The Mormon Battalion
On 6 April 1830, the American prophet Joseph Smith officially organized the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints, otherwise known as the Mormon Church. Due to peculiarities about the religion and those who practiced, much persecution was brought upon the Mormons early on. From the faith’s onset, members were forcibly relocated on several occasions from as far east as upstate New York, to central Illinois and eventually as far west as present-day Utah and California, during which time their beloved prophet, Joseph, was murdered while being held unlawfully in a jail in Carthage, Missouri. This treatment, however discouraging, neither hurt their patriotism, nor diminished their sense of duty to country.
In 1846, the United States Army’s need for assistance and military manpower during the Mexican War became urgent.[1] Though Polk and his cabinet were not supportive of Brigham Young and his followers, they recognized that the Mormons could fill a much needed gap in the war with Mexico. California was sure to be a key battle site of the war and Polk needed to find a way to get troops there quickly. The Mormons were already over halfway there - several hundred of them were camped along the Missouri River near present day Omaha, Nebraska. If a battalion of men could be pulled from their numbers, this force could march to California quickly and inexpensively. Polk ordered Secretary of War, William L. March to authorize Col. (later General) Stephen W. Kearney, Commander of the Army of the West, to enlist a battalion of 500 Mormon men. Captain James Allen was ordered to proceed to the Mormon Camps in Iowa to recruit five companies of 75 to 100 men each. The Mormons had many reasons to be reluctant to enlist: They had received no protection from persecution and mob action in Missouri and Illinois. Their families were destitute and spread over a wide area, and they had hundreds of miles of hostile Indian Territory to cross. They worried how their families would suffer in the bitter plains winter, and of course, the Mormons had particularly close family ties and were concerned about protection for their families located on the western frontier. [2] The new prophet of the Mormon Church, Brigham Young, was called upon to decide whether or not to encourage the enlistment of members into the army. Young wrote that the request was both “from above” and “for our good”. Five companies totaling over 500 men were mustered in at Council Bluffs, Iowa on 16 July 1846. There were 32 women, of which 20 were laundresses hired at private's pay that left with the Battalion. President Brigham Young told them:
"Brethren, you will be blessed, if you will live for those blessings which you have been taught to live for. The Mormon Battalion will be held in honorable remembrance to the latest generation; and I will prophesy that the children of those who have been in the army, in defense of their country, will grow up and bless their fathers for what they did at that time. And men and nations will rise up and bless the men who went in that Battalion. These are my feelings in brief respecting the company of men known as the Mormon Battalion. When you consider the blessings that are laid upon you, will you not live for them? As the Lord lives, if you will but live up to your privileges, you will never be forgotten, without end, but you will be had in honorable remembrance, for ever and ever."[3]
After the enlistment of five companies of Mormon men, Captain James Allen was promoted to Lieutenant Colonel. Under his direction 541 soldiers, 35 women, and 42 children began their march to Fort Leavenworth on 21 July 1846. Before they left, the officers, all of whom had been selected by Church leaders, were promised that their lives would be spared if they remained faithful. Sergeant William Hyde reported that they were charged “to remember their prayers, to see that the name of Deity was revered, and that virtue and cleanliness were strictly observed. [The troops were instructed] to treat all men with kindness… and never take life when it could be avoided.”[4] After an eleven-day, two hundred mile trek along the east side of the Missouri River, the battalion crossed over to Fort Leavenworth on 1 August 1846.
At Leavenworth, they were outfitted with supplies, guns, and forty-two dollars per man as clothing money for the year. The paymaster at the fort was startled when every man was able to sign his name on the payroll. Only a third of the volunteers he had previously paid could read or write. The members of the battalion sent a large portion of their money back home to their families to help in their trek across the plains to the west. General Stephen Kearney’s regiment had already embarked in June toward Santa Fe to conquer New Mexico for the United States. The Mormon Battalion was to follow after him and, if necessary, to aid his operations. However, the battalion remained at Leavenworth for two, where the hot weather brought illness to many of the men, particularly with fever. Lt. Col. Allen, who was unable to accompany them when they took up their march due to illness, died two weeks later. The Mormon men were saddened by the news, since they had grown to admire this benevolent officer.[5] Although they desired for Captain Jefferson Hunt, who assumed command when Allen grew ill, to remain their as their leader, First Lieutenant A. J. Smith of the regular army was already en route to assume command. “The appointment of Smith, even before his character was known, caused a greater gloom throughout the command than the death of Colonel Allen had,” wrote battalion historian, Daniel Tyler.[6]
Setting a rapid pace for Santa Fe after taking command of the battalion, Lieutenant Smith desired to overtake General Kearney before his departure for California. This wore heavily on the company, especially the wives and children who were allowed to accompany them. Often the weary, who fell behind during the relentless push, trudged into camp hours after the others. Worse yet were the ministrations of the military doctor, George B. Sanderson of Missouri, who clearly disliked the Mormons. He forced the men to swallow calomel and arsenic for their ills from the same rusty spoon. The men justifiably referred to him as “mineral quack” and “Doctor Death.”
