New Year’s
Day 1847 was ushered into Winter Quarters by the firing of the cannon three
times on the hill above the city. The
Saints celebrated this holiday with respectable order. No other guns were fired in the city. It was a very cold day and about an inch of
new snow fell.
Wilford
Woodruff spent much of the day arranging his huge journal from 1834 to
1846. He went through it and totaled up
some interesting figures. During this
period he had traveled 61,692 miles, including four trips across the ocean,
baptized 634 people, administered to 364 sick people, blessed 194 children, had
ten mobs raise up against him, wrote 1,040 letters, and received 699 letters.
In the
afternoon, William and Diantha Clayton went to her parents home (William and Olive
Farr) and had a nice roast turkey dinner.
At 4 p.m., Brother Clayton met the band at the basket shop and played
for an hour and a half. The
basket-makers gave each band member a basket for a present. In the evening, the band played for a party
at Heber C. Kimball’s home. Brigham
Young attended and there was much dancing.
Elisa
Mitchell, age forty, died. She was the
wife of William C. Mitchell. A son,
Horace Martin Alexander, was born to Horace M. and Nancy Walker Alexander.1
John D.
Lee made the wise decision to not go out into the bitter cold. Instead he was invited by his host, Mr.
Abbott to stay the day in his warm house.
Later in the afternoon, Brother Lee went into Savannah, Missouri to do
some trading.
The anti‑Mormons
gave a “grand military and civic ball” at the Mansion House. Thomas S. Brockman, who led the mob in the
Battle of Nauvoo, hosted the celebration.
The day
was unusually warm. The battalion could
not find water for the mules until 1 p.m.
They met two families traveling east, including the family of William
Money. Mrs. Money was caring for her
five‑day‑old child. Mr.
Money reported that the water holes made by General Kearny ahead were dry and
full of sand. They also brought news of
war between the Mexicans and General Kearny’s forces. It was rumored that there were casualties on both sides. Mr. Money also mentioned that a ship from
New York (the Brooklyn) had landed at San Francisco Bay with a large
company of Mormons. He reported that
they were “well situated.”
The
battalion marched for ten miles. They camped
near the river about four and a half miles north of present‑day Dateland,
Arizona. Colonel Cooke decided to
convert some poor wagons into a boat, by lashing two wagon boxes together. He wrote:
“In this I shall put all the baggage that I can risk, and after a trial,
probably much more. The Gila is a rapid
stream of clear water, in places three or four feet deep, and here about one
hundred and fifty yards wide.” Henry Standage
commented on this scheme: “This plan
will certainly lighten the loads for the mules and enable them to travel
faster, but I am of the opinion it is very risky.” The boat was pitched and tested, but it leaked. It was hoped that it would not leak as bad
in the morning.
Little
seventeen‑month‑old Parley Hunt, a son of Captain Jefferson Hunt
died. His twin sister, Mary lived
on. Their mother, Celia Hunt had been
sent to Pueblo with the first sick detachment.
Jefferson Hunt was still with the battalion in Arizona.
On the road from Pueblo, Colorado to
Winter Quarters:
Battalion
members, John Tippets and Thomas Woolsey camped for the night on the south fork
of the Platte River, near an Indian trading fort.
About 130 former
Church members, currently following after James J. Strang, held a New Year’s
feast at which they dedicated a small log dwelling for Strang.
Samuel
Brannan, leader of the Saints who arrived in California on the Brooklyn,
wrote a letter to the brethren in England.
He reported: “Since our arrival
the colony generally has enjoyed good health.
In relation to the country and climate we have not been disappointed in
our expectations, but, like all other new countries, we found the accounts of
it much exaggerated; so much so that we would recommend to all emigrants
hereafter to provide themselves with thick clothing, instead of thin.” He mentioned that they were anxiously
waiting the arrival of the main body of Saints, believing that California would
be chosen for the gathering place.
These California Saints were busy putting in crops for the expected
emigrants to use. He believed that
Brigham Young was probably wintering in present‑day Wyoming, at the
headwaters of the Platte. He planned to
send a company in the spring to meet the main body of the Church.
He wrote
of the infamous Governor Lilburn Boggs, former governor of Missouri, who had
recently arrived at California.
“Governor Boggs is in this country, but without influence, even among
his own people that he emigrated with.
During an interview I had with him a few days since, he expressed much
dissatisfaction with the country and spoke strongly of returning back in the
spring. He says nothing about the
Mormons, whether through fear or policy I am unable to say.”
Brother
Brannan reported that prices were very high, but there was plenty of
employment, especially for mechanics.
He planned to start a newspaper the following week which had the
sanction of Colonel John C. Fremont who was the new governor of California.
Watson, ed., Manuscript
History of Brigham Young, 491; Wilford Woodruff’s Journal 3:111‑112;
Brooks, ed., On the Mormon Frontier, The Diary of Hosea Stout 1844‑1861,
223; William Clayton’s Journal, p.68;
Roberts, Comprehensive History of the Church, 3:32‑3;
Cooke, Exploring Southwestern Trails 1846‑1854, 185‑87;
Journal of Henry Standage in Golder, The March of the Mormon Battalion,
200; Ricketts, Melissa’s Journey with the Mormon Battalion, 59;
Yurtinus, A Ram in the Thicket, 443‑44; Van Noord, King of
Beaver Island, 64; Nibley, Exodus to Greatness, 302‑04, 324
While
William Clayton was working on the books in the Winter Quarters store, his nine‑year‑old
daughter came and told him that her mother (Ruth Clayton) needed him to come
home. Little Moroni had fallen into the
fire and was burned badly on the left side of his head and face. There were large blisters around his eye. Brother Clayton immediately applied oil to
the wounds.
Hosea
Stout wrote in his journal a long summary of the current conditions in Winter
Quarters. Most of the brethren had
moved their families into houses. The
city was divided into twenty‑two wards.
He felt that the bishops were doing their duty better than he even knew
bishops to do before. The poor were
being cared for. The Seventies Quorum
had a willow basket factory in full operation, employing between twenty and
thirty people. The herds of cattle and
flocks of sheep were wintering well.
The weather had been very mild with very little snow. “The place has the appearance of a log town,
some dirt roofs, & a number of caves or ‘dug outs’ made in the banks
sometimes called ‘Dens’ & such like names.
The town would be hard to set on fire & burnt down for there are so
many ‘dirt toped & dirt houses.’”
Lorenzo
Dow Young crossed the river and started to travel to Oregon, Missouri for
another trading excursion.
Amanda
Rogers wrote a letter to her son, Samuel Hollister Rogers, serving in the Mormon
Battalion:
My dear
Son: As I have just learned that I have
an opportunity of sending a letter over the river to the office I gladly
improve it to let you know our circumstances.
But I have hard news for you your father is dead, he died the 1st day of
October. I hardly know how to name the
disease. He and Mark went about ½ miles
to draw a load of hay, was taken sick and never was able to get back. He died the 9th day. He never complained of a headache or any
such thing, he said he thot he should get well. He had his senses perfectly well all the time. He went to sleep a little in the afternoon
every day for the five last days. I
could not wake him up until some time in the night. The last day went to sleep as usual died about 8 o'clock in the
evening. We feel very lonesome. I assure you we desire your company very
much, but as it is ordained otherwise we are willing to put up with it as it is
the way we have to get along.
As to
provisions since we have been left alone, it is much better than I
expected. We have not wanted for
bread. I do not feel that we
shall. Mark takes hold like a man since
his father died. He has built a house
with our help, quilting and sewing. He
has now gone to Missouri to work and buy some corn and such like things. Russel and Theodore have gone with him . . .
Give
yourself no uneasyness about our getting along, for I think the way will open
for us. We are on the side of the
river. The reason we are here is
because there were twelve men chosen for High counselors and your father was
one of them and this seems to be his place, and we thot it would be better for
us to stay here this winter. . . .
I have not
time to write much. The church is
building a mill and thinking of building a carding machine in the spring. The Indians and half breeds on this side of
the river are very friendly. The
Indians on the other side appear to be so but will steal everything they can
lay their hands on. . . .
Do not
forget your duty toward God. I exhort
you to be faithful till we again do meet.
I do remember you before the throne of Grace every day, for if anybody
was near my heart it is you, although you are ever so far distant from me. So be of good cheer, let this comfort your
heart.
John D.
Lee left Savannah, Missouri to start his journey back home. Mr. Abbott had been very kind. He had boarded them free of charge. The Lee company traveled seven or eight
miles and then camped in some timber.
Colonel
Cooke had 2,500 pounds of provisions, baggage, and other items placed into the
makeshift boat. The plan was for the
boat to float all the way to the Colorado River crossing. The battalion marched on for eleven miles to
a stony mound that was later called Texas Hill. By nightfall, the boat had not yet arrived and the men began to
worry. They later learned that it was
stuck on a sandbar and had to have the provisions unloaded.
The rescue
party arrived at Turley’s camp to take the sick, who had been left at Turley’s
Ranch, to Pueblo.
On the road from Pueblo, Colorado to
Winter Quarters:
Battalion
members, John Tippets and Thomas Woolsey continued their journey down the south
fork of the Platte River in present-day northeastern Colorado. Brother Tippets wrote:
We
encountered a cold wind which blew fiercely in our faces. We had to seek shelter under the bend of the
river, where we spent the rest of the day and night with a very scanty fire as
there was no wood on these plains. The
extremities of the tails of our mules were frozen. The ice on the river froze ten inches thick in twenty
minutes. We traveled now nearly two
hundred miles on the open plains, as absolute strangers to the country. We knew not what to do nor what course to
take, only to continue traveling down the Platte River.
“Diary of Lorenzo Dow
Young,” Utah Historical Quarterly, 14:153; Kelly, ed., Journals of
John D. Lee, 1846‑1847 and 1859, 48; William Clayton’s Journal,
p.68; Yurtinus, A Ram in the Thicket, 444‑45; Nibley, Exodus to
Greatness, 324; Our Pioneer Heritage, 3:167-68
Members of
the Twelve preached at various wards in Winter Quarters. Elder Wilford Woodruff preached to a ward
that met at John Van Cott’s house. Elder
Woodruff administered to two who were sick.
Mary Richards attend her ward’s meeting at the home of John Scott. Heber C. Kimball spoke on the duties of
families. He exhorted husbands to watch
over their wives and children, and to instruct them in the gospel, “not with
severity, but with meekness & forbearance.” Wives were to be subject to their husbands and should watch over
their children and set good examples for them.
William
Clayton worked in the store all day. In
the evening Heber C. Kimball, his wife Ellen, Sister Whitney and others came in
to trade. They remained until 10 p.m.
The
Seventies met in the unfinished Council House.
The High Council met in Willard Richards’ octagon house, along with
several members of the Twelve. They discussed
completing the work on the Council House.
The High Council and bishops were asked to assemble on the next day with
their tools to finish the work on the building.
A choir
practice was held in the evening, conducted by Stephen H. Goddard.
The
battalion marched for eleven miles and camped near the Gila River. Along the way, they saw petrified bones of
an animal larger than an elephant which they supposed was an ancient mammoth. Col Cooke wrote: “If this river was frequented by mammoths, their extinction seems
to have been followed by that of every other living thing. One may travel a day without seeing an
animal, a reptile, creeping thing, and insect.” There was not grass at their camp, so they cut down some
cottonwood trees for the mules to eat the bark.
Colonel
Cook was angry to find out that Company D was consuming more than their
allotted rations. At this rate, he felt
the men would starve before reaching California. The boat had not arrived, so men were sent up the river to
discover the reason for the delay. The
boat had run aground and it was doubtful that it would be coming any further.
Watson, ed., Manuscript
History of Brigham Young, 491‑92; Wilford Woodruff’s Journal
3:115; William Clayton’s Journal, p.69; Ward, ed., Winter Quarters,
104; Yurtinus, A Ram in the Thicket, 445‑46; “Journal Extracts of
Henry W. Bigler,” Utah Historical Quarterly, 5:2:52
The day
was “cold and blustering.” Snow fell
overnight, covering the ground. Eliza
R. Snow commented, “The weather today
will pass for winter.”
Brigham Young
and Willard Richards wrote a letter to Charles C. Rich at Mount Pisgah. They informed Elder Rich of the current
plans for the westward movement in the spring and asked him to come to Winter
Quarters to prepare to be part of this advance company.
Our Council
met at Christmas and decided to send on a Pioneer company as early as possible,
with plows, seeds, grain, etc., and make preparations for eatables at the foot
of the mountains on this side and when the grass starts we will follow as many
as can go. Your name is among the
number and we want you to go with us.
Gird up your loins, Brother Rich, put on your armor, cheer up your
heart, and being filled with Almighty faith, prepare for the battle as fast as
possible. If you are sick, be made
well. If you are weak, be made
strong. Shake yourself like a mighty
man; make the forest echo to the sound of your voice and the prairies move at
your presence. Teach the Saints wisdom
and knowledge, that they may come to understanding, and exercise themselves in
faith, patience, meekness, brotherly love, kindness hope, charity and endurance
unto the end and they shall be saved, and whether they remove from hence, this
season or next, it mattereth not, for if they abide counsel it shall be well
with them.
He was
also asked to bring the late William Huntington’s family with him to Winter
Quarters. Brigham Young also
added: “We have had quite a reformation
at this place of late, which has caused good feelings to prevail in the breasts
of the Saints. The health of the Saints
is much improved lately. The Bishops
are diligent in watching over the several wards; preaching and prayer meetings
are multiplied. . . . The weather has been very mild this season, and very
little crossing (the Mo. river) on the ice.”
Sister
Harriet Young stayed very busy while her husband, Lorenzo, was away trading in
Missouri. She wrote: “Susan washed clothes. I washed yarn. I sold 2 lb. of butter to Bro. John [Green] also 2 lb. to Sister
Powers. Sent some onions and a piece of
pork to Bro. Dunkin.”
Hosea
Stout went to Elder Richards’ house and was pleased when President Young
invited him to be in the pioneer company that would leave in the spring. A council meeting was held in the evening.
John D.
Lee dressed and weighed pork that he purchased near Savannah and then continued
his journey back toward Winter Quarters.
His company traveled eighteen miles and stayed the night at a Mr. A.
McCoy’s house. They ate dinner with the
family and then bedded down in their wagon.
Newel
Knight was very sick. He could not
arise in the morning. He said to his
wife, “Lydia, I believe I shall go to rest this winter.”
A
daughter, Margaret Mace, was born to Wandle and Margaret Merkle Mace.
The
battalion marched over a bluff and camped at the foot of a “volcanic peak of
rocks some five hundred feet high.”
[Present‑day Antelope Hill.] Several men enjoyed climbing this
hill and rolled down a huge rock which crashed to the bottom with a tremendous
noise.
There was
no grass in that area for the mules, so they were sent off to the river bottoms
to graze, guarded by forty‑two men.
Colonel Cooke also sent six men back to retrieve the supplies which were
on the failed boating experiment.
Watson, ed., Manuscript
History of Brigham Young, 492; Clark, Messages of the First Presidency,
1:307; Wilford Woodruff’s Journal 3:115; Kelly, ed., Journals of John
D. Lee, 1846‑1847 and 1859, 49; Brooks, ed., On the Mormon
Frontier, The Diary of Hosea Stout 1844‑1861, 223; “Diary of Lorenzo
Dow Young,” Utah Historical Quarterly, 14:154; Beecher, ed., The
Personal Writings of Eliza R. Snow, 151; Yurtinus, A Ram in the Thicket,
446‑47; Newel Knight Autobiography in Classic Experiences, 104
Wilford
Woodruff spent the day hauling hay. He
sent three bushes of meal to Brother Mercer, who was taking care of his herd in
the rushes to the north. Hosea Stout
went to Orson Pratt’s house to arrange for $87.00 pay for the police
guard. He also received some provisions
for himself and an order for a few things in the store. He wrote:
“These things greatly relieved me for I was in want very much. I spent the remainder of the day, after
taking my wife to the store, in notifying the police to go and get their
pay.” Mary Richards also visited the
Winter Quarters store. She purchased
some cloth to make some clothes. Sister
Richards then went to the Alfred B. Lambson home to visit with Sister Melissa
B. Lambson where she had a wonderful time.
William Clayton worked in the store all day, and in the evening met with
the band.
A council
meeting was held in the evening. The
night turned bitter cold with snow and a blustery wind. Hosea Stout recorded that the wind was
“blowing from the north howling through the city & spreading a lonely gloom
on all nature which I seldom feel. This
is the first snow that really deserves the name which has fell this year.”
