From the website: "Believing Mormons were rebelling against the laws of the United States, President James Buchanan dispatched 3,500 troops, nearly one-third of the entire U.S. Army, to suppress the rumored rebellion in Utah. No rebellion or war ever took place in Utah. However, the army stayed to monitor the Mormons, explore the western frontier, and provide safety for immigrants moving west to California, Oregon, and Washington."
All that remains of this fort today is the Commissary Building, which serves as a museum, and the cemetery.