Thomas
Bullock woke up near the river, and observed a thick fog hanging in the
air. He built a fire and soon several
Indians joined him to warm themselves by the flames. Brother Bullock later traveled to Winter Quarters and pulled his
team into Willard Richards’ yard. He
was immediately seized by a high fever and shakes. Elder Richards laid his hand on Brother Bullock and it helped
considerably.
Brigham
Young and Heber C. Kimball returned from Trader’s Point in the afternoon. Brother Matthews arrived from Savannah,
Missouri, with two hundred bushels of wheat.
He needed a place to store all the grain.
Willard
Richards gave out notices to the Twelve and High Council that he was going to
have a “bee” or a gathering, on Thursday, to help him put the roof on his
unusual octagon‑shaped house.
Horace K.
Whitney spent the day with William Kimball, Howard Egan, and John Davenport,
putting up the logs for George B. Wallace’s house.
In the
afternoon the weather turned cold and windy.
Lorenzo Dow Young visited Brother Stillman Pond and found his family
very sick and destitute. Brother Young
returned home and sent the family some beans.
Francis
Turley Daniels, age twenty‑one, died from childbirth. She was the wife of Cyrus Daniels. Their infant daughter Francis F. Daniels,
also died. Elizabeth S. Boss, age
nineteen, died of chills and fever. She
was the wife of Alexander Boss. Leah
Bostwick, age seventy‑five, died of consumption.
The
battalion marched seven miles, winding down a dry creek bed of Guadalupe
Canyon. The road was difficult because
of immense tufts of grass and sod. They
crossed into the far southeast corner of present‑day Arizona. They did not stay in Arizona long. They soon crossed into, and camped in
today’s Mexico. Colonel Cooke
described: “We passed today beautiful
scenery, the broken mountains about, the precipices, and the confusion of the
rocks. Amongst them, mescal and Spanish
bayonet now become true palm trees ‑‑ the evergreen oaks, the
cottonwoods, and sycamores brilliantly colored by the frost.”
Colonel
Cooke hiked up a mountain to get a view of the trail ahead. He could not see San Bernardino, which had been
thought to be only eight miles ahead.
They observed that all the streams headed west, indicating that they
were west of the continental divide.
During the
night, George P. Dykes, the officer of the day, attempted to spy on the men,
hoping to find some to put on report.
As he was sneaking around, Henry G. Boyle, who was standing guard,
thought he was an enemy sneaking up of the battalion. He cocked his gun, aimed, and almost pulled the trigger. Luckily, he recognized Dykes just in time.
Lieutenant
William Willis arrived in Santa Fe, one day ahead of the third sick detachment
of the Mormon Battalion. He had
traveled ahead to arrange for provisions and wood to be used by the
detachment. Stearling Price, now
commander of the fort, ordered the detachment to continue on to Pueblo. The Quartermaster was ordered to furnish
them with the necessary provisions and mules.
Watson, ed., Manuscript
History of Brigham Young, 467‑68; Horace K. Whitney Journal; “Diary
of Lorenzo Dow Young,” Utah Historical Quarterly, 4:151; Cooke, Exploring
Southwestern Trails 1846‑1854, 127‑28; Yurtinus, A Ram in
the Thicket, 382‑83; Tyler, A Concise History of the Mormon
Battalion, 192, 211; Our Pioneer Heritage, 4:436; “Thomas Bullock
Poor Camp Journal” in Bagley, ed., Pioneer Camp of the Saints; Nibley, Exodus
to Greatness, 284
Members of
the Twelve met with the High Council to review a proposal to levy a tax
assessment on all personal property.
They were not able to settle on a fixed tax percentage.
Wilford
Woodruff worked on his house and also worked with many others, shoveling dirt,
working on the mill race.
Martha
Angell, age ten, died of fever. She was
the daughter of Truman O. and Polly Angell.1 Pleasant D. Noah, age forty‑one, died
of chills. He was the husband of Martha Ann Noah. Laura Jane Pond, age fourteen, died of chills and fever. She was the daughter of Stillman and Almira
Pond.
The
battalion arose and found thick frost on their tents. They transferred all the loads back into the wagons that had been
packed down the mountain on the mules, and soon were on their way. They followed a dry creek for several miles
and then ascended onto a high prairie which gave them a view for the first time
of the San Bernardino Ranch ruins. As
they descended the plain to the ranch, they were surprised to see a wild bull
rushing by them at full speed.2 Finally they arrived at their long
anticipated destination, San Bernardino Ranch.3 They set up their camp near some old
houses. The former settlement had a
very nice spring.
Apache
Indian chiefs arrived and met with Colonel Cooke. He pledged friendship from on behalf of the American government
and the Indians said they were their friends.
Colonel Cooke wrote that they “wear their hair generally long and in
various fashions. They wear a kind of
leather skullcap, now and then ornamented with feathers and with
chinpieces. The Indians sold to the men
baked roots called ‘Mescal.’ This was a
sweet and nutritious treat.”
Colonel
Cooke decided to stop for several days at this point. The men were in need of a long rest. Henry Bigler wrote, “My health is so poor, I can hardly
travel. Every muscle in my body is sore
as if I had been beaten with a club.”
Colonel Cooke also believed that they could kill some bulls to help
their food supply. A few hunters were
sent out. Daniel Tyler was among those
who killed a bull. After he had shot it
several times, it still tried to charge at him with a broken leg. After firing six bullets in fatal places,
the bull finally gave up. Sergeant
Tyler stayed by the bull late into the night until his mess mates arrived to
help pack it out.
John Allen
stumbled into camp. Colonel Cooke
believed that he had deserted several days earlier. It turned out that he had become lost in the Guadalupe Mountains. Indians had robbed him of his gun, knife,
canteen, and clothes. He had survived
by eating the carcass of Captain Jesse D. Hunter’s dead horse which had been
left behind, and by chewing on hoofs of various creatures.4
General
Kearny and his men arrived at Warner’s Ranch, after a difficult journey across
the desert. He had run short of
provisions. At the ranch, he learned
that Commodore Robert Stockton was in possession of San Diego.
Watson, ed., Manuscript
History of Brigham Young, 468; Brooks, ed., On the Mormon Frontier, The
Diary of Hosea Stout 1844‑1861, 215; Wilford Woodruff’s Journal,
3:97; Cooke, Exploring Southwestern Trails 1846‑1854, 128‑31;
Yurtinus, A Ram in the Thicket, 384‑87; “Journal Extracts of Henry
W. Bigler,” Utah Historical Quarterly, 5:2:47; Tyler, A Concise
History of the Mormon Battalion, 212‑13; Journal of Henry Standage in
Golder, The March of the Mormon Battalion, 189‑90; Talbot, A
Historical Guide to the Mormon Battalion and Butterfield Trail, 36
The
weather was continued cold. So much ice
was flowing fast on the river that it stopped people from crossing the river.
Brigham
Young ordained Joseph Knight Jr. to the office of bishop. He was set apart to serve the Saints on the
east side of the river, near the ferry crossing.5
The
leaders turned out in force to help Willard Richards put a roof on his octagon
house. They first covered it with straw
and then with about fifty loads of earth.
It made it look like “a new England potato heap.” Wilford Woodruff was not sure what to call
the structure. He said it was a “tower
or rotunda. . . . It was framed round or eight square covered with puncheon
(wood) & we put upon it 50 loads of dirt.”
Thomas
Bullock went with Levi Richards to drive cattle on the prairie. He watched men pull an ox out of the mire by
chains. Brother Bullock had lost his
cows again because his company had left them on the other side of the river.
A meeting
of the Seventies was held at President Zera Pulsipher’s house. The Seventies had been previously charged to
take care of the poor within their quorums.
However, because there had been numerous bishops recently called, it was
decided to refer the poor to the appropriate bishop. The Seventies were still responsible to make sure that the poor
were getting attention. It was also
proposed that several of the quorums start meeting together in order to have
enough numbers to conduct quorum business.
Isabella
Alice Rushton, age fourteen months, died of canker. She was the daughter of
John and Margaret Rushton. A daughter,
Agnes Ann Callahan, was born to Thomas and Lucinda Austin Callahan.6
Four men
were sent from each company to hunt wild bulls and more than a dozen were
killed. They were as plentiful as the
buffalo had been, back on the plains.
Many pack mules were away from camp being used to haul the meat back to
the battalion. Some of the men spent
all night cutting up beef and packing back as much as they could haul. Robert Bliss recorded, “Their meat is fat
& tender, the best beef I ever eat.
We have plenty of meat now.”
Captain
Cooke took an inventory of the rations and discovered that he only had fifty‑one
days’ worth of rations. He needed six
or seven more days of food. The bull
meat would help this situation somewhat.
The third
sick detachment was in Santa Fe. The
anti‑Mormon feeling among the Missourian soldiers at Santa Fe was as
intense as it was when the Mormons were driven out of Far West, Missouri.
Watson, ed., Manuscript
History of Brigham Young, 468; Bitton, Guide to Mormon Diaries and
Autobiographies (1977), 198; “Diary of Lorenzo Dow Young,” Utah
Historical Quarterly, 14:151; Wilford Woodruff’s Journal, 3:97;
Brooks, ed., On the Mormon Frontier, The Diary of Hosea Stout 1844‑1861,
215; Cooke, Exploring Southwestern Trails 1846‑1854, 131‑33;
“The Journal of Robert S. Bliss,” Utah Historical Quarterly, 4:79; “The
Journal of Nathaniel V. Jones,” Utah Historical Quarterly, 4:9; “Thomas
Bullock Poor Camp Journal” in Bagley, ed., Pioneer Camp of the Saints;
Yurtinus, A Ram in the Thicket, 387‑88; Journal of Henry Standage
in Golder, The March of the Mormon Battalion, 190‑1
Work
continued on Willard Richards’ house.
In the evening, the Twelve and the High Council met in the new house for
a council meeting. Henry G. Sherwood
reported that the new Winter Quarters cemetery, on the second ridge to the
west, had been surveyed. The Council
voted that those who hauled wheat from Missouri purchased by the Church, could
receive half of the wheat as payment for hauling. The Council decided to turn over excess money in the wheat fund
to be used for the battalion members’ wives.
Reynolds Cahoon had found work to build a bridge, to be paid in corn and
he was advised to take the contract.
Horace S. Eldredge was released from his assignment to collect the
police tax. Brother Eldredge had gone
to Missouri with some teams to trade, and would not be able to perform this
duty. Jonathan C. Wright was appointed
in his place. The Church beef committee
was instructed to kill some beef for the police. This was greatly appreciated.
The police had been living on bread and water.
Hosea
Stout wrote: “Br J. C. Wright &
I[saac] C. Haight each lost one of their children who had been sick. They were of the police and on guard. Such is the adversity attending police
duty.” Among whom died this day
were: Enoch Haight, age eleven
months. Nathan Kimball Lutz, age two,
of canker. He was the son of Albert and
Susannah Lutz. Mary Van Wagoner, age
forty‑nine, wife of the late Halmagh J. Van Wagoner. Eleven‑year‑old Harriet Pond was
also one of at least five deaths in the city during the day. Within a 5‑day period, Stillman and
Almira Pond lost three of their daughters, who died of “chills and fever.”
Ursulia
Hascall later wrote in a letter,
I suppose
you have heard of the deaths in brother Ponds family. The children are all dead but Elizabeth and Loenza. When they were on the way here, they turned
from the main road into a settlement where he and Samuel could earn two dollars
per day with their teams. It proved to
be an unhealthy place. They were all
taken sick and they came away as soon as they could, but they were unable to
take care of themselves on the road and suffered for the want of care. Lowell died before they arrived, the rest
lived to get here and then dropped away one after another. Sister Pond has not recovered and I fear she
never will.7
More than
fourteen deaths occurred in Winter Quarters during the week. John R. Young, nine years‑old at the
time, later recalled: “Our home was
near the burying ground; and I can remember the small mournful‑looking
trains that so often passed our door.”
A son,
Alma Theodore Dayton, was born to Hiram and Syphia Thorton Dayton.
The
hunters were successful in bringing in five days’ rations of fresh wild bull
meat. The men were very busy in the
morning drying the meat in the desert air on scaffolds. But soon Colonel Cooke ordered the battalion
to move out.
The
battalion marched for eight miles to the west, into a pass of a low range of
mountains.8 The prairie behind them caught fire due to someone’s
carelessness. They camped at a spring
where hundreds of wild cattle watered each day.9 Some Indians came into camp with two hundred
pounds of delicious meat for the men.
Many men took shifts during the night, laboring to dry their meat.
Colonel
Cooke ordered that the men cease shooting at cattle and to remain in the camp
during the night.10 He also discovered that company B had been
using a private wagon to carry their equipment. He ordered that the company carry their own knapsacks and
blankets.
The third
sick detachment left Santa Fe, heading toward Pueblo (Colorado) by way of Taos
(New Mexico).
Watson, ed., Manuscript
History of Brigham Young, 468‑69; Kelly, ed., Journals of John D.
Lee, 1846‑1847 and 1859, 30; Brooks, ed., On the Mormon Frontier,
The Diary of Hosea Stout 1844‑1861, 215‑16; Cooke, Exploring
Southwestern Trails 1846‑1854, 133‑34; Yurtinus, A Ram in
the Thicket, 282, 388‑90; Stegner, The Gathering of Zion, 107‑08
Brigham
Young received a letter from Thomas L. Kane in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania. (See
October 26, 1846).
John D.
Lee received a letter from Levi Stewart, who was tending his stock at the rush
bottoms, up the Missouri River. He
reported that the cattle were doing well and that he would do all he could to
take good care of them.
Horace K.
Whitney, William Kimball, and Howard Egan spent the day branding Heber C.
Kimball’s sheep, with a brand of H.C.K. placed on each forehead. There were also some Church sheep in this
corral. Those who took care of the
Church sheep during the winter would receive all the wool produced and half of
any lambs born.
Lorenzo
Dow Young left Winter Quarters for a trip to St. Joseph, Missouri. His son, John R. Young, recalled, “President
Young called one day at the door of our cabin, and said to my father: ‘Lorenzo, if you will hitch up your horses
and go down into Missouri, the Lord will open the way, so that you can bring up
a drove of hogs, and give the people fresh meat and be a blessing to you.’ As I
remember, the next day father took me in the wagon, and . . . started on that mission
. . .”
In the
afternoon, the first snow of the season fell in Winter Quarters. Thomas Bullock was very concerned about his
sick son, Willard. He wrote that he was
“reduced again almost to a mere Skeleton, but Father [Willard] Richards has
said he shall be well in a month, so I trust to the Lord that I shall not lose
any of my family. I and Wife went to
the burial of John Rushton’s [fourteen‑month‑old] babe. It was buried in grave No.24.”
Jsie C.
Hoytes, age 16 days, died of inflammation.
He was the son of Jsie C. and Eliza Hoytes. Enoch Wright, age eighteen days, died of spasms. He was the son of Jonathan C. and Rebecca
Wright. A son, Alanson Eldredge, was
born to Ira and Nancy Eldredge.11 A son, Joseph Smith Turley, was born to
Theodore and Sarah Ellen Turley.12
During the
night, two mules died, despite the fact that the night was warm and the mules
had received two days of rest prior to their march the day before. This indicated just how sickly and weak the
mules had become.
The
battalion marched up a difficult road that caused one of the wagon tongues to
break. Colonel Cooke decided to salvage
it for parts and leave it behind. Later
in the day, an axle‑tree would break on another wagon. This one was also left behind. The battalion was down to fifteen wagons.
After
fourteen miles, they reached a sulphur spring near contemporary Agua Prieta,
Mexico. Colonel Cooke wrote:
The wild
cattle are very numerous. Three were
killed today on the road and several others by officers. . . . I suppose, I
myselve have seen fifty. One died (that
I saw) only after twenty wounds, half a dozen fired at ten paces‑‑quite
as hard as the buffalo. Mr. Hall, with
Doctor Sanderson, was chased by one and put in some danger by his obstinate
mule. . . . It is thought that as many as five thousand cattle water at this
spring. They are much like the buffalo
in their habits, etc.; are rather wilder and more apt to attack individuals.
Colonel
Cooke had given orders to kill no bulls during the march that day, but a few
men had killed one “slyly during the day.”
At night, they quietly took some mules and went back after the
meat. They arrived back safely, with
the beef, before morning.
The sick
detachment was having difficulty getting accustomed to traveling with pack
mules. Richard Brazier became too sick
to travel. Lt. Willis decided to leave
him behind with Thomas Burns to care for him.
Lt. Willis also planned to leave several more of the sick behind, at
Turley’s ranch, near Taos.
Watson, ed., Manuscript
History of Brigham Young, 469‑70; Kelly, ed., Journals of John D.
Lee, 1846‑1847 and 1859, 31; Nibley, Exodus To Greatness, 285;
Cooke, Exploring Southwestern Trails 1846‑1854, 134‑35;
Yurtinus, A Ram in the Thicket, 390; “The Journal of Nathaniel V.
Jones,” Utah Historical Quarterly, 5:8; Tyler, A Concise History of
the Mormon Battalion, 192 ; “Thomas Bullock Poor Camp Journal” in Bagley,
ed., Pioneer Camp of the Saints
It was a
cold day with snow and sleet. No public
Sunday meeting was held. Brigham Young
instructed John D. Lee to write a letter to William Crosby and John Brown. These brethren had led the Mississippi
Saints to Pueblo and then had returned to Mississippi to bring their own
families west. Brigham Young wanted
Brother Lee to let these brethren know what the plans were for the coming
spring. They were to leave their
families in Mississippi for another year, but to send all the men who could be
spared to go as pioneers in the spring.13
Mary
Richards spent the day visiting various friends. She wrote, “Next called at Uncle Willard [Richards] house to see
Bros [Thomas] Bullock and [John] Rushtons families who had just arrived. Found Sister [Margaret] R[ushton] mourning
the loss of her child [Isabella Hannah Ruston] she having died the day
before.”
Eliza
Partridge Lyman’s baby, Don Carlos was very ill. She wrote, “My baby is sick and getting worse. . . . “He cried
all day but I cannot see what ails him.”
Wilford
Woodruff moved his family into his new house.
Sister Woodruff was very ill and seven months pregnant.
In the
evening the Presidents of the Seventies met and made arrangements to better
take care of their poor.
Augustus
P. Rolston, age one, died. He was the
son of John and Hannah Rolston.
