Brigham
Young, Heber C. Kimball, Orson Pratt, Ezra T. Benson, Jedediah M. Grant, and
John D. Lee went to the historian’s office, where Willard Richards prepared a
bundle of thirty letters. Jedediah M.
Grant was getting ready to travel to St. Louis on his way to Washington,
D.C. He received some good instructions
from the brethren. He also received a
copy of the “Word and will of the Lord” (D&C 136) and a letter of
instructions to purchase flag material in the east. Brigham Young also wrote a letter and gave instructions to his
teamsters who were leaving for Mount Pisgah.
Wilford
Woodruff celebrated his 40th birthday by writing five letters to be taken by
Brother Grant to New York for Ezra Cartersen, Ilus F. Carter, Freedom Moulton,
Sarah B. Foss and Brother Enion. He
also wrote more letters, one to Joseph Stratton, still in St. Louis, and one to
Brother Cotton in St. Joseph, Missouri.
Eliza R.
Snow wrote: “The day fine ‑‑
the snow thaws some with the sun altho’ the wind is quite chilly.”
Ellis
Eames, an accomplished violinist, visited Winter Quarters from Council Point. The band gathered together and went around in
a sleigh driven by Porter Rockwell, and serenaded the Saints at several
locations in the city. Heber C. Kimball
invited them to his home, where a dance was held.
A
daughter, Emeline Rebecca Adair, was born to George W. and Miriam Billingsley
Adair.1
A company
of Mexicans and Indians camped near the mission. They were thought to be on the way to Sonora, Mexico. Daniel Tyler wrote: “Some had pack‑animals and others ox
teams; the ox yokes were straight poles lashed to the back of the oxen’s horns
with rawhide. The cattle were large and
fat and of the same variety as the wild bulls.”
Watson, ed., Manuscript
History of Brigham Young, 532; Kenney, ed., Wilford Woodruff’s Journal,
3:140; Kelly, ed., Journals of John D. Lee, 105‑06; Beecher, ed., The
Personal Writings of Eliza Roxcy Snow, 155; Tyler, A Concise History of
the Mormon Battalion, 269; Woman’s Exponent, 14:4:30-1
John D.
Lee let Norman Bliss borrow his mules and wagon to haul wood, on condition that
Brother Lee would receive half of the wood.
The Missouri River was still frozen solid, allowing Brother Bliss to
cross on the ice.
John Kay
arrived from Ponca. He had to leave his
family fifty miles up the river because their cattle failed from lack of feed.
In the
evening, John D. Lee went and visited with Brigham Young for two hours. They spoke about raising funds and
purchasing items for the journey to the west.
They then walked to the Council House and joined a supper and party with
the police. Hosea Stout wrote about the
party: “We had the Police, Twelve &
Band present, and enjoyed ourselves uncommonly well by dancing, talking, eating
sweet cakes &c, and some little preaching and about had the old Police
dance called ‘President Marks’ return to Mormonism.’” Brother Stout then gave a
“loud sermon” on “real Mormonism.” The
party continued until 3 a.m. Brother
Stout added, “It is almost unnecessary to say that the Twelve seemed to enjoy
themselves well.”
Luman
Shurtliff and Daniel Hunt started heading down the Mississippi River on a
riverboat bound for St. Louis. Brother
Shurtliff wrote: “This was the first
boat down the river this spring and there were great cakes of ice floating on
the river which made the trip rough.”
An Indian
child was bit by a rattlesnake and only lived a few more hours. The child was buried with Catholic rites
that included ringing of the mission bell.
Azariah Smith recorded: “While
we were drilling this afternoon, the bells in the Catholic Church rung for
nearly an hour and sounded most beautiful.
After being dismissed from drill, I went in the Church and there was
twelve images which looked very nice.”
Melissa Coray, one of four women still with the Battalion, celebrated
her nineteenth birthday.
An order
was issued by Colonel Cooke:
Authentic
information of the withdrawal of all naval forces from the town and harbor of
San Diego having been received, Lieutenant Stoneman, with a detachment of
thirty‑one non‑commissioned officers and privates, dismounted men
of the First Dragoons, will march to‑morrow morning to take the post
(formerly occupied by marines and sailors) at San Diego, for the protection of
the town and the depot of provisions and other public property. He will take rations for four days.
A
daughter, Margaret Elizabeth Shupe, was born to the Mormon Battalion family of
James W. and Sarah Prunty Shupe. She
was born in the barracks.2
Journals of
John D. Lee, 106; Brooks, ed., On the Mormon Frontier,
1:237 Our Pioneer Heritage, 1:505; “Luman Shurtliff Autobiography,”
typescript, BYU, 71‑2; Tyler, A Concise History of the Mormon
Battalion, 269; Bigler, The Gold Discovery Journal of Azariah Smith,
78; Ricketts, Melissa’s Journey with the Mormon Battalion, 68; Woman’s
Exponent, 14:4:30-1
The
weather was clear, warm, and pleasant.