On 16 September 1846 at the last crossing of the Arkansas River, Smith sent Captain Nelson Higgins and ten men to convey most of the soldiers’ families up the river to the Mexican village of Pueblo for the winter. Having been promised that their families could accompany them to California, the men protested this division of the battalion. In light of the difficult trek that lay ahead, however, this proved to be a wise decision. A month later at Santa Fe, all but five of the remaining women and sick men were sent under the direction of Captain James Brown to join the earlier group at Pueblo. The wearied men dragged in, arriving at Santa Fe on 9 October 1846. General Kearny had already left for California, leaving the thriving city of six thousand under the command of Colonel Alexander Doniphan, a friend to the Mormons from earlier days in Missouri. Doniphan ordered a one hundred gun salute in honor of the arrival of the Mormon Battalion. Lieutenant Smith relinquished command of the battalion in Pueblo to Colonel Philip St. George Cooke, whom the men came to respect as a fair but firm leader.[7]
The new commander had been instructed to blaze a wagon trail from Santa Fe all the way to California. The march took its toll on the soldiers, and on 10 November a third detachment of fifty-five wearied and weakened men turned back towards Pueblo. A lack of food and water plagued the remaining 350 officers and men, as well as the challenge of the sandy trails. Throughout the march, soldiers were either pulling long ropes to guide wagon teams through the deep sand or walking in double file in front to firm a trail for the wheels. After turning northwest, just south of present-day Arizona, the battalion encountered a herd of wild bulls, abandoned by Spanish and Mexican ranchers. The bulls stampeded the battalion, killing fifteen animals and wounding three soldiers. The “Battle of the Bulls” was the only fight during the battalion’s long journey.[8]
Although there was a small Mexican garrison stationed at Tucson, the battalion passed through without incident. After leaving Tucson, the march took its path along General Kearney’s route parallel to the Gila River. Beyond the Colorado River lay over a hundred miles of trackless desert, where water was obtained only by digging deep wells. The heaviest sands and coldest nights as well as the hottest days were encountered along this route. Weakened animals had to be butchered for food; the men eating every part, including the hide which was boiled until tender enough to chew. Most of them by this time were barefoot, some of them wrapping their feet with rawhide and old clothing to protect them from the hot sands.[9] Beyond the desert, the only way to transport the wagons through the narrow mountain passes of the coastal range was with ropes, pulleys and strong backs. On 29 January 1847 the battalion finally reached Mission San Diego at the end of their march.
Since California was already in the hands of the United States, the men of the Mormon Battalion served as occupation troops with garrison duty in San Diego, San Luis Rey and Los Angeles. After their discharge on 16 July 1847, most men returned to their families who had made the trek to the Salt Lake Valley in present-day Utah, while others settled into many parts of California, playing major roles in the beginning of the gold rush. Eighty-one of the men, despite their hardships in the military, chose to reenlist for six more months of duty.
The march of the Mormon Battalion, a two thousand and thirty mile long trek, was the longest recorded military troop move in history. Six hundred and eighteen men, women and children volunteered to aid their country in a time of need, and in the process made history.
Bibliography
Primary Source:
Daniel Tyler. A Concise History of the Mormon Battalion in the Mexican War, 1846-1847, reprinted 1881 (Glorieta, NM: Rio Grande Press, 1964)
Tyler was the battalion historian who was charged with recording the proceedings of the Mormon Battalion. He was enlisted throughout the march and kept concise record of the comings and goings of the battalion.
Scholarly Journals:
Mark Metzler Sawin, Ph.D. Heroic Ambition: The early life of Dr. Elisha Kent Kane. American Philosophical Society Library Bulletin Volume 2, 2002.
Elisha Kent Kane, the brother of Thomas L. Kane, who was dispatched to muster the battalion of Mormons, was one of the men that helped to train members of the Mormon Battalion before their march for the Mexican War.
A. R. Mortensen, ed., The Command and Staff of the Mormon Battalion in the Mexican War, in Utah Historical Quarterly, Oct. 1952.
This entry in the quarterly journal of the Utah Historical Society contains historical record of the leadership and roles of the Mormon Battalion.
Other Sources:
Church Educational System, the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints. Church History in the Fulness of Times, copyright 1989.
This is an informative compilation of historical events of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints from 1830 to 1988.
Jensen, Andrew: compiler. History of the Mormon Battalion, Manuscript, Historical Department: Archives Division, the Church of Jesus-Christ of Latter-day Saints, Salt Lake City, UT.
A collection of historical documents, and personal accounts pertaining to the enlistment, march and dispatch of the Mormon Battalion.
[1] Jensen, Andrew. History of the Mormon Battalion, pp. 7-8
[2] Mark Metzler Sawin, Ph.D. Ambition: The early life of Dr. Elisha Kent Kane, pp. 26-27
[3] Church Educational System. Church History in the Fulness of Times, p. 316
[4] Daniel Tyler. A Concise History of the Mormon Battalion in the Mexican War, pp. 128-129
[5] Church Educational System. Church History in the Fulness of Times, p. 324
[6] Daniel Tyler. A Concise History of the Mormon Battalion in the Mexican War, p. 144
[7] A. R. Mortensen. “The Command and Staff of the Mormon Battalion in the Mexican War,” p. 343
[8] Church Educational System. Church History in the Fulness of Times, p. 326
[9] Daniel Tyler. A Concise History of the Mormon Battalion in the Mexican War, p. 167
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