A storm
blew in during the night. In the
morning, the men could see fresh, new snow on the lofty mountains. The battalion started to head toward the
northwest.14 The trail was difficult as they marched up
the San Jose Wash. They had to cut
their way through thick mesquite brush.
After a twelve‑mile march they made their camp near today’s
Christiansen Ranch. Colonel Cooke
wrote, “Here is a fine grove of ash and walnut, and to make it still more
comfortable, an old cattle pen of dry wood.
We were thankful, for this afternoon it rained and snowed, with a very
cold wind.”
Daniel
Tyler had become sick during the march.
However, he did not want the doctor to find out, so he hid in some
bushes and marched on his own to the next camp. Dr. Sanderson had run out of his supply of calomel medicine and
was substituting arsenic. Sergeant
Tyler and others would do almost anything to avoid taking this treatment.
Lt. Willis
left behind twelve more incapacitated men under the care of Richard
Brazier. They were to go to Turley’s
ranch, near Taos, at a slower pace, to rest and wait for more help.
As General
Kearny and his men approached San Pascual, they encountered a much larger enemy
force mounted on horses. Captain
Johnston made a furious charge with his advance guard and the enemy started to
retreat. Captain Moore led off in
pursuit. A fierce fifteen minute battle
ensued. In that battle, Captains Moore and Johnston, and nineteen other
soldiers died. Thirty-six of the enemy
force were killed or wounded. General
Kearny was wounded in two places. The
opposing force rode off with one of Kearny's
brass howitzers.15
Watson, ed., Manuscript
History of Brigham Young, 470; Wilford Woodruff’s Journal, 3:87;
Kelly, ed., Journals of John D. Lee, 1846‑1847 and 1859, 31‑2;
Cooke, Exploring Southwestern Trails 1846‑1854, 135‑36;
Tyler, A Concise History of the Mormon Battalion, 215, 257; Yurtinus, A
Ram in the Thicket, 283; Ward, ed., Winter Quarters, 100; Amasa
Mason Lyman, Pioneer, 158; Autobiography of Pioneer John Brown, 71;
Talbot, Mormon Battalion and Butterfield Trail, 38; Bigler, The Gold
Discovery Journal of Azariah Smith, 66;
It was
cold, frosty and cloudy. Those in
Winter Quarters were busy at work on their houses. Hosea Stout killed a cow for food. Thomas Bullock visited John Scott’s house, where he was shown a
spring of beautiful water. Brother
Bullock spent the rest of the day with Willard Richards. Elder Richards gave him twelve pounds of
flour. Harriet Young, wife of Lorenzo
Dow Young, spent the day dipping more than three hundred wicks, for
candles. Mary Richards spent the day
sewing, knitting, reading and cooking.
Abigail A.
Pond, age eighteen, died of chills and fever.
She was the daughter of Stillman and Almira Pond. This was the third daughter in the family to
die within five days. Also, Mary
Beakly, age eighteen died of chills and fever.
She was the daughter of John and Mary Beakly. Mary Jones, age nine, died of chills. She was the daughter of William and Elizabeth Jones.
A
daughter, Rachel Almira Caldwell, was born to Mathew and Barzilla Guyman Caldwell.16
The
battalion stayed in their camp, drying meat, while the guides went ahead to
look for water. They returned in the
afternoon, unsuccessful, after traveling about fifteen miles to the west. Colonel Cooke gave orders to have kegs
filled with water. The men should plan
on camping without water the following day.
One of the
battalion’s sheep herders, an Indian, had recently deserted. There was a rumor circulating that a Mexican
army of five thousand men was planning to capture the battalion as it traveled
toward Tucson.
During the
evening, Elisha Smith died.17 Daniel Tyler wrote, “the large wolves,
probably scenting the corpse, made the night hideous with their howls. Their grum voices almost rent the air only a
few feet from our camp.”
The third
sick detachment, led by Lt. Willis continued their journey toward Taos. They marched fifteen miles and camped near a
Mexican village. Alva Calkins requested
to stay behind and wait for the men traveling at a slower pace. It snowed ten inches during the day.
With their
provisions gone, horses dead, and mules broken, General Kearny’s troops took care of the dead and wounded men and
marched toward San Bernardo. They
encountered the enemy on a hill, who retreated, allowing Kearny’s troops to
take the hill. In their starving
condition, they ate some broken-down mules.
“Thomas Bullock Poor
Camp Journal” in Bagley, ed., Pioneer Camp of the Saints; Brooks, ed., On
the Mormon Frontier, The Diary of Hosea Stout 1844‑1861, 216; Cooke, Exploring
Southwestern Trails 1846‑1854, 137‑39; Tyler, A Concise
History of the Mormon Battalion, 192, 215‑16; Yurtinus, A Ram in
the Thicket, 392; “The Journal of Nathaniel V. Jones,” Utah Historical
Quarterly, 4:8; “Diary of Lorenzo Dow Young,” Utah Historical Quarterly,
14:152
The sun
broke through the clouds, making it a pleasant day. Wilford Woodruff wrote: “At
half past 3 oclock this morning, Mrs Woodruff was delivered of a son which was
untimely six weeks before her time. The
boy was alive, smart, and active, yet we cannot suppose him to live but a short
time. We call his name Ezra. Mrs. Woodruff is doing as well as can be
expected.” Patty Sessions helped with
the delivery.
Sister
Harriet Young went to visit the mourning Pond family. “Found them in a suffering condition. One of their daughters lay a corpse in the house, and one they
buried yesterday and another 5 days previous.
They are truly an afflicted family.
I sent some beans and some onions to them.”
Bishop
Newel K. Whitney opened a “bishop’s storehouse” in Winter Quarters to supply
the wives of the brethren in the Mormon Battalion, and other individuals with
goods.
It had
been very cold overnight. In the
morning there was so much frost on the grass that the mules would not drink
before leaving. The men buried their
fallen comrade, Elisha Smith. Henry
Bigler wrote, “We buried him on the banks of this creek. We made a brush heap over his grave and
burned it to hide him from savages and hungry wolves.”
Levi
Hancock wrote a song in the memory of Elisha Smith:
Death and
the Wolves
The
Battalion encamped
By the side
of a grove,
Where the
pure waters flowed
From the
mountains above.
Our brave
hunters came in
From the
chase of wild bulls
All around
‘rose the bin
Of the
howling of wolves.
When the
guards were all placed
On their
outposts around,
The low
hills and broad wastes
Were alive
with the sound,
Though the
cold wind blew high
Down the
huge mountains shelves,
All was
rife with the cry
Of the
ravenous wolves.
Thus we
watched the last breath
Of the
teamster, who lay
In the cold
grasp of death,
As his life
wore away.
In deep
anguish he moan’d
As if
mocking his pain,
When the
dying man groan’d
The wolves
howl’d a refrain.
For it
seem’d the wolves knew
There was
death in our camp,
As their
tones louder grew,
And more
hurried their tramp.
While the
dead lay within,
With our
grief to the full,
O, how
horrid a din
Was the
howl of the wolves!
Then we dug
a deep grave,
And we
buried him there‑‑
Not a stone
to tell where!
But we
piled brush and wood
And burnt
over his grave,
For a
cheat, to delude
Both the
savage and wolf.
‘Twas a
sad, doleful night!
We by
sunrise, next day,
When the
drums and the fifes
Had
performed reveille
When the
teams were brought nigh,
And our
baggage arranged,
One and
all, bid Good bye,
To the
grave and the wolves.
The
battalion traveled for seventeen miles, marching into present‑day Arizona
near Naco. They had to make their camp
without finding water. Colonel Cooke
recorded: “The road this morning was
over very hilly ground and was therefore quite crooked. The ground was barren and hard, and good for
a road except in places covered with loose stones. Near the base of a lofty mountain to our left, we struck smooth
prairie and were then troubled with mesquite.
The snow lay on the mountain nearly to the foot and within a mile of
us.”18
The snow
continued to fall until about noon. The
detachment marched about ten miles and then rented a room from a Mexican. The men bought bread, onions, pork, and
other items. Lt. Willis wrote: “Brother William Coleman was seized with an
unnatural appetite, and ate to excess.
In the night we were all awakened by his groans. Dr. Rust gave him a little tincture of
lobelia, the only medicine in camp, which gave him partial relief.”
Watson, ed., Manuscript
History of Brigham Young, 470; Kelly, ed., Journals of John D. Lee, 1846‑1847
and 1859, 32; Wilford Woodruff’s Journal, 3:97; Brooks, ed., On
the Mormon Frontier, The Diary of Hosea Stout 1844‑1861, 216; “Diary
of Lorenzo Dow Young,” Utah Historical Quarterly, 14:152; Ward, ed., Winter
Quarters, 101; Cooke, Exploring Southwestern Trails 1846‑1854,
137‑39; “Private Journal of Thomas Dunn,” typescript, 15; Tyler, A
Concise History of the Mormon Battalion, 192‑3, 216‑17; Gudee, Bigler’s
Chronicle of the West, 80; Talbot, A Historical Guide to the Mormon
Battalion and Butterfield Trail, 38; Patty Sessions diary in Our Pioneer
Heritage, 2:62
Very early
in the morning, at 3 a.m., six guns were heard in the camp in rapid succession,
followed by “the most hideous cry” and the barking of dogs. Big Head, an Omaha chief, was camping north
of Winter Quarters with his family and relatives. They had been attacked in their sleep by the Iowa Indians. The shots had been fired at random through
the lodges.
Hosea
Stout and other police came running.
Brother Stout wrote: “When I got
there, I found his house crowded full of Omahas who had fled there for shelter. One squaw had been shot through the arm
which was shattered to atoms & an old Indian picking out the little bones
with his fingers.”
Big Head
had been shot in the head (the ball entered in right cheek and exited near
eye), right shoulder, and he lost his left thumb. The wounded were brought into Winter Quarters to be treated by
Doctors Cannon, Sprague, and Levi Richards.
Later, Doctor Cannon had to amputate the squaw’s arm at the
shoulder. The wounded were cared for in
a sod house.
One of the
Omaha braves was missing, presumed dead, and carried off by the Iowas. However, later on, he was found and brought
to Charles Patten’s house. He had been
shot in the eye and was not expected to live.
The police went back to the Indian lodges to make sure everything was
had settled down. They could hear the
Iowas howling on the other side of the river.
During the
day, Brigham Young permitted the Omaha camp to be moved near his house. They were very fearful of another
attack. Big Head spent the night in
Willard Richards’ home. Brigham Young
wrote a letter to Major Miller reporting the incident, asking him to inform
Omaha chief, Big Elk.
President
Young and others spent the evening in Bishop Newel K. Whitney’s store. Sister Harriet Young sent some biscuit and
sauce, and a piece of fresh pork to the grieving Pond family.
The river
was frozen solid. Three wagons crossed
over on the ice. Sarah Elizabeth
Packer, age one, died of chills. She
was the daughter of Jonathan and Angelina Packer.
The
battalion marched on, hoping to find the San Pedro River. They were disappointed to find out that the
valley they were in, turned out to be a dry branch. They pressed on. Colonel
Cooke wrote:
My anxiety
became very great and I pushed on at a fast gait to the guides, and after
ascending a hill saw a valley indeed, but no other appearance of a stream than
a few ash trees in the midst; but they, with numerous cattle paths, gave every
promise of water. On we pushed, and
finally when twenty paces off, saw a fine bold stream! There was the San Pedro
we had so long and anxiously pursued.19
They
crossed the river, followed the west bank north for several more miles, and
made their camp for the night. They
caught many fine trout which made a great supper.
Watson, ed., Manuscript
History of Brigham Young, 471; Brooks, ed., On the Mormon Frontier, The
Diary of Hosea Stout 1844‑1861, 216‑17; “Diary of Lorenzo Dow
Young,” Utah Historical Quarterly, 14:152 “Thomas Bullock Poor Camp
Journal” in Bagley, ed., Pioneer Camp of the Saints; Cooke, Exploring
Southwestern Trails 1846‑1854, 139‑42; “Journal Extracts of
Henry W. Bigler,” Utah Historical Quarterly, 5:48
Members of
the Twelve met at Willard Richards’ house.
They reviewed a letter written by John D. Lee to John Brown and William
Crosby in Mississippi. Brigham Young
wanted him to add a postscript, giving them directions to the intended location
in the spring for the advance group going over the mountains. The current plan was to establish a
settlement at the head waters of the Yellowstone River. President Young wrote a letter to W.H.
Rodgers of Savannah, Missouri, to make arrangements for the purchase of several
thousand bushels of wheat and corn.
The
weather was cloudy and cold. Hosea
Stout wrote: “Today I made myself a
pair of leggins after the real rude Indian fashion which was of more real
service against the ‘chilling blast’ than I had before imagines and I confess
that I am much taken with them.” His
brother, Allen Stout came to visit. His
family was camped on the other side of the river and he crossed over the river
on the ice.20
Eliza R.
Snow’s ward held its first weekly meeting.
It was announced that each man in the ward would give every tenth day
and a half cord of wood to help the poor and the widows. Mary Richards spent the day sewing a dress
and knitting.
During the
night, some Indians stole some of Harriet Young’s wood. Wilford Woodruff’s two‑day‑old
son, Ezra, died at 9:30 p.m.
A son,
Henry Brigham Munro, was born to Henry and Jane Palmer Munro.
The
battalion experienced a very cold night, below ten degrees. During the day it warmed up nicely. They had to wind through many hills as they
followed the San Pedro River to the north.
They camped near the present‑day ghost town of Charleston,
Arizona. Nearby, they observed an old
Mexican ranch which had been deserted for some time. The afternoon was spent in fishing.
The
Californians (Mexicans) tried to drive General Kearny off the hill by driving a
band of wild horses over the troops.
This didn’t work, but it did provide Kearny’s men with some horse meat
to help them in their starving condition.
Watson, ed., Manuscript
History of Brigham Young, 471; Brooks, ed., On the Mormon Frontier, The
Diary of Hosea Stout 1844‑1861, 217; “Diary of Lorenzo Dow Young,” Utah
Historical Quarterly 14:152; Wilford Woodruff’s Journal 3:97;
Beecher, ed., The Personal Writings of Eliza R. Snow, 149 “Allen Stout
Journal,” typescript, BYU, 27; “Thomas Bullock Poor Camp Journal” in Bagley,
ed., Pioneer Camp of the Saints; Ward, ed., Winter Quarters, 101;
Cooke, Exploring Southwestern Trails 1846‑1854, 142; Bagley, Frontiersman: Abner Blackburn’s Narrative, 56; Tyler, A
Concise History of the Mormon Battalion, 259
Heber C.
Kimball moved into his new, large house.
It was a log home, one and a half stories high, with two rooms on each
floor, about sixteen by sixteen feet each.
The roof was covered with oak shingles and there was a chimney in the
middle.
Wilford
Woodruff buried his son Ezra. This was
the second son the Woodruffs had lost within a short time. Sister Woodruff was still very sick.
Indian
Agent, Major Miller and Logan
Fontenelle, an interpreter, visited Winter Quarters.
Twins,
Benjamin and Joseph Porter were born to Chancy W. and Emma Porter.21
During the
morning, the Mormon Battalion experienced its only battle of their long march ‑‑
The Battle of the Bulls. As the
battalion marched down to the San Pedro river bottom, a few wild bulls wandered
in among the battalion’s beef cattle which started the uproar. One bull trapped Sergeant Albert Smith with
his horns. His ribs were severely
bruised, but the horns passed harmlessly on both sides of Smith’s body. The bulls were killed and as the men were
watering their animals, a number of additional wild bulls, smelling the blood,
charged into the ranks of the battalion.
Colonel Cooke, sensed the danger, and wisely ordered all of the men to
load their muskets. Great confusion
soon reigned as guns were fired and soldiers ran for the protection of wagons
or trees.
Levi
Fifield could not reach the protection of a wagon and was being pursued by a
bull. He threw himself flat on the
ground. The bull jumped over Fifield’s
body and left him unharmed. Other bulls
attacked the mules and killed one of Paymaster Jeremiah Cloud’s pack
mules. Another bull attacked a wagon
belonging to Company D, it tossed a harnessed mule into the air and gored
another mule’s stomach.
Daniel
Tyler recorded, “Dr. William Spencer, assistant surgeon’s steward, shot six
balls into one bull, and was pursued by him, raising and falling at intervals,
until the last and fatal shot, which took effect near the curl of the pate, was
fired.” The doctor later removed the
heart and found two bullet holes. He
carried the heart around for several days, telling the tale of the bull that
just wouldn’t die.
Amos Cox
was also injured. He was gored on the
inside of his thigh, and was thrown nearly ten feet in the air. The gash in his leg was four inches long and
three inches deep.22 Lieutenant George Stoneman was injured when
his rifle misfired and ripped off the upper joint of his thumb.
Colonel
Cooke wrote: “I also saw an immense
coal‑black bull charge on Corporal [Lafayette] Frost of company A. He
stood his ground while the animal rushed right on for one hundred yards. I was close by and believed the man in great
danger to his life and spoke to him.”
Cooke yelled, “Run, run . . . damn you, run!” But he held his
ground. “He aimed his musket very
deliberately and only fired when the beast was within ten paces; and it fell
headlong, almost at his feet.” Cooke
swore, “he’d be . . . damned it that man was not a Soldier.”
The
battalion got organized and soon resumed their march. After about a half mile, a bull charged after a horse tied to a
wagon. When the horse jumped for
safety, the bull charged into the wagon’s tailgate, lifting the rear wheels
entirely off the ground.
The
casualties of the battle were, about ten to fifteen bulls killed, two mules
gored to death, and three men wounded.
Thomas Dunn wrote: “This is a
day that will long be remembered by some and perhaps most of the Battalion.”
Despite
the heated battle, the men marched on and passed the mouth of Babocomari River
which Colonel Cooke named Bull Run, in honor of the battle. They made their camp near the present‑day
Quiburi Mission Ruins, where the men caught an abundance of trout.
Henry
Standage and Sandford Porter had been fishing along the river instead of
marching with the battalion. When they
came to the site of the battle, they found nine bulls killed at one place. They made a fire and broiled some fat ribs.
Levi W.
Hancock wrote a poem entitled:
Bull Fight
on the San Pedro
Under
command of Colonel Cooke
When
passing down San Pedro’s brook,
Where cane‑grass,
growing rank and high,
Was waving
as the breeze passed by;
There as we
gained ascending ground
Out from
the grass, with fearful bound,
A wild,
ferocious bull appeared,
And
challenged fight, with horns upreared.