Ice was starting to thaw. Eliza
R. Snow mentioned that the thawing also affected the houses. “It thaw’d so much that the water broke into
the house like a torrent & we retreated to Sis. Walkers till eve, when we return’d to a cheerful fire . . . the
frost stiffen’d the mud & snow & we came home ‘dry shod’ at late bed‑time.”
The band
went around the city playing and collecting grain to help John Kay bring his
family to Winter Quarters.
Brigham
Young met with his brother, Joseph Young, to discuss his concerns about the
preparations for the pioneer journey.
Joseph believed that one hundred pounds of provisions per man was too
little. President Young commented in
his journal, “I did not want any to go who had not faith to start with that
amount.” Many in the city were very
busy making preparations for the pioneer journey. Hosea Stout was very sick with a headache and had to have his brother
Allen arrange the guard for the night.
President
Young and Willard Richards attended a High Priests’ party that lasted until 2
a.m.
Luman
Shurtliff and Daniel Hunt arrived by steamboat at St. Louis.
More
provisions arrived from San Diego. One
of the wagons had broken down and did not arrive.
Watson, ed., Manuscript
History of Brigham Young, 533; Kelly, ed., Journals of John D. Lee,
107; Brooks, ed., On the Mormon Frontier, 1:237; Beecher, ed., The
Personal Writings of Eliza Roxcy Snow, 156; Bigler, The Gold Discovery
Journal of Azariah Smith, 78; Woman’s Exponent, 14:4:30-1
At 2 p.m.,
Brigham Young, John D. Lee, George D. Grant, and Albert P. Rockwood met to
count the wagons and teams in their company.
While some of John D. Lee’s men were crossing over the frozen Missouri
River, the wheels cut through the thawing ice clear to the hub.
Eliza R.
Snow heard news that the cattle at the herding grounds up the river were dying
because the rushes were buried under eighteen inches of snow. She also heard that the pioneer company was
planning to leave on March 18.
Horace K.
Whitney wrote: “This morning Ellis Eames, Jackson Redden, Merit Rockwell, two
ladies and myself went down to the point in Bro. Kimball’s carriage, and
attended a party. I took my flute to
assist Bro. Eames in playing. Had a
very good time, good supper, etc.”
Cyrus
Neff, age twenty, died of fever. He was
the son of John and Mary Neff.3
The men
received four days of provisions and in the evening held a dress parade. James S. Brown later reflected on the
difficult life while at the mission.
Day after
day the duties of soldier were performed, drilling, out on detached duty, or
marching here, there and everywhere, early and late, by day and by night, just
to suit the fancy of some of our officers, and not always upon real occasion
for the movements. It would seem that
in many respects the soldier’s life is much like a faithful wife’s; and in
others much unlike a woman’s work. Like
hers, in that the task seems never done, busy all day and up at every hour of
night in response to calls of first one child, then another, or even to the
exploits of some mischievous cat, her rest broken and her life worn away;
unlike hers, in that she usually has a dry shelter, regular meals, and a place
to lie down when she can rest, while the soldier in time of war never knows
where he will make his bed at night, often is without food and drink, having to
move at the word of command over deserts, rocks, mountains, plains and rivers‑‑a
stranger to the locality he may call his home.
But the toils of both are necessary, she to rear the nation’s pride and
strength ‑‑ a soldier in the right; he to protect her and himself,
to defend their country’s rights and avenge her wrongs.
Thomas
Ward, a former editor for the Millennial Star, died of dropsy and a liver
problem.4
Watson, ed., Manuscript
History of Brigham Young, 533; Kelly, ed., Journals of John D. Lee,
107‑08; The Personal Writings of Eliza Roxcy Snow, 156; Nibley, Exodus
to Greatness, 340; Bigler, The Gold Discovery Journal of Azariah Smith,
78; Woman’s Exponent, 14:4:30-1
The
morning was “cold and dark” and the ground froze again. Later in the day it warmed up and in the
afternoon the “streets as a flood of mud and water” were very difficult to
travel.
In the
afternoon, Allen Weeks arrived from Mount Pisgah with Lucinda Pace and her
family. John D. Lee read to her a
letter from her husband, James Pace, who was away with the Mormon Battalion. Brother Lee purchased a home for her family
near the house of Charles Bird.
