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During the
early morning hours, Wilford Woodruff watched and cared for Margaret Hutchinson
Sheets in her final hours. She died at
3:30 a.m. of canker at the age of twenty‑seven. Elder Woodruff spent the morning with her husband, Elijah Sheets.[1]
At 7 a.m.,
John D. Lee checked in on Brigham Young, who was still quite ill. President Young asked Brother Lee to travel
to Trader’s Point, to redeem a thirty dollar note. At 11 a.m., Brother Lee left with George Grant, Sister Powers,
and Rebecca Holman in Brigham Young’s carriage. They arrived at Bellevue at 2 p.m. Brother Lee described Bellevue as “an Indian and French village”
that also had a residence of Protestant missionaries. Sister Holman was left at this residence while the others crossed
the Missouri River and conducted their business at Trader’s Point. At 4:35 p.m., they started back toward
Winter Quarters. Brother Lee wrote that
it “turned cold as Greenland.” The wind
“blew like a tornado” and snow began to fall.
They could only travel four miles and stayed the night at Homan Hyde’s
home. Brother Lee shared his
experiences while traveling to visit the Mormon Battalion. He spoke highly about their relative,
battalion member William Hyde. Brother
Lee slept on a bed of cottonwood puncheon, covered with a buffalo robe.
Back at
Winter Quarters, during the day, the newly appointed Captains of Hundreds in
Brigham Young’s company met in the Council House. They appointed their captains of tens and assigned ten families
to each of these companies.
Mary
Richards spent the day with her sister‑in‑law, Jane. She wrote:
“A cold day. Jane’s chimney
smoked very bad, so [bad] that it kept the tears running down my cheeks about
all the time was very uncomfortable, did a little sewing, and in the eve was
knitting.”[2]
Members of
the Twelve met in council during the evening.
Brigham Young was still feeling ill and stayed in his room, but the
brethren did conduct some business with him.
Willard Richards reported that there were rumors flying around that some
of the Saints had robbed the dead Omahas who had been massacred by the Sioux
back in December. Hosea Stout had
reported that some visiting Omaha Indians had been to Winter Quarters looking for
some of their articles. He investigated
and learned that Azra Adams and Henry W. Miller may have taken a load of
buffalo robes and leggings from the massacre site. He was not certain that these charges were true, but he was very
concerned and reported the news to Willard Richards. It was decided to send a letter to the men telling them to return
any items taken. Another letter would
be written to Indian agent, Major Miller, explaining what was known about the
affair and the views of the Church leaders.
President
Young attended to one final act of business for the evening. He signed a letter of recommendation for
Lucius N. Scovil, appointing him to superintend the emigration of the Saints
from New Orleans to Council Bluffs.
Priscilla
Harris, age thirty, died of colic. She
was the wife of Walter Harris. Mary
Hyde Grant, age twenty-six, died. She
was the wife of David Grant. A son,
Robert Harris III, was born to Robert and Hannah Eagles Harris. A son, Joseph Edwards Walker, was born to
John and Elizabeth Walmsley Walker.[3]
A son,
Edward Bunker Jr., was born to Edward and Emily Abbott Bunker.[4]
Melchee
Oyaler, a member of the Mormon Battalion, died at the age of thirty-three. He was the husband of Elizabeth Oyaler.
The
battalion again took up their march, leaving the San Diego Mission to return to
the San Luis Rey Mission to the north.
They were to rest at the mission and secure this strategic location
between San Diego and Los Angeles. It
had been rumored that there were a hundred Mexican troops in the nearby
mountains. The battalion marched with a
company of General Kearny’s troops, traveled sixteen miles, and established a
camp. William Coray wrote: “There was no clothing to be had at San
Diego or any other place in California at present. I was told so by many who ought to know at least which made it
hard traveling, the boys without shoes, etc.”
Sergeant William Coray notified Colonel Cooke that his company was out
of rations. Colonel Cooke immediately
ordered beef rations to be issued.
Parley P.