Margaret
Blackhurst, age forty-two, died. A
daughter, Permelia Marciana Pendleton, was born to Joseph T. and Mary
Pendleton.
A son,
Seth James Wixom, was born to Solomon and Harriet Teeples Wixom.2
John D.
Lee traveled eighteen more miles toward Winter Quarters, returning from his
trading expedition. The roads were very
bumpy because of the hard, frozen ground.
He camped for the night at a Mr. Mathews’ home. At 7 p.m., it started to snow and became
bitter cold.
Newel
Knight awoke with a severe pain in his right side and also a high fever. He believed that he did not expect to
recover.
The
battalion marched twelve miles toward the Gila Mountains. Colonel Cooke wanted to avoid the sand
bluffs, so they camped away from the Gila river. Doctor Stephen Foster returned to report that he had to abandon
all of the provisions that were loaded on the boat which had become stuck on
sand bars. Most of them were more than
thirty miles back. Because these
provisions were lost, Colonel Cooke had to reduce rations.
Many of
the men enjoyed weighing themselves on a scale. Nathaniel V. Jones recorded that he at this time weighed 128
pounds. He had lost 70 pounds since
starting the march.
The rescue
party continued to travel toward Pueblo with the few sick men from the
battalion who had been left behind at Turley’s Ranch near Taos. George D. Wilson was one of these men. He wrote on this day:
On the road
to Pueblo, not being able to eat my blood weak and my feet frozen and a pack
load to carry, at 4 oclock I sunk down exhausted in the wilderness
prairie. The cold winds blowing and no
man near but God was my friend and I lived through it. Travelled until late in the evening and
found the camp by the sound of the gun.
This was the nearest death by cold and sickness and oppressions and the
narrowest escape of my life and also like David to cursing my enemies that they
might fall into the same pit they had digged for my soul.
Wilford
Woodruff’s Journal, 3:115; Kelly, ed., Journals of John D. Lee, 1846‑1847
and 1859, 49 Brooks, ed., On the Mormon Frontier, The Diary of Hosea
Stout 1844‑1861, 223; Ward, ed., Winter Quarters, 104‑05;
Yurtinus, A Ram in the Thicket, 447‑48; “The Journal of Nathaniel
V. Jones,” Utah Historical Quarterly, 4:10; William Clayton’s Journal,
69
This day
was the coldest day so far of the winter season. The temperature dipped to two degrees below zero. It was so cold that Harriet Young had to
take into the house a sheep with a young lamb.
Hosea Stout wrote: “We were very
uncomfortable all day in despite of our best fires and passed off the day to
the best advantage to be comfortable.”
Brigham
Young wrote a letter to Thomas Alvord, answering questions regarding
sealings.
When a man hears
the Gospel and obeys it and lives up to all the law of the Gospel, his wife and
children are his, in time and in eternity; but if the husband reject the Gospel
and the wife receives it, she can claim all the children that have died in
infancy, or without law, or if she can prevail on them to embrace the Gospel,
she can hold them or claim them as her children in time and in eternity.
In the
evening, Wilford Woodruff ordained Abraham O. Smoot as a bishop. Elder Woodruff had been filling in for
Brother Smoot acting as bishop of the ward while Brother Smoot was away.
The Twelve
met at Ezra T. Benson’s home and “chatted on the first or most interesting
subjects” that came before them. They
discussed the missions of Orson Hyde, Parley P. Pratt, and John Taylor in
England, and discussed the gathering of the Saints and “the opening up of their
way from the four quarters of the Earth to the final place of their
destination.”
Cynthia
Soule Dykes, wife of George P. Dykes gave birth to a daughter, Rachel Dykes,
her twentieth child.
It was
thirteen below zero where John D. Lee was staying. He decided to not travel this day. It was considered unsafe to stray more than one mile from a warm
fire. He sold some things to help pay
for some expenses. The storm started to
abate about noon.
The
battalion traveled twelve difficult miles along the Gila River and camped at
Devil’s Point, near the Gila Mountains.
No timber could be seen on the mountain slopes nearby. The battalion rations were becoming
dangerously low. Walter Davis shot a
huge pelican and made a hat out of the gullet.
Watson, ed., Manuscript
History of Brigham Young, 493‑95; Wilford Woodruff’s Journal,
3:115; Kelly, ed., Journals of John D. Lee, 1846‑1847 and 1859, 49‑50;
“Diary of Lorenzo Dow Young,” Utah Historical Quarterly, 14:154; Brooks,
ed., On the Mormon Frontier, The Diary of Hosea Stout 1844‑1861,
223; Tyler, A Concise History of the Mormon Battalion, 239
The
temperature fell to eight degrees below zero.
Hosea Stout wrote: “Towards day,
the howling north wind, which had not yet ceased to blow, began to howl with
renewed strength and filled our little shanty full of its cold and piercing
breath. The weather had increased in
coldness & when morning light came, I found one of those intolerable cold
clear days that bids the most industerous to cease his labours & keep
within.” Mary Richards had a difficult
day in the cold: “Had only wood enough
to make one fire. Got breakfast, which
took us til noon then being froze out with the cold, I went to sister
Jane’s. When I got there my hands &
feet ached severely. Felt quite unwell
all day from the effects of the cold.”
The Twelve
wrote a letter to Orson Hyde, John Taylor, and Parley P. Pratt in England. “We have upwards of seven hundred houses in
our miniature city, composed mostly of logs in the body, covered with puncheon,
straw and dirt, which are warm and wholesome; a few are composed of turf, willows,
straws, etc., which are very comfortable this winter, but will not endure the
thaws, rain and sunshine of spring like stone, burnt clay, or even
hickory.” The mill was nearly ready for
operation and the Council House was almost ready to received dirt on the
roof. Willard Richards’ octagon house
was described as:
a queer
looking thing, six rods east of President Young’s and very much resembling a
New England Potato heap in the time of frost. . . . Since our buildings were
completed, many of the saints have turned their attention to manufacture of
willow baskets, hundreds of dollars worth have already been completed and there
is a prospect of quite an income from this source in the spring. Other articles are also commencing, such as
washboards, half bushels, etc.
They shared
with them the current plans for a pioneer company that were discussed at the
long council meeting, at Christmas.
The Pioneer
Company of some two or three hundred, more or less, would be fitted out as early
as circumstances would possibly permit so as to be at the foot of the Mountains
somewhere in the region of Yellowstone River, perhaps at the Fork of Tongue
River, say two days ride north of the Oregon Road, and a week’s travel west of
Fort Laramie, with plows, corn, beans, etc.
prepared to raise a summer crop, for some thousand or two of the Saints
who should follow after them as soon as grazing would permit.
William
Clayton went to Sister Buel’s house for a supper of turkey. Afterwards he went to Leonard’s and played
for them with Jacob Hutchinson and
James Smithies.
John D.
Lee had a very difficult day traveling back toward Winter Quarters. It started off fine, with a little trading
in Lindon, Missouri. But after four
more miles, the front right wheel fell off his wagon and the axle‑tree
broke. To make matters worse, Charles
Decker, also in his company, ran his wagon off a fourteen‑foot high
bridge. The wagon box broke and the
goods were broken and scattered all around.
They worked until midnight loading the provisions back in a wagon.
Colonel
Cooke sent men ahead to cut a road through dense undergrowth around Devil’s
Point. The battalion marched for seven
miles. A broken wagon had to be
abandoned. The mules had to swim across
the river in order to find some grass.
The pontoon boats arrived just in time to ferry the guards across.
Levi
Hancock described the land: “It is broaken
up and it looks as if it had bin turned topsey turvy.” The companies’ provisions were weighed and
it was discovered that only nine days’ rations were on hand and they were still
at least twelve days from the first settlement in California.
Sometime
in January, James J. Strang visited Fulton, hoping to convince Emma Smith to
join with the Strangites. In particular,
he was interested in getting fourteen-year-old Joseph Smith III involved with
the Church. Strang went with William
Marks to a local hotel where young Joseph Smith was attending a party. Marks introduced Strang to Joseph. Strang explained that he was leading a large
group of Saints who rejected Brigham Young’s authority and that he would like
Joseph to join their cause. Joseph
could not be persuaded to have anything to do with the movement, without his
mother Emma’s approval. Strang tried to
visit Emma Smith, but she made it clear that she had no intention of
affiliating with any “so-called Mormon church” and would not allow her children
to do so.3
Watson, ed., Manuscript
History of Brigham Young, 495‑500; Kelly, ed., Journals of John D.
Lee, 1846‑1847 and 1859, 50; Brooks, ed., On the Mormon Frontier,
The Diary of Hosea Stout 1844‑1861, 223; Wilford Woodruff’s
Journal, 3:115; Ward, ed., Winter Quarters, 105; William
Clayton’s Journal, p.69; Yurtinus, A Ram in the Thicket, 449‑50;
“Journal Extracts of Henry W. Bigler,” Utah Historical Quarterly,
5:2:53; Launius, Joseph Smith III, Pragmatic Prophet, 53
The day
was relatively warmer, but still very cold.
The Twelve finished their letter to their quorum members in
England. They wrote about the fallen
condition of Nauvoo, how Governor Ford had recently quartered troops there and attended
parties with the mob. They also spoke
of the apostate movements. “Rigdonism
is unknown, and the probability is, that Rigdon himself is about ready to deny
the faith. Strang is very little better
off, indeed not so well, for he has already denied his faith, or changed and
altered it so many times that no man can tell what he does believe.”
Brigham
Young wrote a letter to Cornelius P. Lott, who was on his way about seventy
miles to the north, where Asahel A. Lathrop was wintering President Young's
herds at the rushes. Brother Lott was
advised to return because of the inclement weather. President Young also wrote to the herdsmen on both sides of the
Missouri. He mentioned that two Indian
horses had been found by herdsman near the site of the recent Omaha massacre.
The brethren were asked to return the animals immediately.
Wilford
Woodruff ran a stove pipe through the roof of his house and put some turf on
the roof to help the insulation.
Brother Fowler returned from a 20‑day trading expedition. He brought back 40 gallons of honey, 900
pounds of pork, 40 pounds of lard, butter, one yoke of cattle, and other items.
Joseph
Herring, an Indian member of the Church complained to Hosea Stout in a half‑drunken
state that he was dissatisfied with the Twelve. He swore to take Wilford
Woodruff's life. Brother Herring was
supposed to return to his tribe to bring his people west in the spring. But he stated that he intended to take some
teams and never return.
A son,
Moroni Young, was born to Brigham and Louisa Beaman Young.4
Also, a son, Gilbert Rosel Belnap was born to Gilbert and Adaline Belnap. A daughter was born to George B. and Melissa
Wallace. A son, Martin Lewis Bird, was
born to Charles and Mary Kennedy Bird.
The mules
were brought back over the river in the morning. It was so cold that they had icicles hanging on them. The battalion marched for sixteen miles and
arrived at the mouth of the Gila River, where it flows into the Colorado
River. Colonel Cooke wrote: “The country around the two rivers is a
picture of desolation; nothing like vegetation beyond the bottoms of the rivers. Black mountains with wild‑looking
peaks and stony hills and plains fill the view.”
The
rations had been cut back so low that the men felt like they were
starving. William Coray wrote: “The men are nearly starving for bread . . .
prices are offered for a morsel. The
beef which was the only means for sustainence at this time was of the poorest
quality; a man would have been fined in any place but this, to have sold such
beef. Notwithstanding the intense suffering of the men, there was not much
grumbling at all.”
Watson, ed., Manuscript
History of Brigham Young, 499‑500; Wilford Woodruff's Journal,
3:115‑16; Brooks ed., On the Mormon Frontier, The Diary of Hosea
Stout 1844‑1861, 224; Cooke, Exploring
Southwestern Trails 1846‑1854, 198; Yurtinus, A Ram in the Thicket,
451
The
weather was still bitter cold. In the
morning the temperature stood at ten degrees below zero. Brigham Young
performed a marriage for Isaac Grundy and Elizabeth Hendricks in Wilford
Woodruff's octagon.
Joseph
Herring continued to stay at Hosea Stouts' home, drunk, and speaking out
against the Church leaders. In the
evening Hosea Stout reported to Brigham Young and Heber C. Kimball about the
problems with Brother Herring and his threats to murder Wilford Woodruff. They all went over to Elder Woodruff's home
to warn him. The house was so full that
the brethren went out for a walk to Ezra T. Benson's home. Hosea Stout told Elder Woodruff about the
danger. When Brother Stout returned
home, he found out that Joseph Herring had got into a fight with Brother
Blazzard. Brother Herring stated that he
was going to get a bowie knife to kill Brother Blazzard. Hosea Stout, Isaac Haight,
and James Cummings followed after him.
Brother Herring went to several homes, breathing threatening words
against the Twelve, and ended up at
Brigham Young's home at 11 p.m. President Young conversed with him for about an
hour. Finally, Joseph Herring left,
went to bed, and was watched very closely by the guard.
Wilford
Woodruff had been plagued with some nightmares. He described one experienced on this night:
I went to
bed, fell asleep, and dreamed some Indians came into my house with axes with
the intent to kill me. I got away from
them, went into the street and there two men, one and Indian, stabbed me with
knives in the side. I hollowed murder
and some came to my assistance and I awoke.
These dreams mean something.
Some person or persons are plotting against my life and I am warned
against the plots of my enemies.
John D.
Lee continued his journey back to Winter Quarters. He traveled eighteen miles and crossed over the Nishnabotna River
at Worlden's Ferry. He camped at a
grove on the prairie near a lake. He
joined his camp with Brother Winchester who had already made up some warm
fires.
The
battalion took up their march very early.
It took them six hours to cover the ten miles to the Colorado River
[Pilot Knob] crossing.5 The mules were very weak and failing. The rations were becoming very low. The provisions that had been abandoned by
the makeshift boats still had not arrived.
Henry Bigler commented: “Our beef is so poor that it is jelly‑like
and the hide full of grubs.”
Colonel
Cooke wrote:
The Rio
Colorado here resembles the Missouri in size and color of the water. It has immense bottoms difficult to pass;
they are of rich soil. I believe it to
be the most useless of rivers to man; so barren, so desolate and difficult,
that it has never been explored; running through volcanic mountains and sand
deserts, at places through chasms of vertical rock perhaps five thousand feet
deep.
Levi
Hancock had a more positive vision of the possibilities of this area that later
became Yuma, Arizona: “I believe this
is good land if it could be watered, and labor would make it as the garden of
Eden.”
A guide
was sent over the river to set the thickets on fire, to help establish a road
for the following day. Forty men were
assigned to gather “tornillo,” the fruit from the mesquite growing along the
river. They brought in between twelve and fifteen bushels to feed the mules.
The men tried to supplement their rations by grinding up these seeds to make
cakes of meal. This proved to be
nutritious, but caused constipation.
Henry Bigler wrote: “There was
one difficulty with this fruit and that was it bound the boys who eat of it so
tight that some of them became frightened and thought they never would be
delivered without sending for Doctor Sanderson!”
Watson ed., Manuscript
History of Brigham Young, 501; Wilford Woodruff's Journal, 3:116;
Kelly, ed., Journals of John D. Lee, 1846‑1847 and 1859, 51;
Brooks ed., On the Mormon Frontier, The Diary of Hosea Stout 1844‑1861, 223; Our Pioneer
Heritage, 3:496; Cooke, Exploring Southwestern Trails 1846‑1854,
199‑200; “Journal Extracts of Henry W. Bigler,” Utah Historical
Quarterly, 5:2:53; Yurtinus, A Ram in the Thicket, 452‑53;
Kimball, Historic Sites and Markers along the Mormon and other Great Western Trails, 227
On this
bitter cold Sunday morning, the temperature was thirteen degrees below zero.
The Twelve preached at various wards.
In the evening,
the High Council met at Elder Richard's octagon. There were fewer than seven members present. They discussed at length whether business
should be conducted without seven members as stated in the Doctrine and
Covenants. Elder Willard Richards pointed
out that they were not in a stake of Zion, but rather in a traveling
council. “If men are sick or
necessarily detained, other men can act for them.” Elder George A. Smith
agreed. “If you will take the Twelve
for a pattern, I will give it to you.
If there are only 2 of them present and there is business to be done,
they go to work and do it.”
The city
assessor was given authorization to go over the Missouri River and collect
taxes to pay the police. Bishop Joseph
Knight reported on the funds he had collected on the west side of the river to
help the poor.
Hosea
Stout had a long conversation with Brigham Young about Joseph Herring. Brother Stout was asked to keep a sharp
lookout to make sure Brother Herring did not commit any violent acts.
