The story begins with joseph smith, the founder of the church of jesus christ of latterday saints and one of the most significant characters in american religious experience. Tanner trust fund university of utah library, salt lake city, utah. In 1857, after news of a possible rebellion spread, president james buchanan sent troops on the utah expedition to quell the growing unrest and to replace brigham young as territorial governor with alfred cumming. In september 1857, some latterday saints in southern utah territory and members of an emigrant wagon train on their way to california came into conflict, and the latterday saints, motivated by anger and fear, planned and carried out the massacre of about 120 emigrants. Young declared martial law and issued an order on sept. The incident of 185758 known as the utah expedition, the utah war or buchanans blunder was a collision of territorial selfdetermination against a federal government already faced with insubordination in kansas and its southern states. President buchanan, influenced by his southern cabinet members and false reports from crooked. The attacks began on september 7 and culminated on september 11, 1857, resulting in the mass slaughter of most in the emigrant party by members of the utah territorial militia from the iron county district, together with some southern paiute native americans. What soon followed was the utah war of 185758, also termed the utah. This little known war resulted in the deaths of hundreds of men, women and children.
The tintic indian war owed its name to the son of little chief. The utah war, 1857 1858, was a costly, disruptive and unnecessary confrontation between the mormon people in utah territory and the government and army of the united states. Mormon, native american and federal relations digitalcommons. The utah war of 1857 58, the unprecedented armed confrontation between mormon utah territory and the u. Mormons have both used and been subjected to significant violence throughout much of the. Utah war in 1856 and 1857 latterday saints in utah territory experienced a season of spiritual revival, or reformation, featuring strongly worded preaching against apostasy and outside influences. Preface realize our mutual goal of making these delightful ietteis available to the public. Like a lot of wars, bad communication and false assumptions triggered conflict. Genteel gentile, preface ix university of utah marriott. The utah war was catastrophic for those who suffered or died during it, and.
The genteel gentile, letters of elizabeth cumming, 1857. To truly understand the conditions out of which the utah war arose, one must briefly consider the latterday saint story prior to 1857 or even before the saints entered the great basin in 1847. He holds an honorary doctor of letters degree from southern utah university and is a fellow of the utah state historical society, a charter member and first president of the utah westerners, and past president of the oregoncalifornia trails association. Subscribe book shop travel with us smartnews history science ingenuity arts. Governor brigham young declared martial law in utah. Regardless of whether we categorize it as war crime, religiouslymotivated revenge, or mass killing arising from war hysteria and moral panic, it is, from any vantage point, a horrific and unjustified slaughter. The federal expedition into utah territory in 185758, which pitted president james. In 1857, just before the utah war broke out, brigham young reportedly said that if. Utah war article about utah war by the free dictionary. In later years, wild bill hickman admitted to murdering one richard yates during this period at the mouth of echo canyon. Best documentary book award, utah state historical society the utah war of 185758, the unprecedented armed confrontation between mormon utah territory and the u. More than 120 men, women, and children perished in. It resulted from misunderstandings that transformed a simple decision to give utah territory a new governor into a yearlong comedy of errors with a tragic potential. At swords point presents in two volumes the first indepth narrative and documentary history of that extraordinary conflict.
Reliable information about the coronavirus covid19 is available from the world health organization current situation, international travel. This war could have been very bad for both the federal government and the utah territory if the conflict had actually turned violent. During the utah war, the mountain meadows massacre occurred. The church and the utah war, 185758 religious studies. During the utah war of 1857 1858, stout helped build and maintain fortifications in echo canyon meant to deter federal forces from entering utah territory. Though their intent was to ensure the peaceful installation of a new territorial governor, brigham young and the mormons responded as though under attack from enemy forces. Social and religious conflict between mormons and nonmormons continued to influence the life of the city for a century. With mormon settlement, this desert state began to blossom.
The aiken party executions and the utah war, 18571858 jstor. The awardwinning first volume of his study of the utah war of 1857 1858 at swords point was published in 2008 by the arthur h. The utah war 18571858, also known as the utah expedition, utah campaign, buchanans blunder, the mormon war, or the mormon rebellion was an armed confrontation between mormon settlers in the utah territory and the armed forces of the united states government. July 18 the utah expedition leaves fort leavenworth, effectively beginning the utah war. Armys western campaigns, he is the author of numerous journal articles and the authoreditor of at swords point, part 1. It took the army fifteen days to push thirtyfive miles through storms and. September 12 the ss central america sinks off the coast of north carolina, killing 425 people. The aftermath of mountain meadows the massacre almost brought the united states to war against the church of jesus christ of latterday saints, but only one man was brought to trial. The aftermath of mountain meadows history smithsonian. Published on sep 6, 2018 narrated by david ackroyd the utah war 18571858, also known as the utah expedition, utah campaign, buchanans blunder, the mormon war, or the mormon rebellion was an. Also known as the utah expedition, buchanans blunder, the mormon war, or the mormon rebellion. Kane became involved in it, what kanes motives for involvement were, whether kane was a latterday saint, and what was the significance of kanes efforts. It is not too much to suggest that these quarrels were one factor in bringing on the utah war in 1857 58. A third pushed 200 miles southeast, to what is now moab, utah.