Stop! Stop!
said one, Just see that brute!
“Hold!” was
responded, “Let me shoot.”
He flashed,
but failed to fire the gun,
Both stood
their ground and would not run
The man
exclaimed, “I want some meat.
I think
that bull will do to eat.”
And saying
thus, again he shot,
And felled
the creature on the spot.
It soon
arose to run away,
And then
the guns began to play,
All hands
at work‑‑amid the roar
The bull
was dropped to rise no more.
But lo! It
did not end the fight,
A furious
heard rushed into sight,
And then,
the bulls and men around
Seemed all
resolved to stand their ground.
In nature’s
pasture, all unfenced,
A dreadful
battle was commenced;
We knew we
must ourselves defend,
And each to
other’s aid extend.
The bulls
with maddened fury raged,
The men a
skillful warfare waged;
Though some
from danger had to flee,
And hide or
clamber up a tree.
A bull at
one man made a pass,
Who hid
himself amid the grass,
And
breathless lay until the brute
Passed him,
and took another shoot.
The bulls
rushed on like unicorns,
And gored
the mules with piercing horns,
As if the
battle ground to gain,
When men
and mules should all be slain.
With brutal
strength and iron will,
Poised on
this horns with master skill,
A bull one
mule o’er mule did throw,
Then made
the latter’s entrails flow.
One bull
was shot and when he fell,
A butcher
ran, his blood to spill,
The bull
threw up his horns and caught
The
butcher’s cap, upon the spot.
O. Cox from
one bull’s horns was thrown,
Then feet
in air: when he came down,
A gaping
flesh wound met his eye,
The vicious
beast had gored his thigh.
The Colonel
and his staff were there,
Mounted and
witnessed the war.
A bull, one
hundred yards away
Eyed
Colonel Cooke as easy prey.
But
Corporal Frost stood bravely by,
And watched
the bull with steady eye,
The brute
approached, near and more near,
But Frost
betrayed no sign of fear.
The Colonel
ordered him to run,
Unmoved, he
stood with loaded gun,
The bull
came up with daring tread,
When near
his feet, Frost shot him dead.
Whatever
cause we do not know,
But
something prompted them to go,
When all at
once in frantic fright,
The bulls
ran bellowing out of sight.
And when
the fearful fight was o’er
And sound
of muskets heard no more,
At least a
score of bulls were found,
And two
dead mules upon the ground.
General
Kearny’s men were finally rescued by a large company of sailors and
marines. When they approached, the
enemy that had Kearny trapped on the hill, fled. This relief company brought food and clothing for the poor
wounded and starving men.
The third
sick detachment reached the Mexican town of Taos.23
Simeon Turley, from Kentucky, had a large distillery Arroyo Hondo,
twelve miles north of Taos. Lt. Willis
went there to make arrangement with Mr. Turley to leave some of the sick there.
Historian
John Yurtinus pointed out that George F. Ruxton, a young Englishman, was also
in Taos on this day. He described the
place:
Sheep and
goats, and innumerable hogs, ran about the corral; his [Turley’s] barns were
filled with grain of all kinds, his mill with flour, and his cellars with
whiskey ‘in galore.’ Everything about
the place betokened prosperity. . . . No one in the country was paid so well,
and fed so well, as Turley, who bore the reputation, far and near, of being as
generous and kind‑hearted as he was reported to be rich.
Ruxton
also observed the poor conditions of the sick detachment:
There were
some twelve or fifteen of them, rawboned fanatics, with four or five pack‑mules
carrying their provisions, themselves on foot.
They started several hours before me; but I overtook them before they
had crossed the mountain, straggling along, some seated on the top of the mules
packs, some sitting down every few hundred yards, and all looking tired and
miserable. One of the party was an Englishman
from Biddenden, in Kent, and an old Peninsular Soldier. I asked what could have induced him to have
undertaken such an expedition. He
looked at me, and without answering the question, said “Dang it, if I only once
get home!”
George
Miller and James Emmett left Ponca to attend a “grand council” meeting at
Winter Quarters. They also took teams
to obtain provisions.
Watson, ed., Manuscript
History of Brigham Young, 472; Wilford Woodruff’s Journal 3:97;
Tyler, A Concise History of the Mormon Battalion, 218‑19, 259-60;
Journal of Henry Standage in Golder, The March of the Mormon Battalion,
192‑94; Yurtinus, a Ram in the Thicket, 396‑400; Cooke, Exploring
Southwestern Trails 1846‑1854, 142‑44; Bigler’s Chronicle of
the West, 82; “The Journal of Nathaniel V. Jones,” Utah Historical Quarterly,
4:8; Ruxton, Adventures in Mexico and the Rocky Mountains, 204‑05;
Nibley, Exodus to Greatness, 288‑90; Hartley, My Best for the
Kingdom, 221
Major Miller
and Logan Fontenelle visited with Willard Richards. They were investigating the shooting of Omaha chief, Big Head, by
the Iowas. Afterwards, Fontenelle
stayed to discuss the routes to the west.
He did not recommend taking the northern route west, to the head waters
of the Yellowstone River. He said that
the soil there was sandy and contained clay, making it unsuitable for raising
grain. Instead, he advised that the
Saints travel to the mountains on the Platte River. They would have to build ferries at certain locations because
bridges would be quickly washed away.
Fontenelle mentioned, “The South side of Salt Lake has the best Soil.”
At 1 p.m.,
the members of the Twelve met with these men, Big Elk, Big Head, and other
Omaha Indians. The brethren asked the
Indians to move further down the river, where a house would be built for them.
In the
evening, a Frenchman, named La Fras, son‑in‑law of Peter Sarpy,
came into the camp and reported that about one hundred Sioux had killed forty
Omahas the night before. This tragedy
occurred about sixty miles to the north.
Only eight were reported to have escaped. The Omahas camping near Winter Quarters mourned greatly on
hearing this news. Hosea Stout
recorded: “They would weep and howl,
cry, writhe and twist and make every gesture of sorrow that could be
imagined. They made such a noise that
President Young had them stopt.”
Harriet Young added: “It was
about dusk when they heard of it [the sad news], and there was not rest for
anyone that night. Their noise exceeded
everything I ever heard.”
It was
also a day of mourning for many of the Saints who lost children on the
day. Amasa M. Lyman and Eliza Partridge
Lyman’s five‑month‑old baby, Don Carlos Lyman, died. Sister Lyman wrote: “I should wish to bid this world farewell
for it is full of disappointment and sorrow, but I believe there is a power
that watches over us and does all things right.” On hearing the news, Eliza R. Snow wrote: “O, Lord comfort the heart of the mother in
this sudden bereavement.”
Eliza R.
Snow wrote a poem:
Belov’d
Eliza, do not weep
Your baby
sleeps a quiet sleep;
Altho’ in
dust its body lies
Its spirit
soars above the skies.
No more
upon your throbbing breast
It lays its
little head to rest‑‑
From all
the pains of nature freed,
Your fond
caress it does not need.
Sweet was
its visit but its stay
On earth
was short‑‑’twas call’d away
By kindred
spirits to fulfil
Its calling
& Jehovah’s will.
Then soothe
your feeling‑‑do not mourn,
Your noble
offspring will return,
With all
its loveliness again
And with
its friends on earth remain.
Also died
this day were Sarah Butlerworth and the Porter twins, born the previous day.
Brother
Luke S. Johnson, former member of the Twelve, who recently rejoined the Saints,
arrived in Camp. He had just buried his
wife at St. Joseph, Missouri. The
Journal History of the Church records:
“There was quite a rejoicing among the old Kirtland Saints to see
Brother Johnson among them again.” He
stayed the night at Heber C. Kimball’s home.
His sister, Marinda Hyde, wife of Orson Hyde, came to visit him.
News
arrived that the new governor of Illinois, Augustus C. French, announced his
plans to have the State troops withdraw from Nauvoo. He called upon the citizens of Hancock County to cease violent
acts and “show to the world that as the original causes of domestic discord
[the Mormons] were removed, they were able, unaided and alone to reinstate the
majesty of the laws and thereby prevent many sinister inferences which
otherwise would be certain to follow.”
The
battalion passed around a canyon and the ruins of the Presidio‑ Fortress
of Santa Cruz de Terrenate.24 Colonel Cooke wrote: “The country is broken and rough, and we at
times pass behind isolated hills. The
bottom grass is very tall and sometimes difficult to pass through.” The guides determined the best spot to turn
off the San Pedro River, to head toward Tucson. They had found a group of Apaches and Mexicans distilling
whisky. From them, they learned that
the Mexican Army garrisons of all the little frontier posts had been collected
and were currently at Tucson, numbering about two hundred. They also had two cannons. Guides were sent on ahead, using assumed
identities, to find out more information.
They would inform the Mexican commander that an American army was on the
way. They would try to trick the
commander into believing that the Mormon Battalion was just an advance guard
for a much bigger army.25
The third
sick detachment arrived at Simeon Turley’s ranch. Lt. Willis made arrangements with Mr. Turley to leave a number of
the sick at his ranch. He was paid from
Lt. Willis’ private funds. In the
evening, the men expressed fears of going further into the mountains, full of
snow. Lt. Willis said that he had
orders to go to Pueblo, and he would go there, even if he had to travel
alone. He called for a sustaining
vote. All but one supported his
decision, but he later changed his vote.
General
Stephen Kearny arrived in San Diego. He
met with Commodore Robert Stockton to plan an attack on Los Angeles, to retake
it from the Californians (Mexicans).
Watson, ed., Manuscript
History of Brigham Young, 472‑73; Brooks, ed., On the Mormon
Frontier, The Diary of Hosea Stout 1844‑1861, 217; Journal History,
December 12, 1846; Beecher, ed., The Personal Writings of Eliza R. Snow,
149; “Thomas Bullock Poor Camp Journal” in Bagley, ed., Pioneer Camp of the
Saints; Cooke, Exploring Southwestern Trails 1846‑1854, 144‑46;
Talbot, a Historical Guide to the Mormon Battalion and Butterfield Trail,
47‑8; Brown, Life of a Pioneer, 57; Tyler, a Concise History of
the Mormon Battalion, 193; “Journal Extracts of Henry W. Bigler,” Utah
Historical Quarterly, 5:2:48; “Diary of Lorenzo Dow Young,” Utah
Historical Quarterly, 14:152; Yurtinus, a Ram in the Thicket, 495-96
The Saints
assembled at the Winter Quarters’ stand for a Sabbath meeting. Cornelius P. Lott first spoke on the duty of
the Saints in their various capacities, places, and stations. He then testified that they were being led by
“a prophet in Israel.” He mentioned
that Brigham Young had prophesied in the temple last winter that the Saints
would escape into the wilderness and that the temple would be taken over by
money changers and thieves. These
things had come to pass.
Next,
Brigham Young offered a few remarks. He
announced that a house needed to be built for the Omaha Indians who had been
attacked near Winter Quarters a few evenings previous. They were fearful to leave and needed a
house which would protect them from further attacks. President Young said, “I cannot do it all, yet I will need some
help. Come, brothers, bear each other’s
burdens that you may reap the reward of the faithful.”
He
addressed a concern expressed by some that the Mormon Battalion wives were not
receiving enough money. Brigham Young
informed them that the battalion had sent back only about one fourth of their
pay. Also, the goods purchased with the
money in St. Louis required extra cost to bring them back. “I see no cause of complaint whatever and
had not Bro. [Parley P.] Pratt and those brethren that were with him, happened
at the Fort [Leavenworth], at the [time of] payment, and urged the necessity of
sending a part of their means back, you would not have had any money to have
troubled you about.”
In the
evening, a council meeting was held.
The Council voted that Reynolds Cahoon, Ira Eldredge, and Stephen
Markham be appointed to a committee to build a house for the Omahas. It should be built on Thursday by at least
fifty men.26
President
Young reproved the High Council and bishops for neglecting their duty and
working on the Sabbath. The bishops in
Winter Quarters were requested to meet each week with the High Council. Those in the High Council should watch over
the bishops “with a fatherly care.” If
any of the bishops did not magnify their calling, they should be released, “for
it would not do for this people to go into the wilderness and forget their
God.” The bishops should hold weekly
meetings in their wards and see that no one within their stewardship should
suffer from hunger. They were also
asked to establish schools. All the
leaders should “search this place as with a lighted candle in their hands and
put down all iniquity.” Each bishop
should lead their ward and instruct the members in their duty. “You can lead a man to do his duty.”
President
Young had heard criticism that he was trying to get rich off the Saints. He stated that “If I had been intent on
getting riches, I never should have had the knowledge God has bestowed upon me,
some one else would have stood in my place.”
Hosea
Stout was impressed by President Young’s council. “He had an uncommon portion of the Holy Spirit resting down upon
him & was filled with the sublime views of rolling forth this great and
mighty work and if the council and Bishops will abide his advice, a great and
good work will soon be done here.”
Plans were
announced to construct a Council House in Winter Quarters. Each member of the Twelve, High Council, and
twenty‑two bishops were asked to bring a log twenty‑five feet long
for the Council House.
A meeting
of the Council of the First Presidency of the Seventies was held. Reports were given from the various quorums
regarding the needy in the quorum.
Orville M. Allen reported that Sister Browett was destitute of
provisions and did not have a house.
President Albert P. Rockwood commented that Sister Browett had an
abundance of property. President Allen
was instructed to see what articles she could trade in exchange for a
house. Most of the quorums stated that
they were able to take care all those in their quorum.
The
Seventies discussed the idea of employing the poor to make baskets which could
be sold. President Jedediah M. Grant
was appointed to select a person to open a trade school to instruct people how
to make baskets. It was also decided to
build a school house where these classes could be held.
Later in
the evening, members of the Twelve met with Luke S. Johnson. They discussed items of church history. Brother Johnson mentioned that all those who
participated in the tarring a feathering of Joseph Smith and Sidney Rigdon in
Hiram Ohio, in 1832, had died an untimely death, expect for one man. But the survivor, Carnot Mason, who had
dragged Joseph out of the house by his hair, had been severely afflicted. Dr. Denison had been the man who prepared a
vial of poison for Joseph.27
John D.
Lee spent two hours talking with Brigham Young. President Young suggested that Brother Lee take 20‑30
brethren into the settlements to on work threshing and cleaning wheat to help
raise funds to outfit the pioneer company.
Teams could also be employed to haul grain, tallow, butter, lard, soap,
and other items from the settlements.
Heber C.
Grant, three‑month‑old son of George and Margaret Grant, died. John Lawrence, husband of Rhoda Sandford
Lawrence, died at the age of forty‑three. A daughter, Louisa Park, was born to John and Louisa Smith Park.
A
daughter, Lydia Standley, was born to Alexander S. and Philinda Upton Standley.28
The
battalion marched along the San Pedro River bottoms, which at that point was up
to two miles wide. They passed many
mesquite trees, that almost looked like they were arranged in orchards. After they made their new camp, one mile
northwest of present‑day Benson, Arizona, Colonel Cooke mustered the
battalion, inspected their arms, and had a long drill. He instructed them how to properly load and
fire their arms, and had them march in columns. This drilling was needed to prepare them for the possible danger
that loomed in Tucson. Each man was
given twenty‑eight cartridges.
Colonel
Cooke issued the following order.
Thus far on
our course we have followed the guides furnished us by the general
[Kearny]. These guides now point to
Tucson, a garrison town, as our road, and assert that any other course is a
hundred miles out of the way and over a trackless wilderness of mountains,
rivers and hills. We will march, then,
to Tucson. We came not to make war on
Sonora, and less still to destroy an important outpost of defense against
Indians; but we will take the straight road before us, and overcome all
resistance. But shall I remind you that
the American soldier ever shows justice and kindness to the unarmed and unresisting?
The property of individuals you will hold sacred. The people of Sonora are not our enemies.
The third
sick detachment, led by Lt. Willis, departed from the Turley ranch and headed
toward Rio Colorado, the northernmost settlement along the way in present‑day
New Mexico.
Watson, ed., Manuscript
History of Brigham Young, 473‑75; Kelly, ed., Journals of John D.
Lee, 1846‑1847 and 1859, 33‑4; Brooks, ed., On the Mormon
Frontier, The Diary of Hosea Stout 1844‑1861, 217‑18; Lundwall,
The Fate of the Persecutors of the Prophet Joseph Smith, 71‑2;
“Thomas Bullock Poor Camp Journal” in Bagley, ed., Pioneer Camp of the
Saints; Cooke, Exploring Southwestern Trails 1846‑1854, 145‑47;
Yurtinus, a Ram in the Thicket, 285, 402‑03
As the
Saints in Winter Quarters arose, they were greeted with about one inch of snow
on the ground. Light snow fell
throughout the day, but was quickly melted by the sun. Willard Richards walked across the Missouri
River on the ice to visit Brother John Neff, who was sick.
Word came
to Winter Quarters that sugar, salt, molasses and other items could be
purchased for reasonable prices across and down the river, at Trader’s
Point. John D. Lee was immediately sent
to purchase $300‑1,000 worth of goods.
The Indian
interpreter, Logan Fontenelle, returned from the site of the recent Omaha
Indian massacre. He reported finding
seventy-three bodies, men, women, and children that had been killed by the
Sioux. Five had been left wounded, and
six had been taken prisoner.
In the
afternoon, Brigham Young rode with Ezra T. Benson and others to select a site
for the Omahas’ new house. They found a
suitable site, six miles to the south.
Thomas
Bullock recorded, “In the evening I commenced a School for my Children, which I
pray my heavenly Father to bless me in my labors, & enable me to instruct
them well, & make them useful in building up His Kingdom on the Earth.”
A son,
Joseph Smith Adams, was born to Arza and Sabina Clark Adams.29
The
battalion tried to get an early start on their march as they started heading
west, away from the San Pedro River, toward Tucson. They wound up the bluffs30
for nine miles until they reached the top
After traveling for a total of twenty miles, they made their camp at
some water near the contemporary village of Pantano, Arizona. Thomas Dunn wrote, “Marched 20 miles on a
plain covered with bush and prickles so bad that it was almost impassable for
miles, the pioneers cleared the way and a fatiguing march of 20 miles closed
the labour of the day.”