Ellen Corlass,
the daughter of Helen and Henry Corlass, died.
John D.
Lee traveled thirty‑one miles north, toward Winter Quarters, returning
from his trading expedition. He crossed
over Keg Creek and later arrived at the mouth of Mosquito Creek which was
almost frozen.
The
pontoon boat caught up with the battalion in the morning. The men were ordered to cross the Colorado
quickly, but the wind made the crossings difficult. They used the pontoon boat and wagon boxes to ferry over the
baggage. Two of the mules were drowned
while crossing. Colonel Cooke decided
to continue the crossings into the night.
Daniel
Tyler described the crossings which averaged one and a half hours:
The
crossing ranged down the river, which was over half a mile wide, hence the ford
was nearly a mile long, including two channels, in the middle of which it was
difficult to reach the bottom with our tent poles. Planks from wagon‑ boxes left on the road were laid on top
of the wagon‑beds and a portion of the provisions placed upon them, and
hauled over by the mules, which had to swim in the deepest portions of the
river.
John Brown
started his journey of more than a thousand miles toward Winter Quarters. He was joined by Daniel H. Thomas and
Brother Crismon. John Brown wrote: “We
concluded to send some six pioneers, one of whom was to take charge of the
whole, being mostly black servants. It
fell to my lot to go and superintend the affair. William Crosby to send one hand; John H. Bankhead one; William Lay, one, and John
Powell, one, and I was to take one besides myself.”
General
Stephen Kearny entered Los Angeles peacefully after defeating a force at the
San Gabriel River.
Watson ed., Manuscript
History of Brigham Young, 501; Kelly, ed., Journals of John D. Lee, 1846‑1847 and 1859, 51;
Brooks ed., On the Mormon Frontier, The Diary of Hosea Stout 1844‑1861, 225‑26; Our
Pioneer Heritage, 2:429; Cooke, Exploring Southwestern Trails 1846‑1854,
200‑01; “Journal Extracts of Henry W.
Bigler,” Utah Historical Quarterly, 5:2:53; Tyler, A Concise
History of the Mormon Battalion, 240; Yurtinus, A Ram in the Thicket,
453‑54, 496
A council
meeting was held all day at the home of Ezra T. Benson which was attended by
the Twelve and several others. Brigham
Young related a dream:
I told the
brethren I dreamed of seeing Joseph, the Prophet, last night and conversing
with him, that Mother Smith was present and very deeply engaged reading a
Pamphlet, when Joseph with a great deal of dignity turned his head towards his
mother partly looking over his shoulder, said, “Have you got the word of God
there?” Mother Smith replied, “There is truth here.” Joseph replied, “That may
be, but I think you will be sick of that pretty soon.”6
Joseph appeared to feel extremely well, was sociable and laughed heartily.
The Council spoke about the organization of
the emigration companies. They also discussed
threats from their persecutors and prayed that they would be delivered from
their hands.
John D.
Lee arrived at Trader's Point and bought $158.45 worth of groceries from Peter
Sarpy. He reached Winter Quarters in
the afternoon and reported to Brigham Young regarding the purchases that he had
made in Missouri on behalf of the Church.
President Young was pleased with Brother Lee's actions.
Eliza
R. Snow wrote a poem at the request of
Phoebe Woodruff, who was still mourning over the loss of three children.
Mourn not
for them, their bodies rest
So sweetly
in the ground‑‑
And they'll
awake to life again
At the
first trumpet's sound.
Mourn not
for them for they are now
Associated
where
The purest
pleasures heav'n can boast
They're
privileg'd to share.
Mourn not
for them‑‑they're not as when
Caress'd
upon your knee;
They now
are noble spirits, and
Disrob'd of
infancy.
Mourn not
for them: the helpless state
Which they
submitted to
Was for the
body's sake, but more
To prove their
love for you.
Mourn not
for them: they laid aside
Their
dignity to come
And visit
you & stay on earth
Until they
were call'd home.
Mourn not
for them: they a will return
With grace
& honor crown'd
To bless
your household & spread
Intelligence
around.
Cynthia
Dykes, age forty-six, died from her recent childbirth. She was the wife of George P. Dykes who was
away with the Mormon Battalion. Also,
Eliza Mitchell, wife of William C. Mitchell died.
A
daughter, Emma A. Smith, was born to John A. and Ann Anderson Smith.7
Newel
Knight, one of the earliest members of the Church, died at the Ponca fort, more
than 150 miles up the Missouri River from Winter Quarters. During his sickness, probably pneumonia, the
Elders would administer and pray for Brother Knight and each time his health
would rally for a time. His wife Lydia
wrote:
I felt at
last as if I could not endure his sufferings any longer and that I ought not to
hold him here. I knelt by his bedside,
and with my hand upon his pale forehead asked my Heavenly Father to forgive my
sins, and that the sufferings of my companion might cease, and if he was
appointed unto death, and could not remain with us that he might be quickly
eased from pain and fall asleep in peace.
Almost immediately all pain left him and in a short time he sweetly fell
asleep in death, without a struggle or a groan, at half past six on the morning
of the 11th of January, 1847. His
remains were interred at sunset on the evening of the day he died.8
The
battalion continued to cross over the Colorado River all night. Because they were so low on rations, Colonel
Cooke felt it important to not stay another day at the river, and instead push
on fifteen miles to the next camp at a well.
He was frustrated with the slow process of crossing the baggage and
sheep over the mile‑wide river.
When Colonel Cooke crossed over at 9 a.m., he found the men taking their
time cooking and doing as they pleased.
A wagon belonging to Company C became stuck in the middle of the
river. Finally, at 10 a.m., the march
onward resumed while others stayed behind and struggled to get the sheep over
the river. The fires that had been
started the day before to clear out some mesquite continued to rage around the
men, at times within a few feet. They
pressed on to the south of the Imperial Sand Dunes which Robert S. Bliss
described: “To the right of us is a
sandy desert, I suppose like the Deserts of Africa or Arabia; there is nothing
that looks like living in this country.” Many of the mules gave out during the
difficult day's march. Some of the men
did not make it to the next camp. Two
of the wagons had to be left behind and the baggage packed on mules.
When
Colonel Cook arrived at the well, he discovered there was not a drop of
water. He was informed that the next
water was twenty‑four miles to the west! Cooke ordered men to start
digging a well. Soon they struck damp
sand and then water, but the hole would quickly cave in because of the soft
sand walls. It was decided to use the
washtub belonging to a Captain Davis' wife, to sure up the walls of the
well. But this idea failed and no good
water was obtained. Another well was
attempted, but they struck only muddy clay after ten feet of digging. Yet another well was started and this time
good water was found. Colonel Cooke
wrote: “It [this news] threw a radiant
glow of light over all the gloom which was settling deeply on every avenue
where hope had lingered.” He later reflected: “I viewed this, as in other
instances, a Providential deliverance.”9
Lewis
Bidamon, one of the “new citizens” of Nauvoo had retreated to his former home
of Canton, Illinois, after the fall of Nauvoo to the mob. On this day, he wrote a letter to Emma
Smith, in Fulton Illinois, asking if he could rent the mansion house.
Watson ed., Manuscript
History of Brigham Young, 501‑02; Kelly, ed., Journals of John
D. Lee, 1846‑1847 and 1859,
51‑2; Wilford Woodruff's Journal, 3:116; Beecher ed., The Personal
Writings of Eliza R..Snow, 152; Newel Knight Autobiography in Classic
Experiences, 104; Cooke, Exploring Southwestern Trails 1846‑1854,
202‑07; Yurtinus, A Ram in the Thicket, 454‑57; “The Journal
of Robert S. Bliss,” Utah Historical Quarterly, 4:82; Hartley, My
Best for the Kingdom, 224; Newell and Avery, Mormon Enigma, Emma Hale
Smith, 242-43
The weather
was a little more comfortable. The
Missouri River was frozen so hard that wagons could bring over large loads of
wood across on the ice. Brigham Young
visited Abraham O. Smoot and made several visits to the bishop’s store where
John D. Lee was invoicing goods.
William
Clayton’s wife, Ruth Moon Clayton went into labor during the morning. William had to go to the bishop's storehouse
to work on the books and balance the accounts with John D. Lee. Soon Brother Clayton was called home and he
found out that Ruth gave birth to a son, Newell Horace Clayton, at 5 p.m. Sister Clayton had experienced a difficult
labor, but was doing better. In the
evening, Brother Clayton went with the band to Brother Johnson’s where they
played for a party until 11 p.m. He
wrote: “The house was very much crowded and not much room to dance, but they
kept it up freely.”
Also in
the evening, Mary and Jane Richards attended a meeting at Daniel Allen’s house
where they heard Elder Wilford Woodruff preach on the resurrection of the
dead. He said that if the Saints felt
that the journey was too hard for them to endure, he would advise them to pray
to the Lord to grant them a burial with the Saints of God. Their posterity would believe that they died
in full belief of the Gospel of Christ.
When the servants of God returned to their burial place in the morning
of the Resurrection, they would be called forth. If instead these Saints chose to go to Missouri and were buried
there, “he did not know who would be to the trouble to go there and hunt them
up, for they would never once think that a Saint of God would be buried there.”
Hope
Chamberlain, age sixty-three, died of consumption. She was the wife of Solomon Chamberlain. He later wrote, several years later: “The wife of my youth died at Winter
Quarters just before I started to the valley with the Pioneers. I said, then all my happiness as to the
things of this world is gone, and so it has proved to this time. I am now alone, except my little daughter 8
years old. I have endeavored to magnify
my calling as well as I knew how.”
Harriet
A. Hart, age thirteen days, died. She was the daughter of Joseph and Clarissa
Hart.
Reuben Miller,
former Strangite who returned to the Church, continued to make progress
convincing these former Saints that James J. Strang had misled them. On this day Lester Brooks wrote from Ohio to
Voree, Wisconsin, that on a recent visit to New York, he found the Strangite
branch in a “most stupid condition.
They have a pamphlet written by Reuben Miller against Brother
Strang. They are inclined to think
there is something quite wrong.”
The
battalion spent the morning drawing up buckets of water from the well for the
mules and sheep. By 10 a.m., the rear
company arrived into camp. Many of the
animals still needed to be fed and watered, so Colonel Cooke decided to leave
two of the companies behind and go forward with the other three. Because they were so low in provisions,
empty wagons were left behind. The
entire battalion was down to only seven wagons. They traveled ten miles to a location without water, but there
was some dry grass for the animals. The
cattle and sheep were nearly starved.
Watson ed., Manuscript
History of Brigham Young, 502; Kelly, ed., Journals of John D. Lee, 1846‑1847
and 1859, 52; Ward, ed., Winter Quarters, The 1846‑1848 Life Writings of Mary Haskin
Parker Richards, 105‑06; William Clayton's Journal, p.69;
Anderson, BYU Studies, 8:3:288; Cooke, Exploring Southwestern Trails 1846‑1854,
208‑09; “The Journal of Robert S. Bliss, Utah Historical Quarterly,
4:82; “Solomon Chamberlain Autobiography,” BYU, 16
Wilford
Woodruff spent the day cutting up beef and pork, and helping out around the
house. In the evening he attended a
meeting at Brother Ensign's house.
Mary
Richards wrote about her activities: “Got breakfast, washed the dishes, made
the bed . . . sewed a little on my garment.
PM baked a loaf of breads & cleaned a hogs face and put it to boil,
& made a pot pye for supper then washed the dishes & spent the Eve
sewing.”
Rachel
Dykes, age seven days, died. She was
the daughter of George P. and Cynthia Dykes.10 A son, Newton Daniel Hall, was born to
Newton D. and Sarah Busenbark Hall. Ann
Eliza Mann, age forty, died.
A son,
Hyrum Bennion, was born to Samuel and Mary Bushell Bennion.11
The
battalion marched at sunrise. Colonel
Cooke wished that they could march earlier than that, but it was impossible to
distinguish and harness the mules in darkness.
They marched for thirteen miles in seven hours, arriving at Alamo Mocho
wells. The wells were between twelve
and fifteen feet deep. Colonel Cooke
wrote:
The water
is very bad and warm, and the supply is scanty and slow. And now, after eight hours, the watering is
still going on. The poor animals, after
drinking, seemed unsatisfied and had to be driven away toward the green bushes,
on which they might browse. . . . I have caused a detail of men to work
constantly at the wells, in giving water to all animals that come up, night and
day.
Colonel Cooke
decided to abandon two more wagons, bringing their total down to only
five. He wanted to leave them all
behind, but General Kearny had ordered him to make a road and he was determined
to succeed. Apparently one of these
wagons was the wagon Melissa Coray had been riding in. Paymaster Jeremiah Cloud offered to let
Sister Coray ride his horse the rest of the way to the California
settlements.
Californians
(Mexicans) who fled Los Angeles, surrendered to John C. Fremont and signed the Cahuenga
Capitulation. They agreed to deliver up
their arms and to no longer fight the Mexican War.
The
officers of the sick detachments called all the battalion members together to
establish some new rules that were considered oppressive by the men. There was to be no card playing, dancing,
and no speaking against an officer.
Even the laundresses could not complain against an officer or she would
be discharged. An 8 p.m. curfew was set
and if broken, the offender would be sent to the guard house and tried of court
martial the next day.
Wilford
Woodruff's Journal, 3:116; Ward, ed., Winter Quarters, 106;
Cooke, Exploring Southwestern Trails 1846‑1854, 209‑12; Yurtinus,
A Ram in the Thicket, 309, 458‑59, 496; Ricketts, Melissa's
Journey with the Mormon Battalion, 61
In the
afternoon, members of the Twelve met with Hosea Stout in council at Heber
C. Kimball’s home. President Brigham Young proposed that
letters be written to instruct the brethren how to organize companies for
emigration. He proposed that Ezra T. Benson
and Erastus Snow form a company named number three. They should appoint a presidency, captains of hundreds, fifties,
tens, and a clerk. Orson Pratt and
Wilford Woodruff should form company number four. Amasa Lyman and George A. Smith should form company number five.
At this
point, President Young received the word and will of God through revelation
concerning the emigration of the Saints.
This revelation later became known as Doctrine and Covenants section
136. The Council adjourned at 4:30 p.m.
but came back together at 7 p.m., at Elder Ezra T. Benson's home. President
Young continued to dictate the revelation.
At 10 p.m., the Council retired except for President Young and Willard
Richards, who went to the Octagon to finish writing this inspired
document.
Hosea
Stout expressed his feelings about the revelation:
Such was
the “Word & Will” of the Lord at this time, which was to me a source of
much joy and gratification to be present on such an occasion and my feeling can
be better felt than described for this will put to silence the wild bickering
and suggestions of those who are ever in the way & opposing the proper
council. They will now have to come to
this standard or come out in open rebellion to the Will of the Lord which will
plainly manifest them to the people and then they can have no influence.
The
revelation was clear, the Lord stated that the Camp of Israel would be under
the direction of the Twelve Apostles.
1 The Word
and Will of the Lord concerning the Camp of Israel in their journeyings to the
West:
2 Let all
the people of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter‑day Saints, and those
who journey with them, be organized into companies, with a covenant and promise
to keep all the commandments and statutes of the Lord our God.
3 Let the
companies be organized with captains of hundreds, captains of fifties, and
captains of tens, with a president and his two counselors at their head, under
the direction of the Twelve Apostles.
4 And this
shall be our covenant‑‑that we will walk in all the ordinances of
the Lord.
5 Let each
company provide themselves with all the teams, wagons, provisions, clothing,
and other necessaries for the journey, that they can.
6 When the
companies are organized let them go to with their might, to prepare for those
who are to tarry.
7 Let each
company, with their captains and presidents, decide how many can go next
spring; then choose out a sufficient number of able‑ bodied and expert
men, to take teams, seeds, and farming utensils, to go as pioneers to prepare
for putting in spring crops.
8 Let each
company bear an equal proportion, according to the dividend of their property,
in taking the poor, the widows, the fatherless, and the families of those who
have gone into the army, that the cries of the widow and the fatherless come
not up into the ears of the Lord against this people.
9 Let each
company prepare houses, and fields for raising grain, for those who are to
remain behind this season; and this is the will of the Lord concerning his
people.
10 Let
every man use all his influence and property to remove this people to the place
where the Lord shall locate a stake of Zion.
11 And if
ye do this with a pure heart, in all faithfulness, ye shall be blessed; you
shall be blessed in your flocks, and in your herds, and in your fields, and in
your houses, and in your families.
12 Let my
servants Ezra T. Benson and Erastus Snow organize a company.
