"The Civil War Years in Utah: The Kingdom of God and..." Topic

… the Territory That Did Not Fight.

"In 1832 Joseph Smith, Jr., the Mormons' first prophet, foretold of a great war beginning in South Carolina. In the combatants' mutual destruction, God's purposes would be served, and Mormon men would rise to form a geographical, political, and theocratic "Kingdom of God" to encompass the earth. Three decades later, when Smith's prophecy failed with the end of the American Civil War, the United States left torn but intact, the Mormons' perspective on the conflict—and their inactivity in it—required palliative revision. In The Civil War Years in Utah, the first full account of the events that occurred in Utah Territory during that war, John Gary Maxwell contradicts the patriotic mythology of Mormon leaders' version of this dark chapter in Utah history.

While the Civil War spread death, tragedy, and sorrow across the continent, Utah Territory remained virtually untouched. Although the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints—and its faithful—proudly praise the service of an 1862 Mormon cavalry company during the Civil War, Maxwell's research exposes the relatively inconsequential contribution of these Nauvoo Legion soldiers. Active for a mere ninety days, they patrolled overland trails and telegraph lines. Furthermore, Maxwell finds indisputable evidence of Southern allegiance among Mormon leaders, despite their claim of staunch, long-standing loyalty to the Union. Men at the highest levels of Mormon hierarchy were in close personal contact with Confederate operatives. In seeking sovereignty, Maxwell contends, the Saints engaged in blatant and treasonous conflict with Union authorities, the California and Nevada Volunteers, and federal policies, repeatedly skirting open warfare with the U.S. government.

Collective memory of this consequential period in American history, Maxwell argues, has been ill-served by a one-sided perspective. This engaging and long-overdue reappraisal finally fills in the gaps, telling the full story of the Civil War years in Utah Territory."

See here
link

So, the Mormons were for the South?

Amicalement
Armand

Hi

Remember the Utah War was just 3 years earlier, So they weren't staunch supporter of the Federal Government.

Bill

So, the Mormons were for the South?

I've never heard any pro-Confederacy opinions in my own family ancestry. They were largely British immigrants who came to Utah.

In my Utah history class way (way way back) in 5th grade and latter Jr. High I was taught that Utah supported the union. However in the back of Stratgos the 1880 American kriegsspiel there are lots of statistics on the war including number of men who served in the union army. Texas had some so did Mississippi and Alabama. Not a single one is listed for Utah.

The Utah militia was called out (in 1862, I think) in part by Federal authorities, to suppress a breakaway Mormon sect just south of Ogden at what was called the Stone Fort. These folks weren't paying taxes to the Federals or tithes to the Church. The stones from the fort were later made into a house, which is still around.

Later, Fort Douglas, to the east of Salt Lake City and several hundred feet higher than Temple Square, was established during the Civil War by Union troops out of California. Part of the justification for the location was to provide a good field of fire for artillery, should the locals get uppity.

The California troops did help to drive off Indians who raided some of the Mormon settlements in northern Utah/southern Idaho, which made the folks in SLC happy. Their main job was to make sure the east-west route to California remained open (silver from Nevada helped fund the Union war effort).

There was significant friction between the Mormons and the Federal government, but the Feds were willing to use troops to keep the east-west road open. The Confederates, on the other hand, were nowhere close--the best they did was to occupy Santa Fe, NM, in 1862--strategically, backing the Confederacy if that was the best they could do would have been a really poor choice.

Brigham Young had refused to condemn slavery, pointing out (rightly) that the institution shows up in the Bible. I would not be at all surprised to hear about some interaction between representatives of the Confederacy and the Latter Day Saints, based on some of their shared interests, but I can't see the Church leadership doing anything dramatic without the support of Confederate boots on the ground.

Still, it looks like it could be a good read!

Grelber

I'm from an old Mormon pioneer family and we have a load of old Confederate bills that have been passed down. I've always wondered how we got those since I haven't seen records of any of my ancestors fighting for the South.

This link has a discussion of Mormons in the Civil War. If you scroll down to post #29 you'll see a roster of men making up a Company.

link

BTW guarding telegraph lines and the like was important duty. When the Cavalry Regiments were withdrawn their job fell to volunteers. For example once the California Column got to New Mexico/West Texas most of their fighting was against the Apache and bands of bandidos .

A quick search of the NPS Soldiers and Sailors system yield 96 names, all belonging to Smith's Company, Utah Cavalry, a 3 month unit formed in 1862. Although a Union unit they are not listed in Dyers Compendium.

I thought Albert Sidney Johnston led a Federal Army to capture Salt lake City in the Utah War just a couple of years earlier. You could forgive the Utah'ns for not warmly embracing Washington around that time.

Also, important to remember that there are always multiple points of view and the rhetoric of the South's secession was about State's Rights. Probably an appealing concept if you've just been invaded by a Federal Army.

Viewed from our day the Civil War is easily seen as a crusade against slavery but that's not how it was universally perceived at that time. Note that the northern army is referred to as Union or Federals, tells you something of the attitudes at the time. Slavery was considered a State's Right, one that the Southern States felt was being encroached upon. (I don't have a dog in this fight – I'm not an American – I just try to see the validity of both sides. Not justifying slavery either – evil and disgraceful institution, but my perspective is from today not the mid 19th Century)

Context is really important.

I thought Albert Sidney Johnston led a Federal Army to capture Salt lake City in the Utah War just a couple of years earlier.

One of my ancestors came with him.

Remember, too, that back in Missouri, the Mormons were seen as "Yankees" and anti-slavery, which was part of the reason for the persecution there.

Joseph Smith was Anti-slavery and even welcomed black men into his church. Brigham Young was pro-slavery and ran a goverenment in Utah similar to states like Saudi Arabia only a christian version