Leroux, a
guide for the battalion, was sent to a Mexican distillery ahead (where whiskey
was made out of roots called Mescal) to calm their fears, and prevent them from
running off. At the stillhouse, were
some Mexican officers. Colonel Cooke went
ahead to meet with them. They reported
that an Apache had been spreading alarming rumors about the battalion and the
commandante of the garrison at Tucson had instructed these officers to request
that Col. Cooke not pass through Tucson.
Cooke told the officers to relay a message quickly that they were not
the Sonorans’ enemies, and they were only interested in purchasing flour and
other provisions at Tucson.
Watson, ed., Manuscript
History of Brigham Young, 475; Beecher, ed., The Personal Writings of
Eliza R. Snow, 149‑50; “Diary of Lorenzo Dow Young,” Utah
Historical Quarterly, 14:152; “Thomas Bullock Poor Camp Journal” in Bagley,
ed., Pioneer Camp of the Saints; Cooke, Exploring Southwestern Trails
1846‑1854, 148‑50; “Private Journal of Thomas Dunn,”
typescript, 16
The
morning was cold and snowy. Charles
Bird left in the morning for Trader’s Point to purchase provisions. John D. Lee gave him $250 cash and a load of
hides.
The
sisters in Winter Quarters always stayed very busy. On this day, Mary Richards baked a loaf of bread, wrote a letter,
and spent the evening sewing. Harriet
Young, with her husband Lorenzo away, drew a barrel of water, fixed the fence,
chopped the wood, tacked a comfort, and maintained her husband’s journal. Susan Young, another wife of Lorenzo, went
to her mother’s to quilt a petticoat.
A council
meeting was held with the bishops.
Reports were heard from several of the bishops. Abraham O. Smoot, the bishop called to serve
in the 14th ward was away from Winter Quarters. Elder Wilford Woodruff was asked to act as bishop and choose two
counselors to assist him.
Brigham
Young was frustrated with the reports given by the bishops. Willard Richards, the historian, was asked
to issue a form for the bishops to help them create a concise report. It was felt that each of the twenty‑two
bishops should be able to give their reports in two minutes. He commented, “If men who have been in the
Church thirteen years cannot do business with dispatch and correctly, the
Council must teach them.” Hosea Stout
commented in his journal, “It appears from President Young’s teaching & the
way he is bringing them to their duty that he is determined to have them do
business right & not neglect their duty as has been the case too much in
days gone by.”
President
Young asked the bishops to raise a team for Joseph and George Herring (Indian
members of the Church) that would be used to take their families over the
mountains with the pioneer company. He
also asked for one more days’ work from the brethren in Winter Quarters on the
mill race.
Heber C.
Kimball addressed the Council and shared a dream he recently had. He and Brigham Young were traveling very
fast and they thought they could fly.
They “flew some distance and lit upon a plain, in traveling over which
we perceived groups of snakes: we
jumped lively from place to place to get past them, they did not molest
us.” Brigham Young interpreted this
dream. He said the people were full of
evil and speaking evil of the leaders, but would not grumble while they were
present.
Elder
Kimball counseled the bishops to reform and teach their wards to cease their
complaining and to seek after the Holy Ghost.
If the people did not repent, the Lord would send a plague among them.
Brigham
Young instructed the Council.
I told them
that unless this people would humble themselves and cease their wickedness, God
would not give them much more teaching nor would it be long until the
Priesthood would be hunted by those who now call themselves Saints. I told the brethren if the people would do
as I said, they would be saved. I asked
my Heavenly Father what he had for me to do, and when he dictated, I performed
accordingly, and I left the issue with Him, believing that it would come out
all right.
He
referred to criticism in regards to the handling of the Mormon Battalion
money. Thomas Bullock recorded, “[President
Young] was ready to night to render an account of his conduct to his Heavenly
Father in regard to the goods & he should cry out ‘Hallelujah my work is
done.’”
Wilford
Woodruff explained in his journal what was taking place in Winter
Quarters. “There is beginning to be
murmurings through the camp and much wickedness that the Lord is not pleased
with. The Saints appear at the present
time some as the children of Israel did while in the wilderness & the
Nephites on this continent. At times
they would forget their God and turn to wickedness.”
Caroline
E. Gates, wife of Jacob Gates, died.
Also seventy‑year‑old Edman Rosley (Edward Bosely?) died of
shortness of breath.
A son,
John Thomas Rich, was born to Charles C. and Sarah Pea Rich. Brother Rich was very sick in bed when the
baby arrived. Sister Rich wrote: “There we were in one little small room,
with a bark roof and a bark floor, for the oak and other trees would peel away
easily. The brethren would peel off large pieces of bark, and spread them out
and make floors, and cover the house with the same.” Sister Rich was thankful for the kindness of her neighbors,
especially Lorenzo Snow. “He lived near
us, and himself and family were so kind to us in our time of sickness, and
administered words of comfort and cheered us up in our affliction. And at this
place we had many testimonies that the Lord had not forsaken us, and that He
was mindful of His people who put their trust in Him.”
Roger
Farrer wrote a letter to his son William.
He reported that his other two sons were working somewhere in Iowa. He added, “I have been sick for nearly five
months, . . . and we have suffered for want of provisions on account of my not
being able to go to work.”
The
battalion took up their march toward Tucson in the Pantano Wash. After one mile, they passed by a
distillery. Colonel Cooke wrote that at
the distillery, “we saw a dozen or two Indians and Mexicans ‑‑ men,
women, and children. They had huts or
wigwams of dry grass or reeds, besides a small adobe house. The process of distillation of whiskey from
mescal was going on. It was altogether
the most muddy, filthy, wretched‑looking place I ever saw in my
life.” Henry Bigler observed, “The
outfit seemed to be a portable affair, using raw hides for vats or tubs.”
Colonel
Cooke was concerned about Doctor Foster’s delay in returning from Tucson. When the battalion met four friendly Mexican
soldiers, Colonel Cooke decided to take three of them prisoner, and send one
with a message to Tucson, directing that they release Doctor Foster if he was
being detained. One of the prisoners
was the commandante’s son.
At 11
a.m., they stopped for water at Dienega Springs because they would not have
water at their camp in the evening.
The men
continued on, admiring the snow in the Catalina Mountains to the north. The road was difficult and they were
troubled by the prickly pear cactus.
William Coray complained, “We traveled this day through the most prickly,
prongy, thorny country I ever saw; the Prickles were in every shape imaginable.”
Colonel
Cooke remarked about the giant suguaro cacti which are plentiful near
Tucson: “We also saw today another
extraordinary variety of the cactus, a green fluted pillar thirty feet high and
near two feet in diameter, very straight but sending out (some of them), about
midway up, several similar columns, something like the branches of a
candelabra. The ridges of the flutes
are thickly set with thorns.” Thomas
Dunn wrote, “We saw a vegetable curiosity this day. 30 feet high and 18" in diameter covered with thorns
hooked.” They also were introduced to
the annoying cholla cactus. James S.
Brown wrote: “Here a new (to us) species of cactus proved very troublesome It
was jointed, and when an animal rubbed against the thorns, it broke loose at the
joints, and sections about three inches long would stick fast to the animal.”31
At about
midnight, Doctor Foster, with an escort of eighteen soldiers, arrived at the
battalion camp. They brought proposals
from the Tucson garrison asking for a special armistice to allow the battalion
to march on limited roads around Tucson.
Colonel Cooke refused the terms.
He stated that the battalion would enter Tucson freely to trade. He additionally demanded that the Mexicans
surrender two cavalry carbines and three lances. No agreement was reached after two hours.
A large
load of grain arrived from Missouri.
The wagon had been gone for two months.
They had traveled more than seven hundred miles.
Watson, ed., Manuscript
History of Brigham Young, 475‑77; Brooks, ed., On the Mormon
Frontier, The Diary of Hosea Stout 1844‑1861, 218; Kelly, ed., Journals
of John D. Lee, 1846‑1847 and 1859, 40; Wilford Woodruff’s Journal,
3:98‑9; Ward, ed., Winter Quarters, 101; “Diary of Lorenzo Dow
Young,” Utah Historical Quarterly, 14:152; Rich, Ensign to the
Nations, 86; “Thomas Bullock Poor Camp Journal” in Bagley, ed., Pioneer
Camp of the Saints; Cooke, Exploring Southwestern Trails 1846‑1854,
150‑51; Yurtinus, a Ram in the Thicket, 405‑06; “Private
Journal of Thomas Dunn Journal,” typescript, 16; Gudde, Bigler’s Chronicle
of the West, 33; Brown, Life of a Pioneer, 59; Gentry; BYU
Studies, 21:4:451; Roger Farrer to William Farrer, 15 December 1846, Church
Archives; “Sarah Rich Autobiography,” typescript, BYU, 61‑2
A man from
Missouri visited Winter Quarters to hire men for a job near St. Joseph,
Missouri. Wilford Woodruff put the roof
on his father’s house and the family moved into it. Many men worked on the mill race and it was finally completed in
the evening.
A son,
Meltiar Hatch, was born to Meltiar and Permelia Snyder Hatch.32
A daughter, Alviara Evelette Smith, was born to Thomas S. and Polly
Clark Smith.33 A daughter, Margaret Jane Smith, was born to
Thomas W. and Sarah Ann Boren Smith.34
The
battalion started their long march toward Tucson before sunrise. The road was difficult, “covered with
mesquite and prickly pears of every variety.”
When they were about six miles from Tucson, they were greeted by a
mounted, Mexican soldier. He delivered
a letter from the commandant of the Tucson garrison. It stated that Colonel Cooke’s terms could not be accepted. After the soldier left, anticipating a
confrontation, Colonel Cooke ordered the men to load their muskets. After traveling a short distance, two
Mexican citizens arrived, who reported that the soldiers were evacuating the
post. Cooke countermanded his order to
load the guns. “They also gave
information that the town was nearly deserted of inhabitants, forced off by the
military; these had carried off their two brass cannon and all public property
but wheat and tobacco.”
After
about two more miles, Colonel Cooke ordered the men to march double time. James S. Brown wrote: “At that the whole column moved on a smart
trot. Some of us, at least, thought we
were advancing upon an enemy that had been discovered by the commander; but
when we had gone pell‑mell over cobblerock and gullies, through brush and
cactus, for a distance of nearly three quarters of a mile, we received the
command to halt.”
The
soldiers were soon greeted by a dozen mounted men in plain clothes who
accompanied them toward the Presidio.
As the men marched, they saw off in the distance, a large stone church,
the San Xavier Mission, which was built in the late 1700's. It was learned that the Mexican soldiers
were camped at the mission, about nine miles to the south. There was also a rumor that about twenty‑five
Mexican soldiers had been sent north, toward Gila, to harass the battalion’s
march ahead.
When they
arrived at the gates of the Presidio, Colonel Cooke addressed the
battalion. He informed them all that
the soldiers and citizens had fled, leaving much of their property behind. He reminded them that they had not come to
make war on Sonora. The men must not
interfere with the private property of the citizens.
The
battalion marched impressively into the Tucson Presidio. It was almost deserted except for about a
hundred frightened men, women, children, sick and elderly. Henry Bigler wrote: “The few people that were left in the place
were old men and infirm, with a few children, who were at our mercy and were
badly frightened on our approach but as we showed no sign of fight they became
friendly and very sociable, though close in their dealings.” Sergeant Daniel Tyler recalled with fondness
a kind, elderly man who gave them water to drink. “When signs of thirst were given, [he] ran to the brook as fast
as his tottering limbs could carry him, dipped up his water, and almost out of
breath, but with cheerful countenance, delivered the refreshing and much needed
draught.”35
Colonel
Cooke compared Tucson to Santa Fe.
Tucson is
not seen until very close by. Of
course, its adobe houses are the same in appearance [as Santa Fe] but
inferior. There is a wall with
abutments and battlements in bad repair which surrounds the barracks. . . . It
is a more populous village than I had supposed, [normally] containing about
five hundred; and there are pueblos. . . . There is another very large [church]
at a small Indian village close by.36
Henry
Bigler later shared his impressions of Tucson:
“It looked good to see young green wheat patches and fruit trees and see
hogs and fowls running about and it was music to our ears to hear the crowing
of the cocks. . . . In the place are 2 little mills for grinding grain and run
by jackass power, the upper millstone moved around as fast as Mr. Donkey
pleased to walk.”
The march
was not halted, but continued through the town. Their camp was established about three‑quarters mile northwest
of the Presidio, near an irrigation ditch containing water from the Santa Cruz
River. Many of the citizens of Tucson
came into camp to sell their wares to the soldiers. A few men were sent back to the Presidio to search for
grain. Henry Standage wrote: “We were kindly treated by the people of
Tucson who brought Flour, Meal, Tobacco, Quinces to the camp for sale and many
of them giving such things to the Soldiers. . . . 2000 bushels of wheat
belonging to the [Mexican] Government was found out which we were ordered to
feed the Animals.” The food for the men
was purchased from the citizens. They
traded clothing for wheat, corn, beans, and peas. James S. Brown wrote: “We
were near starved that we could not wait for this food to be more than half
cooked before we ate it.” Colonel Cooke
purchased three bushels of badly needed salt.
A strong
guard was placed around the camp during the evening. Corporal Thomas Dunn and Sergeant William Coray went into the
town at 9 p.m. and found everything peaceful.
Watson, ed., Manuscript
History of Brigham Young, 477; Wilford Woodruff’s Journal, 3:99;
“Thomas Bullock Poor Camp Journal” in Bagley, ed., Pioneer Camp of the
Saints; Margaret Maxwell, “The March of the Mormon Battalion” in The Smoke
Signal 66 (Fall 1996), 125; Journal of Henry Standage in Golder, The March
of the Mormon Battalion, 195‑96; Cooke, Exploring Southwestern
Trails 1846‑1854, 151‑52, 157; Brown, Life of a Pioneer,
61; “Journal Extracts of Henry W. Bigler,” Utah Historical Quarterly,
5:2:49; “The Journal of Nathaniel V. Jones,” Utah Historical Quarterly,
4:9; “Private Journal of Journal of Thomas Dunn,” typescript, 16; Tyler, a
Concise History of the Mormon Battalion, 227
Joshua L.
Miller delivered a letter to Brigham Young from Joseph Holbrook, who was at
Ponca, about 150 miles up the Missouri River.
George Miller and nearly four hundred Saints were camped there for the
winter. Joseph Holbrook, Joseph
Matthews, and James Emmett had recently returned from a trip to explore the
road to Fort Laramie. The brethren had
been considering Ponca as a launching point for the journey to the west. Brother Holbrook reported that the route was
good, but they had to turn back after one hundred miles because the feed had
been all eaten by the buffalo.
A council
meeting was held in the evening.
Willard Richards discussed with the Council about the importance of
keeping a good history of the Church.
He had “bushels” of papers that needed to be organized and filed safely
away. Wilford Woodruff commended Elder
Richards for his work. He felt that
they were living in the most important era of the world and that a strict
history must be kept. He testified that
they would be judged out of the things written in the books. Orson Pratt seconded these thoughts and
suggested that funds be used to support the historian’s work. These funds could be raised from the tax
assessment that was collected to support the police.
Several
bishops gave their reports to the Council but they were not yet
acceptable. Further instruction was
given to the bishops how to create a proper report. About an inch of snow fell on Winter Quarters during the evening.
Charles
Bird returned from Trader’s Point with a load of groceries purchased for the
Church. John D. Lee spent the evening
taking an inventory of them.
At
daybreak, Colonel Cooke sent out men to find better grass for the mules. They could only find some poor grass in the
creek bed of the Santa Cruz River.
Thirty to forty mules were reported missing. Colonel Cooke worried that the Mexican army was stealing the
mules, so he decided to march a company of men toward the San Xavier Mission,
where the Mexican army was stationed, to display a force and repel the
Mexicans. Recognizing the difficulty of
the long, hard march ahead, he only asked for volunteers for this mission.
At 9:30
a.m., a company of forty volunteer footmen and a number of men riding mules,
started off toward the south. They
passed through the Tucson Presidio and then continued south in the Santa Cruz
River bed. After four miles of difficult
marching, they came to some water and rested.
Colonel Cooke discussed with the officers whether they should split up
into smaller groups for safety from ambush, or return to Tucson. They all agreed that it was time to turn
back. Before they returned, they
noticed smoke signals coming from the San Xavier Mission which they believed
was a signal informing others that Colonel Cooke’s men were marching toward the
mission.
The men
felt very blessed that they were able to enter Tucson without a battle. Henry Standage wrote: “Surely the Lord is on our side for when we
see the advantages the Spaniards had in this town, their numbers being far
greater than ours, the Cavina also and in a walled town, well defended against
musketry, I am led to exclaim that the Lord God of Israel will save his people
in as much as He knoweth the cause of our being here in the United States
Service.”
Colonel
Cooke believed that there was little grass between Tucson and Gila River. Wheat was distributed to every man, for them
to carry on their backs during the march on the road ahead. Some of the men hid a portion of their
personal wheat in the wagons. Colonel
Cooke met with some Pima Indians to learn where the water was ahead and they
offered to guide the battalion to their village on the Gila River.
In the
evening it was reported that the Mexican forces had dispersed. Those who had been stationed at places other
than Tucson, returned to their posts.
Colonel Cooke composed a letter to be left for the Commandante.
Sir: Having received no orders, or entertained an
intention to make war upon Sonora, I regret that circumstances have compelled
me to break up your quarters at this post.
Making forced marches for want of watering places, and finding no grass
or other forage here, I have found it necessary to use about thirty fanegas of
wheat from the public granary. None has
been wasted or destroyed, and no other public property has been seized.
He also
composed a letter to be delivered to the governor of Sonora. Cooke explained that it had been necessary
to take the presidio at Tucson. “Be
assured that I did not come as an enemy of the people whome you govern; they
have received only kindness at my hands.”
He made it clear that they were friends of Sonora, who were not
supporting the rest of Mexico in the war against the United States.
A strong
guard was positioned around the camp and all was quiet until shortly after midnight. A body of Mexicans were spotted marching
toward Tucson. A bugle was sounded and
the officer of the day, George Oman, rushed through the camp shouting for the
drummers to beat their drums. Confusion
started to reign. Colonel Cooke quickly
took control and ordered the drums to be quiet and the campfires to be covered
with dust. The adjutant rushed through
the camp, ordering the men to form into lines according to companies.
James S.
Brown wrote an amusing description of the great confusion at this point.