13 And let
my servants Orson Pratt and Wilford Woodruff organize a company.
14 Also,
let my servants Amasa Lyman and George A. Smith organize a company.
15 And
appoint presidents, and captains of hundreds, and of fifties, and of tens.
16 And let
my servants that have been appointed go and teach this, my will, to the saints,
that they may be ready to go to a land of peace.
17 Go thy
way and do as I have told you, and fear not thine enemies; for they shall not
have power to stop my work.
18 Zion
shall be redeemed in mine own due time.
19 And if
any man shall seek to build up himself, and seeketh not my counsel, he shall
have no power, and his folly shall be made manifest.
20 Seek
ye; and keep all your pledges one with another; and covet not that which is thy
brother's.
21 Keep
yourselves from evil to take the name of the Lord in vain, for I am the Lord
your God, even the God of your fathers, the God of Abraham and of Isaac and of
Jacob.
22 I am he
who led the children of Israel out of the land of Egypt; and my arm is
stretched out in the last days, to save my people Israel.
23 Cease
to contend one with another; cease to speak evil one of another.
24 Cease
drunkenness; and let your words tend to edifying one another.
25 If thou
borrowest of thy neighbor, thou shalt restore that which thou hast borrowed;
and if thou canst not repay then go straightway and tell thy neighbor, lest he
condemn thee.
26 If thou
shalt find that which thy neighbor has lost, thou shalt make diligent search
till thou shalt deliver it to him again.
27 Thou
shalt be diligent in preserving what thou hast, that thou mayest be a wise
steward; for it is the free gift of the Lord thy God, and thou art his
steward.
28 If thou
art merry, praise the Lord with singing, with music, with dancing, and with a
prayer of praise and thanksgiving.
29 If thou
art sorrowful, call on the Lord thy God with supplication, that your souls may
be joyful.
30 Fear
not thine enemies, for they are in mine hands and I will do my pleasure with them.
31 My
people must be tried in all things, that they may be prepared to receive the
glory that I have for them, even the glory of Zion; and he that will not bear
chastisement is not worthy of my kingdom.
32 Let him
that is ignorant learn wisdom by humbling himself and calling upon the Lord his
God, that his eyes may be opened that he may see, and his ears opened that he
may hear;
33 For my
Spirit is sent forth into the world to enlighten the humble and contrite, and
to the condemnation of the ungodly.
34 Thy
brethren have rejected you and your testimony, even the nation that has driven
you out;
35 And now
cometh the day of their calamity, even the days of sorrow, like a woman that is
taken in travail; and their sorrow shall be great unless they speedily repent,
yea, very speedily.
36 For
they killed the prophets, and them that were sent unto them; and they have shed
innocent blood, which crieth from the ground against them.
37
Therefore, marvel not at these things, for ye are not yet pure; ye can not yet
bear my glory; but ye shall behold it if ye are faithful in keeping all my
words that I have given you, from the days of Adam to Abraham, from Abraham to
Moses, from Moses to Jesus and his apostles, and from Jesus and his apostles to
Joseph Smith, whom I did call upon by mine angels, my ministering servants, and
by mine own voice out of the heavens, to bring forth my work;
38 Which
foundation he did lay, and was faithful; and I took him to myself.
39 Many have
marveled because of his death; but it was needful that he should seal his
testimony with his blood, that he might be honored and the wicked might be
condemned.
40 Have I
not delivered you from your enemies, only in that I have left a witness of my name?
41 Now,
therefore, hearken, O ye people of my church; and ye elders listen together;
you have received my kingdom.
42 Be
diligent in keeping all my commandments, lest judgments come upon you, and your
faith fail you, and your enemies triumph over you. So no more at present.
Amen and Amen.
The
battalion marched seventeen miles. They
passed over an area of flat, baked clay that must have been covered by
water. There was not a bush or weed for
miles. At one point they crossed over a
trail made by thousands of animals that had recently been driven from
California to Sonora. The men made
their camp near a mesquite thicket in the vicinity of the present‑day
Mexicali, California. The battalion was
becoming dangerously low on provisions.
They hoped that their guide, Leroux, would soon return from the west
with relief.
Watson, ed., Manuscript
History of Brigham Young, 502; Brooks, ed., On the Mormon Frontier, The
Diary of Hosea Stout 1844‑1861,
229; Doctrine and Covenants, Section 136; Cooke, Exploring
Southwestern Trails 1846‑1854, 212‑13; Yurtinus, A Ram in the Thicket, 459‑60
The
Council of the Twelve met at Ezra T. Benson's home. They decided that the “Word and Will of the Lord,” received the
previous day, should be presented for sustaining vote before the Councils of the
Church.
There was
a bad snow storm during the day and the weather was colder. Hosea Stout wrote: “This was one of the most
cold & disagreeable day ever met with The wind in the North beating a driving
snow which almost entirely obstructed the sight.” Mary Richards hung out some
cloths on a line. They froze before she
could even finish hanging them. Wilford
Woodruff, Brigham Young and several of the bishops worked on the Council House
making doors and plastering the walls.
Work continued until midnight.
Eliza R.
Snow went to Brigham Young’s home to stay for a week, probably to help Louisa
Beaman Young with her new baby, Moroni Young.
While there, she heard President Young bless his new son.
Norton
Jacob, following the counsel of Heber C. Kimball, went to visit Brother Joe
Ricks, who was settled on the west branch of the Nishnabotna River. Brother Jacob asked Brother Ricks for
assistance to enable him to go with the advance pioneer group in the
spring. Brother Ricks readily agreed to
send a two horse team with him and promised to take care of Norton Jacob’s
family while he was away with the Twelve.
In the
evening, Brigham Young went to the Octagon and conversed with William G. and
Ute Perkins on the principles of adoption and the Levitical Priesthood. He told them that no son of Levi had yet
been found in these last days to minister at the altar.
A
daughter, Jan Lettice Edwards, was born to Caleb G. and Cynthia Shephard
Edwards.12 A daughter, Clarinda H. Johnson, was born to Benjamin F. and
Flora Gleason Johnson. Lyman Pond, age
six, died. He was the son of Stillman
and Mariah Pond.
The
battalion marched before the sunrise.
Robert Bliss described their bleak circumstances: “. . . continued our
slow march over the plains with poor prospects . . . our men have not half
enough to eat & what we do eat is poor but we are kept from starving so far
we look to Him who is able to help us in this time of Want.”
The men
marched for about eight miles and to their joy, were greeted by Major Jeremiah
Cloud, who announced that the relief detail was up ahead. Major Cloud also brought a letter with sad
news of General Kearny's recent battles.
He reported that a battle was fought at San Pascual on December 6. (See December 6, 1846.)
The
battalion reached Pozo Hondo, where they received forty‑two mules and ten
beef cattle from the relief detail. The
new mules were very wild and difficult to control. The starving battalion welcomed the new supply of beef which they
quickly cooked. After a brief rest,
they marched on for eleven miles and camped near present‑day route 80
between Dixieland and Plaster City, California. No water was found that night.
Nine
wagons arrived from Bent’s Fort with sixty days’ rations for the sick
detachments of the battalion. Daniel
Tyler wrote that they were able “to experience the contrast between short food
and hard labor and full rations and no labor.” A daughter, Phoebe Isabell Williams, was born to Thomas S.
and Albina Merrill Williams. The Williams family was part of the second
sick detachment of the Mormon Battalion.
Watson, ed., Manuscript
History of Brigham Young, 503; Wilford Woodruff's Journal 3:117;
Brooks, ed., On the Mormon Frontier, The Diary of Hosea Stout 1844‑1861, 229; Ward, ed., Winter
Quarters, 106; Beecher, ed., The Personal Writings of Eliza R. Snow, 152; “Norton Jacob Autobiography,”
BYU, .45; Yurtinus, A Ram in the Thicket, 460‑62; “The Journal of
Robert S. Bliss,” Utah Historical Quarterly, 4:84; “The Journal of
Nathaniel V. Jones,” Utah Historical Quarterly, 4:11; Tyler, A
Concise History of the Mormon Battalion, 196
The
weather continued to be very cold. The
Twelve met with the Municipal High Council.
Brigham Young advised the brethren to start obtaining wagon timber that
can be seasoned for a year. Elder
Willard Richards read “The Word and Will of the Lord” which had been received
two days earlier. Reynolds Cahoon
proposed that the communication be received as a true revelation from the
Lord. Isaac Morley seconded the
motion. Alanson Eldredge stated that it
was plain to his understanding. Isaac
Morley expressed approval. Winslow Farr
said that it reminded him of the first reading of the Book of Mormon. He was perfectly satisfied and knew it was
from the Lord. Daniel Russell said he
felt just as he did after the first Mormon sermon that he had ever heard. Thomas Grover testified that it was the
voice of the Spirit. Other members of
the High Council also voice approval.
They unanimously voted to accept it.
Hosea
Stout explained the procedures that were followed: “I will just state that it
is in the order of the Priest Hood to lay a revelation before all the
authorities for their sanction before it is considered binding. In this case it was done & received as
above.”
In the
evening, the Twelve met with the Presidents of the Seventies. They also voted unanimously in favor of the
revelation. President Young proposed
that the Twelve start to call brethren to assist them in organizing their
respective companies.
President
Young also gave some instruction on doctrinal matters. He stated that a body that was pure enough
to receiving the Spirit of the Lord could withstand any evil spirit. Such a body was also susceptible to converse
with angels at any time. He addressed
the subject of adoption sealing to the Twelve.
Some people were worried that they would lose some glory if they were
sealed to a member of the Twelve. He
stated, “A Saint's kingdom consisted of his own posterity, and to be sealed to
one of the Twelve did not diminish him, but only connected him according to the
law of God by that perfect chain and order of Heaven, that will bind the
righteous from Adam to the last Saint.”
The important thing was to be sealed so that Adam could claim all as
members of his kingdom.
Harriet
Young worried about her husband Lorenzo Dow Young, who was still away from
Winter Quarters on a trading expedition.
“I feel lonesome, for I fear those that are absent are suffering with
the cold.”
A son,
Samuel E. Eggleston, was born to Samuel and Lurania Burgess Eggleston.13
A son, James William Lance, was born to Jacob and Mary Marsh Lance.
At the
herding grounds, Asahel Lathrop and John Lowry wrote a letter to Brigham Young
stating that the Sioux chief, Eagle, was in the area with three bands of
Indians. They had stolen several horses
and killed about thirty head of cattle and horses. The brethren reported in the letter that a council had been held
with Chief Eagle who returned four of the stolen horses. But the Indians soon stole them again. Eagle stated that the Sioux intended to kill
the rest of the Omahas when spring came, but wanted the brethren to tell the
Pottawatomie chiefs that they were at peace with them. One of the herdsman had moved their horses
fifteen or twenty miles away, but the Indians discovered them and stole nine of
them. Because of all these difficulties
and losses, the brethren at the herding grounds finally concluded to send the
remaining cattle back to Winter Quarters.
They were also out of bread stuff and medicine for their sick.
Colonel
Cooke started the battalion marching at 2 a.m. under the stars. They were very anxious to reach water and
needed to march while it was cool. As
daylight approached, it became “exceedingly cold, too much so to ride.” The guide became lost and the teams were
nearly exhausted. By 10 a.m., it became
very hot and by 11 a.m., the lead group reached Carrizo Creek, a clear, running
stream. One company did not reach the
camp until sunset because their mules entirely gave out. A relief group had to be sent back to assist
them. Henry Standage was part of the
last company. He wrote, “saw many of the brethren laying by the road
side begging for water and many mules give out.” William Coray recorded: “Nothing could have saved our lives but
the unseen hand of Almighty God, as the most of us were without bread stuff
entirely.”
Colonel
Cooke wrote: “The last, worst desert is
passed in safety, but with great suffering. . . . Thus, without water for near
three days (for the animals) and encamping two nights in succession without
water, the battalion made, in forty‑eight hours, four marches of
eighteen, eight, eleven, and nineteen miles, suffering from frost and from
summer heat!” Sixteen mules had died
over this period and the sheep were still miles behind. Even the new wild mules suffered because
they refused to drink water from buckets.
Nine
Mexicans from Tucson overtook the battalion.
They had followed them with the permission of Colonel Cooke to seek a
better life in California. They were
nearly starved and had been living off the dead battalion mules. One of the men reported that the Mexican
army did not return to Tucson until three or four days after the battalion left
the city.
Colonel
Cooke reported: “A great number of my men are wholly without shoes, and use
every expedient, such as rawhide moccasins and sandals, and even wrapping their
feet in pieces of woolen and cotton cloth.”
Daniel Tyler added: “Others
improvised a novel style of boots by stripping the skin from the leg of an ox.
. . . Others wrapped cast‑off clothing around their feet, to shield them
from the burning sand during the day and the cold at night.”
Daniel
Tyler was very sick on this day and had been riding on a poor government
mule. He had so much pain in his back
that at times he would have to stop and lay on the ground. At one point, he was thought to be dead
because his mule got loose and marched alone into camp. But thankfully Sergeant Tyler was rescued by
some of the other men.
Watson, ed., Manuscript
History of Brigham Young, 503‑05, 523-24; “Diary of Lorenzo Dow
Young,” Utah Historical Quarterly, 14:154; Brooks, ed., On the Mormon
Frontier, The Diary of Hosea Stout 1844‑1861,
229; Cooke, Exploring Southwestern Trails 1846‑1854, 215‑17;
Journal of Henry Standage in Golder, The March of the Mormon Battalion, 202; Tyler, A
Concise History of the Mormon Battalion, 244‑45; Ricketts, Melissa's
Journey with the Mormon Battalion, 61
The
weather was bitter cold, seventeen degrees below zero. The various wards held their Sunday
meetings. One of the wards met in the
Council House for the first time.
Brigham
Young and several other members of the Twelve met with many of the Seventies
and High Priests. Willard Richards read
“The Word and Will of the Lord” and it was unanimously accepted by those
present.
Brigham
Young recorded in his history:
I addressed
the Assembly showing that the church had been led by Revelation just as much
since the death of Joseph Smith as before, and that he was as great and good a
man, and as great a Prophet as ever lived upon the earth, Jesus excepted. Joseph received his apostleship from Peter
and his brethren, and the present apostles received their apostleship from
Joseph the first apostle and Oliver Cowdery, the second Apostle.
Other
business was conducted at this meeting.
Several of the Seventies volunteered to split and hew wood to lay a
floor in the Council House on Monday.
Also, a list of Brigham Young's emigration company was read.
The Twelve
met with the High Council. The Council
asked President Young to take charge of the Council House. A committee was appointed to look after
Sister Magdalena Durfee's children.14 They read two articles written by Thomas L.
Kane that had been published in a Pennsylvania newspaper. They were very pleased by the things written
about his stay with the Saints.
On this
day, Vilate Kimball wrote a poem for her husband, Heber C. Kimball:
No being
round the spacious earth
Beneath the
vaulted arch of heaven,
Divides my
love, or draws it thence,
From him to
whom my heart is given.
Like the
frail ivy to the oak,
Drawn
closer, by the tempest river,
Through
sorrow's flood he'll bear me up
And light
with smiles my way to heaven.
The gift
was on the altar laid;
The
plighted vow on earth was given;
The seal
eternal has been made,
And by his
side I'll reign in heaven.
A son,
William Hyde, was born to William and Elizabeth Bullard Hyde.15
A daughter, Martha McKinney Langley, was born to George W. and Martha
Akes Langley.16
In the
morning, the battalion discovered that many of the new wild mules had escaped
from the guards. This delayed the march
until 9 a.m. When they finally did get
underway, the march was long and difficult.
Colonel Cooke wrote that it was the worst road since they had left the
Rio Grande. In the early afternoon,
they reached a place called Palm Springs.
The men were fascinated by the palm trees. It was the first time they had ever seen such trees. There was no grass for the mules at this
spot, so they pressed on.17
At
nightfall, the first wagon arrived at Vallecito. Colonel Cooke wrote: “The men arrived here completely worn
down. They staggered as they marched,
as they did the day before.” One of the
companies received their last rations of pork and flour. They would have to eat beef for
breakfast.
Captain
James Brown called the battalion members together. He told the men that they were likely to be detained in the army
after their year was up and that he had been promised that he would be the one
to raise another battalion. John Steele
wrote: “I think he is very much troubled with the big head.”
General
Kearny met with Governor John C. Fremont.
Kearny was frustrated that Fremont refused to obey his orders. Fremont made Los Angeles his capital and
stationed his California Volunteers at San Gabriel, north of Los Angeles.
