The Danites were a fraternal organization founded by Latter Day Saint members in June 1838, in the town of Far West, Caldwell County, Missouri.During their period of organization in Missouri, the Danites operated as a vigilante group and took a central role in the events of the 1838 Mormon War.There is no evidence that the Danites existed after 1838. [25][26], At the same time Mormons, including Sampson Avard, began to organize a secret society known as the Danites, whose purposes included obeying the church presidency "right or wrong" and expelling the dissenters from Caldwell County. Joseph Smith ordered Colonel George M. Hinkle, the head of the Mormon militia in Caldwell County, to ride out and meet with General Lucas to seek terms. The Grand Mafia. [11], Mormon petitions and lawsuits failed to bring any satisfaction: the non-Mormons in Jackson refused to allow the Mormons to return and reimbursement for confiscated and damaged property was refused. [27] Two days after Rigdon preached his Salt Sermon, 80 prominent Mormons including Hyrum Smith signed the so-called Danite Manifesto, which warned the dissenters to "depart or a more fatal calamity shall befall you." (youtube). Although Mormons won the battle, they took heavier casualties than the Missourians. "[60], The Missourians evicted from their homes were no better prepared than the Mormon refugees had been. Seymour Brunson attacked Grindstone Fork. Several children also became ill during the ordeal and died later. In addition, none of the participants in the raid cited the order as justification for their actions.[81]. Agitation against the Latter Day Saints had become particularly fierce in the sparsely settled counties north and east of Caldwell County. After several non-Mormons made statements to the authorities that Johnson had acted as a moderating influence on the Danites, he was allowed to escape rather than stand trial. After the inquiry, all but a few of the Mormon prisoners were released, but Joseph Smith, Sidney Rigdon, Lyman Wight, Caleb Baldwin, Hyrum Smith and Alexander McRae were held in the Liberty Jail in Liberty, Clay County on charges of treason against the state, murder, arson, burglary, robbery and larceny. They also sent a request for assistance to Governor Boggs, noting that the mob had threatened "to exterminate them, without regard to age or sex. INTRODUCTION: The Mormon presence in nineteenth-century Missouri was uneasy at best and at times flared into violence fed by misunderstanding and suspicion. [118], Joseph Smith vehemently denied Bennett's account, speculating that Boggsno longer governor, but campaigning for state senatewas attacked by an election opponent. [61] None of these claims, however, purport to be eye-witness accounts. Boggs held strong preconceptions against the Mormons, dating from the time when both he and they had lived in Jackson County. McBrier's house was among those burned. On the afternoon of 24 October 1838, some of Bogart's men, operating independently of Bogart's main command, took two Mormon spies prisoner at a home where the Mormon "spy company" (a group of Mormons who had been assembled to scout the movements of Bogart and other anti-Mormon vigilantes in the area [12]) was quartered. The Militia broke ranks and fled across the river. At the same time, a leadership struggle between the church presidency and Missouri leaders led to the excommunication of several high-placed Mormon leaders, including Oliver Cowdery (one of the Three Witnesses and the church's original "second elder"), David Whitmer (another of the Three Witnesses and Stake President of the Missouri Church), as well as John Whitmer, Hiram Page, William Wines Phelps and others.I[23] These "dissenters", as they came to be called, owned a significant amount of land in Caldwell County, much of which was purchased when they were acting as agents for the church. My fundamental claim is that the rhetoric of both sides in the 1838 Mormon War exhibited the signature strategies of Innocent III's ideology of anti-heretical crusade. [36], When about thirty Latter Day Saints approached the polling place, a Missourian named Dick Weldon declared that in Clay County the Mormons had not been allowed to vote, "no more than negroes." [75], Meanwhile, exaggerated reports from the Battle of Crooked River made their way to Missouri's governor, Lilburn Boggs. In an effort to keep the peace, Alexander William Doniphan of Clay County pushed a law through the Missouri legislature that created Caldwell County, Missouri specifically for Mormon settlement in 1836. A Militia