letter in possession of author.
9 Coffman, The Old Army, p 334.
10 Papers in the pension file request the forwarding of "a paper showing the soldier's 'promotion to corporal, signed by Henry Warington, at Ft. Kearney, Nebr., May 14, 1866,'" and then report the return of such paper Muster rolls show him as a corporal the end of April.
" Muster Roll, Co C, 18th Regiment, U.S Infantry, February 28 to April 30, 1866, NA.
12 Francis Paul Prucha, A Guide to the Military Posts of United States, 1789-1895 (Madison: State Historical Society of Wisconsin, 1964), p. 77.
13 Muster Roll, Co C, 18th Regiment, U.S Infantry, June 30 to August 31, 1866, NA.
14 Post Returns of Camp Douglas, 1862-74, Series M617, roll 324, NA.
15 Both letters are part of a packet of family letters in possession of the author It is believed that they were kept by David's mother and/o r brother for many years and then forwarded to his widow to help document her claim for a pension About 1962 they were given to the author by David's daughter-inlaw, Amelia Cross. The letters were left as written with the exception that occasionally one long paragraph was broken into two or three Also some "long periods" or dashes were interpreted as either periods or colons Original spelling was retained.
16 Dr J King Robinson came to Utah in 1864 as a surgeon at Camp Douglas He later became embroiled in a controversy over a popular hot springs Recognizing the "medicinal value" of hot springs north of Salt Lake City, he claimed title to 80 acres of land (which the city also claimed) and erected a shanty (which the city ordered destroyed) Robinson was also head of the Congregationalist Sunday School. One night in late October 1866 he was supposedly called from his home to attend a patient and murdered The crime, which exacerbated Mormon-non-Mormon tensions in the city, was never solved See, for example, J Cecil Alter, Utah: The Storied Domain, 3 vols (Chicago and New York: American Historical Society, 1932), 1:367, 404-5, for a brief account of events.
17 David's parents, Abisha Cross, Jr., and Mary Howe Penniman, had moved from upper New York to Trumbull County, Ohio, about 1840 Abisha was a cooper/farmer and choir leader in the Methodist church Mary was later active in the women's suffrage movement in Warren, Ohio See 1850 census Bloomfield, Ohio, p. 831; 1860 census Bloomfield, Ohio, p. 348; 1880 census Warren, Ohio, E.D. 208, p. 1; 1910 census, Warren, Ohio, E.D 232, p 4; Ohio death certificate vol Bd Hlth 1888-1914, p 26; Iowa death certificate June 17, 1913 (Mary Penniman Cross); obituary in Western Reserve Chronicle, June 3, 1896, p 3; Land records, Trumbull Co., Ohio, vol 76, p 480, vol 82, p 174, vol 86, p 518, vol 98, p 105; Michael Barren Clegg, Trumbull County Ohio Newspaper Obituary Abstracts, 1812-1870 (Ohio Newspaper Abstracts Series, 1981), vol 1, p 104; and Harriet Taylor Upton, History of Trumbull County Ohio (Chicago: Lewis Publishing Co., 1909), vol 1, p 421.
18 Mary E Cross Paine was born March 24, 1845, in North Bloomfield, Ohio In 1863 she married John H Paine, thirteen years her senior, and moved to Springfield, Missouri She had eight children, was widowed at age fifty, marrie d Charles Perky, and moved to Wahoo, Nebraska See 1850 census, Bloomfield, Ohio, p 265; 1860 census, Bloomfield, Ohio, p 348; 1880 census, Springfield, Missouri, E.D 44, p 17; 1900 census, Wahoo, Nebraska, E.D 139, p 7; 1910 census, Wahoo, Nebraska, E.D 155, p 4; marriage record, Trumbull Co., Ohio 1858-66, vol 6, p 163; Wahoo Democrat, September 11, 1919, p 1; and William Kearney Hall, Springfield, Greene County, Missouri Inhabitants in 1880 (Champaign, 111.: Francis Seyfarth, 1966?), p 160.
19 Gertrude C Cross Pond, David's other sister, was born February 24, 1836, at Lockport (now Black River), Jefferson County, New York She married Benjamin W Pond, a merchant, and remained in Trumbull County the rest of her life. At the time of her brother's letter, she had one daughter, Caroline, often called Carrie. See 1850 census, Bloomfield, Ohio, p. 265; 1860 census Bloomfield, Ohio, p. 345; 1870 census Warren, Ohio, 1st Ward, p. 24; 1880 census Warren, Ohio, E.D. 208, p. 1; 1910 census, Warren, Ohio, E.D. 232, p. 4; marriage record, Trumbull County, Ohio, 1858-66, vol. 5, p. 360; probate record, Trumbull County, Ohio (Ad. Doc), vol. 19, p. 3917 (Docket), vol. 686, p. 2130; obituary in Western Reserve Democrat, February 24, 1910, p. 5; Trumbull County, Ohio Cemetery Inscriptions, 1800-1930 (Trumbull County Chapter O.G.S., 1983), p. 173.