Pratt and John Taylor boarded a ship and again set sail for America. They had tried to leave about two weeks
earlier, but the storms had driven them back to England. Orson Hyde was left behind to finish up some
mission business. Shortly after they
set sail, Elder Joseph Cain, a returning missionary, was married on board the
ship to Elizabeth Whittaker. Parley P.
Pratt wrote, “It was a fine affair, and we had a good dinner on the occasion.”
Watson, ed., Manuscript
History of Brigham Young, 519; Kenney, ed., Wilford Woodruff’s Journal,
3:125; Brooks, ed., On the Mormon Frontier, 1:233; Kelly, ed., Journals
of John D. Lee, 63; Nibley, Exodus to Greatness, 321; Ward, ed., Winter
Quarters, 108; Autobiography of Parley P. Pratt, 356; “The Journal
of Robert S. Bliss,” Utah Historical Quarterly, 86; Ricketts, Melissa’s
Journey with the Mormon Battalion, 65
In the
morning, Heber C. Kimball, Willard Richards, and Wilford Woodruff visited
Brigham Young. They were pleased to
find him feeling better. They read
letters to him addressed to the Indian agents in response to the excitement
caused by rumors that some of the Saints had robbed the dead Omahas.
Harrison
Burgess brought in sixty‑five letters and several newspapers from the
post office in Austin, Missouri.
John D. Lee
continued to journey back to Winter Quarters from Bellevue. After traveling six miles in the storm, the
carriage lost a linch‑pin that held the wheel onto the axle. He substituted a wooden pin and continued on
his way, arriving in Winter Quarters at 2 p.m.
Harriet
Young spent the day preparing for a big party to be held at the Council House
the following day. On this night, there
was a gathering at the Council House consisting of some members of Brigham
Young’s extended family. William
Clayton and the Quadrille Band played for the party.
A funeral
was held for Margaret H. Sheets.
Mary
Richards wrote to her missionary husband:
“We have heard nothing from Joseph [Richards, Samuel’s brother] for a
long time but live in hopes that he is well.”[5]
A son,
Solomon Farnham Kimball, was born to Heber C. and Vilate Kimball.[6] A son, Alpheus C. Clements, was born to
Alvin and Rhoda Gifford Clements. Patty
Sessions helped all night with the labor and delivery. Elizabeth Miller Neeley, age forty‑two,
died. She was the wife of Lewis Neeley.
The
battalion traveled another sixteen miles toward San Luis Rey Mission. They passed by a location where they were
told General Kearny’s dragoons had been surrounded by the Mexicans for several
days after their bloody battle at San Pascual and had to survive on sixteen
mules. They called the place, “Mule
Hill.” (See December 6‑11,
1846 in Volume Two).
Watson, ed., Manuscript
History of Brigham Young, 520; Kelly, ed., Journals of John D. Lee,
64; “Diary of Lorenzo Dow Young,” Utah Historical Quarterly, 14:155;
Kenney, ed., Wilford Woodruff’s Journal, 3:125; Nibley, Exodus to
Greatness, 321; Patty Sessions Diary, Our Pioneer Heritage, 2:63; William
Clayton’s Journal, 72; “Private Journal of Thomas Dunn,” typescript, 20;
Yurtinus, A Ram in the Thicket, 528; Ward, ed., Winter Quarters,
130-31
Brigham
Young was feeling much better and held a big family party in the Council House
during the afternoon and evening. John
D. Lee wrote: “The festival was rich
and sumptuously furnished.” Harriet
Young added: “Had a splendid time. We refreshed our selves with the luxuries of
earth, then went forth in the dance, both young and old. The music was excellent.” Eliza R. Snow noted that four of President
Young’s brothers were present and one sister.
His brothers were John, Joseph, Phinehas and Lorenzo. There were about one hundred people in
attendance.
William
Clayton noted:
President
Brigham Young was quite sick and seemed very low spirited. After the meeting had been opened by prayer,
the President called on his brothers to stand up by him in the center of the
room which they did according to age.
