Southern Historical Society Papers, Volume 10.
Reverend J. William Jones, Ed.

General Johston wrote as follows to his wife from Vallecito:

Vallecito, 130 miles to Yuma, Sunday, June 30, 1861.

. . . . . . I received your letter of June 25th, by Major Armistead who arrived here this morning. Our party is now as large as need be desired for safety or convenience in travelling. They are good men and well armed. Late of the army we have Major Armistead, Lieutenants Hardcastle, Brewer, Riley, Shaaf, Mallory, and Wickliffe. . . . .

In a description of the journey Captain Gift, who was of the party, says:

. . .We had now crossed one hundred miles of desert and near the Colorado and Fort Yuma. It Was necessary to approach the place with caution, as a trap might be set for us. A scout was sent forward, and at noon, it being July the 4th, we heard the national salute. The scout returned and reported all of the officers of the garrison sick, and that we could cross the river without fear. In the afternoon we camped in sight of the post, at the village on the west bank of the river. We stationed sentinels, and preserved our military appearance. Major Armistead was the first sentinel on post, and was approached by a soldier from the garrison, who was one of the Major's old regiment, and who desired a parley. He had come with a proposition from some of the soldiers to desert over to us, and then to seize the place and plunder it. But for the General's coolness on that occasion, we would in all like-lihood have left Fort Yuma behind as a heap of smoking ruins.

Colonel Wm. Preston Johnston in his Life of General Albert Sidney Johnston (from which the above extracts are taken), goes on to narrate other interesting details of this journey, and (on page 291) gives an “Intinerary” which shows every stage of the route from June 16th, 1861, when the party left Los Angels, to July 28th when they arrived at Mesilla.

If further confirmation were needed we might give other proofs, but will only submit the following letter:

Safe Deposit Co., of St. Louis, 513 Locust street, St. Louis, July 20th, 1882.
Rev. J. Wm. Jones, Secretary of S. H. Society:

Dear Sir,--In your issue of July, I find this in your Notes