Church History Matters

The unjustified slaughter of around 120 men, women, and children emigrants in Mountain Meadows Utah on September 11, 1857, was an unspeakable tragedy. For Latter-day Saints then and now, one of the many painful details about this event is that it was instigated under the direction of local LDS leaders in Iron County who served simultaneously as ecclesiastical, civil, and military leaders.  On this episode of Church History Matters, we continue our discussion about the Mountain Meadows Massacre, with a focus on the aftermath of the atrocity. Specifically, we probe what we know of Brigham Young’s reaction to the massacre and where the erroneous idea came from that he ordered the attack. We walk through what we know about who was brought to justice for the massacre and what the eventual fate was of those who instigated and participated in this heinous tragedy.   For show notes and transcript for this and other episodes go to https://doctrineandcovenantscentral.org/church-history-matters-podcast/   

The Mountain Meadows Massacre—easily the darkest and most violent episode in our Church’s history—happened on September 11, 1857, when a group of Latter-day Saints, aided by some Paiute Native Americans, participated in the wholesale slaughter of around 120 men, women, and children belonging to a wagon train of emigrants from Arkansas en route to California.  This atrocity occurred against the backdrop of the 1857 Utah War when the feelings of Latter-day Saints were already set on edge. As federal US troops marched toward Utah with unknown intentions, Church leaders used defiant rhetoric and counseled the Saints—who had been victims of government-sanctioned violence before—to conserve their resources and be ready for anything. It was in this unfortunate atmosphere of hysteria that those in the Arkansas wagon train found themselves as they passed through Utah. So by the time these emigrants purportedly said and did offensive things toward some Latter-day Saints, the stage had already been tragically set for the highly irrational and totally unjustified violent response they received in return.  In this episode of Church History Matters, we walk through the details of how this atrocity unfolded under the direction of local Latter-day Saint leaders and think about what possible lessons we might glean from this darkest hour of our history. For show notes and transcript for this and other episodes go to https://doctrineandcovenantscentral.org/church-history-matters-podcast/   

After the 1838 “Mormon War” and their official expulsion from Missouri, Latter-day Saints relocated to Illinois where they built up the city of Nauvoo and a number of other settlements in Hancock County. After a short time of relative peace, they were again embroiled in conflict with their enemies which culminated in the murder of Joseph and Hyrum Smith. This was followed two years later by the battle of Nauvoo and yet another expulsion from a US state with the blessing of its governor. Then it was off to the West where, not long after the Saints’ arrival in the Salt Lake Valley, conflicts began to arise with Native Americans. And by 1857 US President James Buchanan had ordered a force of 2,500 military personnel, under the command of Colonel Albert Sidney Johnston, to march to Utah to ensure that Brigham Young be replaced as the governor of Utah, which brought on the “Utah War.”   Today on Church History Matters, we discuss all of this and of course trace Latter-day Saint involvment in the violence which occured along the way.  For show notes and transcript for this and other episodes go to https://doctrineandcovenantscentral.org/church-history-matters-podcast/   

The fall of 1838 marked the first time the Latter-day Saints engaged in organized retaliation against their enemies. The setting was Northern Missouri and the situation was what is referred to as the “Mormon War.” Here the Saints marched on some nearby settlements that were supporting and equipping their enemies and conducted raids where they pillaged stores and torched buildings. Things only escalated from there and eventually culminated in the infamous “Extermination Order” of Missouri Governor Lilburn W. Boggs, the Hawn’s Mill massacre, the imprisonment of Joseph Smith and other Church leaders in Liberty Jail, and the wholesale removal of Latter-day Saints from the state of Missouri.   On this episode of Church History Matters, Casey and I walk through the history of this tumultuous time and think about what the conflict of 1838 might teach us about the justified and unjustified use of violence among Latter-day Saints—and its consequences. For show notes and transcript for this and other episodes go to https://doctrineandcovenantscentral.org/church-history-matters-podcast/