Watson ed., Manuscript
History of Brigham Young, 505‑06; Kelly, ed., Journals of John D.
Lee, 1846‑1847 and 1859, 52‑3; “Diary of Lorenzo Dow Young,” Utah
Historical Quarterly 14:154; Whitney, Life of Heber C. Kimball, 335; Cooke, Exploring
Southwestern Trails 1846‑1854, 217‑20; “The Journal of Robert
S. Bliss,” The Utah Historical
Quarterly, 5:84; Yurtinus, A Ram in the Thicket, 309-10, 496-97
The
temperature fell to twenty degrees below zero.
Harriet Young wrote that it was “tedious cold.” Her husband, Lorenzo Dow Young returned from
a trading expedition “almost frozen.”
She added: “we rejoiced to see him alive, for was afraid he would
perish.”
Even in
the bitter cold, Wilford Woodruff still worked on his house. With the help of others, he dug earth out of
a bank and covered the roof.
The Indian
church member, Joseph Herring, who had been breathing out threats against the
Twelve, was excommunicated from the Church.
At 6 p.m.,
Brigham Young preached in the Council House to about three hundred me were in
his “company.” These included his
family organization, those who had been adopted by him. He recorded: “I warned all who intended to
proceed to the mountains that iniquity would not be tolerated in the Camp of
Israel. I did not want any to join my
company unless they would obey the Word and Will of the Lord, live in honesty
and assist to build up the kingdom of God.”
He stated that he did not have enough cattle for the journey, but had
not fears. “When Joseph and Hyrum and
others were in prison I said I knew that they would be delivered safely out of
the hands of the Missourians. I know that
every man who puts forth this means to build up this kingdom will receive a
hundred fold.”
A
daughter, Emily Percinda Crisman, was born to Charles and Mary Hill Crisman.
A
daughter, Sarah Jane Fullmer, was born to David and Sarah Banks Fullmer. David Fullmer was serving as the president
of the Garden Grove settlement.
The
battalion rested at Vallecito for the day, cleaning their guns and washing
their clothes. Many of the men had not
arrived the previous night and came straggling into camp during the morning. Some had spent the night at the Palm Springs. The battalion flock of eighty‑eight
sheep was herded into camp at midday.
Because the rations were so low, Colonel Cooke ordered beef cattle to be
killed, and issued double rations in the morning. Only eight wagons were left.
Colonel
Cooke received a letter written by Captain Montgomery of the ship Portsmouth,
which had greeted the Saints on the Brooklyn when they arrived in San
Francisco Bay the previous July.
Captain Montgomery was currently serving as the governor of San
Diego. He wrote that he welcomed the
approach of the battalion. He warned
Colonel Cooke about several leaders of the Californian Mexicans who had “broken
their parole” and were expected to try to march to Sonora along the battalion's
route.
In the
evening, Colonel Cooke wrote: “The men who this morning were prostrate, worn
out, hungry, and heartless, have recovered their spirits tonight [and] are
singing and playing the fiddle.”
Watson ed., Manuscript
History of Brigham Young, 506‑07; “Diary of Lorenzo Dow Young,” Utah
Historical Quarterly, 14:154; Wilford Woodruff's Journal 3:118‑19;
Brooks, ed., On the Mormon Frontier, The Diary of Hosea Stout 1844‑1861, 230; Cooke, Exploring
Southwestern Trails 1846‑1854, 220‑21
In the
evening at the Council House, Heber C. Kimball organized his extended, adopted
family, consisting of about two hundred people, into a company for the journey
to the west. Wilford Woodruff also
organized his family consisting of forty men.
Twenty‑four were present.
He wrote: “Those that Joined me entered in a covenant with uplifted
Hands to Heaven to keep all the commandments & Statues of the Lord our God
and to sustain me in my office.”18
Also in
the evening, Mary and Jane Richard were at Maria Wilcox’s home where they had a
good supper. Afterwards, Maria played
several tunes on her accordion that all enjoyed.
The new
mules again strayed during the night which delayed the march. They traveled uphill into a narrow canyon
[present‑day Box Canyon]. After a
few miles, the lead companies came to a halt as they came to a rugged
mountain. Colonel Cooke pressed them on
to climb up to a 200‑foot gap.
Large stones were rolled out of the way. They next came to a canyon that was even worse, with a narrow
pass and difficult rocks. Using axes,
they pounded, broke, and split rocks to increase the pass opening for the
wagons. They had to continue this labor
for several hours.19 One of the big wagons had to be taken apart
in order to fit through a narrow opening.
They ascended a sandy stream to a mountain top and ended up camping for
the night without water in present‑day Blair Valley. A beef was killed for supper
Henry
Boyle reflected on the day's labor: “Never have I seen men work with more
courage than here exhibited, considering our circumstance. Our flour is all gone, long since, and we
have nothing but the poorest kind of beef, and but little of that, as may be
judged, when a beef is killed nothing of it is left ‑‑ hyde &
entrails all disappear.”
Private
John Perkins, a member of the second sick detachment of the battalion, died
after a lingering illness. Also, about
this time the men at Pueblo started to practice squad drills. There had been rumors that Mexicans and
Indians were intending to attack Pueblo.
Preparations for defense were being made.
Mexicans
and Indians revolted against their American rule in Taos, located about 150
miles southwest of Pueblo. They stormed
the home of Governor Charles Bent, butchered him, and killed about 12‑15
other Americans. The battle would
continue for two days.
Parley P.
Pratt, John Taylor, and twelve others left England on the ship America
bound for New Orleans. They chartered
the second cabin. Parley P. Pratt
wrote:
We bid
adieu to our warm hearted and affectionate friends in England, and embarked on
this ship. Our company consisted of
fourteen persons in all, composed of returning Elders and a few families or
individuals who were emigrating with us.
We were very comfortable in our own little cabin, where we had our own
provisions, and set our own table, hiring the ship’s cook to do our cooking. We sailed on January 19th, but we soon met a
gale of wind, which was directly contrary to us.
John
Taylor later wrote: “I had strange presentiments before we went on board, of
danger or ship‑wreck ‑‑ the spirit did not manifest which.”
Watson, ed., Manuscript
History of Brigham Young, 507; Roberts, The Life of John Taylor,
182; Autobiography of Parley P. Pratt, 354; Wilford Woodruff's
Journal, 3:119; Ward, ed., Winter Quarters, 106; Cooke, Exploring
Southwestern Trails 1846‑1854, 221‑24; Yurtinus, A Ram in
the Thicket, 299, 466‑68; Tyler, A Concise History of the Mormon
Battalion, 196; Kimball, Historic Sites and Markers Along the
Mormon and other Great Western Trails,
229
The
weather was more comfortable. A council
meeting was held at Heber C. Kimball’s house.
The names of Brigham Young and Heber C.
Kimball’s companies were read off.
Isaac Morley was appointed president of the first company (Brigham
Young’s company), Reynolds Cahoon and John Young were appointed counselors.
As evening
approached, Harrison Burgess arrived from Nauvoo with many letters and
packages. The business of the council
was put aside in order for them to read over the newspapers and letters. The Trustees informed the leaders that a Dr.
Galland had sworn out a lien on the temple and other Church property for
$25,000. This was just one of many
annoying harassments that the Church had to continually deal with. Daniel H. Wells wrote from Burlington, Iowa,
sending a letter of introduction for William E. Clifford, a non‑Mormon
citizen of Nauvoo who had defended the Saints.
Mr. Clifford had recently been forced to leave Nauvoo. The brethren were also excited to read three
issues of the Millennial Star, edited by Orson Hyde in Liverpool, England. Wilford Woodruff mentioned: “We had quite a
treat.”
The
battalion marched before sunrise, anticipating a difficult march over a rocky
hill. After about an hour, they were
able to get the wagons over by pulling them and lifted them over rocks with
ropes. The road on the other side was
excellent. After another five or six
miles they arrived at San Felipe, the site of a deserted Indian village. At this point, two of the beef cattle were
killed for breakfast. In the afternoon,
they marched up a pass and established camp at some good water in upper San
Felipe Valley. Robert S. Bliss wrote:
“For the last week we have been among Mts. but we have come today where grass
is growing two or three inches in some places high. The country looks better as we approach the sea.”
Word came
from Jerome Zabrisky, that part of Corporal William S. Muir’s detachment, sent
back to retrieve more of the lost flour from the ill‑fated boat scheme,
were back at Vallecito with more than four hundred pounds of flour. Guides were sent back with mules to help
them bring the flour forward.
Colonel
Cooke considered whether he should march the Battalion to the pueblo at Los
Angeles rather than on to San Diego as previously ordered. San Diego was at peace, but there were
reports of battles at the pueblo.
Colonel Cooke decided to march the battalion to Warner's Ranch and then
on to Los Angeles.
Watson, ed., Manuscript
History of Brigham Young, 507; Wilford Woodruff's Journal 3:119;
Cooke, Exploring Southwestern Trails 1846‑1854, 224‑27; “The
Journal of Robert S. Bliss,” Utah Historical Quarterly 5:84
The Twelve
met at Ezra T. Benson's home to read newspapers and converse on the
gospel. John Van Cott delivered another
package which contained issues of the Millennial Star and other newspapers
which were brought from Hunsucker's Ferry Post Office, in Missouri.
In the
evening the Twelve met with the High Council and bishops. They read newspapers late into the
night.
A son,
Charles Wilson, was born to Bushrod W. and Catherine Anderson Wilson.20
The
battalion marched ahead on this cold, cloudy morning. Colonel Cooke wrote: “The path ‑‑ now a road ‑‑
winds amid a forest of large evergreen oaks.
Cold as it was, the fresh, deep, green grass was springing everywhere
from the ground.” As they traveled down
the road, Colonel Cooke stopped and drilled the men while they waited for the
wagons to catch up. After several more
miles, they finally reached Warner’s Ranch, which would later be a famous
stopping place on this southwestern route.
It was also the first house that the men had seen since they had arrived
in California. William Hyde wrote: “The valley was cheering beyond description
to the weary and fainting soldiers.”
The men rejoiced as they realized that they had reached their goal of
California. Private Henry Bolyle
recorded: “What to us could be more
lovely or more cheering at the present time, A hearty ‘thank God’ come from
every bosom.”
Colonel
Cooke met Mr. Warner.21 They discussed the need to take in many of
the cattle and mares that were running wild in the area. At this time there were about four hundred
Indian and thousands of cattle overrunning his land. He wished to reduce their number. Warner also shared the news that General Kearny had captured Los
Angeles and was struggling for power with John C. Fremont over who should
govern. Colonel Cooke purchased three
head of cattle from Warner. There was
very little breadstuff in the area to purchase.
Colonel
Cooke asked Anonion, the Indian chief in the area, to provide twenty men to
accompany the battalion to Los Angeles, to assist in cattle guarding, driving,
and to act as scouts.
Colonel
Cooke assessed the condition of his battalion.
“I consider it absolutely necessary to rest here tomorrow, not only on
account of the weak and exhausted condition of the men, but to carry out my
objects of collecting the general’s mules (and my strays at Santa Isabel), and
also to enable the party with the flour to overtake me. The men are weak for want of food. I have issued two and a half pounds of meat,
but it is poor and the proportion of bone is great.”
William
Coray was impressed by the local Indian’s skill with the cattle. “. . . the Indians on horseback throwing the
lassoes and catching cattle by the head and legs and throwing them and holding
them down by having the lasso wound round and round the horn of the
saddle. Their skill beat any thing I
ever saw; they throw with so much certainty.”
Elder Addison
Pratt was still on the islands, hoping to soon return home, but without the
means to secure passage on a ship. In
the mean time, he continued to preach the gospel and visit friends. On this day he was traveling between two
small islands in a canoe with a native.
The sea became rough and when they came in sight of their destination,
the breakers were frightfully rough. He
wrote: “Haametua is an experienced fisherman and a bold daring man about the
reefs, but I saw he was in great dougt as to our lives. He says to me, ‘Let us pray.’ I lookt
around, and as I thought it would endager our situation still more to lay down
our paddles, I replied that I did not cease to pray and he must not. He said that was good.” They were soon assisted by men on shore and
attempted a very dangerous landing.
Their canoe sank but they were helped to shore by the natives. Elder Pratt wrote: “I lookt back upon the
breakers and saw how miraculously the Lord had saved us from a watery grave,
the tears of gratitude rolled down my face in streams.”
Watson, ed., Manuscript
History of Brigham Young, 507; Cooke, Exploring Southwestern Trails 1846‑1854,
224‑27; Hill, The History of Warner's Ranch and its Environs;
William Coray Journal; Journal of Henry Standage in Golder, The March of
the Mormon Battalion, 204;
Yurtinus, A Ram in the Thicket, 468‑72; Bigler, The Gold Discovery Journal of Azariah Smith, 68;
Ellsworth, The Journals of Addison Pratt, 311-13
The wind
was blowing very hard this day. Several
families had to take down their tents to prevent them from being blown to
pieces. Brigham Young wrote to Joseph
A. Stratton, the president of the Church branch at St. Louis, Missouri, asking
him to invite as many brethren there as possible to settle their families and
come alone to Winter Quarters to prepare for the pioneer journey to the west. There were about 1,500 Saints spending the
winter in St. Louis. Brigham Young had
hoped that the pioneer company might be able to leave in March but he wrote to
Brother Stratton that it was “very uncertain whether the Pioneers will leave
here before April.”
As Mary
Richards was home cleaning house and sewing, Ababil Abott stopped by to inform
her that John Van Cott had brought a letter for Sister Richards from
Missouri. Mary quickly went to the Van
Cott home and found the rare letter to be a note from her brother John’s wife,
Ellen Briggs Douglass Parker, informing her that the family was doing
well. Eliza R. Snow visited Eliza Ann Whitney, who was
quite ill and in her late months of pregnancy.
They spent a very interesting evening together.
William
Clayton went with Jacob Hutchinson to a party at the Packer’s where they
“played for the party in the smoke till near midnight.”
Abigail
Jeffers Sprague, age seventy-four, died of old age. She was the wife of Hezekiah Sprague.
Freeman
Nickerson, age sixty‑nine, died.22
The
battalion rested near Warner’s Ranch.
There was a hot spring nearby,
Calienta, that sent up clouds of steam that could be seen from a half
mile away. The men enjoyed bathing in
the warm water that in some places was “hot enough to scald a swine.” At its hottest point, it was 170 degrees. The local Indians would cook food in the
hottest portion of the springs by placing it in baskets to be dipped in the
water. Daniel Tyler wrote: “Strange as
it may appear, it was asserted, not only by Warner, but by eye‑witnesses
of our own men, that during cold nights, the Indians (who were nearly nude)
slept with their bodies in the warm stream while their heads lay upon the soddy
banks.”
Many of
the men were trying to make deals with Mr. Warner for food. Men in one company purchased a roasting
hog. William Coray wrote: “I can say
candidly that I have never eaten anything that tasted as good before . . . the brethren’s wants were not satisfied and
it hurt my feelings to see them beg for food.”
James S.
Brown wrote about his activities of the day:
Some of us
wandered off up the creek in hopes of finding wild fruit or game. We came to a small camp of Indians who were
engaged in hulling and leaching live‑oak acorns, then pounding them to a
pulp in stone mortars; this was boiled to a thick mush in home‑made
earthen pots. The writer bantered one
of the old ladies for about three or four quarts of that cold‑ochre much,
by offering her the belt that held his pantaloons in place. She accepted the offer, and he, being
without proper utensil to receive his purchase, substituted his hat for a pan,
and the mush was scooped into it. Then
when he found himself in the dilemma of his pantaloons threatening to desert
him, he seized the alternative of holding up that portion of his attire with
one hand, and carrying his hat and its contents in the other, and proceeded to
camp, where his purchase was divided and devoured as a sweet morsel.
The
quartermaster was able to trade for twenty‑two good beef (eighty‑eight poor sheep and some
money.) The men's rations were
increased to four pounds of beef per day.
Watson, ed., Manuscript
History of Brigham Young, 508‑09; Bennett, Mormons at the Missouri,
161; Beecher, ed., The Personal Writings of Eliza R..Snow, 153; Ward,
ed., Winter Quarters, 107; Brooks, ed., On the Mormon Frontier, The
Diary of Hosea Stout 1844‑1861,
230; William Clayton's Journal, 71; Yurtinus, A Ram in the Thicket,
472‑73; Journal of Henry Standage in Golder, The March of the Mormon Battalion, 204; Brown, Life of
a Pioneer, 70; Tyler, A Concise History of the Mormon Battalion, 250
Brigham
Young and other members of the Twelve attended a meeting with the Council of
Seventies in the new Council House.