The writer
had been up relieving his stomach of half‑boiled wheat, corn and peas,
and had just got settled back in bed when the alarm was fired, so he heard all
that was going on. As we all slept in
our pantaloons, the first thing I thought of in that country of prickly pears
was my boots; and while reaching for these and bumping heads with comrades,
some of the men whose muskets were used for the uprights for the tent thought
these the first articles in the emergency and seized them, the tent coming down
and the ridge‑pole making another bump on heads. At the same time we were all trapped in the
fallen tent, which was pinned down tight.
I was trying to get the left boot on the right foot, and my footwear
being rather small I had no easy job. All
being caught in the tent‑trap, the thought came how easy it would be for
a body of Mexican cavalry in a charge to cut us to pieces, and we soon burst
through the tent and fell into line.
After the
men were assembled, they stood for a few minutes in “breathless silence” but no
enemy appeared. Parties were sent out
to gather information and the men were held in readiness for an hour or
more. After it was determined that all
was safe, the men retired back to their tents.
It was later learned that the Mexicans who had been spotted were only
citizens who were returning to their homes in Tucson. William Pace gave this differing explanation: “It was learned afterwards that our picket
guard fired on a herd of cattle in the night killing one, supposing them to be
cavalry causing alarm.”
The third
sick detachment, led by Lt. Willis, reached a pass in the mountains and started
to descend, following the Sangre de Cristo Creek, which wound through a
valley. The march was very difficult in
two to three feet of snow. One
youngster froze his toes and another almost froze to death. Lieutenant Willis wrote, “Before reaching
the top, however, I had to detail a rear guard of the most able‑bodied
men to aid and encourage those who began to lag, and felt unable to proceed
farther, whilst with others I marched at the head of the column to break the
road through enormous snow banks. It
was with the greatest exertions that we succeeded, and some were severely frost‑bitten.”
A man
named George F. Ruxton was traveling about a day or two behind the sick
detachment. He wrote:
The next
day we struck La culebra, or Snake Creek, where we saw that the party of
Mormons had encamped, and apparently halted a day, for more than ordinary pains
had been taken to make their camp comfortable, and several piles of twigs, of
the sage‑brush and rushes, remained, of which they had made beds. . . . I
remarked that in the vicinity of the Mormon camp no watering‑ place had
been made for their animals, and as we had seen no holes broken in the ice of
creeks we had passed, I concluded that these people had allowed their animals
to shift for themselves.
Watson, ed., Manuscript
History of Brigham Young, 477‑78; Kelly, ed., Journals of John D.
Lee, 1846‑1847 and 1859, 40; Brooks, ed., On the Mormon Frontier,
The Diary of Hosea Stout 1844‑1861, 218; Cooke, Exploring
Southwestern Trails 1846‑1854, 153‑160; Journal of Henry
Standage in Golder, The March of the Mormon Battalion, 196; George F.
Ruxton, Adventures in Mexico and the Rocky Mountains; Yurtinus, a Ram
in the Thicket, 286‑87; Brown, Life of a Pioneer, 63; “Thomas
Bullock Poor Camp Journal” in Bagley, ed., Pioneer Camp of the Saints;
“William Pace Autobiography,” BYU, 14
The
weather was very cold. The few
survivors of the massacred Omaha tribe came into Winter Quarters. They left the city with Chief Big Head and
his wounded family, and camped to the south.
Wilford Woodruff spent the day helping John S. Fowler get ready for a
trading expedition to Missouri. Sister
Phoebe Woodruff was still mourning the lost of her little boy Joseph. She took out of her family box his portrait
to gaze longingly at his likeness.
In the
evening, the bishops of the wards were given “a sentimental lecture on the
subject of each man and duty, women not excepted.”
Sarah
Leavitt recalled:
In December
[1846] I moved into a house the boys had built at Trade Point on the Missouri
River where steamboats landed. I got
able to do my work and went to washing up our dirty clothes. After working nearly a week, I got them done
and hung them up at night. I got up in
the morning and every article of clothing was stolen and some new cloth that
was not made. That left us almost
without clothes. Well, I did not
complain, but it taught me a lesson not to leave clothes out overnight. I was not discouraged, although it seemed
hard after I had worked when I had little strength to wash clothes that had
lain dirty for months for want of strength to wash them.
A
daughter, Arcina Jane Harrison, was born to Isaac and Sabina Ann Harrison.37
The Mormon
Battalion broke camp in Tucson at 8 a.m. and began their anticipated long, hot
march across the “Ninety‑five mile Desert” toward Pima Village, to the
north. Colonel Cooke began his march at
10 a.m. The battalion traveled for
several miles on the river bed of the Santa Cruz River. Some of them, fearing ambush from some
Mexican soldiers who were thought to be ahead, left the river bed after about
four miles. The battalion was very
concerned about finding water between Tucson and the Gila River. Col.
Cook wrote: “To my surprise, I
found water seven miles from town and plenty of it. . . .The mules were then
carefully watered about one o’clock.”38
The men were ordered to fill all their canteens, as this was thought to be the
last water for forty miles.
Col. Cooke
continued his march along the east bank of the Santa Cruz River. “The next three miles down the dry creek of
Tucson were excessively difficult, with deep sand and other obstacles. Then our beautiful level prairie road was
much obstructed by mesquite.”
At present‑day
Cortaro, the battalion probably crossed the Santa Cruz and continued their
march through what today is known as Continental Ranch. At about this point, Col. Cooke
reported: “At the base of a low
mountain a mile off, we saw the dust of a part of horses at speed, and their
tracks were discovered . . . I was at a loss what to attribute it to, wild
horses, Indians, or Mexican cavalry.”
The
battalion again crossed over the Santa Cruz near today’s Avra Valley Road
Bridge. To make better headway, they
left the Santa Cruz and marched along the route of present day I‑10 in
Marana. Colonel Cooke wrote:
Just at
dusk, more deep sand was encountered and then . . . I marched on rapidly over baked clay ground obstructed occasionally
by mesquite thickets, and encamped on similar ground with a very little grass
in spots. I have surrounded camp and
animals with sentinels . . . There is no water, of course, and appearances
indicate that it may be very far.39
Guards
were carefully posted around the animals and the camp. Robert Bliss wrote: “We are threatened to be attacked by our
Enemies; but we trust in Him who has protected us thus far.” The rear guard did not arrive in camp until
morning.
Later, it
was learned that after they left Tucson, the Mexican troops returned with
reinforcements and had decided to try to catch the battalion on the
desert. Between present‑day
Rillito and Marana, Col. Cooke had built two decoy camp fires. When the Mexican troops came to the second
campfire, they surrounded it, but found no one and decided to turn back.
Watson, ed., Manuscript
History of Brigham Young, 477‑78; Wilford Woodruff’s Journal,
3:99; Kelly, ed., Journals of John D. Lee, 1846‑1847 and 1859, 41;
Cooke, Exploring Southwestern Trails 1846‑1854, 161‑62 151‑52,
157; “The Journal of Robert S. Bliss,” Utah Historical Quarterly, 4:81;
Dan Talbot, a Historical Guide to the Mormon Battalion and Butterfield Trail,
48; “Sarah Leavitt History,” 37
In the
afternoon, Brigham Young reported to other members of the Twelve that
construction on the flouring mill was making good progress. The lower story was complete. The other brethren also reported about their
recent activities. George A. Smith was
putting dirt on the roof of his house.
Orson Pratt was studying the polarization of light. Heber C. Kimball had built thirteen cabins
with the help of his extended family.
John D.
Lee left Winter Quarters to go search for his boys who were overdue from returning
from the rush bottoms to the north.
When he passed by the mill, Brigham Young said, “I bless you in the name
of the Lord and say that you shall go and prosper and return back again in
perfect safety.” At 1 p.m., he passed
by the ruins of the fort at Old Council Bluffs. At 2:30 p.m.. he arrived
at rushes where he had sent his sons.
He wrote, “Learned from Bro. L[evi] Stewart . . . that my boys missed
their way while going and was compelled to take refuge for the night in thick
clusters of willows for the night and forced to ascend the branches from the
ravages of the wolves who set out a hideous yell while all around them. The night was tremendous cold, yet these
sufferers survived it without much serious injury.” The boys had arrived into the herding camp the following
morning. Brother Lee found his sons,
and they were doing well.
Brother
Stewart also mentioned that he had been to the site of the recent Omaha Indian
massacre. Nearby he had found a
slaughter yard that the Omahas had been using to butcher the cattle that they
had taken from the Saints.
At sunset,
Brigham Young went to the mill and let water flow into the mill race for the
first time. In the evening a council
meeting was held. They authorized
Cornelius P. Lott to be given one hundred dollars worth of goods from the
Church store in compensation for his services herding and farming for the
Church. The Council decided to sell
some Church cattle to help settle some outstanding debts.
Hosea
Stout traveled several miles south to the new Omaha Indian camp, to search for
some missing property. He did not find
it there, but the Omahas promised to send it back if it was found. While there, he spoke with interpreter,
Logan Fontanelle, who told him about the place of slaughter where he had found
73 men, women and children slain. Two
of the wounded had died since the massacre.
A son,
Joseph Benson, was born to Richard and Phoebe Forrester Benson.40
The
battalion took up their march at sunrise.
The distance to an unusual‑shaped mountain (present‑day
Picacho Peak) was deceptive. It was
further than they thought. Colonel
Cooke wrote: “About fourteen miles
brought us to the foot of a singular‑looking mountain on our left; the
other mountain foot was several miles to our right.” Henry Bigler added: “We
could see a high peak in the distance, sticking up in shape like a cows horn,
the guides called it, ‘The Great Horn.’”
The guides
had informed Colonel Cooke that there was a hole of water near the second
mountain. “After passing entirely
through the gap, I found a note in the road to the effect that they [the
advance company] had searched both mountains for two hours without finding
water. It was then near four
o’clock. The road was good ‑‑
a backed clay plain, with now and then sand mixed.”
Just before
sundown, a small hole containing about thirty to forty gallons of rain water
was found in some clay near the road.
The men were required to lie down and drink. Henry Bigler wrote: “this
brought to my mind of Gideon’s Army lapping water like dogs.” (See Judges 7:5).
At 7 p.m.,
Colonel Cooke established a temporary camp for the men to rest after the long
march, but encouraged them to rest no more than six hours. They needed to either find water during the
night or continue on. Henry Standage
wrote: “I camp’d at the first fire I
came to as some had already stopped without leave, being worn out. The Brethren were passing by at all hours
through the night, still hoping that the command had found water, travelling
two or three miles at a time and resting.”
They soon
learned that some men in the rear found water in rock holes near “the Great
Horn.” Many returned with the hope to
find it. From that point, they traveled
about ten more miles that day -- thirty total. They ended up scattered in groups across five miles. Most of the men and animals drank very
little water during the very hot and difficult march. Many men searched throughout the night for water. Henry Boyle wrote that day: “None but our selves will ever know how much
we suffer.” Daniel Tyler recorded: “To
narrate each individual’s suffering this day alone would make quite a
book.” The men had marched for twenty‑six
hours in a thirty‑six hour period.
The
night’s camp was established, but Colonel Cooke was disappointed to learn that
more water was located two miles back at the temporary camp than could be found
at the main camp. Many of the men chose
to return in search of water. Henry
Bigler wrote: “One of my messmates and
I took our canteens and left camp to hunt water, as good luck had it we found a
small hole of standing water from which we quenched our raging thirst, filled
our canteens and returned to camp. We
met others in search of water and by the time we got back to camp it was nearly
daylight.”
Watson, ed., Manuscript
History of Brigham Young, 478‑79; Brooks, ed., On the Mormon
Frontier, The Diary of Hosea Stout 1844‑1861, 218; Kelly, ed., Journals
of John D. Lee, 1846‑1847 and 1859, 41‑3; Cooke, Exploring
Southwestern Trails 1846‑1854, 162‑64; “Journal Extracts of
Henry W. Bigler,” Utah Historical Quarterly, 5:2:50; Tyler, a Concise
History of the Mormon Battalion, 231‑2; Journal of Henry Standage in
Golder, The March of the Mormon Battalion, 197
During the
morning, the members of the Quorum of the Twelve Apostles visited various ward
meetings in Winter Quarters. Wilford
Woodruff was filling in as an acting bishop of the 14th ward while Abraham O.
Smoot was away. Elder Woodruff opened
his ward meeting with singing, prayer, and then addressed the people. He confessed his sins and expressed concerns
about some wrong‑doings he had observed in the ward. He warned the Saints to repent or a scourge
would come upon them. Elder George A.
Smith next spoke to the ward. He
chastised them for not building Elder Woodruff a house while he was recovering
from his accident. He prophesied that
there would be a time when another temple would be built and they would “be
pulling the bottoms off” Elder Woodruff’s coat to get into the temple to
receive their blessings.41 Elder Orson Pratt arose and spoke about the
trials the Saints were called to pass through.
He testified that the hand of God was involved and that it would all
work out for the good of the Saints, if they would deal with these trials
correctly.
In the
afternoon, the Nauvoo Temple bell rang (recently arrived from Nauvoo),
signaling the Saints to gather together for a meeting at the Winter Quarters
stand. Brigham Young preached a
powerful sermon calling the Saint to repentance, asking them to cease
murmuring, keep the Sabbath Day holy, stop swearing, refrain from stealing, and
to pay their tithing to help the poor.
He instructed the bishops to hold meetings in the wards where the Saints
could “confess their sins, pray with and for each other, humble themselves
before the Lord and commence a reformation that all might exercise themselves
in the principles of righteousness.”
He
commented that “there are many places we pass through that have been the
slaughter ground of the ancient Nephites and Lamanites and the spirits of
Devils are hovering around it and if you are not on your guard, they will enter
you and lead you captive at their will.
For if you are not governed by the spirit of God, you are governed by
the spirit of the devil.”
He also
gave them a warning, that if they did not abide by their covenants and walk
uprightly before the Lord, that those who were faithful would be taken from
their midst. The wicked would be
smitten with famine, pestilence, sword, and would be scattered on the
prairies. He said that those who
expected to journey with the Twelve should help the poor, whether they belonged
to the Church or not. “If the Saints
would reform and act upon the knowledge revealed to them, flood gates of
knowledge would be opened to them and they would be filled with light and
intelligence.”
He
continued, “We cannot be sanctified all at once, but have to be tried and
placed in all kinds of shapes and proven to the utmost to see whether we will
serve the Lord unto the end so that we may be safe when we come into the
Celestial Kingdom of God. . . . And you must not sin, murmur, and complain
while in the midst of your trials, because you have been mobbed and tried, even
to the utmost.”
He called
upon the Camp of Israel to “repent and turn to God and you shall be
blessed. Notwithstanding I have thus
reproved you, I consider you the best people as a body there is on the earth
and if there was any better I would go to them and take you with them that
desired to go.”
He spoke
of the redemption of the dead: “I would
say there are millions that died from the days of Adam to Christ that are waiting
for their bodies to be raised. But few
arose in comparison to the number at the resurrection of Christ and they were
some that had the priesthood or fulness of it sealed upon them.”
Elder
Woodruff reflected in his journal that these powerful remarks from President
Young “made a deep impression upon the congregation, and I trust there will
speedily be a reformation in the Camp of Israel.” Mary Rich wrote: “Bro
Brigham preached a sermon that I think will be long remembered by all who heard
it.”
In the
evening, a council meeting was help in Willard Richards’ octagon house. Henry G. Sherwood was appointed to
superintend the building of the Council House.
The police were to fill any vacancies in their ranks. Jonathan C. Wright gave to the Council the
assessment report for taxes. There was
$101,550 of taxable property in the city.
A committee was appointed to determine a fixed percentage to be levied
for a property tax. John D. Lee was
assigned to go to Missouri to cash between $3,000‑$4,000 worth of checks.
The
bishops of the wards, gave their reports to the Council. These reports revealed there were 3,483
souls in Winter Quarters, 334 sick, 502 well men, 117 sick men, 138 absent men,
75 widows, 53 battalion wives, 814 wagons, 145 horses, 29 mules, 777 oxen, and
463 cows. It was reported that 561 days
labor was donated to work on the mill race.
Brother
Smith Workman arrived from Mount Pisgah and reported that some apostates had
been stealing from the brethren and carrying the property off to Missouri.
A
daughter, Eliza Weir, was born to Thomas and Elizabeth Clark Weir.42
A son,
Nathaniel Prentiss Worden, was born to Nathaniel P. and Ann Cowley Worden.43
The
battalion was asked to start their march early in the morning. They were in a scattered condition. Some of the mules had died during the night
because of the lack of food and water.
Henry Standage recorded: “I did
not go till day‑light. Found
fires all along the trail where the brethren had lain through the night which
served for us to warm at by the help of a little more brush, as the morning was
cold.”
After
three or four hours, one of the guides sent word that some holes of water were
two or three miles ahead. When they
reached this spot, they discovered that the water was very scarce. Guards had to be posted to prevent both men
and animals from rushing to the water.
Colonel Cooke wrote: “The
weather was very warm ‑‑ almost hot. As I waited for the wagons, perplexing myself how it was possible
to give a taste to so many animals out of a few inches of water resting on mud,
our prospects were exceedingly gloomy.”
Then great news arrived. Their
guide, Leroux had found a large pond of water one or two miles ahead. They marched on and indeed found plenty of
water and even some mesquite on which the mules could browse. The last two miles were very difficult. William Hyde wrote: “On arising from the ground, we felt that we
were not much less than 90 . . . years old, but we succeeded in waddling along
about 2 miles where we reached . . . water.”
Colonel
Cooke understood the great suffering endured by his men. William Hyde wrote: “He believed that any other company under
like circumstances would have mutinized.”
Robert S. Bliss wrote: “Our men
have suffered much for water, but our way continues to open as we go, for which
we are thankful to our Father who led us until now.”
Colonel
Cooke saw in the distance some mountains and wrote: “But everywhere in the dim
distance, fantastically shaped mountains appeared. It is a gold district, said to be the most extensive, if not
richest in the word, but can scarcely be worked for its barrenness.”
