Resolutions of the Colorado First.
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Resolutions of the Colorado First.

Resolutions of the Colorado First.
_____

    WHEREAS, We, the undersigned officers of the First Regiment of Col. Vols., having accepted commissions as officers in the United States army, in obedience to what we conceived to be a duty to our country, to our territory, to the principles of universal liberty, and especially to our friends in Colorado Territory, and in whom we still have sufficient confidence to believe that during our temporary absence, while enduring hardships, which even the gold hunters of the Rocky Mountains consider terrible; while death is decimating our ranks in battles, against an enemy who has sworn to subjugate the Territories of New Mexico, Colorado and Utah, will not allow to pass unpunished the calumniations of our fair name, by the publication of such base and slanderous accusations as have made their appearance in the Rocky Mountain NEWS, over the signature of one W. H. Farner--the framer, and in its passage the engineer, of a certain three-card monte act, that once disgraced the statutes of the municipal government of Denver, and now a surgeon in the rebel army, commanded by one Gen. Sibley, which army we have three times met and as often, with great slaughter, considering the number engaged, put to flight, following them three hundred miles down the Rio Grande and out of the Territory of New Mexico, which they so recently claimed as theirs by right of conquest; and
    WHEREAS, The inclemency of the season, the impoverished condition of our command, the great insufficiency of transportation, and the great advantage to be gained by our investment of Fort Union immediately, which, by a few days delay, we were assured by messengers, would be occupied by the enemy three thousand strong, who had defeated Gen. Canby, taken Santa Fe, and were rapidly advancing upon Fort Union--the store-house of the South-west--which once in their possession, could not be retaken with a command of less than ten thousand well disciplined troops--compelled us--yes, compelled us--to press from Union men, as well as Secessionists, such means of transportation as were necessary to hastily place us in a position where we could save New Mexico, Colorado, and Utah, from the ruin rule of this brigand herd, by placing our bodies, as a human wall across their pathway, by soundly chastising their rebel insolence, which we have done, and driving them like sheep before us, till the impress of their unholy, polluted feet can no longer be found upon the soil of New Mexico; and
    WHEREAS, we have through a newspaper printed in Denver, Colorado Territory, called the Rocky Mountain NEWS, over the signature of one of the rebel band we fought, (W. H. Farner,) had our characters blackened, the name of some of our officers in full published to the world, with comments of the most abusive character, while others are referred to by intimation, and our entire regiment branded, before the world, as a band of robbers and assassins, and
    WHEREAS, in our absence, while the members of the first regiment were spending their life's blood in the defense of the very homes and firesides of the citizens of Colorado Territory, which the rebel Farner falsely charges us with violating, one J. W. Stanton, nobly and disinterestedly, appears in an article published in the Rocky Mountain Herald, in our defense,--
    THEREFORE, we, Officers of the First Regiment of Colorado Volunteers, appreciating the friendship of J. W. Stanton, in thus defending us, at a meeting of said officers in the valley of the Rio Grande, near Fort Craig, New Mexico, have unanimously
    RESOLVED, that we, the undersigned officers of the First Regiment of Colorado Volunteers, tender to J. W. Stanton, of Colorado Territory, our most sincere heart-felt thanks, for the generous manner in which, during our absence, he has defended us from cowardly, false, and slanderous accusations made against us by one rebel thief, W. H. Farner, written while on his (Farner's) way to join the rebel army, and who is now a surgeon in the rebel army, commanded by a perjured drunkard, named Sibley,
    RESOLVED, that we will always remember with feelings of pleasure and gratitude, that there is one friend, at least in Colorado Territory, who will not waver in his belief that our intentions are not bad or disloyal, that we may be compelled, under circumstances like those we have related, to take the property of Union men, to save twelve millions worth of Federal property, the happy homes and firesides, and the liberty of the citizens of the Territories of New Mexico, Colorado, and Utah,
    RESOLVED, that a copy of these resolutions be sent to the editors of the Rocky Mountain Herald and NEWS, newspapers, for publication, with the request that a copy be sent to the patriotic friend of the First Regiment of Colorado Volunteers, S. W. Stanton, Esq., Blackhawk Point, Col. Terr.

J. M. Chivington, Col.S. H. Hardin, 1. L't G
           Commanding.L. Steadman, 2. L't  "
Sam F. Tappan, L't Col.J. A. Dawson, 1. L't Co. E
E. W. Wynkoop, MajorS. N. Cram(?), 2. L't       "
J. C. Anderson, R. Q. M.A. S. Cobb, 1. L't Co. C.
E. Dickerson, 1st Lieut.C. Maille, Capt. Co. I.
          Co. D.C. Kerber, 1st Lieut  "
J. C. Davidson, Adjut'tC. M. Cossitt, 2. L't  "
E. A. Jacobs, 1. L't Co A.G. D. Stillwell, 2. L't H
G. Nelson, 1. L't Co. FW. B. More, 2. L't Co. D.
R. McDonald, 1. L't   "Jas. R. Shaffer, Co. A.
L. C. Follis, Ass't Surg'nScott S. Anthony, Capt.
A. F. Peck, Act. Surg'n.           Co. E.
G. L. Sanborn, Capt. Co.S. M. Robbins, Capt. E.
          H.S. S. Soule, 1. L't       "
J. P. Bonesteel, 1st L'tR. Sopris, Capt. Co. C.
         Co. H.L. Wilson, 2. L't Co. F.
W. F. Wilder, Capt. Co. G.


Source:

Unknown, "Resolutions of the Colorado First," Weekly Rocky Mountain News, Denver, Colorado, Saturday, 7 June, 1862, page 4.

Created August 2, 2007; Revised August 2, 2007
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