John Young took his place at the head, then Phineas, Joseph, Brigham and
Lorenzo. The President then called on
Heber [C. Kimball] to take his place in
the line inasmuch as he had been recognized about fifteen years as a member of
the Young family. He took his place
between Joseph and Brigham. The
President then said this was the first time that father Young’s boys had been
together in the same capacity for a number of years, etc. After a few remarks the remainder of the
evening was spent by partaking of a good supper and cheerful dancing.
Eliza R.
Snow recorded: “We supp’d at a table
that would have done honor to a better cultivated country.” The evening was closed with addresses from
Brigham Young and Heber C. Kimball. The
party broke up at 2 a.m.
John D.
Lee visited the family of Truman Gillett.
Brother Gillett was away and Sister Fidelia Gillett said that the family
had only eaten bran for the past two days.
Brother Lee recommended that Brother Gillett go to the Missouri
settlements to start up a school.
Brother Lee promised to take care of his family while he was away. He stopped at Brother Free’s house and then
sent Sister Gillett a bushel of meal and ten pounds of salt pork. In the evening, he wrote a letter to Mount
Pisgah asking that Sister Lucinda Pace be brought to Winter Quarters. Sister Pace was the wife of James Pace, a
member of the Mormon Battalion. Brother
Lee sent $2.50 of gold to help Sister Pace.
Albert
Carrington Jr., age seventeen months, died of scarlet fever. He was the son of Albert and Rhoda Woods
Carrington.[7]
Charles C.
Rich, James S. Haleman, and others, started off for Winter Quarters. They wanted to discuss with the brethren
what preparations should be made by the Saints at Mount Pisgah to get ready for
the journey to the west.
Joseph
Knight Sr., age seventy-four, one of the earliest members of the Church, died
and was buried at Mount Pisgah. Sarah
Rich wrote in her history:
Sickness
continued to increase and nearly everybody was sick, and many died. I think about eighty died at Mount Pisgah,
and among that number was Father Joseph Knight, one of the first members of the
Church of Latter‑day Saints, one that assisted the Prophet Joseph Smith
to means to support his family while he was translating the Book of
Mormon. So, in this lonely spot in the
graveyard at Mount Pisgah, in what was then called Pottawattamie lands, lies
one of the noble benefactors of the Prophet Joseph, who still will come forth
in the morning of the resurrection to meet the Prophet Joseph, as well as all
good saints.
The
battalion arrived at the San Luis Rey Mission in the afternoon. At the mission they would perform what was
called “fatigue duty” ‑‑ cleaning up the place because it had been
neglected for some time. William Hyde
described the mission:
The chapel
and all the buildings connected with it enclose, I should judge, five or six
acres of land. The buildings form a
square in the center of which are orange trees. Connected with this mission is a beautiful grape vineyard and an
orange orchard, also pepper and cocoa trees.
This place is situated in plain view of the ocean, the shore of which is
some five or six miles in the distance.
The mission of San Luis had been built and occupied by the Catholics,
but at the commencement of the war, this, with many others in California, had
been vacated, and had fallen into the hands of the United States Government as
public property.
Henry
Bigler believed that the mission could accommodate one thousand men, “a first‑rate
barracks.” The men were assigned rooms
inside the mission. Corporal Thomas
Dunn, Sergeant William Coray, and Captain Jesse Hunter roomed together in a
comfortable room. “We felt ourselves
quite at home.”
Levi
Hancock wrote a poem, reflecting more positive feelings about their
circumstances:
I now can
tell a better story
Than I
could about Sonora
For the
soil is little wetter
And the
land a little better
I think
‘twill bring corn and potatoes
Beans and
cabbage and tomatoes
Raise all
things to suit our notion
Along by
the Pacific Ocean.
A general
meeting was held by Captain James Brown.
John Steele was frustrated with Captain Brown’s leadership and
wrote: “Captain Brown is something
above all the men that is here in priestly authority and has told us so often
that we do not know who he is, he is so high.”
John H.
Tippets and Thomas Woolsey, of the battalion, continued their journey back to
Winter Quarters along the Platte River.
On about this day, the weather was better and they came to a camp of
Pawnee Indians who took them prisoners.
Almon W.
Babbitt wrote to his fellow Nauvoo Trustees, Joseph L. Heywood and John S.