Watson, ed., Manuscript
History of Brigham Young, 479‑80; Brooks, ed., On the Mormon
Frontier, The Diary of Hosea Stout 1844‑1861, 219; Wilford
Woodruff’s Journal, 3:99‑103; Kelly, ed., Journals of John D. Lee,
1846‑1847 and 1859, 44; Ensign to the Nations, 86; Cooke, Exploring
Southwestern Trails 1846‑1854, 164‑67; Journal of Henry
Standage in Golder, The March of the Mormon Battalion, 197‑98;
“The Journal of Robert S. Bliss,” Utah Historical Quarterly, 4:81; Ward,
ed., Winter Quarters, 102
The
brethren were busy drawing logs for the Council House. Wilford Woodruff cared for his sick wife,
Phoebe. He wrote that she “is passing
through afflictions and trials.” Mary
Richards went to visit the Henry Grow Jr. family. They were very glad to see her and talked about pleasant days in
the past.
About this
time, Louisa Pratt went to the Winter Quarters store for items that she had
thought were purchased with some money she had given to Edwin Wooley and Bishop
Newel K. Whitney on their trip to St. Louis.
She was sad to find out that they had lost her bill and would not let
her have the goods. She wrote:
“Returning after dark, I fell on the frozen ground and sprained my knee. I had
to be helped home and was on my bed for two weeks. My limb swelled to an astonishing
size and continued swollen during the winter. For several weeks I went about on
crutches.”
Elizabeth
B. Willey, age two, died of canker. She
was the daughter of Jeremiah and Samatha Willey. A son, John Milton Bernhisel Jr., was born to John M. and Julia
Haight Bernhisel.
The
battalion marched at sunrise. As they
traveled between two small mountains,44
they viewed for the first time the cottonwoods on the long‑sought Gila
River. As they approached the river,
they were greeted by many Indians mounted on horses, bringing small sacks of
corn, flour, beans, and other items.
These Indians were very glad to see them, many ran and took the men by
the hand. As the battalion traveled on,
they found General Kearny’s trail and could see the tracks left by the
cannons. Finally they arrived at the
river, about one mile east of present‑day Sacaton, Arizona. The river had a rapid current and was about
one hundred feet wide. Henry Bigler
noted that many of the tall saguaro cacti had dozens of Indian arrows sticking
into their tops for some reason.
Hundreds
of Pima Indians greeted them. Colonel
Cooke described them:
They are
good‑looking and very lively. . . . Their language is rather a pleasant
one. The first words I heard, I took
for ‘gold watch.’ Some speak Spanish. . . . They were content to live here by
hard work on the spot which God had given them, and not like others, to rob and
steal. . . . With their large white cotton blankets and streaming hair, they
present, when mounted, quite a fine figure.
Robert S. Bliss added: “These Indians are a large Noble looking
people, their hair is of jet black & hangs down their backs midway of their
body in a large braid or coiled around their heads like a turban.”
Colonel
Cooke was delivered a letter that General Kearny left at the nearby village,
instructing him to buy as many provisions as they could at this village.
The third
sick detachment finally reached Pueblo.
James Scott commented about the reunion with those who had arrived earlier
in the other sick detachments.
The hearty
looks of those who were sick & pale when we parted, assured us of the
healthiness of the place. My heart
rejoiced that kind providence had at last brought us there.” Thomas Bingham added: “After much suffering from hardships from
the journey ‑‑ weak teams, scant supplies of food, illy clad,
general sickness among the men . . . this detachment finally arrived in Pueblo.
Abner
Blackburn described: “This place is a
great rendezvous for trappers, traders, mountaineers and Indians . . . the
lofty Pikes Peak in view and crowned with perpetual snow, a paridise for
hunters with all kinds of game in abundance. . . . There was about twenty
American familys and about one hundred and fifty soldiers wintering here. Which made it appear home like.”
British
Army officer George F. Ruxton visited Pueblo during this winter and later wrote
this description:
In a wide and well-timbered bottom of the Arkansas, the Mormons had erected a street of log shanties, in which to pass the inclement winter. These were built of rough logs of cottonwood, laid one above the other, the interstices filled with mud, and rendered impervious to wind and wet. At one end of the row of shanties was built the ‘church’ or temple -- a long building of huge logs, in which prayer-meetings and holdings-forth took place.
Wilford
Woodruff’s Journal 3:104; Ward, ed., Winter Quarters, 102; Cooke,
Exploring Southwestern Trails 1846‑1854, 167‑70; “The
Journal of Robert S. Bliss,” Utah Historical Quarterly, 4:81; James H.
McClintock, “The Mormon Battalion” radio address, March 26, 1930, typescript,
2; Margaret Maxwell, “The March of the Mormon Battalion” in The Smoke Signal 66
(Fall 1996), 129; “Journal Extracts of Henry W. Bigler,” Utah Historical
Quarterly, 5:2:51; Yurtinus, A Ram in the Thicket, 288; Bagley,
ed. Frontiersman: Abner Blackburn’s Narrative, 33, 48‑9;
Louisa Pratt, autobiography in Heart Throbs of the West 8:243; Ruxton, Life
in the Far West, 204
In the
morning, the brethren of the Twelve, some of the High Council and bishops, met
southeast of Brigham Young house, to lay the foundation of the Council
House. The building would be twenty‑two
feet by thirty‑two feet. They
laid one and a half tiers of logs. This
Council House would serve as a place for council meetings, public meetings,
socials, and dances.
John D.
Lee left Winter Quarter at 10 a.m. to do trading in St. Joseph, Missouri. He crossed the river on the ice and arrived
at Trader’s Point at 4 p.m. He tried to
do some trading with Peter Sarpy, but could not agree to any significant deals
on this day. He decided to stay
overnight and continue trading attempts in the morning.
In the
evening, the Twelve met in council.
They read a letter from Reuben Miller, who was fighting against
Strangism. Brigham Young remarked, “I
considered contending with Strangism like setting up barleycorns to see them
fall over.” President Young also shared
some thoughts about the love between a husband and wife. “That in this life, much called love was
more the effect of passion than principle, but in the resurrection, the love to
the man would be according to his exhaltation and glory.”
A number
of brethren started for Missouri to trade for goods. They included Stephen Markham, Henry Grow, and Brother Whiting.
Eliza R.
Snow received word of her Mother’s (Leonora Snow) death in Walnut Grove,
Illinois, on October 12, 1846. Sister
Snow wrote: “I feel a sweet consolation
inasmuch as she is freed from the ills of the present life ‑‑
having liv’d to a good old age, & been useful all her days ‑‑
She sleep in peace & her grave & father’s [Oliver Snow] who died a year
ago the 18th of last Oct, are side by side.”
Eliza’s brother, Lorenzo Snow wrote when he heard the news: “She was good, and virtuous benevolent and
charitable to all, true and faithful in the New and Everlasting Covenant. Therefore I am comforted in the thought that
her spirit rests in the presence of her Great Father.”
Eliza R.
Snow wrote that following poem:
They are
gone ‑‑ they are gone to a kingdom of rest ‑‑
They are
gone ‑‑ they are gone to the home of the blest
Far away
from the ills of this lower abode‑‑
They have
gone to reside in a mansion of God.
They are
gone ‑‑ they are gone to a residence where
Noble
spirits rejoice in their presence to share
Who, thro’
all their long absence desir’d them to come
And with
shouts of hosanna they welcom’d them home.
They are
gone ‑‑ they are gone back again to pursue
And
accomplish the work there appointed to do;
Crown’d
with blessing & honor they yet will return
And rejoice
with the friends they have left here to mourn.
A son,
Luther Tuttle, was born to Ezra and Ann Tuttle.
The
battalion marched nine miles down the Gila River to the Pima Indian Village,
inhabited by more than two thousand people, living in straw thatched huts.45 Colonel Cooke wrote:
The camp is
full of Indians of all sorts, and a great many have flour, corn, beans, or some
eatables to trade; and they seem only to want clothing, or cotton cloth, and
beads. I am sorry that they will be
disappointed. It resembles a crowded
New Orleans market in numbers and sounds, with the addition of the crying of
children. They have watermelons for
sale. For the last hundred miles all
vegetation is green. There are at least
two thousand people in camp, all enjoying themselves very much.
Henry
Bigler described:
We saw a
great many ponies, mules and donkeys, also poultry; they raise cotton and
manufacture it into cloth for blankets and breech clouts . . . I saw their
squaws spinning and weaving, their spinning was simply done by twisting a
stick, winding the thread around it.
Their looms were 4 sticks about four feet long laid on the ground [in a
square]. The spinning and weaving was a
slow and tedious process.
All the
men were extremely impressed by these people.
Daniel Tyler wrote, “Our American and European cities would do well to
take lessons in virtue and morality from these native tribes.” James S. Brown mentioned that in their
trades with the Pima Indians, “one brass button had more purchasing power than
a five-dollar gold piece.”
The Pima
Chief, Juan Antonio, turned over to Colonel Cooke a number of mules and
provisions left by General Kearny. He
said that some Mexicans had tried to pose as being part of the army, and tried
to convince the chief to turn those things over to them, but the chief saw through
their deception.
The Mormon
Battalion officers were so impressed with the location that Jefferson Hunt
asked permission from Colonel Cooke to speak with the chief regarding a
possible future settlement nearby.
Colonel Cooke gave them his permission.46
Watson, ed., Manuscript
History of Brigham Young, 481‑82; Wilford Woodruff’s Journal,
3:104; Beecher, ed., The Personal Writings of Eliza R. Snow, 150, 284;
Cooke, Exploring Southwestern Trails 1846‑1854, 170‑71;
“Journal Extracts of Henry W. Bigler,” Utah Historical Quarterly,
5:2:52; Tyler, A Concise History of the Mormon Battalion, 234; Talbot,
A Historical Guide to the Mormon Battalion and Butterfield Trail, 49; James
H. McClintock, “The Mormon Battalion” radio address, March 26, 1930,
typescript, 2; Margaret Maxwell, “The March of the Mormon Battalion” in The
Smoke Signal 66 (Fall 1996), 129; Yurtinus, A Ram in the Thicket,
429‑31; Brown, Life of a Pioneer, 66; Kelly, ed., Journals of
John D. Lee, 1846‑1847 and 1859, 44
Wilford
Woodruff was not feeling well, but he still attended a meeting in his ward,
together with Ezra T. Benson. Work
continued on the Council House.
Wonderful
joy came to the family of Lorenzo Dow Young.
Sister Harriet Young was at work on her spinning wheel when
nine-year-old John R. Young ran into the house, announcing that he and his
father had returned from their trading expedition to Missouri. Lorenzo was still down at the river. Sister Young quickly prepared a good supper
and Brother Young soon returned to a joyful reunion. His son, John R. Young later wrote that his father returned to
Winter Quarters with one thousand hogs.
His trading expedition had turned out to be very successful. When they had arrived at St. Joseph, they
stayed at Polk’s tavern where a Sister Lake was employed. She had been a wonderful example for the Saints
and had shared information with patrons about the sufferings the Saints had
endured. Brother Young found no
difficulty doing business. A merchant
loaned him $1,000 that he used $40 to buy a forty‑acre field of
unharvested corn. The best corn was gathered
and put into bins. He noticed a sale on
hogs and he purchased the 1,000 hogs at seventy cents per head.
John D.
Lee, at Trader’s Point, purchased $158 worth of salt, sugar, and other
items. He assigned William Pace to
return to Winter Quarters with these provisions. At 10 a.m., Brother Lee continued on his journey to St. Joseph,
Missouri. He traveled thirty miles and
camped with a number of other brethren, also on the way to do trading in
Missouri.
Joseph Y.
Cook, age nineteen, died of chills. He
was the son of Aaron and Martha Cook.
Also, Philena L. Cox, age seven months, died of whooping cough. She was the daughter of Amos and Philena
Cox. Charles H. Bringhurst, age eight
months, died. He was the son of William
and Ann Bringhurst. A son, Tarleton
Lewis Jr. was born to Tarleton and Elizabeth Carson Lewis.47
A son,
George H. Graybill, was born to George W. and Mary Smith Graybill.
The
battalion marched from Pima Village at 8 a.m.
Colonel Cooke paid a visit to the chief and commended him for his
wonderful people. “I told him I had
traveled much and seen many different nations, and that the Pima were the
happiest I had ever seen.” As a gift,
Colonel Cooke left him with three sheep and their lambs, to help him introduce
sheep herding to his people. Colonel
Cooke later stopped at the house of Maricopa Chief Antonio and asked him to
look for two mules that had been lost from General Kearny’s company.
As the
battalion traveled west, along the Gila River, they were met by Francisco, a
guide for General Stephen Kearny.
Francisco delivered a letter dated December 3 from Warner’s Ranch, about
sixty miles from San Diego. Francisco
had been sent back to help guide the battalion the rest of the way to
California.
Colonel
Cooke discovered that one of the battalion companies only had eight days
rations left, when they should have had twenty‑six. This frustrated him, but he went to work
finding more cattle and obtaining more provisions. The pack‑saddles that had been used on the cattle were
traded away since the roads ahead would be much better for the wagons.
The
battalion traveled fifteen miles and camped at Maricopa Wells, two miles south
of Gila River. During their travels,
they saw plenty of swans and geese, in addition to hundreds of Maricopa Indians
who followed them to trade. At the
campsite, they found some holes of water previously dug by General Kearny’s
company. The Maricopas welcomed the
soldiers and enjoyed seeing the Mormon ladies and the flock of sheep.
Battalion
members, John Tippets and Thomas Woolsey departed from Pueblo to start a long
journey back to Winter Quarters. They
left with only four day’s provisions and two mules. Their mission was to take battalion money, mail, and dispatches
back to the Saints at Winter Quarters.
Wilford
Woodruff’s Journal 3:104; “Diary of Lorenzo Dow Young,” Utah
Historical Quarterly, 14:153; Kelly, ed., Journals of John D. Lee, 1846‑1847
and 1859, 44; Brooks, ed., On the Mormon Frontier, The Diary of Hosea
Stout 1844‑1861, 219; Young, Memoirs of John R. Young, 43;
Cooke, Exploring Southwestern Trails 1846‑1854, 172‑74;
Jenson, LDS Biographical Encyclopedia,
3:269; Yurtinus, A Ram in the Thicket, 431‑33; “The Journal
of Robert S. Bliss,” Utah Historical Quarterly, 4:81
The
weather was very mild and pleasant.
Many brethren continued to work on the Council House. Willard Richards covered the roof of his
office with straw and dirt. This office
was an extension of his octagon house.
Jane
Richards invited her sister‑in‑law, Mary Richards to spend the day
at her house doing the wash. Mary
Richards wrote, “I went down to her house & washed me out 4 dresses &
as many aprons & some other things.
Put them out to dry then washed off the floor which is the first time I
have washed a floor since the first of April.”
In the evening, their in‑laws, Phinehas and Wealthy Richards came
for supper. They talked about several
things that had happened since they left Nauvoo. Jane Richards became offended by some things that Brother
Richards said, but all hard feelings were patched before the night was through.
In the
evening, the Twelve and High Council met for a council meeting. Samuel Williams was ordained a high
priest. Several decisions were made. The bishops would be asked to report on the
number and types of houses that were built in their wards, including their
dimensions. A tax would be levied on
all assessed property at a rate of 0.75 percent to support the city police and
other public services. The assessed
property included cabins, wagons, furniture, and animals. Orson Pratt was appointed to be the
treasurer. This city tax was in
addition to the regular payment of tithing and would bring in an estimated
$761.12.
A police
report was given by Hosea Stout. There
were thirty‑three men on the list to serve as police. Among this number were several who declined
to serve and others who had not yet filled a shift. That made nineteen who were actively serving in the police
force. Each night ten men would stand
guard, in two shifts of five.
Also in
the evening, a number of sisters gathered at the Gheens for a birthday
celebration for Hannah Gheen and a Christmas Eve gathering. Among those who attended were Eliza R. Snow,
Patty Sessions, Phoebe Chase, and Hannah Markham.
Samuel
Parker, age sixty-six, died. He was the
husband of Hannah Edgecomb Parker, Sarah Bidell Parker, and Mary Treworgy
Parker.
John D.
Lee continued his journey to St. Joseph, Missouri. The day was warm which caused the ground to thaw, making the
traveling difficult for the mules. He
traveled twenty‑five miles and stopped in Lindon, Missouri for the
night. He deposited a check of $800 to
be cashed on his return from St. Joseph.
Because it was Christmas Eve, there was much shooting around the town,
which was the custom at that time. At
10 p.m., a drunken rabble assembled before the house where Brother Lee was
lodged. They sang, danced, and yelled
like wild men. Brother Lee commented
that it “served in a measure to show the folly and depravity of this Gentile
world.” In contrast, Brother Lee and his
companions “commended ourselves to our Heavenly Father and retired to
rest.”
The
battalion rested this day at the Maricopa Wells, but they were very busy
preparing for the difficult march ahead.
Colonel Cooke gave two orders that were unpopular to the enlisted men. First, he equalized the remaining rations
between the companies. Those companies
that had carefully managed their rations were forced to give up provisions to
other companies who had been careless about stretching the foodstuffs. Colonel Cooke also desired to further
lighten the load in the wagons. He
ordered that all private provisions could not be transported in the
wagons. Many of the men would have to
leave items behind. Guy Keysor
complained about this order, “consequently obliging us to throw it [our private
property] away or carry it on our backs and the penalty of breaking this order
is confiscation of property.” The men
were also critical of Colonel Cooke for only buying a few days rations, while
the men, fearing starvation ahead, had to buy food using their own
property. This new order would require
them to leave all these things behind.
After much persuasion, much of this food was eventually taken along.
Colonel
Cooke succeeded in obtaining eight new mules from the Maricopas after difficult
negotiations. He spent time with the
guides to plan the route ahead, which would cut away from the river for forty
miles. This would save about thirty to
forty miles because the river made a large bend to the north.
The men
enjoyed watching the peculiar customs of the Maricopas. Colonel Cooke wrote, “They parch corn,
wheat, etc., in a basket by throwing in live coals, and keep it in motion by
throwing it up in the air.” Almost one
thousand Indians came into camp to trade.
Henry Standage wrote: “I eat
some watermelon to day which was a great rarity for Christmas time. Molasses, pumpkins, Corn Meal, Flour Beans,
Buckskins, Ponies and various other things brought in for sale.”
Colonel
Cooke described one of the Maricopa wigwams:
It was
eighteen or twenty feet across, dug slightly below the ground, only about five
feet pitch inside, made of rank grass or reed, resting on props and cross
poles, and partially covered with earth; the door, a simple hole about three
feet high; the fire in the middle; the hole above very small. They are thus smoky and uncomfortable, and
seemingly very ill suited to so warm a climate.