Hosea
Stout discovered that one of his policemen was not at his post and had been
suspected of not doing his duty for many weeks. Brother Stout went to confer with Brigham Young on the matter. They received word that the policeman was at
a party being held at Phinehas Young’s home.
They went to the party and indeed found the man there. They stayed for a while, danced a couple
dances, and then left the party.
Brother Stout kept a watch on the man to see if he would do his duty at
all that night. He did not.
Joseph
Smith Turley, age three months, died of water on the brain. He was the son of Theodore and Sarah Turley.5
Journals of
John D. Lee, 108; Brooks, ed., On the Mormon Frontier,
1:239‑240
The
morning was cloudy, with a few rain showers.
Brigham Young preached at the funeral of Cyrus Neff. Afterwards a Council Meeting was held. The captains of the various companies gave
reports. Thomas Bullock reported that
the first division had 116 pioneers, 38 wagons, 38 horses, and 26 mules. Brigham Young prophesied to Charles Bird
that he would have some money for him within a few days because he had dreamed
the previous night that three hundred dollars of gold would be given to him.
Ezra T.
Benson spoke to the gathering. He
discussed two alternatives for the pioneer company. One idea proposed that the pioneers with the Twelve continue all
the way over the mountains this season until they found the place “to plant the
standard and build the Temple of the Lord.”
The other alternative plan would have them stop short of the mountains
and plant a crop, then bring the Saints from the Missouri River. The second alternative looked attractive
because many people felt the Missouri River was a sickly place and they feared
that they would all die if they stayed another season. Elder Benson argued that most of the
sickness had been brought into the camp prior to arriving at the Missouri.
Dr.
Willard Richards arose and offered some medical opinions regarding the various
diseases they had experienced and their probable causes. He felt they were cause by inhaling impure
air and drinking stagnated water near Nauvoo.
He suggested that the air was cleaner away from the saltwater
oceans. Thus, the mountain air and
clean water would improve their health as they traveled to the west. But, if he rushed his sick family to the
mountains, it would shorten their lives rather than lengthen their days. He preferred to leave his family at Winter
Quarters for another season. Dr.
Richards also believed that many of the brethren were sick because they labored
too hard in such a short time. “Too
much exercise is injurious to health.”
Willard
Richards explained that irrigation would be needed at their next location to
plant crops which would require very hard labor to build a dam and dig
ditches. It would also be more
difficult protecting the crops and the land would not produce as much as in the
east. “Will it not be better to leave
the families here this season where they have houses to shelter them from the
storms and other necessaries prepared and let the pioneers go over the
mountains and prepare the place, then return and bring the families over next
season in perfect safety to the place of gathering.”
Orson
Pratt spoke about the revelations received to organize the Camp of Israel. He stated that if any families journeyed
west that season, they should be the families of the Mormon Battalion. Brigham Young put an end to the “diversity
of spirits” regarding this topic. He said
that he would not be hurried, “for I am determined to do as I am dictated by
the Spirit of the Lord.”
George D.
Grant came into the meeting and shared the alarming news that the snow was
thawing so fast that a portion of the mill dam had broken away. He warned that it would break again if they
did not immediately send men to secure it.
He stated that “if the brethren were humble and pliable, all would be
well; the best thing that could be done at present was to repair the mill dam
so that the Pioneers could get their grain ground.”
President
Young and Willard Richards walked up to the dam and were pleased to see Wilford
Woodruff, Ezra T. Benson, and fifty other brethren hard at work repairing the
dam.
In the
evening, the weather “turned cold as Greenland.” A trial was held for the negligent policeman at the home of James
W. Cummings. The policeman admitted his
faults and conducted himself with honor.
He was reprimanded sharply for neglecting his duty. Hosea Stout wrote: “After the investigation was over, all was well satisfied with
him and if he will profit by what has passed he will do well.”
Luman
Shurtliff and Daniel Hunt went to see the mayor of St. Louis to solicit his
support on behalf of the poor at Garden Grove.
Brother Shurtliff wrote:
He read our
petition and looked over our subscription list for Quincy. All this time we prayed that his heart would
be softened and direct his mind and pen for our best good. I think he was directed as he wrote a very
good newspaper article asking the citizens of St. Louis to respond liberally to
our call. He then wrote us two
subscriptions and got us each a partner to go with us, then divided the
city. My partner and I took the upper
part and Brother Hunt and his partner took the lower part. The mayor also signed five dollars.
The
battalion drilled as usual and was allowed to “play ball” and amuse themselves
during the day. The weather was cool,
making it uncomfortable because they lacked clothing.
Watson, ed., Manuscript
History of Brigham Young, 533‑34; Kelly, ed., Journals of John D.