In this, as in other crises, from the time when the latterday saints mustered six members until now when they counted nearly sixty thousand, the mormons, hated as they were by their fellowmen, won the respect and almost the esteem of a large portion of the. Mackinnon explores the significance of kanes role in helping to resolve peacefully the utah war of 1857 58 by exploring what the utah war was, when and how thomas l. History officials led to the socalled utah war of 185758, when general albert sidney johnston s troops marched through the city to establish camp floyd west of utah lake. August 24 ohio life insurance and trust company suspends payments, leading to the panic of 1857. Numerous and frequentlyupdated resource results are available from this search. The utah war 1857 1858, also known as the utah expedition, utah campaign, buchanans blunder, the mormon war, or the mormon rebellion was an armed confrontation between mormon settlers in the utah territory and the armed forces of the united states government. The definitive account of a crucial but enigmatic american episod.
The confrontation lasted from may 1857 until july 1858. In the spring of 1857, president james buchanan appointed a nonmormon, alfred cumming, as governor of the utah territory, replacing brigham young young, brigham, 180177, american religious leader, early head of the church of jesus christ of latterday saints, b. A widely recognized authority on utah s violent territorial period and the u. The utah war was an illadvised measure on the part of the united states government. When president james buchanan decided to flex federal muscle. Latterday saint poetry and songs of the utah war 5 is not a drop of blood in my veins. But the resolution of the utah war bought the lds church time, during which. The confrontation lasted from may 1857 to july 1858. Advertising inquiries heritage travel directory privacy policy terms of. For nearly a decade, the mormons in utah enjoyed relative peace and were free to practice their religion as they saw fit. In august of 1857 utah s militia, nauvoo legion, was reassembled by young and part of their assignment was to harass the u.
The utah warchurch history in the fulness of times student manual. Mormons were violently persecuted and pushed from ohio to missouri, from. Oclcs webjunction has pulled together information and resources to assist library staff as they consider how to handle coronavirus. The mountain meadows massacre was a series of attacks on the bakerfancher emigrant wagon train at mountain meadows in southern utah. Sunday afternoon books and authors events marriott. The utah war of 185758, the unprecedented armed confrontation between mormon utah territory and the u. The great mormon war of 1857 and 1858 details the causes and effects of the great mormon war. During the summer of 1857, 2,500 troops of the united states army marched from fort leavenworth, kansas, toward utah.
Here for the first time is the fascinating and unbiased account of the latterday saints battle to live a life of their own choosing, politically and religiously, and the governments retaliatory effort to protect and enforce federal laws. The book of mormon, the main religious text for the church, prominently. Confessions of a revisionist historian u of u press. Finally, the tintic war reveals the tension between mormon leaders and the outsider territorial officers that washington sent to utah. Mountain meadows massacre where mormon leaders brigham young, george a. Letters elizabeth cumming wrote to her sistersinlaw describing her adventures accompanying the utah expedition from the missouri river to the salt lake valley in 1857 58. The utah war of 1857 58 was the armed struggle for power and authority in utah territory between the newly inaugurated administration of president james buchanan and the leadership of the church of jesus christ of latterday saints, principally president brigham young, who also held federal office as utah s governor, superintendent of indian affairs, and militia commander.
A documentary history of the utah war to 1858, and part 2. To many a mormon the great civil war was not the war between the states but the bitter controversy with the federal government in the 1850s. His twovolume documentary history of the utah war of 1857 58, at. On september 11, 1857, a band of mormon militia, under a flag of truce, lured unarmed members of a party of emigrants from their fortified encampment and, with their paiute allies, killed them. A historical novel about the littleknown utah war of 1857. To look back at this episode now is to see the nation at the brink of civil war in 1857 and 1858only to pull back. Occurring at the outset of the utah war of 1857 1858, the mountain meadows massacre was an appalling war time atrocity. In the spring of 1857, president james buchanan appointed a nonmormon, alfred cumming, as governor of the utah territory, replacing brigham young, and dispatched troops to enforce the order. The great mormon war took place between mormon settlers in utah and the united states between may 1857 and april 1858. The incident of 185758 known as the utah expedition, the utah war or. The book describes the relationship between the invading army and the local mormon. This atrocity is now known as the mountain meadows massacre. The utah war, also known as the utah expedition, 1 utah campaign, 2 buchanans blunder, 3 the mormon war, 4 or the mormon rebellion 5 was an armed confrontation between lds settlers in the utah territory and the armed forces of the united states government.
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