Fullmer, informing them that he had been unsuccessful in selling public
property in Nauvoo to a company in Baltimore, Maryland.
Watson, ed., Manuscript
History of Brigham Young, 520; Kelly, ed., Journals of John D. Lee,
64‑5; “Diary of Lorenzo Dow Young,” Utah Historical Quarterly,
14:155; Beecher, The Personal Writings of Eliza Roxcy Snow, 154; Brown, Life
of a Pioneer, 87; Yurtinus, A Ram in the Thicket, 308, 529‑30;
“William Hyde Journal”; “Private Journal of Thomas Dunn,” 20; Gudde, Bigler’s
Chronicle of the West, 49; Nibley, Exodus to Greatness, 324; William
Clayton’s Journal, 72‑73; “Sarah Rich Autobiography, typescript,”
BYU, 60, 64;
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It had
been one year since the first wagons, led by Charles Shumway, crossed the
Mississippi River to start the official exodus from Nauvoo.
Albert P.
Rockwood and George Grant visited with John D. Lee. They extended to Brother Lee an invitation from Brigham Young to
attend a party for his adopted family which would be held at some time when the
Council House was available. President
Young asked that “each one bear a part by bringing their proportion of cakes,
pies, sweetmeats &c., all to be done under his superintendence.” John D. Lee fell ill with a fever. His wife, Louisa, took tender care of him.
Hosea
Stout received orders from Colonel Stephen Markham to gather all of the public
arms in the city and safeguard them in his possession. Brother Stout started to determine where all
of these arms were located.
In the
evening, Wilford Woodruff called his company together and organized it
according to the pattern given in the revelation received by Brigham
Young. Abraham O. Smoot was appointed
captain of hundreds. Zera Pulsipher was
named captain of fifties. The captains
of tens included: John Benbow, Elijah F. Sheets, Chauncy W. Porter, John M.
Woolley, Thomas Clark, David Evans, Robert C. Petty, and Andrew J. Stewart.
A wedding
was held. Charles F. Decker and Vilate
Young were married. Vilate was the
seventeen‑year‑old daughter of Brigham Young. Eliza R. Snow commented: “Vilate Y[oung] & C[harles] Decker were
married without noise or bustle‑‑nobody invited‑‑I
address’d the following lines to the young wedded pair:
Please
accept my warmest wishes
For your
good, ye youthful pair;
That the
riches, choicest blessings
Heav’n may
grant your lot to share,
Peace &
friendship‑‑love and union
Plentious
as the summer dew,
Shall upon
your op’ning pathway;
Gems of
sacred pleasure strew.
May you
feel the holy Spirit
Freely
thro’ your bosoms flow;
Till at length
you shall inherit
All the
Priesthood can bestow.
When your
life, both long & happy,
You have
finish’d here on earth;
Sweetly
sleep: then reawaken
In a more
celestial birth.”
It was
Patty Session’s fifty‑second birthday.
Eliza R. Snow held a party during the evening. Sister Sessions wrote:
I was glad
to see her. Told her it was my birthday
and she must bless me. She said that if
I would go to the party they would all bless me. I then went and put James Bullock’s wife to bed,[8]
then went to the party. Had a good time
singing, praying, and speaking in tongues before we broke up. I was called away to Sister Morse’s then to
Sister Whitney, then back to Sister Morse’s and put her to bed at 2 o’clock.
Members of
the Twelve met with the High Council.
Patriarch John Smith complained about problems with the beef
committee. The discussion dragged on
and on. Finally, Brigham Young proposed
that the whole matter be “laid over till the first resurrection & then burn
the papers the day before.”
Cirvillia
Jane Babcock, age one month, died of chills.
She was the daughter of Amos and Mary Archer Babcock.
A son,
Elijah Knapp Fuller, was born to Elijah and Catherine Walker Fuller.[9]
The
battalion stayed very busy sweeping and cleaning the rooms and yards of San
Luis Rey Mission. They had a terrible
time combatting against all the fleas and other insects. Daniel Tyler wrote: “Many of the men were almost naked, without
a change of underclothing to keep off dust or the worst of vermin.” They tried boiling their clothes to get rid
of the fleas. Colonel Cooke also
ordered the men to clean themselves up.
