Named for John B. Floyd (secretary of war, 1858).
Camp Floyd garrisoned 3,500 troops (nearly a third of the U.S. Army at the time).
$200,000 was spent building the post.
The influx of camp followers into nearby Fairfield increased the population to 7,000 (making it the third largest city in the Utah Territory).
At its height, Fairfield had 17 saloons.
The camp was abandoned in 1861 as a result of the Civil War.
$4 million worth of Army surplus was then sold to local residents for cents on the dollar.
U.S. Infantry
1857
The regulation uniform of the late 1850s was in transition. It still retained some elements from the Mexican War while reflecting a more formal French influence.
French-style shako:
Forerunner of the Civil War kepi
Brass epaulets
5th Infantry
(Florida)
Woolen frock coat
1843 Springfield caplock musket:
caliber: .69
weight: 10 pounds
length: 57.5 inches
Leather cartridge box
Bayonet
Worsted-wool pants
Ankle-high brogans
The initial expedition to Utah had provisions for six months. Supplies included 250 Sibley (tepee-style) tents.
March to Utah
The initial 1857 force consisted of:
2nd Dragoons (Kansas)
5th Infantry (Florida)
10th Infantry (Minnesota)
4th Artillery (Phelps and Reno batteries)
=Soldiers: 1,500
Artillery: 16 twelve-pound Napoleon cannons
Cattle: 2,000 head
Wagons: 2,500 (ox-drawn)
The following is an excerpt from the proclamation issued by President James Buchanan that ran in the Deseret News on June 16, 1858.
"Whereas the Territory of Utah was settled by certain emigrants from the States and from foreign countries, who have for several years past manifested a spirit of insubordination to the constitution and laws of the United States. The great mass of these settlers, acting under the influence of leaders to whom they seem to have surrendered their judgment, refuse to be controlled by any other authority. They have been often advised to obedience and these friendly counsels have been answered with defiance. Officers of the federal government have been driven from the territoryÉ Their (Mormon) hostility to the lawful government of the country has at length become so violent that no officer bearing a commission from the Chief Magistrate of the Union can enter the Territory or remain there with safetyÉ Indeed, such is believed to be the condition to which a strange system of terrorism has brought the inhabitants of that region, that no one among them could express an opinion favorable to this government, or even propose to obey its laws, without exposing his life and property to peril. I accordingly ordered a detachment of the army to march for the City of Salt Lake, or within reach of that place, and to act, in case of need, as a posse for the enforcement of the laws."
SOURCES: "The Lost and Forgotten History of Johnston's Army, the Utah War and Camp Floyd," by John Mount, Utah Civil War Association; Utah State Parks and Recreation; "The Civil War" (Time/Life); Deseret Morning News Archives.