Lee, 108‑12; Brooks, ed., On the Mormon Frontier, 1:240 “Luman
Shurtliff Autobiography,” typescript, BYU, 72; Bigler, The Gold Discovery
Journal of Azariah Smith, 78
It was
again very cold. The Missouri River
froze hard overnight making it again safe to cross teams over on the ice. Heber C. Kimball and Wilford Woodruff
preached in several of the Winter Quarters wards. Elder Woodruff asked the people in his ward to donate food to
Bishop Abraham O. Smoot for the poor.
Elder Woodruff committed that he would also take provisions to the
bishop. After the meeting he took
thirty pounds of flour and other goods to Bishop Smoot. He then went with the bishop to visit the sick. They called on Brother Bundy, Sister Cox,
and Job Smith. They anointed them,
blessed them, and left them some provisions.
John D.
Lee spent the day visiting and taking care of two of his sick wives. He spent two hours with Louisa Free Lee
reading his journal to her.
In the
evening, Brigham Young met with Bishops Newel K. Whitney and George
Miller. A large number of Omaha Indians
came near Winter Quarters.
William A.
Morse, age four weeks, died. He was the
son of Gilbert and Cynthia Morse.
William Spears, age fifty-three, died of black scurvy. He was the husband of Janet Spears.
The wind
was very cold. An inspection was held
at 9 a.m. and a dress parade at 4 p.m.
Colonel Cooke drilled Company A for quite some time but then got mad and
quit. Henry Standage went to the nearby
Indian Village. He recorded: “Saw some very aged Indians which while
meditation on the Restoration, Mormonism &c. Brought to mind the words of Isaiah ‘There shall no more thence
be an infant nor an old man that hath not filled his days’ . . . God being
pleased to remove his people into so healthy a country. Surely the Times of Restitution has begun.”
A
conference of the Church was held.
Eight branches were represented, comprising nine Elders, eighteen
priests, five teachers, nine deacons and 276 members. Since the last conference forty‑one people had been
baptized into the Church.
Watson, ed., Manuscript
History of Brigham Young, 534; Kenney, ed., Wilford Woodruff’s Journal,
3:140; Kelly, ed., Journals of John D. Lee, 112‑13; Brooks, ed., On
the Mormon Frontier, 1:240; The Personal Writings of Eliza Roxcy Snow,
157; Bigler, The Gold Discovery Journal of Azariah Smith, 78; Journal of
Henry Standage in Golder, The March of the Mormon Battalion, 211‑12
The
morning was cold and “disagreeable.”
John D. Lee helped Elisha Groves and Sylvanus Collett, who were out of
meal.
In the
evening, Brigham Young met with the officers of his company and reproved them
sharply because they did not have their pioneer companies ready. He expected them all to be ready for the
march by the following Monday. He would
then take them up to Old Council Bluff to draw out timber and fencing for those
who would stay at Winter Quarters for another year.
A son,
Edward Milo Webb, was born to Edward M. and Caroline Owens Webb.
A
daughter, Anna Nelson, was born to Edmond and Jane Taylor Nelson.
Colonel
Cooke, frustrated with some of the men, reduced in rank several non‑commissioned
officers for not learning the drill.
The cold weather continued and snow could be seen on the mountains.
Luman
Shurtliff and Daniel Hunt started to go door‑to‑door asking for
donations for the poor in Garden Grove.
Brother Shurtliff wrote, “Sometimes we got curses and sometimes we got
money and sometimes we got clothing.”
Watson, ed., Manuscript
History of Brigham Young, 534; Kelly, ed., Journals of John D. Lee,
113‑14; “Luman Shurtliff Autobiography,” typescript, BYU, 72; Journal of
Henry Standage in Golder, The March of the Mormon Battalion, 212
The
weather was quite cold and the ground was covered with snow. Brigham Young wrote letters to battalion
wives, Sisters Allen and Rosecrans, instructing them to get ready to emigrate. He also met with the Twelve and Bishop Newel
K. Whitney to read mail that was recently brought from the east by Alexander
McRae and Andrew L. Lamoreaux. These
letters confirmed reports that had been received regarding persecutions of the
Saints near Farmington, Iowa. The mob
had been “hanging” Saints up by ropes.
William H. Folsom had been hung up and had lost conscienceness. Fourteen‑year‑old Rodney Swasey
was hung by his heels for five minutes by the mob, trying to frighten the boy
into saying something which could be used as evidence against the rest of the
Saints. The mob could get nothing out
of him.