Some of the men had beards a foot long, but Cooke ordered that all
beards be shaved off and all hair be trimmed above the ear. Colonel Cooke also drilled the men each day
during their stay at the mission. He
read to the battalion the historic order he wrote on January 30, which praised
the accomplishments of the battalion.
The men enjoyed
their new surroundings. Thomas Dunn
wrote a description: “The country round
about is pleasant and good, cattle and horses in numerous herds feeding on
green ridges and valleys.”
The Pawnee
Indians, who held John H. Tippets and Thomas Woolsey prisoners, convened a
counsel to discuss what they should do with the brethren. At noon, the brethren escaped and fled for
their lives. They rode until dark and
camped in some brush. Thomas Woolsey
later wrote: “We knew we were in a
trap, and only through the power of God would we hope to escape, and believe
me, we did send up a petition to God.
Our prayers were answered.”
Watson, ed., Manuscript
History of Brigham Young, 520; Kenney, ed., Wilford Woodruff’s Journal,
3:125; Kelly, ed., Journals of John D. Lee, 65; Brooks, ed., On the
Mormon Frontier, 1:235; Patty Sessions Diary, Our Pioneer Heritage,
2:63; Beecher, The Personal Writings of Eliza Roxcy Snow, 154‑55;
“Private Journal of Thomas Dunn,” typescript, 20‑1; Daniel Tyler, A
Concise History of the Mormon Battalion, 264; Ricketts, Melissa’s
Journey with the Mormon Battalion, 66; Brown, Life of a Pioneer, 89;
Nibley, Exodus to Greatness, 324; 1997-98 Church Almanac, 157
In the
morning, the band rode around in a carriage, playing music throughout the city,
“so sweetly that it did rend the air.”
The member
of the Twelve met together in the recorder’s office for a council meeting. They decided that George A. Smith and Amasa
Lyman’s company (the fifth company) should be organized into either Brigham
Young’s company or Heber C. Kimball’s company.
These two companies would be called the first and second divisions of
the Camp of Israel. Wilford Woodruff
reported that his company was organized.
Patty
Sessions went to take care of Joanna Roundy, wife of Lauren H. Roundy. Sister Roundy had earlier in the day given
birth to a son, William Heber Roundy.
She was very ill and she told Sister Sessions that this would be the
last time that Sister Sessions would see her in this life. Sister Sessions believed sadly that this was
true and gave Sister Roundy a message to take to Sister Sessions’ children who
had died and were in the Spirit World.
Joanna Carter Roundy, age twenty-two, died shortly in the evening of
canker.
At 3 p.m.,
Patriarch John Smith sent an invitation to the Twelve to attend the “Silver
Gray Picnic,” a party for the elderly in Winter Quarters. They went to the Council House and found it
filled with brethren and their wives.
Brigham Young instructed them on whether or not dancing was
appropriate. He knew that some of these
Saints felt that dancing was contrary to their traditions. He recognized that the wicked in the world
danced, but he explained: “There is no
harm in dancing. The Lord said he
wanted His Saints to praise Him in all things.” He referred to the ancient daughter of Israel who danced for the
Lord. “For some weeks past I could not
wake up at any time of the night but I heard the axes at work. Some were building for the destitute and the
widow; and now my feelings are, dance all night, if you desire to do so, for
there is no harm in it.” He further
gave this example: “The prayer of the
wicked is an abomination in the sight of God, but it is not a sin for a Saint
to pray; where there is no evil intended, there is no sin. I enjoin up on the Bishops that they gather
the widow, the poor and the fatherless together and remember them in the
festivities of Israel.”
John Smith
shared his feelings and then exhorted everyone to dance, sing, and enjoy
themselves. The center of the floor was
cleared for the dance. The “Silver
Greys” and “Spectacled Dames” enjoyed dancing to the music of the Quadrille
Band. Brigham Young wrote, “it was
indeed an interesting and novel sight, to behold the old men and women, some
nearly an hundred years old, dancing like ancient Israel.”