There were
some poor feelings among the battalion members. John Steele wrote that some of the men “made themselves very busy
running to the Captain [James Brown] carrying all the news they could rake up
and raising all the bad feeling among the men they could.”
Battalion
members, John Tippets and Thomas Woolsey continued their journey back to Winter
Quarters. Unfortunately, they became
lost and it took them all day to find the road again.
Watson, ed., Manuscript
History of Brigham Young, 482‑83; Bennett, Mormons at the Missouri,
281; Brooks, ed., On the Mormon Frontier, The Diary of Hosea Stout 1844‑1861,
219‑20; Kelly, ed., Journals of John D. Lee, 1846‑1847 and 1859,
44‑5; Ward, ed., Winter Quarters, 102‑03; Cooke, Exploring
Southwestern Trails 1846‑1854, 176‑77; Yurtinus, A Ram in
the Thicket, 314, 433‑35; Journal of Henry Standage in Golder, The
March of the Mormon Battalion, 199; “Private Journal of Thomas Dunn,”
typescript, 18
Christmas
Day in Winter Quarters started off with a bang. John Scott fired the cannon three times at sunrise to recognize
this important day. Wilford Woodruff
recorded: “The dawn of Day was saluted
in the Camp of Israel by the report of cannon from the hills by the
artillery.”
It was a
day for joy, a day to count many blessings.
Harriet Young wrote: “This
morning we were saluted from every quarter with ‘Happy Christmas’ or ‘Christmas
Gift.’ We staid at home, retired from the busy crowd.”
The
weather was beautiful, sunny, and relatively warm. Hosea Stout, head of the city police guard, patrolled the
streets, looking after the safety of the Saints. He wrote that “a man can be comfortable without his coat while
walking the streets.” The sun’s rays
thawed the hard ground that had frozen overnight. Smoke puffed out of the sod or brick chimneys of the dozens of
newly constructed homes, situated on orderly city blocks. Many more homes were in various stages of construction. Logs, straw, stone and brick were scattered
about showing signs of active labor.
More than eight hundred wagons were parked throughout the city, many
serving as homes while cabins were being raised.
The frozen
Missouri river nearby, reflected the bright sunshine as the Saints went to work
at their various day’s activities.
Among the daily tasks were, fetching water from wells and streams,
chopping wood, building houses, patiently caring for the more than three
hundred sick in the city, watching the children, and feeding the animals. Mary Richards spent her morning gathering
together a large load of clothes. She
went to her sister‑in‑law’s house “to spend Christmas over the wash
tub.” Mary and Jane Richards washed all
day, enjoying their company, and certainly they spoke longingly of their
husbands (Samuel W. Richards and Franklin D. Richards) who were away from home
on this Christmas Day, serving the Lord on missions in England.
Brigham
Young wrote to Indian interpreter, Logan Fontenelle to mention some articles
that had been taken from the camp by the Indians. He also wrote to Major Miller, asking him to choose a location
for the house to be built for the Omahas.
Major Miller had failed to show up at a previous meeting to discuss this
matter. A council meeting was held at
Willard Richards’ octagon house.
Sister
Mary Northrop grieved over the death of her husband, Amos, on this Christmas
Day in Winter Quarters. There were more
than seventy‑five other widows struggling to care for their
families. Mary Northrop and these other
dear sisters would be looked after by their family, friends, and certainly by
their bishops, who had been given a special calling and charge to look after
the widows and the fatherless.
After the
labors of the day were complete, time was spent in small, quiet gatherings of
family and friends. A small party was
held at the home of Elder Heber C. Kimball.
His daughter, Helen Mar Whitney, wrote that it “was very enjoyable and
passed off in fine style.” A gathering
was also held at Edwin Wooley’s home which was attended by many sisters,
including Eliza R. Snow, Patty Sessions, Phoebe Chase, Hannah Markham, and
Hannah Gheen.
As the
night became late, the Saints quietly returned to their homes, wagons and
tents, put their children to bed and retired to rest for the important work of
the coming day. They knew that their
Savior had been born, lived, and died for them. They rejoiced despite their afflictions, that they were blessed to
receive the restored gospel in their lives.
They retired with the hope of a better day, when they could celebrate
future Christmas Days under permanent roofs, in a land far to the west. The faith and sacrifices experienced on that
Christmas Day long ago, reaped blessing and rewards for generations to come.
John D.
Lee continued his journey at 8 a.m. The
roads very muddy and difficult for the mules.
He stopped at the home of Marcia Allen in the afternoon. Sister Allen said some critical things about
the Twelve and Bishop Newel K. Whitney.
Sister Allen’s husband, Albern, was away in the Mormon Battalion. Her criticism was most likely regarding the
how the Church leaders used the battalion pay for the good of the Church and
the battalion families. After Brother
Lee talked to her, she softened her feelings.
Brother Lee exhorted her to be careful what she said about the authorities
of the Church.
Colonel
Cooke obtained six more bushels of corn by trading some wagon covers. The battalion started their difficult march
across “The Forty Mile Desert” at 11 a.m.
The road was sandy and difficult.
After eighteen miles, they reached their camping spot for the night
which had no water, but did have some mesquite and grass for the mules to graze
on. Sentinels had to be place all
around the mules to keep them from wandering off in search of water. Their camp was in present‑day Rainbow
Valley, about one and one‑half miles northwest of Moblie, Arizona.
On this
Christmas Day, there were frequent thoughts about families so far away and
Christmas Days of years gone by.
Private Guy Keysor sadly wrote:
I wish I
could call this a Merry Christmas; I confess it is as melancholy one as I have
ever experienced, not a green bush to attract the eye ‑‑ not a
sleigh bell to please the ear ‑‑ not one to greet us with ‘I wish
you a Merry Christmas.’ But all around us is a sandy, thirsty shrubbery ‑‑
But either from above greets us with the beauties of a serene atmosphere gently
warmed by the sun which invites us on to better days to come.
Sergeant
William Hyde recorded:
This is a
rather strange Christmas to me. My life
with my family in days gone by was called to mind and contrasted with my
present situation on the sandy deserts through which pass the Gila and Colorado
Rivers. Suffering much at times for the
want of water, but still pressing forward with parched lips, scalded shoulders,
weary limbs, blistered feet, worn out shoes and ragged clothes; but with me the
prospect of the result of my present toils, cheers me on.
Robert S.
Bliss commented that this Christmas day was “as warm as summer.” Henry Bigler’s mess feasted on a watermelon
for their Christmas meal.
James J.
Strang was very interested in having the Emma Smith family get involved with
his version of “Mormonism.” In particular,
he was interested in getting young Joseph Smith III involved. On this day, William Smith, Joseph’s
brother, wrote to James J. Strang that Emma Smith “would not let [Joseph Smith
III] have anything to do with Mormonism at present.”
Watson, ed., Manuscript
History of Brigham Young, 483; Nibley, Exodus to Greatness, 293; Wilford
Woodruff’s Journal, 3:104; Brooks, ed., On the Mormon Frontier, The
Diary of Hosea Stout 1844‑1861, 221; Ward, ed., Winter Quarters,
103; “Diary of Lorenzo Dow Young,” Utah Historical Quarterly, 14:153;
Beecher, ed., The Personal Writings of Eliza Roxcy Snow, 151, 284;
Kelly, ed., Journals of John D. Lee, 1846‑1847 and 1859, 45;
Cooke, Exploring Southwestern Trails 1846‑1854, 177‑78;
Yurtinus, A Ram in the Thicket, 435‑36; “The Journal of Robert S.
Bliss,” Utah Historical Quarterly, 4:82; “Journal Extracts of Henry W.
Bigler,” Utah Historical Quarterly, 5:52; William Smith to James J.
Strang, 25 December 1846, document 27b, Strang Manuscripts, Yale University.
A general
council meeting, attended by many of the Church leaders in Winter Quarters, was
held during much of the day and into the evening. They participated in important discussions and made plans for the
“gathering of Israel to the mountains.”
Lorenzo
Dow Young went to cross over the river, but couldn’t, probably because the ice
was flowing, making a ferry crossing impossible. He returned to Winter Quarters, deciding to try it again in a few
days. Hosea Stout helped his brother,
Allen, work on his house that was being built next door to his.
In the
evening, Eliza R. Snow was invited to have supper at Brigham Young’s home with
many of the brethren who attended the council meeting. They had a delicious dinner of baked turkey.
Moroni
Brewett, age fifteen months, die of canker.
He was the son of Daniel and Eliza Brewett. A daughter, Martha S. Gibbons, was born to Andrew S. and Rizpah
Knight Gibbons.48
John D.
Lee traveled twenty‑five more miles toward St. Joseph. He stopped at the home of a Mr. Galispie,
who invited him to have supper. Soon
they were joined by about a dozen other brethren, also heading to the Missouri
settlements. They enjoyed a late‑Christmas
Eve celebration, talking on various subjects, relating anecdotes, and had a
merry time.
The
battalion marched through a difficult gap (Pima Pass) in the Maricopa Mountains
that slowed their progress. After
twenty‑three miles, at dusk, they reached the Gila River again, having to
pass through a “wretched, uneven, and entagled bottom.” The river was quite a bit wider than at the
Pima village because the Salt River flows into it upriver, near present‑day
Phoenix, Arizona.49 During the night, news came to the camp that
there had been several skirmishes between Americans and Mexicans near San
Diego, California.
The day’s
march was extremely exhausting. James
S. Brown wrote: “I was so completely
worn out . . . that at about eleven a.m.
I sought rest by dropping out of the command and hiding from the
rearguard behind a clump of brush that grew on a sand knoll. No sooner had I laid down than I fell into a
sound slumber, oblivious to all danger.”
When he awoke at about 3 p.m., the battalion was long gone ahead. He noticed fresh bear tracks near his resting
spot. He hurried ahead and reached the
camp just as the night guard was being posted.
William
Bird wrote a letter to Council Bluffs complaining about the conduct of Captain
James Brown, one of the battalion leaders of the sick detachments at
Pueblo. He also reported that many of
the battalion members were as ungodly as “the Gentiles.” The men were frustrated because every
morning they had to report for roll call or be charged with desertion. John Steele wrote: “There is still a great
harshness used by our officers and we are paraded three times per day and all
privileges are taken from us.”
The Saints
at Ponca, numbering about four hundred had watched a fire burning on the
prairies miles to the northwest for several days. The wind suddenly increased and soon the fire, with flames
“mountain high” quickly swept down upon them and threatened to destroy their
fort. More than two hundred men and
women fought the fire by carrying water from the river in a bucket
brigade. Many of the Saints quickly
carried their belongings down to the river for protection. As Hyrum Clark was carrying some of his
items, he suddenly dropped everything, because he remembered that he had left
his sick wife back in their cabin. He
had forgotten to get her out. She was
finally found inside the fort’s gate and was unharmed.
As the
fire burned within a few hundred yards of the fort, the cattle and horses
panicked and ran in all directions.
Smoke became “intensely suffocating and the Saints had to retreat to the
river. The fire soon passed and the
fort was saved. Five large stacks of
hay were burned, a wagon destroyed, many others damaged, and all the grass for
thirty miles destroyed. They believe
the fort did not burn because it had been built from green logs. Many of the men became over‑exerted
and would become very sick.
Watson, ed., Manuscript
History of Brigham Young, 483‑84; Nibley, Exodus to Greatness,
295; Brooks, ed., On the Mormon Frontier, The Diary of Hosea Stout 1844‑1861,
221; Kelly, ed., Journals of John D. Lee, 1846‑1847 and 1859, 45‑6;
Maureen U. Beecher, ed., The Personal Writings of Eliza Roxcy Snow, 151, 284;
Rich, Ensign to the Nations, 86; Hartley, My Best for the Kingdom,
222‑23; Cooke, Exploring Southwestern Trails 1846‑1854, 178;
Yurtinus, A Ram in the Thicket, 303, 307, 437; Brown, Life of a
Pioneer, 67
In the
morning, the third day of an important General Council Meeting was held. Brigham Young conversed with James Emmett
for some time. James Emmett and George
Miller had recently arrived from Fort Ponca, about 150 miles up the Missouri
River.
Joseph
Young, Orson Pratt, Ezra T. Benson, and Wilford Woodruff preached at the Winter
Quarters Sabbath meeting. Orson Pratt
spoke about the continued evolving plans for a journey to the west in the
spring. He said that a pioneer company
would travel to the headwaters of the Running Water by the time the grass comes
up. They would then go over the Black
Hills and put in a crop of corn somewhere on the east side of the Rockies, near
the headwaters of the Yellowstone River, north of Fort Laramie, in present‑day
southeast Montana. A second group would
continue over the mountains to plant a wheat crop in the fall.50
Elder Ezra
T. Benson counseled the brethren that none of them should leave Winter Quarters
to go further west without receiving permission to do so. A prepared and orderly group of pioneers
must press on in the spring as opposed to the rather disorderly trek that was
experienced during the year across Iowa.
The brethren should fix their wagons and be ready to follow the lead
group later.
In the
afternoon, another General Council meetings were held. Ezra T. Benson was appointed to accompany
George Miller when he returned to Ponca.
After Mary
Richards attended the Sunday service, they went home and read for awhile in the
Book of Mormon. In the evening a choir
practice was held. Stephen H. Goddard
led the choir for the first time since the dedication of the Nauvoo
Temple. They had a very enjoyable time.51
In the
evening, a council meeting was held to address city matters. The Council voted that Orson Pratt should
use his own discretion to distribute funds collected from the police tax.
The Ponca
Saints inspected the damage caused by the fire. Joseph Holbrook wrote, “The whole country looks black from last
night’s burning.” The burned haystacks
required the Saints to move their cattle up river to some rush bottoms.
John D.
Lee crossed over the Nodaway River at Lackey’s Ferry. He paid a fare of twenty cents for two wagons. By sunset, he arrived at Savannah, Missouri
and stopped at the home of General H. Rodgers, a merchant in the town. Mr. Rodgers asked him to spend the
night. They discussed the Church’s
desire to purchase hogs, but unfortunately the prices had inflated because of
the demand from the Saints. In the
evening, John D. Lee preached the gospel to Mr. Rodgers’ family. They listened with interest and appeared to
be touched by the Spirit.
The
battalion continued their march along the Gila River. Colonel Cooke wrote:
“This is certainly the most desert, uncouth, impractical country and
river of our knowledge.” It took them
three hours to travel just four miles because they had to wind their way around
mesquite trees. With the understanding
that new roads ahead would not be rocky, Colonel Cooke decided to lighten the
load by leaving behind 150 pair of mule shoes and sixty pounds of nails. The men camped about five miles northwest of
present‑day Gila Bend, Arizona. A
few men straggled behind during the day’s march. Colonel Cooke believed they did not want to help pull the wagons
on the difficult march, so he put the men under guard.
Corporal
Arnold Stevens wrote a letter to his seven‑year‑old son, at
Cutler’s Park, near Winter Quarters.
My Dear
Little Son: I take pleasure in writing
a few lines to you and to present you with a Christmas gift. This little cap will look nice on your head;
but not as nice as the crown you shall wear.
This leather is an antelope skin for your Ma to make you a pair of
pants. If she thinks best she can color
them yellow with hickory bark and alum.
You must be a good boy and mind your Ma and I will bring you a nice
little mule when I come home. Well, my
son, may the Lord bless you is the prayers of your affectionate father.
He also
wrote to his daughters Lois (age 13) and Rachel (age 10). He apologized for not sending them a present
since he had very little. He did send
them a lump of spruce gum which he obtained on a mountain during the
march. He wrote:
Now be good
girls to your Ma and do all you can to favor her. Remember your Creator.
Don’t be wild and giddy, but remember you have been baptized; and when
your Ma prays with you night and morning, pray for Pa and remember that I am
far from you, among strangers, but I hope I shall see you in the spring. Lois Ann, write a few lines to Pa. Let me know how you are situated, if you
have enough to eat and what it is; how the oxen and cows are doing. If you have any milk and meat and flour and
sugar, and all about it. . . . Farewell, my dear children for the present. I remain your affectionate father.
Gilbert
Hunt and Bingham Thomas left Pueblo to go back towards Taos, to rescue the men
who at been left at Turley’s Ranch. (See
December 11, 1846.) There were many bitter feelings among those of the
third sick detachment towards Lieutenant William Willis for leaving those sick
men behind in the first place. Lt.
Willis also left Pueblo on this day to travel to Bent’s Fort for provisions. Captain James Brown wrote in a letter to
Brigham Young that included: “the health of my command is first rate at this
time. There is only 4 on the sick list
at this time and they are all better.”
He defended his conduct which was being criticized by some of the
men. “I am undergoing to govern the men
under my command by the military laws of the United States and the instructions
I received from the president of the Church at Council Bluffs, for I have it
imprinted in my heart . . . ”
Watson, ed., Manuscript
History of Brigham Young, 484; Wilford Woodruff’s Journal, 3:104;
Brooks, ed., On the Mormon Frontier, The Diary of Hosea Stout 1844‑1861,
221; Kelly, ed., Journals of John D. Lee, 1846‑1847 and 1859, 46‑7;
Our Pioneer Heritage, Vol. 2,
p.237‑38; Jenson, LDS Biographical Encyclopedia, 4:705; Ward, ed., Winter
Quarters, 103; Cooke, Exploring Southwestern Trails 1846‑1854,
178‑79; Yurtinus, A Ram in the Thicket, 288, 296, 304, 438‑39;
Tyler, A Concise History of the Mormon Battalion, 194
Work
continued to progress on the Winter Quarters Council House. George A. Smith moved into his newly
completed house. In the afternoon, a
stranger walked into Brigham Young’s home and sat himself at President Young’s
table. He announced that his wife and two
children had been taken from him at Nauvoo and he demanded that they be returned. President Young asked him if he knew who
took his family. He gave some names of
people who were not known in the camp.
President Young invited him to identify the men if possible. The stranger finally left.
Harriet
Young went to visit Sarah Alley Noble, the second wife of Joseph Noble, who was
dying. She wrote: “She was an object of pity, truly.” She died later in the day at the age of
twenty‑seven. Also, James
Crookston died at the age of sixty‑one.
He was the husband of Mary Crookston.
In the
evening, Hosea Stout held a meeting of the police guard. They discussed the best way to arrange their
accounts to receive pay from the police tax which had been started to be
collected.