Six others
were also hung, Charles Drown among this number. Alexander McRae had been taken by a mob and carried to Madison
jail near Mount Rose and was held for ten days. He was finally released on bail and then quickly escaped the area
with young Rodney Swasey, whom he brought with him to Winter Quarters. John D. Lee was asked to care for Rodney and
get him ready to go with the pioneers.6
After
dining with Willard Richards, the Twelve met with Bishop Newel K. Whitney and
others, to form a committee to discuss the needs of various people. Heber C. Kimball’s company met at the
Council House.
Watson, ed., Manuscript
History of Brigham Young, 535; Kelly, ed., Journals of John D. Lee,
114‑15; Brooks, ed., On the Mormon Frontier, 1:240
John D.
Lee and George Laub worked in the Council House rigging wagons for the pioneer
company.
Brigham
Young met with the Twelve and others in the evening to discuss the needs of
those who would remain at Winter Quarters for another year. Plans were made to establish a new
farm. They planned to find a location
on the next day.7
A
daughter, Lydia Davis, was born to Franklin and Ann Davis. Patty Sessions helped with the
delivery. A son, John Henry Tanner, was
born to John J. and Rebecca Smith Tanner.8
Private
Thomas Dunn recorded:
Nothing of
importance transpired. The weather is
colder than we have had for some time past.
A cool and chilling wind from the sea, also cloudy and dull but no
frost. Time passes off well. Still I, as well as most of the Battalion,
am anxious for the time to arrive when we can be discharged and return to our
families. At the same time bearing in
mind that they are anxious also for our return to them.
Parley P.
Pratt and John Taylor arrived in New Orleans.
They made arrangements for a steamboat to carry them up the Mississippi
River. The Church publication in Wales
later reported: “It took them only 30
days from England to there; and there were no crosswinds, nor any cause to take
in one sail except for one time, for a few hours. They went past all the ships they saw, and some who started from
two or three weeks before them arrived there after they did.”
Watson, ed., Manuscript
History of Brigham Young, 535; Kelly, ed., Journals of John D. Lee,
115‑16; “Private Journal of Thomas Dunn,” typescript, 22; Smart, ed., Mormon
Midwife, 73; Dennis, ed., Prophet of the Jubilee, 98, 115
The
morning was clear, warm, and pleasant.
Brigham Young, Heber C. Kimball, Ezra T. Benson, Alpheus Cutler, Daniel
H. Spencer, George A. Smith, and John D. Lee rode around the city to find a
location for a farm. They found only a
“suitable small piece” of one thousand acres, south of the city which could be
used for early crops by the Saints during the coming year. They decided to continue their search on
another day to the north, near Old Council Bluff.
In the
afternoon, Brigham Young, the Twelve, Levi Richards, Luke S. Johnson, and Lyman
O. Littlefield had supper at the octagon.9 Wilford Woodruff recorded that he “assisted
Br Richards to eat a Potatoe Pie.”
Horace and
Orson Whitney prepared to emigrate in the spring in the place of their father,
Bishop Newel K. Whitney, who would remain behind.
After
supper, the Twelve retired to the historian’s office and read a bogus
revelation that had been written by Charles W. Wandell to entrap the
Strangites. (See March 6, 1846, in
volume one.) They all agreed that this method was terribly wrong. Brigham Young wrote, “Any man that presumes
to write in the name of Jehovah is doing wrong and will see cause to repent in
dust and ashes.”
John D.
Lee later met with Willard Richards and Ezra T. Benson to read letters from the
battalion at Pueblo. A letter from
William Bird made mention of the Great Salt Lake area. He also complained about the outrageous
conduct of Captain James Brown, leader of the battalion at Pueblo.
Hyrum
Bassett, age twenty‑one, died. He
was the husband of Lucinda Stout Bassett.
Lumber for a casket was not obtained.
Some men went into the woods and chopped down a large, straight tree,
sawed it long enough for a coffin, dug out the center, lined it with material,
and laid Hyrum to rest.
A
daughter, Almira Davenport, was born to James and Almira Phelps Davenport. Patty Sessions helped with the
delivery. A son, Volney LeRoy King, was
born to Thomas R. and Matilda Robison King.
A son, Edwin John Lawrence, was born to John and Rhoda Sanford
Lawrence. He died within hours. A son, Hezekiah Thatcher Jr., was born to
Hezekiah and Abbie Thatcher. He also
died the same day.
Watson, ed., Manuscript
History of Brigham Young, 536; Kenney, ed., Wilford Woodruff’s Journal,
3:141; Kelly, ed., Journals of John D. Lee, 116‑17; Our Pioneer
Heritage, 16:423; Smart, ed., Mormon Midwife, 73
Wilford
Woodruff spent the day preparing his carriage for the pioneer journey.