Utah and the Civil War (4) Markers

Utah sat far from the battlefields of the Civil War, but it guarded the thread that held the country together — the overland mail and telegraph lines. In 1862, with the route under threat, Utah's acting governor raised volunteers from the Nauvoo Legion, and Abraham Lincoln authorized Brigham Young to send a ninety-day cavalry company. More than a hundred men under Captain Lot Smith rode out to patrol and repair the line across the territory. It was the one Utah unit mustered into the Union's service during the war.

What the plaque says

This monument honors the Utah men who answered the call to protect the mail and telegraph lines along the continental route during the Civil War. April 25, 1862 acting governor of Utah, Frank Fuller, called for volunteers from the Nauvoo Legion. The next day twenty-four men under Col. Robert T. Burton left for their assignment. Two days later Brigham Young received an authorization from President Abraham Lincoln, through Secretary of War Stanton, for a company of cavalry to serve ninety days protecting the same route. One hundred and six men responded for duty under Captain Lot Smith. Later some Utah men joined the 3rd Regiment, California Volunteers, stationed at Fort Douglas, Oct. 1862 - July 1866. Other pioneers served in the Civil War before coming to Utah.

Where it stands

Worth the stop nearby

• Salt Lake City — 0.4 mi
  Utah's capital and largest city — where the Wasatch Range meets the Great Salt Lake.
• Temple Square — 0.4 mi
  The spiritual and architectural heart of Salt Lake City
• Ensign Peak — 1.0 mi
  A short hike to the spot where Brigham Young surveyed the valley
• Liberty Park — 2.3 mi
  Salt Lake Citys beloved 80-acre urban park since 1882

More markers nearby

• Civil War Monument — steps away
• The Constitution Revered — steps away
• Ensign Peak - Capitol — steps away
• Lest we Forget — steps away