Joseph and Adam Sharp deliver a message to Johnson’s Army

One day, since the Sharp family had arrived in the Salt Lake Valley in the fall of 1850.Joseph and Adam Sharp used the wagons the family brought with them to ship the sandstone that was quarried from their camp site in Red Butte Canyon. Many of the first permanent stone buildings in the valley were built with the stone the brothers hauled and quarried under the supervision of the older brother John.

When Brigham Young spotted them he came over to ask a task of them, since Porter Rockwell was busy elsewhere. The Sharp brothers were youthful, fearless and somewhat handy with a rifle or a pistol. He asked the brothers to ride out to meet with Johnson's army that was camped at Fort Bridger at the time. The United States Army had captured two men of the Mormon militia and they were being held there at Fort Bridger. Brigham Young would have them pick up the militia men and deliver a message to the commander concerning consequences of the army’s incursion into Utah. So taking a couple of extra horses for the men of the Mormon Militia they rode north for Fort Bridger.

In the meantime John Sharp then a Major of the 3rd Infantry of the Navuoo
Legion had gone with a small group of men under his command to bring much of the church's portable property of value from Northern Utah of sequester it in a safe place further south.

Joseph and Adam upon reaching Fort Bridger were not well received by the men of Johnson's Army. The Army had campfires going and supper was being served to the men. Joseph and his brother were not even allowed a place by the fire to warm themselves.
They were called many names and given to many threats to their persons by the soldiers of Johnson's Army. When the Mormon Militia Men were saddled up and ready to go and the message from Brigham Young had been delivered, a soldier nearby made such threatening and insulting remarks that Joseph Sharp spat in his eye. Off they rode out of camp as Adam Sharp said, "It's a lucky thing, little brother, that he didn't reach for his side arm, or wed've had a shoot out for sure."