Iowa was
officially admitted into the United States of America.
John D.
Lee parted with Mr. Rodgers, after he helped Brother Lee cashed checks for
$1,600. In the afternoon, Brother Lee
arrived in St. Joseph and did some successful trading. He hired Brother Huston to haul 3,000 pounds
of goods back to Winter Quarters for $30.
These goods included: salt,
dried fruit, molasses, honey, tallow, fish, and other items.
Colonel
Cooke sent some guides ahead to California with a message for General
Kearny. They were also to bring back
fresh mules to meet the battalion at the Colorado River. Colonel Cooke seriously considered marching
ahead quickly with two hundred of the strong men, without wagons, to aid
General Kearny with the rumored battles occurring in California. But he concluded that by the time they
arrived, the crisis would be over, and he decided not to split up the battalion
again. He reflected on the poor shape
of his outfit. The animals were broken
down and the men were constantly hungry and tired. Each day presented a very difficult challenge to overcome. He wrote:
“I feel as if every day here was to be an experiment or venture ‑‑
a great difficulty to be overcome ‑‑ and to be then rejoiced as one
day less of such.”
On the road from Pueblo, Colorado to
Winter Quarters:
John
Tippets and Thomas Woolsey woke up to four inches of snow and were forced to
delay their continued journey for the day.
Watson, ed., Manuscript
History of Brigham Young, 484‑85; “Diary of Lorenzo Dow Young,” Utah
Historical Quarterly, 14:153; Brooks, ed., On the Mormon Frontier, The
Diary of Hosea Stout 1844‑1861, 221; Kelly, ed., Journals of John
D. Lee, 1846‑1847 and 1859, 47; Cooke, Exploring Southwestern Trails
1846‑1854, 180‑81
A light
snow fell on Winter Quarters in the morning.
In the afternoon, members of the Twelve met with many of the brethren to
discuss the organization of the Camp of Israel during their planned journey in
the spring. Brigham Young
recorded: “I considered the Pioneers
should find a location to put in crops this season, and described the order of
building in forts, for safety.” He
proposed to form a company of fifty from his extended family and to find out
how many more men could go as Pioneers.
A field would be plowed in Winter Quarters for those who stayed
behind. Wilford Woodruff wrote about
the “final decision” that was reached, “that we fit out a pioneer company and
follow them as soon as grass grows. The
pioneer company to go this winter as far as they could go on rushes and brows
then as far as they could on grass until it was time to put in their corn
crop.”
In the
evening, James Smithies, Jacob Hutchinson, Edward Duzette, and William Clayton
played their instruments and the brethren danced. Brigham Young recorded, “At nine o’clock, all in the house united
in singing several hymns; afterwards, they followed me in prayer. I felt to thank the Lord for the privilege
of praising Him in the song and dance.
I spoke in tongues and conversed with Elder Kimball in an unknown
tongue.” One more interesting
activity: Brigham Young and Willard
Richards measured their chests. Elder
Richards was forty‑three inches and Brigham Young was forty‑one.
Mary
Richards spent the evening with Jane Elsie Snyder. They held a contest to see who could compose the best poetry.
Charles H.
Bringhurst, age eight months, died. He
was the son of William and Ann Bringhurst.
Reveille
was blown very early on this cold morning.
A pioneer group was sent ahead to make a road up the bluffs, towards a
gap in the Painted Mountains. The
battalion started their march before 8 a.m. on a good road that was created
with much labor. Their march was twelve
miles.
They
passed by many petroglyphs that fascinated them. Henry W. Bigler wrote:
“To‑day we passed a mass of rocks on our right, covered with
pictures of birds, serpents and men.”52 The men rejoined the river and followed it
for another four or five miles in deep sand.
After they traveled a total of twelve miles, they camped south of
Rocking Point in the Oatman Mountains.
Watson, ed., Manuscript
History of Brigham Young, 485‑86; Brooks, ed., On the Mormon
Frontier, The Diary of Hosea Stout 1844‑1861, 221; Wilford
Woodruff’s Journal, 3:105; Ward, ed., Winter Quarters, 104; Cooke, Exploring
Southwestern Trails 1846‑1854, 182‑3; “Journal Extracts of
Henry W. Bigler,” Utah Historical Quarterly, 5:2:52; Yurtinus, A Ram
in the Thicket, 288, 440‑41
Willard
Richards received ten dollars and 170 pounds of pork from the Church to help
support him. Elder Richards, in
addition to his calling in the Quorum of the Twelve, served as the Church
Historian.
In the
evening, Hosea Stout called the police together at the home of Horace S.
Eldredge. They sustained a procedure
for issuing pay to the police from the city tax.
Wilford
Woodruff’s day was spent in pitching hay.
“I went 4 miles, loaded two loads, turned one over on a side Hill. Had it to load over and stack them both on
my return home, was very weary.”
Mary
Richards spent the day sewing at her sister‑in‑law’s home, Jane
Richards. In the afternoon, they went
to Brother Simon Baker’s home and had a nice visit with the family. Also in the afternoon, Eliza R. Snow went
with Brigham Young and several other sisters to the home of Robert and Hannah
Pierce. They had a very enjoyable
time. President Young escorted the
sisters home.
Louisa M.
Grant, age twenty‑three, died.
She was the wife for George D. Grant.
The
battalion encountered two difficult hills.
The guides found a location with some grass ahead that was desperately
needed for the mules. The wagons did
not roll into camp until after dark because of the difficult roads. The men marched a total of fourteen miles in
a very cold, stiff wind.53
On the road from Pueblo, Colorado to
Winter Quarters:
Battalion
members, John Tippets and Thomas Woolsey camped for the night on Cherry Creek
near the site of future Denver Colorado.
Watson, ed., Manuscript
History of Brigham Young, 485‑86; Ward, ed., Winter Quarters,
104; Beecher, ed., The Personal Writings of Eliza Roxcy Snow, 151, 284;
Cooke, Exploring Southwestern Trails 1846‑1854, 182‑3;
Talbot, A Historical Guide to the Mormon Battalion and Butterfield Trail,
57; Nibley, Exodus To Greatness, 324
The day
was cold and windy. Mary Richards went
to spend the day with Willard Richards’ family. She did some sewing, made an apron for Sister Amelia Richards and
two handkerchiefs for her husband’s uncle, Willard Richards. Elder Richards came in for supper and
invited Mary Richards to join him. She
had an enjoyable time eating and conversing with him. Elder Richards’ sister, Rhoda came in, kneeled down and asked to
receive a blessing. Her humble words
prompted Elder Richards to preach a sermon for a half hour on false modesty.
In the
evening a council meeting was held at which the bishops made reports about the
houses that had been built in their wards.
Most of these were log homes made from logs twelve to eighteen feet
long. There were a few dugout homes in
the side of the hills. The official
history stated: “The building of these
houses was persecuted with unremitting energy, at any hour of the evening, the
sound of the ax or the saw relieved the stillness of the night.” The Council House was still under
construction. Seventeen of the leaders
attending this council meeting volunteered to personally work on the house
until it was completed.
Louisa
Pratt, her husband away on a mission in the South Pacific, lived in a 10 by
12-foot sod house. She wrote: “I hired a man to build me a sod cave [for
$5]; he took the turf from the earth, laid it up, and covered it with willow
brush and sods; he built a chimney of the same. I hung up a blanket for a door,
had three lights of glass to emit light. I built a fire, drew up my rocking
chair before it, and that moment felt as rich as some persons would to be moved
into a costly building.” She had a
problem with an ox that kept knocking down her chimney: “Sometimes just as I was preparing a meal
and almost famishing for refreshment, down would fall my chimney. I knew not
which to condemn, the brute or his owner.”
Eliza R.
Snow spent the evening with several sisters.
She wrote: “To describe the
scene alluded to would be beyond pow’r ‑‑ suffice it to say the spirit
of the Lord was pour’d out and we receiv’d a blessing . . . by the gift of
tongues.”
Since this
was the last day of the year, many diariests would summarize the events of the
year and describe the current conditions.
Willard Richards wrote:
The weather
this winter thus far has been very mild.
The health of the brethren at Winter Quarters is better than at any
previous time. The Seventies and others
have manufactured several loads of willow baskets which are ready for
market. Nearly every part of the
flouring mill is ready to be put together. . . . Several schools for children
have been started in Camp within the last ten day.
Harriet
Young wrote: “This is the last day of
the year. Our lives have been spared,
while hundreds have been called to try the realities of a world of
spirits. I could not help asking myself
shall we all live to see the close of another year?”
Wilford
Woodruff wrote:
1846 has
been a day of the sacrafice of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter Day
Saints. Through the fatigues and
labours & exposers of the Saints, many have been laid in the grave. I have myself been called to part with two
of my sons which God hath given me.
They lie in the dust until the resurrection. And I came nigh being killed by accident by the fall of a tree
which broke my breast bone and three ribs.
But through the great goodness of God, I was preserved and have
recovered and still live for which I feel to render the gratitude of my heart
to my Heavenly Father. And I pray my
Heavenly Father to lengthen out my days to behold the House of God stand upon
the tops of the Mountains and to see the Standard of Liberty reared up as an
ensign to the nations to come unto to serve the Lord of Hosts.
Wilford
Woodruff also recorded some interesting year‑end statistics. He traveled 7,436 miles, attended 31 council
meetings, baptized six people, administered to 56 sick people, wrote 70 letters
and received 56 letters.
A
daughter, Harriet A. Hart, was born to Joseph and Clarissa Hart.
John D.
Lee spent the evening the home of a Mr. Abbott. Brother Lee’s clerk, Truman Gillett was also there. He found Brother Gillett “enjoying himself
with singing and preaching. The family
were remarkably friendly and strong believers in the faith of the gospel.”
Colonel
Cooke mustered and inspected the battalion before sunrise. They marched on this cold day for twelve
miles on “pretty good” roads. The Gila
River bottom [Palomas Plain] expanded for many miles and the country looked
very flat. Colonel Cooke considered the
idea of putting one of his wagons in the river to float a load because two men
traveled a day’s journey on a raft with no problems. They passed by evidences of volcanic eruptions.
Watson, ed., Manuscript
History of Brigham Young, 486‑88; “Diary of Lorenzo Dow Young,” Utah
Historical Quarterly, 14:153; Wilford Woodruff’s Journal 3:105‑7;
Ward, ed., Winter Quarters, 104; Beecher, ed., The Personal Writings
of Eliza Roxcy Snow, 151; Kelly, ed., Journals of John D. Lee, 1846‑1847
and 1859, 48; Cooke, Exploring Southwestern Trails 1846‑1854,
183‑85; Louisa Pratt, autobiography in Heart Throbs of the West,
8:242
1Truman O. Angell
(later the Church architect) would bury three of their children in the Winter
Quarters’ Cemetery before the family left for the west.
2This ranch had been
abandoned in about 1831 when the Apaches went on the warpath. The owner had been Senior Elias. He maintained a ranch of 80,000 head of
cattle, but was forced out by the Indians.
His Spanish cattle were left to run wild in large numbers throughout the
region. Over the years they multiplied
in great numbers.
3This ranch is
present‑day Old Slaughter Ranch.
In 1884, John Horton Slaughter purchased the old ranch. He built two adobe houses. Today the ranch is owned by the Johnson
Historical Museum and is open to the public.
4John Allen was the
only non‑Mormon enlisted member of the battalion.
5Joseph Knight Jr.
was one of the earliest individuals to accept the restored gospel. He worked with Joseph Smith in 1827, on his
father’s farm. He was baptized in 1830
and lived through the great persecutions in Missouri. He would eventually settle in Salt Lake City.
6Thomas William
Callahan was away with the Mormon Battalion.
7Sister Almira Pond
would die in May, 1847.
8A pass between the
Sierra Ceniza and Perilla Mountains.
9This camp was
located about one mile south of the present‑day Mexico border.
10This new order would soon be
ignored because the men were in constant danger from being trampled on by wild
bulls.
11Ira Eldredge joined the Church
in 1839. He arrived in Utah with his
family in 1847. He would later captain
three trips across the plains. He was a
member of the first High Council of the Salt Lake Stake and served as the bishop
in the Sugar House Ward 1858-66.
12Little Joseph later died in
Winter Quarters, in March 1847.
13John Brown would return to
Winter Quarters and become a member of the lead pioneer group.
14They again passed into present‑day
Arizona, about five miles west of Douglas.
15This was the bloodiest battle
in California during the war with Mexico.
The site of this battle is marked by a monument and it located seven
miles east of Escondido on State Highway 78.
16Matthew Caldwell was away with
the Mormon Battalion. He later was one
of the first settlers of American Fork, Utah.
He later settled his family in Fountain Green, Utah.
17Elijah Smith had not been an
enlisted soldier, but was a hired teamster for Captain Davis. He had only been sick two or three days, but
was quite old. His wife had gone with the
second sick detachment to Pueblo. She
would later marry Thomas R. Burns.
18The camp was located close to
the Southern Pacific tracks, about three and one half miles northwest of Naco.
19They reached the river near
present‑day, Palominas, Arizona.
20It was the first time Hosea had
seen his brother for many months. Allen
had become ill during the trek across Iowa and stayed for awhile at Garden
Grove.
21Chauncy Warriner Porter later
brought his family to Utah in 1848. He
served as the presiding elder over East and West Porterville, Utah.
22Amos Cox was not able to walk
for several weeks. Daniel Tyler wrote,
“I saw him in Pottawatomie County about a year afterwards and he still felt the
effects of his injury.”
23The town was famous for the
fine wheat that was grown there. There
was also a large whiskey industry.
24This Presidio was founded in
1775 by Hugo O’Conor, commander of Spain’s northern American frontier. After four years in the harsh climate, it
was abandoned.
25The battalion camped about one
mile southwest of present‑day St. David, Arizona.
26It appears that this house was
not built. The Omahas would eventually
move their camp north of the old ferry crossing across from Council Point.
27”Miles Norton, who poisoned the
Johnson watch dog, was killed by a ram in the barnyard, its spiral horn being
thrust through Norton’s body. Warren
Waste and Carnot Mason boasted of having bent the Prophet’s legs over his back,
holding them in that position as he lay on the ground face downward. Waste was later killed by a falling log
while he was building a house. Mason
died from a spinal affliction that was more painful than a Boston Crab. The man who tried to pour the poison into
his mouth was buried alive while digging a well.” (E. Cecil McGavein, Historical Background of the Doctrine and
Covenants, 196) Another interesting point:
In 1902, Elder John D. Barber tracted out a farm house in Grand Rapids,
Michigan. a Mr. Silas Raymond answered
the door and invited the Elders in to see two items, a tar bucket and lantern
that he claimed were used the night of the mobbing. Raymond stated that his father was one of the leaders of the mob,
who had died a terrible slow death
28Lydia Standley would marry
Wallace K. Burnham. They would raise a
large family in Richmond, Utah.
29Azra Adams joined the Church in
1835. He served a mission to the
Eastern States in 1842-44. He worked on
the Nauvoo Temple as a carpenter, and served on the police force. He later settled his family in American
Fork, Utah.
30West of present‑day
Benson, Arizona.
31They made their camp near the
present‑day IBM site at Rita Road, now called the University of Arizona
Technology Park.
32Meltiar Hatch was away with the
Mormon Battalion. Later he brought his
family to Utah in 1849. In 1856, he was
called to go to Carson Valley, Nevada, to preside over that settlement. In 1871, he served as bishop in Eagle
Valley, Nevada. Later he served on the
High Council in Panguitch, Utah.
33Thomas Sasson Smith joined the
Church in 1844. He later settle his
family in Farmington Utah and in 1884 was one of the first settlers of Wilford,
Idaho.
34The Thomas Washington Smith
family later settled in Washington, Utah.
35Historian Margaret Maxwell
wrote: “Layton family tradition states
that here Private Christopher Layton, Co. C, raised the old American flag which
had flown over Nauvoo, carried all the way from that city by the
Battalion. This was perhaps the first
American flag to fly over Tucson.”
36This was a Pima rancheria
across the Santa Cruz River from the Tucson Presidio. The ruins of this two‑story church were bulldozed in the
20th century.
37Isaac Harrison was away in the
Mormon Battalion. He later brought his
family to Alameda County, California for several years and then came to Utah in
1858. He was the presiding Elder over
Sandy, Utah from 1872-73.
38This water was found at the
junction of the Santa Cruz River and Rillito Creek near present‑day
Orange Grove Rd. and I‑10 in Tucson.
39They made their camp in present‑day
Marana, probably not far from the Marana LDS Chapel, twenty‑four miles
north of Tucson.
40Richard Benson joined the
Church in 1837. He later settled his
family in Parowan, Utah.
41President Wilford Woodruff
would later dedicate the Salt Lake and Manti temples.
42Thomas Weir was away in the
Mormon Battalion.
43Nathaniel Prentiss Worden (Sr.)
settled his family in Parowan Utah, and later helped settle Arizona settlement.
44Thin Mountain and Sacaton
Peak.
45This village was near the site
of present‑day St. Peter’s mission, south of Gila Butte on the Gila River
Indian Reservation.
46Arizona historian J.H.
McClintock speculated that “the idea had something to do with the colonizing by
Mormons in later years of the upper part of the nearby Salt River valley.”
47Tarleton Lewis (Sr.) joined the
Church in 1836. He was later one of the
original pioneers of 1847. After
arriving in the valley, he was appointed Bishop of Salt Lake City until the
city was divided into wards. In 1850,
he was one of the founders of Parowan, Utah, where he served as bishop. He also helped settle Minersville and later
was appointed Bishop of Richfield Second Ward.
48Andrew Smith Gibbons joined the
Church in 1840. He was later one of the
original pioneers of 1847. He later
settled in Bountiful. In 1861, he moved
to St. George, Utah, where he was elected Sheriff of Washington County. In 1880, he moved to St. Johns, Arizona
where he served as a member of the High Council until his death.
49Their camp was located about
four miles north of present‑day Gila Bend, Arizona.
50This plan to take a northern
route was later abandoned for a route up the Platte River.
51Stephen Hezekiah Goddard joined
the Church in 1836. He would later be
one of the original pioneers of 1847.
He was the first choir director of the LDS choir in the “old tabernacle”
in Salt Lake City. He later was second
director of the Tabernacle Choir.
52These rocks are presently part
of the Painted Rock State Park.
53Their camp was located near
present‑day Sears Point where there are many Indian petroglyphs.