After the meeting was opened with prayer, the names of each member of
the Seventies were read and a report was given regarding each of their labor in
laying the Council House floor. Brigham
Young mentioned that some seats were still needed and other items to make the
room comfortable. Twelve men
volunteered to offer their services to gather and make these items on the
following Monday. Arrangements were
made to hold several dances and festivals in the building during these cold
winter days. Socials would be held on
the following Tuesday and Wednesday.
Those who had given their service to build the Council House were
invited to bring their “sweetmeats, nuts and cakes, that their hearts may be
made glad while they dance before the Lord.”
The
Seventies conducted some business. John
D. Lee was honorably released as the general clerk and recorder because his
services were needed elsewhere. A
unanimous vote of thanks was offered for his fine service.
Brigham
Young sent for the band, who were given seats in the southern portion of the
building. President Young then gave the
assembly some instructions. “I told the
brethren and sisters I would show them how to go forth in the dance in an
acceptable manner before the Lord. I
then knelt down and prayed to God in behalf of the meeting imploring His
blessings to the rest upon those present and dedicating the meeting and house
to the Lord.” The band then started
playing a lively tune. John D. Lee
wrote, “and in a moment the whole house appeared to me to be filled with the
melodious sounds of the inspired harps of Heaven.” The dance was started by Brigham Young, Heber C. Kimball, Wilford
Woodruff, Ezra T. Benson, Joseph Young, and Orrin Porter Rockwell.
Joseph
Hovey wrote this account:
Brother
Brigham said he was going to have the first dance and his brethren with him so
they would set a pattern for the rest.
They called for the band, and on they came forthwith. Brother Brigham organized a number of
couples and set the band to playing a tune, after which we kneeled down and
prayed to the God of Heaven. I can
truly say that the prayer that was offered up and the music and the dance were
controlled with the Spirit of God which caused me to shed a flow of tears for joy . . . Truly I was led to say this was the
way the ancient fathers praised the Lord in dance.
The
evening was very enjoyable. At 10 p.m.,
President Young retired and the music ceased at 11 p.m.
Mary Richards
had to contend with one of the most annoying trials of these cold winter days ‑‑
a smoky house. The sod chimney at times
worked poorly, especially on cold days, not allowing the smoke to escape. Sister Richards wrote: “The house smoked so bad that it was almost
imposable to keep any fire.”
Francis
Boggs, age fifteen months, died. He was
the son of Francis and Evelina Martin Boggs.
A
daughter, Leonara Charlotte Snow, was born to Lorenzo and Charlotte Merrill
Snow.
In the
early morning, Colonel Cooke met with Baupista, an Indian chief of the Cahuillo
nation. The Cahuillo had somewhat taken
the side of the Californians (Mexicans) during the recent hostilities. They had also been driving off some of
Warner’s cattle had been causing trouble.
Colonel Cooke encouraged Baupista to “settle his people to their usual
pursuits for a regular livelihood.” He
was warned that “Americans were pouring in from every quarter and would forever
govern the country.” They would aid the
Indians who behaved. Baupista was asked
“to settle down and be more quiet, and to drive in all the captured horses,
etc., to Warner.”
The
battalion started their march toward the pueblo at Los Angeles. They traveled twenty-four miles and camped
in a valley. In the afternoon the rain
began to fall heavily for several hours.
Four or five beef cattle were killed for supper. At dark, Corporal William S. Muir and his
small detachment arrived into camp with the flour shipment that had been
stranded at the Gila because of the ill‑fated boating attempt.
Nathaniel
V. Jones wrote: “There was an Indian came to us that night who appeared very
friendly and he would not leave us that night, but laid all night on the ground
before our tent, and it rained and the wind blew a gale until morning, then we
gave him some meat for which he appeared very thankful.” The storm during the night was
terrible. Most of the tents were blown
down. The William Coray family tent
blew down and William Coray had to plead hard to be allowed to bring his wife,
Melissa, into the public wagon “because the boys knew it disturbed them from
their warmest sleep and they remonstrated against our coming to this tent, but
we finally prevailed.”
A
conference was held at which former apostle and excommunicant from the Church, William
E. McLellin and Martin Harris, one of the Three Witnesses, organized a
following of about forty people into “The Church of Christ.”23
Orson
Spencer arrived to preside over the British Mission. A false report of his death had preceded his arrival. An announcement of his death was even
published in the Millennial Star.
Franklin D. Richards had been appointed to take temporary charge of the
mission. The elders were overjoyed when
Orson Spencer arrived safely.
Watson, ed., Manuscript
History of Brigham Young, 509; Kelly, ed., Journals of John D. Lee, 1846‑1847 and 1859, 55‑6;
Wilford Woodruff's Journal 3:123; Ward, ed., Winter Quarters,
107; Our Pioneer Heritage, 5:352; Jenson, Encyclopedic History of the
Church, 948; Wayne Gunnell “Martin Harris,” 55; Cooke, Exploring
Southwestern Trails 1846‑1854, 231‑32; “The Journal of
Nathaniel V. Jones,” Utah Historical
Quarterly, 4:11; Ricketts, Melissa's Journey with the Mormon Battalion,
63; Whitney, History of Utah, 4:322; “Autobiography of Joseph Hovey,”
BYU, 43
Sabbath meetings
were held in the various Winter Quarters wards. Joseph Hovey wrote about his meeting:
A
revelation was read which had been given previous concerning us being driven
out from our inheritance of our fathers and concerning the keeping of our
covenants and organizing into companies to journey in the spring. Also to humble ourselves and to keep all the
commandments of God. If we felt like it
we could praise the Lord by song, dance and playing on instruments.
Daniel Spencer
was married to Emily Thompson Spencer.
Brigham Young performed the ceremony.
Emily had been the wife of Daniel’s late brother, Hiram Spencer.24
After this ceremony, Brigham Young sealed Claudius V. Spencer to Maria
Antinetta Spencer (his cousin).
Claudius was the son of Daniel Spencer.25 A celebration was then held complete with a
wedding cake. Brigham Young also sealed
Elijah F. Sheets and Margaret Hutchinson.26
In the
evening, Brigham Young attended the Municipal High Council meeting at the Council
House. He was concerned about fire
safety in the city, and encouraged the bishops to see that all the houses in
their wards were not fire-hazards. The straw roofs needed to be covered with
dirt. “If anyone suffers, all the
community suffers loss.” The Council
additionally voted that all the gun powder in Winter Quarters be delivered to
Hosea Stout, the captain of the police, for safekeeping, that it might not be
accidentally “blown up.” There was
much discussion on this point and later the vote was rescinded.
Bishop
George Miller returned from the Missouri settlements from a trading expedition
to buy goods for the Ponca settlement.
In the evening, Wilford Woodruff had an interview with him. He probably informed Bishop Miller about the
change in plans resulting from the revelation received on January 14.
Charity
Campbell, wife of Nathaniel Campbell, died.
Elizabeth Young, age sixty-two, died of dropsy. She was the wife of David Young.
A terrible
rain continued all day. During the
night, many of the cattle and mules strayed past the guards who had a difficult
time seeing the animals in the rain.
Henry Bigler wrote: “The wind blew a hurricane. Hardly a tent was found the next morning
standing. Sam Hill, how it did rain! It
was cold, and it seemed that it would kill every animal in the camp. A good many hats were lost.” James S. Brown recalled: “The flat was so
flooded that we awoke to find ourselves half‑side deep in water.”
Word was
spread throughout the camp that the flour had arrived from the Gila River. Men were assigned to distribute the flour to
their companies. James S. Brown was one
of them.
At the door
of the tent where the flour was being divided we met Col. Cooke, who was
sitting with his head down, as if in deep study. Some of the boys had found a fiddle that had fared better than
its owner, and near by one of the struck up the tune of “Leather Breeches Full
of Stitches,” or some similar lively air. Immediately, a number of men formed a couple of French fours and
began dancing in water half to their shoe tops. The colonel caught the sound, started up and inquired what it
was. Someone replied, “Oh, nothing,
only the boys dancing and making merry over the prospect of getting a little
flour.
The
colonel shrugged his shoulders and remarked, “I never saw such a damned set of
men before in my life. If they can get
out somewhere so they can dry their clothes and have a little flour they will
be as happy as gods!”
The
battalion marched a few miles to find a better spot of brush and trees for the
animals to feed on, near Wild Horse Peak.
The loads carried by the men and in the wagons were heavier than usual because
many things were saturated with rain water.
Many of the men traveled wrapped in wet blankets.
Watson, ed., Manuscript
History of Brigham Young, 509‑10; Esshom, Pioneers and Prominent
Men of Utah, 1138; Kelly, ed., Journals of John D. Lee, 1846‑1847 and 1859, 58; Wilford
Woodruff's Journal, 3:123; Brooks ed., On the Mormon Frontier, The Diary
of Hosea Stout 1844‑1861,
230; Cooke, Exploring Southwestern Trails 1846‑1854, 232‑33;
Gudde, Bigler's Chronicle of the West, 46; Yurtinus, A Ram in the
Thicket, 476; Brown, Life of a Pioneer, 70‑1; “Joseph Hovey
Autobiography,” BYU, 43
Brigham Young
met with his emigration company to organize it further. Ezra T. Benson asked the company if they
wished to appoint their own officers, or if they want President Young to make
the appointments. The company chose the
latter. Isaac Morley was appointed
president of the company with Reynolds Cahoon and John Young as
counselors. Captains of hundreds
included: Daniel Spencer, Edward Hunter, and Willard Snow. Captains of fifties included: Jacob Gates,
Erastus Snow, Ira Eldredge, James W. Cummings, Joseph B. Noble, Benjamin L.
Clapp, Benjamin Brown, and Charles Bird.
President
Young instructed the company about Church Government and the appointing of
leaders. He said that the right to
appoint captains of hundreds and fifties belonged to the people. He explained there would be a time in the
future of the Church when it became so large that it would be impossible for
one man to appoint officers.
The
Captains of the companies were asked to choose names to fill up their
companies. Captains of tens were to take
an inventory of property to make sure the wives of the Mormon Battalion
soldiers could be taken with them if possible. After the company was fully organized, they would determine who
should go ahead as pioneers and who would follow later. Houses at Winter Quarters would be moved
into a line to form a stockade for protection for those who had to stay behind
for another year.
Orson
Pratt was appointed to go on a mission to Mount Pisgah and Garden Grove, to
organize the Saints and present to them the “Word and Will of the Lord.” Ezra T. Benson was to do the same at
Ponca. Charles C. Rich was appointed to
take command of the military.
Brigham
Young and other members of the Twelve later met at the Octagon to write an
epistle to the Saints at Mount Pisgah and Garden Grove.
Wilford
and Phoebe Woodruff watched over Margaret Sheets, who was very ill. During this time, Elder Woodruff wrote a
letter to Joseph Stratton, who was serving as the Church leader over the Saints
in St. Louis, Missouri.
Conditions
at Garden Grove were becoming desperate.
The Saints were very low on provisions.
A meeting was held at which Luman Shurtliff and Daniel S. Hunt were
chosen to take a petition signed by a Garden Grove committee, to a number of
settlements to the east where others may have provisions that could help the
starving Saints at Garden Grove.
The
petition included:
Be it known
to all persons to whom this instrument shall be presented that we about 600
persons (Latter‑day Saints), late citizens of Hancock County, Illinois,
were driven from our houses and farms by the hands of our enemies and compelled
to leave most of the necessaries of life, driven across the Mississippi River
at the point of the bayonet into Iowa and are now encamped on the Pottawattamie
lands, Iowa Territory. Most of our
brethren who had teams and provisions have gone further west. We are poor, many of our number are widows
and orphans, made such by our late exposure.
Most of us are nearly destitute of clothing; in fact, we have scarcely
sufficient to cover our nakedness in such circumstances with only a scant
supply of corn for the winter and remote from settlement that unless we receive
assistance from some source, many of us must assuredly perish. We are therefore induced to appeal to the
sympathy of the free and benevolent part of the community for assistance. We therefore invite you to stretch forth
your hands with liberality and give to our agents such things as you have which
will make the poor widows’ and orphans’ hearts rejoice and thank God of heaven
and his blessings will rest upon you with fourfold for all you give to the poor
persecuted but honest, virtuous and industrious people.
The
committee that signed this petition was: John Topham, William Storrel, Lorenzo
Johnson, Thomas McChan, and William Carson.
A daughter,
Elizabeth Ann Neeley, was born to Lewis and Elizabeth Miller Neeley.
A son,
Almon Whiting Babbitt, was born to Almon W. and Julia Johnson Babbitt. The Babbitt family was still in Nauvoo
because Brother Babbitt, one of the Nauvoo Trustees, was still trying to sell
Nauvoo property.
In the
morning, the creek was still “belly deep” but the battalion marched on for
twelve miles toward the Temecula Valley.
As they approached the valley, they noticed about 150 Indian warriors in
single file across the road with a glitter of arms, spears, and other
weapons. The men were greatly alarmed
and thought that the Indians might be allies of the Mexicans. The Indians, on the other hand, thought the
battalion might be the Mexicans. James
S. Brown explained:
Every
officer took his place, the command dressed in proper order, and, as we
advanced, comrades looked into each other's faces as if to say, ‘How do you
feel about it?’ On asked Alexander Stephens the question, and received a prompt
reply, ‘First‑rate. . . . If we must die, the sooner the better, for it
seems that we must be worn till we starve and die anyhow. I do not fear death a particle.’ Others were
heard to say as much, and although the ashy look of death shone in many faces,
from the privations undergone, I do not think there was a tremor in any heart,
or a single man who showed the white feather.
As we drew near the force in our path, there was a dead silence, as if
awaiting the order to wheel into line and open fire, for we were within rifle
range.
At that
moment, two Indians rode up and the Colonel sent forward two interpreters. The confusion was cleared up quickly and the
Indians welcomed the soldiers. This
Indian party had come to this place to bury their dead from a massacre earlier
in the month by the California Mexicans.
About one hundred warriors had been killed about two weeks earlier.
In the evening,
a messenger arrived with news from General Kearny. The war in California was over and the battalion was to meet
General Kearny at San Diego instead of pressing on, to Los Angeles. This brought great joy to the men. Robert Bliss wrote: “God be Praised for his
protection over us according to the Word of his Servant the Prophet.”
A
messenger, John Albert, arrived and reported that Mexicans and Indians had attacked
Taos [New Mexico] about 150 miles to the southeast. (See January 19, 1847.) He reported that they massacred
almost every white man including Charles Bent, the governor of the province and
Simeon Turley, a rich rancher who had taken in some battalion members. John Steele wrote: “The man who brought the news said he believed he had killed
eight Spaniards himself and got there in two days on foot with a narrow escape,
several balls being shot through his hat.”
This
caused great fear to come into the hearts of the Saints at Pueblo. They sent a messenger to Bent’s Fort to
relay the news and expected that they would probably have to abandon their fort
at Pueblo. However, a return message
later was received that stated that the quartermaster at Bent’s Fort could not
authorize their removal. Those orders
could only be issued from Santa Fe.
Watson, ed., Manuscript
History of Brigham Young, 510‑11; Wilford Woodruff's Journal,
3:123‑24; Kelly, ed., Journals of John D. Lee, 1846‑1847 and 1859, 58‑9; Our Pioneer
Heritage, 1:505; “Luman Shurtliff Autobiography,” typescript, BYU, 69;
Yurtinus, A Ram in the Thicket, 298, 476‑78; Cooke, Exploring
Southwestern Trails 1846‑1854, 233‑34; “The Journal of Robert
S. Bliss,” Utah Historical Quarterly, 4:85; Brown, Life of a Pioneer,
72
Heber C. Kimball
met with and organized his emigration company. Alpheus Cutler was elected president, with Winslow Farr and
Daniel Russell as counselors. The
captains of hundreds chosen were: Henry Herriman, Isaac Higbee and Shadrach
Roundy. The captains of fifties were:
John Pack, George B. Wallace, Levi E. Riter, and Milo Andrus. The captains of tens would be appointed by
the captains of hundreds and fifties.
Elder
Kimball proposed that his company build a house for Bishop George Miller in the
event that he would return to Winter Quarters from Ponca, to take his place as
bishop with Bishop Newel K. Whitney.
The brethren agreed to build this house.27
Orson
Pratt left Winter Quarters to visit Mount Pisgah and Garden Grove. He was to share with the “Word and Will of
the Lord” and to organize them into companies.
In the
afternoon, the Seventies had a “picnic dancing party” at the Council House for
those who had worked on the building.