A son,
William Morse, was born to Gilbert and Cynthia Morse. John Ralph Petty, age nine, died of chills. He was the son of Albert and Catherine
Petty.
The
battalion spent the day resting at the San Luis Rey Mission, washing clothes,
shaving, trimming hair, and preparing for an inspection. An order was read that all the private mules
and horses must be disposed of by the 15th.
John H.
Tippets and Thomas Woolsey were stopped by seven Indian warriors. They were searched and the Indians took from
them many items. The brethren were
permitted to leave. They rode until
dark, and camped in a grove, in the snow.
A son,
James Butler, was born to John L. and Caroline Butler.
Reuben
Miller wrote a letter to Brigham Young seeking an official reaction to his
first pamphlet against the Strangites, former members of the Church following
after a self-proclaimed prophet, James J. Strang. Brother Miller, who at one time had followed after Strang, but
saw his error, wrote: “I consider it
for the welfare of the cause of God to publish my second epistle.” He admitted that his pamphlet might seem too
contentious, but he felt it was the best way to reach out to those who were
being deceived.
Watson, ed., Manuscript
History of Brigham Young, 520‑21; Kenney, ed., Wilford Woodruff’s
Journal, 3:126; Nibley, Exodus to Greatness, 322, 324; Patty
Session’s Diary, Our Pioneer Heritage, 2:63; William Clayton’s
Journal, 73; Richard Lloyd Anderson, BYU Studies, 8:3:288; “Private Journal
of Thomas Dunn,” typescript, 21; Bigler, The Gold Discovery Journal of
Azariah Smith, 75
The
weather was mild. John D. Lee was
confined, sick in bed, for the third day in a row. He sent a letter to Brigham Young requesting that he come to
bless him. Later in the evening, Levi
Stewart brought a reply. President
Young stated that his health was still poor and would not allow him to go out
in the evening. However, he let Brother
Lee know that he had blessed him in the name of the Lord and promised him that
he would recover. Brother Lee
immediately revived and talked with Brother Stewart late into the evening.
Wilford
Woodruff was also feeling ill and stayed home all day. In the evening, he visited with Willard
Richards and read the news of the day.
Hosea Stout spent the day gathering up the public arms and arranging
assignments for the police guard. He
wrote: “The weather has been fine for a
day or two. Today I took down my tent
& was now entirely dwelling in my house.
It will be just one year on the 12th of this month since I first erected
my tent on the shores of the Mississippi river and have not been in a situation
to live with out it untill today & even now we are preparing to move on
again.”
Newel
Melchizedek Whitney was born to Newel K. and Elizabeth Smith Kimball.
Henry
Standage went into the garden to wash his shirt and a pair of pants that he had
made out of an old wagon cover. That
was all the clothing he had. Levi
Hancock called a meeting of the Seventies to give religious instruction. He warned the men against taking the Lord’s
name in vain. He also wanted them to
wash each other’s feet, as was done anciently.
This would bring humility to the men and also help their sore joints.
A general
meeting was held at which the battalion officers condemned some critical poetry
that had been circulating around the camp, mocking their leader, James
Brown. It displayed a “mutinous spirit”
that they said was unjustified.
Joseph
Stratton was released as the president of the St. Louis Saints. He had been asked by the Twelve to go to
Winter Quarters to prepare for the trek to the west. He was to bring with him several maps of Texas, California,
Oregon, and all the regions in between.
Journals of
John D. Lee, 66; Kenney, ed., Wilford Woodruff’s Journal,
3:126; Brooks, ed., On the Mormon Frontier, 1:235; Journal of Henry Standage
in Golder, The March of the Mormon Battalion, 209; Yurtinus, A Ram in
the Thicket, 310, 539; Our Pioneer Heritage, 5:440
A severe
frost fell overnight, but it warmed up and was a pleasant day. Hosea Stout recorded: “I took a long walk up the river with my
wife among the high bluffs and frightful precipices which was a fine relief to
my mind after being so much hemmed up all winter. We crossed the river on the ice & came down on the bottom
& had a agreeable walk.”