20 The only extant photo of David E Cross may be this one, taken at Camp Douglas, but, since he looks older than 17, it may have been taken later (ca 1883) when he was a member of the GAR in Freeport, Illinois.
21 David's brother, Charles Emerson Cross, was born September 29, 1837, in Rutland, Jefferson County, New York Charley, as he was usually called, also participated in the Civil War (7th Illinois Cavalry) where he contracted malaria After the war he worked forty-five years for the railroads, living in Freeport, Illinois, and Marion, Iowa See Pension Application No 1,315,005, Charles E Cross, NA; 1880 census Freeport, Illinois, E.D 173, p 39; 1910 census Marion, Iowa, E.D 93, p 3.
22 I was unable to identify Delia Showens, but "Mrs Dr Howe" was Julia Austin Howe, the wife of Rev George Howe, a minister an d physician She died October 18, 1866, at North Bloomfield This curious way of referring to her was commo n in Ohio See Clegg, Trumbull County Ohio Newspaper Obituary Abstracts, p 84.
23 A photograp h of Dr Robinson's gravestone is included in Carol Edison, "Custom-made Gravestones in early Salt Lake City: The Work of Four English Stonecarvers," Utah Historical Quarterly 56 (1988): 328 The epitaph, "Vengeance is mine: I will repay, saith the Lord," expressed the milder sentiments at Camp Douglas The stone shows the Masonic all-seeing eye.
24 General Orders, Camp Douglas, 1862-70, p 22, NA.
25 Post Records, Fort Douglas, vol 1, p 20 (recorded under Daniel C Cross), NA.
26 General Orders, Camp Douglas, 1862-70, p 21-22.
27 Muster Roll, Co C, April 30 to June 30, 1867, NA.
28 Rickey, Forty Miles a Day on Beans and Hay, p 39 Coffman, The Old Army, pp 371-72, lists desertion as a major problem during this period, but his numbers are more varied and somewhat lower than Rickey's.
29 Rickey, Forty Miles a Day on Beans and Hay, p 152.
30 Court-martial Records, Box O O 3421, Case 10, NA.
31 Ibid.
32 Ibid.
33 Although I was unable to document this incident, Bell must have "looked sharp" because he was still 1st Lieutenant the following spring However, the muster rolls for August 31 and October 31 list Cross, himself, as owing $156.13 for ordnance.
34 Post Returns of Camp Douglas, 1862-74, Series M617, roll 324.
35 Court-martial Records, Box OO 3421, Cases 8, 9 and 10 Case 8 for David E Cross is listed under Daniel E Cross.
36 Ibid, Cases 8-10.
37 Ibid, Case 9.
38 Ibid, Case 9.
39 Ibid, Case 10.
40 Ibid. Case 10.
41 Ibid, Cases 8-10 For some reason the imprisonment portion of Harrison's sentence was for five years instead of the four received by Cross and Thompson This may possibly mean that Harrison had a longer enlistment left to serve.
42 Rickey, Forty Miles a Day on Beans and Hay, p. 155.
43 Pension file, David (Louisa) Cross.
44 Bill Cross, "Life History of Bill Cross," p 3, holograph in possession of Rob Cross, Phoenix, Ariz.
45 A note in the muster rolls indicates they were "to be confined at Penitentiary near Salt Lake City, U.T.," but no records of their imprisonment in the territorial penitentiary have been found.
46 Pension record, William W Bell (widow), Certificate No 122,360, NA.
47 Muster Rolls, Co. H, 18th Infantry, April 30 to June 30, 1868, NA.
48 Escape is presumed; the army simply did not release men early, and it is a matter of record that David Cross and Bradley Willson were the same person.
49 Endowment House Records, April 12, 1869, Book G, p 73, Special Collections, Family History Library (FHL), Salt Lake City.
50 Ibid.
51 Depositions from Sanpete County residents in the pension file.
52 Endowment House (Marriage) Records, Book F, p 123, FHL.
53 1870 census, Fountain Green, Sanpete County, Utah, p 29; David E Cross pension file.
54 April 12, 1869, and February 28, 1870, Endowment House Records, Book F, p. 123 and Book G, p 73, FHL