Brigham Young and Ezra T. Benson also attended. William Clayton and the Quadrille Band
provided the music. Mary Richards was
invited to attend by Stephen Goddard, the Winter Quarters Choir Director. She was delighted to accept this invitation
to be escorted to the dance. The dance
was started according to the pattern that Brigham Young had established the
previous Saturday. Mary Richards wrote:
Bro[ther]
G[oddard] took me on to the floor the first dance. Here for the first time I joined with those who praised God in the
dance when this figure was formed it being the first, and Bro [Albert P.]
Rockwood being at the head. According
to order, we all kneeled down and he offered up a prayer. We then arose & danced the figure and so
praised God in dance . . . had a very pleasent part and some good
refreshments. About 11 oclock every man
took his partner or partners & marched 3 times round the room. We were then dismised with the blessings of
God.
At 5 p.m.,
John D. Lee had a long conversation with Brigham Young regarding using the
battalion money to buy goods. Brother
Lee was troubled because the goods purchased with the money were being sold at
a higher price in order to liquidate the debt for the flouring mill. President Young assured Brother Lee that he
had done well and that all would turn out all right. As soon as the mill was in operation, it would generate
additional funds to help the Saints as a whole.
Sophronia
Harmon Kimball, age twenty-two, died of chills and fever. She was a wife of Heber C. Kimball and a
daughter of Jesse P. and Anna Harmon.
In the
morning, the men watched the Indians bury their dead and then they took up
their journey for San Diego. They traveled
through present‑day Rainbow, California and had to climb a steep and
winding ravine. They later had to ford
San Luis River and Henry Bigler recorded: “In fording a creek that was flush
from the late rain and ran swift as a mill tail and pretty rough, every officer
except the Colonel got a complete ducking.
Their mules fell from under them.
The guides did not escape and every soldier had to wade. It was rather a wet time.”
After
sixteen miles, they camped on the banks of the San Luis River, about two miles
east of the deserted San Juan Ranch.
Henry Standage wrote: “Vegetation is flourishing, grass and clover high
enough for excellent feed. I gathered
some mustard this evening for greens.”
Robert S. Bliss was equally delighted:
“I picked mustard from 5 to 10 inches high for our supper & where
the spring birds are from the Goose to the Hummingbird the most delightful
country I ever was in.” A large herd of
cattle was discovered and Colonel Cooke ordered that some of them be taken for
food.
Watson, ed., Manuscript
History of Brigham Young, 511; Kelly, ed., Journals of John D. Lee, 1846‑1847
and 1859, 59‑60; Ward, ed., Winter Quarters, 107; Brooks, ed.,
On the Mormon Frontier, The Diary of Hosea Stout 1844‑1861, 231; William
Clayton's Journal, 71; Journal of Henry Standage in Golder, The March of
the Mormon Battalion, 205; Gudde, Bigler's
Chronicle of the West, 47; “The Journal of Robert S. Bliss,” Utah Historical Quarterly,
4:85; Yurtinus, A Ram in the Thicket, 298, 478‑79
Brigham
Young, Heber C. Kimball, and Ezra T.
Benson met with the presidents and captains of the emigrating companies to help
them further organize their groups.
Another
Seventies party was held in the Council House.
Two parties had been scheduled because of the large numbers who had
helped with the Council House. William
Clayton recorded: “At 2 p.m. at the Council House with the Quadrille Band and
played for another company of those who had assisted in building the
house. We had plenty of refreshments
and a very sociable party as on yesterday.
Broke up again about midnight.”
Willard
Richards wrote a very long letter on behalf of the Twelve, to be taken with
Ezra T. Benson and Erastus Snow to the Ponca settlement, consisting of 396
Saints, including 98 men. It was full
of counsel and news.
We send
this by our well beloved brethren, Ezra T.
Benson and Erastus Snow, who will read to you “The Word and Will of the
Lord” given at Winter Quarters of the Camp of Israel, January 14, 1847,
concerning the travels of the saints westward.
Brethren, this is a subject that has long attracted our attention, and
concerning which we have thought and felt deeply. . . . While we were
contemplating and praying and councilling on this all important subject, the
Word and Will of the Lord, as you will hear from Brother Benson, was received,
and it has been presented to all the authorities of the different Quorums of
the Priesthood and Church assembled at this place, and received their united
and unanimous sanction, and consequently has become a law unto all saints as
well unto ourselves as unto those unto whome this Epistle is directed, and we
improve this, the earliest opportunity to make known to you the truth received,
and our action thereon.
News was
shared of the recent organization of Brigham Young and Heber C. Kimball's
companies. This organization would next
determine who, within these companies, would be ready to depart in the spring
with an advance group of pioneers to find a place for a summer crop. Then they would determine who should follow
later in the season. Those who remained
would continue to prepare to leave the following year and would take care of
the teams during the next winter. “This
is to be a pattern for each company; thus with a little time and patience, and
a great deal of active industry, every man and woman will be found in their own
order and place amidst the inhabitations of the righteous, just where they want
to be; and just where they must be, if they find salvation in this generation.”
The wives
of the battalion members would be taken along to meet the returning battalion,
eliminating the need for those soldiers to return all the way to the Missouri
to retrieve their families.
It was
recognized that the Ponca Saints were at a location where they could not stay
for a long period of time. They were
admonished to prepare to move as a body to some place where they could put in
spring crops with others from Winter Quarters, probably up the Platte
River.
The Ponca
Saints were informed in this letter that Bishop George Miller was to return to
Winter Quarters with his household, and would travel with the pioneers in the
spring. John Kay was asked to return
with Bishop Miller, “and bring his songs with him . . . we like a little music
as well as you. Come brother Kay and
give us a song.”
Recent
news was shared from Nauvoo. Almon W.
Babbitt, one of the Nauvoo Trustees, had traveled to New York in an attempt to
sell Kirtland and Nauvoo property.
There had been few or no sales.
“A kind of general peace prevails in Hancock [County], on the principle
that the saints have left, and sinners have it their own way.”
No news
had been received recently regarding the Mormon Battalion or the Mexican
War. The Winter Quarters flouring mill
would be ready for operation as soon as the weather warmed up.
They wrote
of the splinter groups. “Sidney Rigdon,
like the lost wandering bee, has returned to the old hive . . . a Campbellite.”28
They also wrote of James J. Strang and his followers who were not doing
well. William Smith, the excommunicated
brother of the prophet, was following after him. Even John C. Bennett had taken up with Strang. Reuben Miller had found the error of his
ways and had published a pamphlet which was convincing many people of the false
teachings of Strang.
Lucy Mack
Smith was reported to be in Knoxville, Illinois with her son William. It was rumored that she had taken up with
Strangism, “but we think it will not be long” because they believed Strang's
church would soon fall. “It would
rejoice our hearts if mother Smith was with us so that we could minister to her
necessities.”
They
shared news from the United States, the wars, killing, destruction, progress,
and scientific advancements. News had
also been received from England regarding the arrival of Orson Hyde and other
members of the Twelve.
The long
epistle was closed with: “May the God of Elijah hasten the time when we shall
be together in some pleasant place, where we can build a Temple unto his name
and administer in those ordinances which will restore us to his presence.”
William A.
Duncan, age forty-three, died of dropsy.
His wife, Dolly Hollingsworth Duncan, died two months earlier.
The battalion
resumed their march at noon. They came
to the deserted San Luis Mission and saw several Indian huts nearby, but no
houses. There was a beautiful vineyard
of about 20 acres.29 Colonel Cooke described: “This is a fine
large church of . . . brick, with an immense quadrangle of apartments with a
corridor, and pillars and arches on each side within and on one face
without.” Robert S. Bliss added: that
it was “one of the most splendid Churches I ever beheld among the Spanish
nation & evidently a Nunery for many years 30 porches in front.” While at the mission, a message was received
from General Kearny instructing the battalion to set up quarters in a Catholic
Church, five miles from San Diego.
At 1 p.m.,
the battalion saw the Pacific Ocean for the first time. Henry Standage wrote that it “was a great
sight to some, never having seen any portion of the Briny deep before.” Colonel Cooke wrote: “The sun was sinking beyond, and so placid
was the sea that it shone a vast space of seemingly transparent light, which,
by contrast, gave to the clear sky a dusky shade. What a strange spectacle was that!” Henry Boyle added: “When
our columns were halted, every eye was turned toward its placid surface, every
heart beat with muttered pleasure, every Soul was full of thankfulness, every
tongue was silent, we all felt too full to give shape to our feeling by any
expression.” Daniel Tyler
recalled:
Prior to
leaving Nauvoo, we had talked about and sung of “the great Pacific sea” and we
were now upon its very borders, and its beauty far exceeded our most sanguine
expectations. Our joy, however, was not
unmixed with sorrow. The next thought
was, where, oh where were our fathers, mothers, brothers, sisters, wives, and
children whome we had left in the howling wilderness, among savages, or at
Nauvoo, subject to the cruelties of the mobs?
They
marched on and camped near the seashore.
Many were kept awake by the sound of the surf.
Tensions
were high as the Saints continued to worry about a possible attack on their
settlement by those who had caused the recent massacre at Taos. All the cattle were rounded up and driven to
the north for safety. Log cabins were
moved together to create a stockade.
Guards kept watch night and day and the families were ready to leave at
a moment’s notice.
Watson, ed., Manuscript
History of Brigham Young, 511‑18;
Van Wagoner, Sidney Rigdon, 391; Wilford Woodruff's Journal,
3:124; William Clayton's Journal, 71; Journal of Henry Standage in
Golder, The March of the Mormon Battalion, 205; Yurtinus, A Ram in
the Thicket, 300, 479‑482; Cooke, Exploring Southwestern Trails
1846‑1854, 235‑37; “The Journal of Robert S. Bliss,” Utah
Historical Quarterly, 4:85; Bigler, The Gold Discovery Journal of
Azariah Smith, 73; Tyler, A Concise History of the Mormon Battalion,
252‑53; Kimball, Historic Sites and Markers along the Mormon and other
Great Western Trails, 231
Three
inches of snow fell on Winter Quarters.
Hosea Stout wrote: “This morning there was a fine white, soft, warm snow
which had fallen last night, accompanied by a south wind. The snow continued to fall untill near
12. The wind was mild and no way
uncomfortable. It was truly a beautiful
morning.”
The
Twelve, Seventies, and their wives spent the day in the Council House “singing,
praying, dancing and making merry before the Lord.” William Clayton recorded: “At the store till noon, and then at
the Council House with the Quadrille Band playing for the third party of those
who had assisted in building the house, together with the poor basket makers.”
John D.
Lee and M. Anderson took a span of mules and rode to the settlements on the
Boyer River (across the Missouri and up the river) to obtain money for the
Church.
At 6 p.m.,
the Twelve met with the High Council to conduct some business. At 8 p.m., the Twelve took their families to
the Council House and danced until 2 a.m.
Nancy
Walker Alexander, age twenty-nine, died.
She was the wife of Horace M. Alexander.
A son, William
Alma Perkins, was born to Ute and Ann Warren Perkins. A daughter, Emily Persinda Tyler, was born to Daniel and Ruth
Welton Tyler.30
The
battalion marched very early. Such a
heavy dew had fallen during the night that the tents were as soaked as if it
had rained. They marched past several
houses during the day. They also
observed thousands of cattle and horses that were running wild. Farms looked desolate because of the recent
war. Henry Standage wrote: “It is now spring though in January ‑‑
everything seems to rejoice; the grass, the trees, weeds, the birds on the
trees, all seem to rejoice.” They
traveled within sight of the ocean all day and after fifteen miles and reached
San Diequito Valley in the afternoon.
All of the officers asked for permission to go into San Diego on the
following day. The roar of the ocean
could again be heard all night.
Henry
Bigler observed: “Carcasses do not seem
to rot in these countries as soon as they do in the United States, but
literally dry up like a mummy, and I do not know but the people live longer for
I have seen some Mexicans and Indians who looked to me as if they were as old
as the everlasting hills.”
George D.
Wilson pressed charges against Lieutenant William Willis for not providing the
amount of rations that the law required.
Captain James Brown heard the case but refused to hear Wilson’s
witnesses. He decided the case in favor
of Lt. Willis.
Orson
Hyde, Parley P. Pratt, and John Taylor
had left Liverpool on the ship, America, bound for New Orleans, on
January 19. Parley P. Pratt wrote:
We soon met
a gale of wind, which was directly contrary to us. This gale continued for nine days, without any cessation or
abatement, during which time we were beating in a land‑locked channel
between Ireland and England, without gaining fifty miles on our course, being
in imminent danger of being cast away on a lee shore. During all this time our Captain lay sick in his berth with a
fever on the brain, and much of the time in a state of mental derangement. We frequently watched with him, and in his
rational moments he would converse a little.
He said his family lived in America, and he much wished to get to them,
but was very positive he should never see them more, having been for many days
oppressed with a sure and certain presentiment that he should never reach America
alive. We, in reply, allowed that
presentiments of that kind were possible, and sometimes true, and to be
depended on, but not always. And
Brother Taylor and myself assured him, as men of God, that his present
presentiment was false, and that both him and his vessel would reach America in
safety. This we assured him over and
over again, from day to day. After nine
days of severe struggle with the wind and waves, the mate and supercargo
becoming discouraged, and the men worn out, they counselled with us and
concluded to put back into the port of Liverpool, which was accordingly done
after some difficulty and delay.
Watson ed., Manuscript
History of Brigham Young, 512; Kelly, ed., Journals of John D. Lee, 1846‑1847 and 1859, 61; Wilford
Woodruff's Journal, 3:124; Journal of Henry Standage in Golder, The
March of the Mormon Battalion, 205‑06;
Cooke, Exploring Southwestern Trails 1846‑1854, 237; Yurtinus, A
Ram in the Thicket, 306, 482; Gudde, Bigler's Chronicle of the West,
47‑8; William Clayton's Journal, 72
It was a
clear warm day, with soft snow falling.
Hosea Stout wrote, “A man could take comfort in life. Every thing seemed to smile.”
George
Miller started out for Ponca. Elders
George A. Smith and Amasa M. Lyman returned to Winter Quarters after a trip
visiting various camps of the Saints between Winter Quarters and Macedonia
Camp. They had held eight meetings and
“found the brethren in a cold and indifferent state, when compared with the
brethren in Winter Quarters.”
It was the
first anniversary of the marriage of Samuel and Mary Richards. Samuel W. Richards was far away in England
on a mission. Mary wrote about her
activities this day: “We had a little
snow after getting my breakfast & doing up my work I went up to our
tent. Found a good fire in the stove
was there all alone for several hours, writing a letter to my far absent
husband. Felt very lonely although it
seemed good to be alone awhile communicating my thoughts to that absent friend
who is dearer to me, yes far dearer than all others.”
In the
evening Mary Richards went with Elsy Snyder and Maria Wilcox to a Choir sing
along at the Council House. “There were
more of Choir tonight at the Council house than had been seen together since we
left Nauvoo.” They sang for an hour and
then danced late into the night.
Members of the Twelve joined in the festivities. Wilford Woodruff wrote, “We felt to praise
the Lord in our hearts.”
But
despite this festive time, Mary Richards longed for her husband. “My thoughts were wandering on by gone days
& I could not help recalling to mind the many changes that had taken place
since that night a year ago. Then was I
happy in the Sociaty of the only one I ever loved but now more than 5000 miles
separates us from each other, and the ever restless ocean rolls between us but
hope still wispers we shall meet again.”
William
Smith, age forty-eight, died of chills.
He was the husband of Ann Smith.
John D.
Lee addressed the Saints at Boyer River on “the organization and the necessary
requisites to prepare us to build up Zion.”
The
battalion marched early and on this historic day, achieved a goal that they had
looked forward to for many months ‑‑ they arrived at San Diego,
California. Their march of 103 days
covered about 1,400 miles. Colonel
Cooke set up his headquarters at the deserted San Diego Mission, about five
miles from the village of San Diego.
They could see several ships at anchor in the bay of San Diego.
Sergeant
Nathaniel V. Jones described the mission:
The mission
of San Diego is beautifully situated on a gentle elevation of table land . . .
with a plaza in front and a little over one story high. The walls are of unburnt brick whitewashed
both on the outside and inside, the building is covered with concave tile which
are laid on and last fast. The burial
ground is on the east side, the church on the west. . . . The rooms are dark
and damp with brick floors. There are
two beautiful vineyards on the flat in front of the building. They are interspersed with olive trees and
in the front of the vineyard on the left are two beautiful palm trees with a
large wine press in the front corner.31
In the evening,
Colonel Cooke went to San Diego and reported to General Kearny that a wagon
road had been made all the way to the Pacific Ocean. The battalion ended up with only seven wagons.
Reflecting
on the battalion's accomplishments, Sergeant Jones wrote: “We have opened roads
through impassable mountains and trackless deserts, without wood, water, or
grass and almost without provisions. We
now find ourselves without clothes and worn down with fatigue. For nearly thirty days we have had nothing
but beef and not enough of that all the time.”32
After
visiting with friends on shore, John Taylor and Parley P. Pratt again prepared to set sail for
America. Orson Hyde planned to stay
behind for a few days to take care of some business in the Church office. On this day, Parley P. Pratt wrote a letter that was later
published in the Millennial Star:
Beloved
Brethren ‑‑ Having been so crowded with business and care on my
late departure from your shores for my home in the distant wilds of western
America, I had no time to say farewell, or to leave my blessing with you in a
formal manner as a whole, although expressed frequently in our farewell
meetings. I have, therefore,
providentially returned to your midst, after nine days of seafaring life, in
order to take a fair start, and to say farewell through the medium of the
Star. I feel the most perfect
satisfaction with the manner of our reception and entertainment among you as
men of God. I also feel that we have,
as far as time would permit, accomplished the work for which we came, and that
the utmost success and prosperity has attended our labors. . . . We have also
been received and entertained in the most kind and hospitable manner in every place
we have been permitted to visit. We
have been lodged, fed, comforted and cheered as if we had been angels of glad
tidings, and we feel the utmost satisfaction in expressing our most grateful
thanks for all the kindness and assistance rendered unto us while in your
midst; . . . Ye sons and daughters of Zion, be of good cheer; for God will
deliver you in due time, and gather in one the children of God. Pray for us and for the camp of the Saints
in the wilderness. Farewell.
Watson ed., Manuscript
History of Brigham Young, 512; Kelly, ed., Journals of John D. Lee, 1846‑1847 and 1859, 61; Wilford
Woodruff's Journal, 3:124; Ward, ed., Winter Quarters, 107‑08;
Brooks ed., On the Mormon Frontier, The Diary of Hosea Stout 1844‑1861, 232; Parley Pratt
Autobiography, 325‑26; “The Journal of Robert S. Bliss,” Utah
Historical Quarterly, 4:85; “The Journal of Nathaniel V. Jones,” Utah
Historical Quarterly, 4:13; Kimball, Historic Sites and Markers along
the Mormon and other Great Western
Trails, 304
During the
early morning hours, Hosea Stout stood guard at the home of Wilford Woodruff
because Joseph Herring had still been threatening Elder Woodruff’s life. After Brother Stout’s shift, the assigned
police guard did not arrive. Brother
Stout had received several reports that this brother had not been showing up
for his guard duties and this time he witnessed it firsthand. In the morning, he counseled with Brigham
Young on the matter.
Members of
the Twelve met together to read letters from Elders Hyde and John Taylor in
England, Joseph A. Stratton in St. Louis, and Orson Spencer in Philadelphia.33
A conference of Seventies was held in the Council House.
Ezra T.
Benson and Erastus Snow started for Ponca.
Orrin Porter Rockwell and Samuel Gully also went taking teams to Ponca,
to help George Miller bring his family back to Winter Quarters. Erastus Snow wrote: “We had light wagons and
horses that carried our provisions and horse feed with us. We bore northwest on to the Elkhorn River
and followed up the same several days.”
In the
evening, the delinquent policeman met with Hosea Stout and the marshal. He confessed his neglect to duty but still
pled innocence and ignorance, that his intentions were good. He expected that with this confession, all
would be made right. Brother Stout wrote: “We told him that he must be dropped from
the police, and all his wages not be paid, be forfeited, which was the lightest
decisions which we could give & if he could not abide that he could have it
investigated before the Council and abide their decision be that better or
worse.” He agreed to abide by this
decision and forfeited $19.75.
Elijah
Bailey, age eight months, died of a concussion. He was the son of Jerrey C. and Sarah Bailey.
John D.
Lee met with Ruth Stewart who had an estate of $4,000 in Alabama. She asked Brother Lee to handle the
estate. He took the papers and promised
to bring the matter before the Church leaders soon. He borrowed $60 which he promised to pay back. He returned to Winter Quarters and saw John
Berry, who had just arrive from Mt. Pisgah.
A son,
Joseph Thomas Winkless, was born to Thomas and Mary James Winkless.34
The battalion
rested in their camp between two vineyards in front of the San Diego
Mission. Henry Bigler reported: “The soldiers busy cleaning out the mission
rooms. They were very dirty and full of
fleas as they have not been occupied except by Indians for some time.” The men were still lacking in provisions,
but were looking forward to the arrival of a ship with food that should be
arriving any day from the Sandwich Islands (Hawaii). Captain Jefferson Hunt wrote a letter to General Kearny stating
that the battalion were destitute of clothing, shoes, and had very little
food. In the evening, a company of
General Kearny’s men arrived. General
Kearny had left during the day on a ship bound for Monterey.
Colonel
Cooke issued a historic order in recognizing the accomplishments of the
Battalion:
The
lieutenant colonel commanding, congratulates the battalion on their safe
arrival on the shore of the Pacific Ocean, and the conclusion of their march of
over two thousand miles.
History may
be searched in vain for an equal march of infantry. Half of it has been through a wilderness, where nothing but
savages and wild beasts are found, or deserts where, for want of water, there
is no living creature. There, with
almost hopeless labor, we have dug deep wells, which the future traveler will
enjoy. Without a guide who had
traversed them we have ventured into trackless tablelands where water was not
found for several marches. With crowbar
and pick and axe in hand, we have worked our way over mountains, which seemed
to defy aught save the wild goat, and hewed a pass through a chasm of living
rock more narrow than our wagons. To
bring these first wagons to the Pacific, we have preserved the strength of our
mules by herding them over large tracts, which you have laboriously guarded
without loss. The garrison of four
presidios of Sonora concentrated within the walls of Tucson, gave us no
pause. We drove them out, with their
artillery, but our intercourse with the citizens was unmarked by a single act
of injustice. Thus, marching half naked
and half fed, and living upon wild animals, we have discovered and made a road
of great value to our country.
Arrived at
the first settlements of California, after a single day's rest, you cheerfully
turned off from the route to this point of promised repose, to enter upon a
campaign, and meet, as we supposed, the approach of an enemy; and this too,
without even salt to season your sole subsistence of fresh meat.
Lieutenants
A. J. Smith and George Stoneman, of the first dragoons, have shared and given
invaluable aid in all these labors.
Thus
volunteers, you have exhibited some high and essential qualities of
veterans. But much remains undone. Soon, you will turn your attention to the
drill, to system and order, to forms also, which are all necessary to the
soldier.
Yerba
Buena was officially renamed to San Francisco, California.
Watson ed., Manuscript
History of Brigham Young, 518‑19; Kelly, ed., Journals of John D.
Lee, 1846‑1847 and 1859, 61‑2; Brooks, ed., On the Mormon
Frontier, The Diary of Hosea Stout 1844‑1861, 232; Our Pioneer
Heritage, 3:498; Roberts, Comprehensive History of the Church,
3:120; Gudde, Bigler’s Chronicle of the West, 48; “The Journal of Robert
S. Bliss,” Utah Historical Quarterly, 4:85; “Erastus Snow,
autobiography,” typescript, 101
Meetings
were held in the various wards. Lorenzo
Dow Young and his wife Harriet decided to stay home and rest. The Youngs had spent all week laboring very
hard butchering hogs. Wilford Woodruff
preached in the 14th Ward. Mary
Richards attended her ward's meeting.
She recorded: “Brother Curtis preached to us & said we were now
enjoying a day of Jublee, but days of trouble were yet before us in which we
should be tried in every thing, but if we endured our trials patiently, our
reward would be great.”
Brigham
Young was very ill with a bad cold. In
the afternoon a meeting was held in the Council House. William W.
Major from London preached. Also
in the afternoon, John D. Lee sent off several men for Missouri on a trading
expedition with a wagon and four mules.
These men were George Laub, T. Johnson, and William Woolsey.
Brigham
Young got out of his sick bed to perform the marriage of William F. Carter and
Hannah Cordelia Meecham.
The High
Council met in the evening and appointed Bishop Newel K. Whitney to supervise the cutting of timber
on the east side of the Missouri River.
He would make sure that no wood would be wasted. A choir practice (singing school) was held
at George D. Grant's school room.
Several of
the men went into San Diego and marveled at the ships anchored in the
harbor. Henry Standage wrote: “I got
permission to go to San Diego, for the purpose of procuring if possible a pair of
shoes, being barefooted, and destitute of many things. Could not so much as purchase an ear of corn
or anything else in the bread line. . . . No shoes to be had or much else.”
Orders
arrived from General Kearny that the battalion was to march back to San Luis
Mission until Kearny returned from his trip to Monterey. General Kearny’s detachment of dragoons
would march with them. Henry Standage
commented: “It does seem as if we never
should have rest while in the service of the U.S.”
A
conference of the Church was held at St.
Louis. It was reported that
there were 1,478 members present.
Hundreds of Saints had been gathering at St. Louis from various places
in Illinois, other States, and England.
Watson ed., Manuscript
History of Brigham Young, 518‑19; Diary of Lorenzo Dow Young, Utah
Historical Quarterly, 14:155; Kelly, ed., Journals of John D. Lee, 1846‑1847 and 1859, 61‑2;
Wilford Woodruff's Journal, 3:125; Ward, ed., Winter Quarters,
108; Kimball, BYU Studies, 13:4:507; Journal of Henry Standage in Golder, The
March of the Mormon Battalion, 208‑09
1Horace Martin Alexander Sr. was away serving in the Mormon
Battalion. He later settled his family
in Springville and Parowan, Utah. He served a mission to the Southern States in
1875.
2Solomon Wixom joined the Church in 1832. He later settled his family in Brigham City Utah, and then Paris,
Idaho.
3Strang did win the following of William Marks and would hold a series of
meetings in the Marks home. They would
invite Joseph Smith III to attend, but he never did. A small congregation of Strangites would be established in
Fulton.
4Moroni would die in Winter Quarters on August 10, 1847.
5This crossing is in present‑day Yuma, Arizona, eight miles down
river from the I‑8 bridge.
6It had been reported the Lucy Mack Smith was with her son, William, who
was following after James J.
Strang. Strang claimed to be
Joseph Smith’s true successor.
7John Smith joined the Church in 1844, in Ontario Canada. He would later arrive in Utah, in 1848. He served as a counselor in the bishopric of
the Mill Creek ward in 1854-59. He
later moved his family to Tooele, Utah.
8More than sixty years later, Newel Knight's son, Jesse Knight, erected a
sixteen foot marble monument near the Ponca Fort site in honor of his father
and others who died their during the winter of 1845‑46.
9This site was later known as Cooke's Well and is located two miles north
of present‑day Paredones, California.
10George P. Dykes was away in the Mormon Battalion.
11Samuel Bennion joined the Church in 1842, in England. He gathered with the Saints in Nauvoo and
left in May, 1846. He stopped with his
family in Garden Grove. He arrived in
Utah in 1847 and later settled in Taylorsville. He then presided over the North Branch of the West Jordan Ward
for many years and later became the bishop.
12The Edwards family later settled in Ephraim, Utah.
13The Eggleston family would later settle in Ogden, Utah, where Samuel
served as a counselor in the Ogden 2nd Ward.
14Magdalena’s husband, Edmund Durfee had been murdered by the mob before
the Saints left Nauvoo.
15William Hyde (Sr.) was away serving in the Mormon Battalion. The family arrived in Utah in 1849. William was called on a mission to Australia
in 1852. He later was the first Bishop
of Hyde Park, Utah.
16George Washington Langley served in the police guard. He was the first man to be buried in the
Salt Lake cemetery.
17In 1853, a geologist described these springs. “Three or four palm trees, each about thirty feet high, are
standing on the bank from which the spring issue. They are much injured by fire and the persevering attacks of emigrants,
who have cut down many of the finest of the group, as if determined that the
only trees that grace the sandy avenue to the Desert, and afford a cool shade
for the springs, should be destroyed.”
18These men were: Wilford Woodruff, Aphek Woodruff, John Fowler, Abraham
O. Smoot, William C. A. Smoot, John Grierson, Chancy W. Porter, John Benbow,
Simeon Blanchard, Jacob Burnham, Little John Utley, Samuel Turnbow, Elijah
F. Allen, Ezra Clark, Edward Stevenson,
Zera Pulsipher, John M. Wolley, Albert Dewey, William Stewart, Thomas Clark,
and Hezekiah Peck.
19These cuts in the rock are still visible today. They can be viewed from an observation
platform and from a path that leads down to them. There is a marker that recognized the Mormon Battalion's work there.
20The Wilson family later went to California and helped settle San
Bernardion.
21Jonathan Trumbull Warner was born in Connecticut. In 1830 he went west and in 1831 he arrived
in Los Angeles, California, where he became a successful merchant. He became a Mexican citizen and changed his
name to Juan Jose Warner. In 1845 he
established his 44,000 acre ranch and built an adobe house. The ruins of the ranch can be seen on San
Diego County Road S2, less than a mile from the junction with State Highway 79,
about 13.5 miles north of Santa Ysabel.
22Freeman Nickerson was baptized in 1833 by Zerubbabel Snow. In 1838 he organized a branch of the Church
in Pittsburgh consisting of forty members.
He later was one of the early settlers of Nauvoo and served various
missions.
23David Whitmer, still in Missouri, was chosen as the president of the
church. The members believed in the
Book of Mormon and the New Testament, but expressed disbelief in many of the
revelations received by the Prophet Joseph Smith. The organization, failed as McLellin desired to establish
headquarters at Kirtland, Ohio, and David Whitmer refused to leave his home in
Richmond, Missouri. He soon afterwards
denounced “McLellinism” as an error and the movement dispersed.
24Hiram had died the previous August at Mount Pisgah.
25The Claudius Spencer family later settled in Salt Lake City, where
Claudius served as a member of the city council. He later filled two missions to Great Britain and two in the
United States.
26Elijah Funk Sheets joined the Church in 1840, Margaret in 1845. Elijah and Margaret were married by Wilford
Woodruff on January 16, 1846 as Elijah was returning from a mission in
England. Margaret Sheets soon died a
few days after they were sealed. She
had given birth to a daughter on Christmas Day. Elijah later arrived in Utah, in 1847. He served as the Bishop of the Salt Lake 8th Ward for more than
forty‑five years.
27George Miller was currently in Winter Quarters, about to journey back up
to Ponca, over 150 miles up the Missouri River. Bishop Miller had just returned from a trading expedition and was
informed about the new revelation (D&C 136). Brigham Young released him from his leadership over the Ponca
settlement. He was asked to settle his
affairs there and return to Winter Quarters to attend to his duties as a second
Presiding Bishop in the Church. Bishop
Miller was very outspoken and independent.
Many people doubted if he would humble himself to accept this
counsel. Hosea Stout recalled some of
Brigham Young's words regarding Bishop Miller's “stubbornness and
insubordination.” He wrote: “He [President Young] said that there was some men
who had to be coaxed along with a lump of sugar to keep them from running off
to the Gentiles & bringing persecution on us; But he said they would yet
deny the faith & he would be glad how soon, for he would not coax much
longer.”
28Actually, Sidney Rigdon was still leading his small following in the
“Church of Christ” at Antrim Township in Pennsylvania. In December, 1846 he had been prophesying
that the end was immediately coming, that a “conflict would rage till the
streets were drenched with blood.”
During this month of January, 1847, his group met serious financial
problems as foreclosure proceedings started against his farm. One evening he gathered his followers for an
all‑night prayer vigil, praying that God would hasten the second coming
of Christ. Things wouldn't
improve. Rigdon would lose the farm,
and the church would soon dissolve.
29The San Luis Mission was founded in 1798. This mission has been restored and is located four miles east of
Interstate 5, on Mission Avenue in Oceanside.
There is a marker near the main entrance that mentions the Mormon
Battalion.
30Daniel Tyler was away serving in the Mormon Battalion.
31The mission was
built in 1760 by Franciscan Father Junipero Serra.
32At 2510 Juan Street in San Diego is the Mormon Battalion Memorial
Visitors’ Center. There is also a
monument nearby at Presido Park with five memorial plaques.
33Orson Spencer by this time was in England.
34Joseph Winkless later would grow up and be the superintendent of
construction that built the Grand Theater and other buildings in Salt Lake
City, Utah.