under the command of Samuel Bogart was authorized by General Atchison to patrol the no-man's land between Ray and Caldwell Counties known as "Bunkham's Strip" an unincorporated territory 6 miles (9.7km) east to west and 1-mile (1.6km) north to south. Amazon.com: The 1838 Mormon War in Missouri (Volume 1): 9780826207296: LeSueur, Stephen C.: Libros. De Witt possessed a strategically important location near the intersection of the Grand River and the Missouri River. Mormon leader John Corrill wrote, "the love of pillage grew upon them very fast, for they plundered every kind of property they could get a hold of. They believed that the Indians were descendants of Israelites, and proselytized among them extensively. When a Mormon band plundered and burned the Taylor home, one young Mormon, Benjamin F Johnson, argued his fellow vigilantes into leaving a horse for a pregnant Mrs Taylor and her children to ride to safety. Latter-day Saint Albert Perry Rockwood, writing from Far West, estimated on November 11 that about 30 Mormons had been killed. Those minutes were written up and widely published in newspapers across the country. Office of the Secretary of State of Missouri (1841). On the first night of the march out of Carroll County, two Mormon women died. [97] Brigham Young recounts that, once the militia was disarmed, Lucas's men were turned loose on the city: [T]hey commenced their ravages by plundering the citizens of their bedding, clothing, money, wearing apparel, and every thing of value they could lay their hands upon, and also attempting to violate the chastity of the women in sight of their husbands and friends, under the pretence of hunting for prisoners and arms. "[48][49], On October 9, A C Caldwell returned to De Witt to report that the Governor's response was that the "quarrel was between the Mormons and the mob" and that they should fight it out.[48]. Having taken control of the Missourian settlements, the Mormons plundered the property and burned the stores and houses. EMELLE . Later that day, the Carroll County forces sealed off the town. Overwhelmingly, these claims are contradicted by the majority of both Missourian and Latter Day Saint testimony (which implicate the Mormons in the burnings) and also by the evidence of the looted property found in the possession of Latter Day Saints. Above is a depiction of the Haun's Mill Massacre, where a mob killed seventeen men, women, and children. . The order was part of the 1838 Mormon War in Missouri. The exact circumstances that allowed for him to escape are not certain. A number of Missourians left the scene to obtain guns and ammunition and swore that they would "kill all the Saints they could find, or drive them out of Daviess County, sparing neither men, women or children. In the early part of 1838, Mormons started to settle outside of Caldwell which, once again, upset some Missourians so conflict broke out. [50] Boggs, however, ignored this plea and continued to wait as events unravelled. . What it's about: Not strictly . [4] An unknown number of non-combatants died due to exposure and hardship as a result of being expelled from their homes in Missouri.[5]. [1] Clark to Boggs, 29 Nov. 1838, Mormon War Papers, Missouri State Archives. [120], Whatever the case, the following year Rockwell was arrested, tried, and acquitted of the attempted murder,[118] although most of Boggs' contemporaries remained convinced of his guilt. Smith was charged for treason but escaped custody and fled to Illinois with the remainder of the estimated 10,000 Missouri Mormons, establishing the new settlement of Nauvoo. News of the battle quickly spread and contributed to an all-out panic in northwestern Missouri. King found that there was sufficient evidence to have the defendants appear before a grand jury on misdemeanor charges. King, judge of the Fifth judicial circuit of the state of Missouri, at the Court-house in Richmond, in a criminal court of inquiry, begun November 12, 1838, on the trial of Joseph Smith, Jr., and others, for high treason and other crimes against the state. [101], The defendants, consisting of about 60 men including Joseph Smith and Sidney Rigdon, were turned over to a civil court of inquiry in Richmond under Judge Austin A. [35] Reminding Daviess County residents of the growing electoral power of the Mormon community, Peniston made a speech in Gallatin claiming that if the Missourians "suffer such men as these [Mormons] to vote, you will soon lose your suffrage." The willingness of both Missourians and . Despite the inferior numbers of the Mormons, the Missourians scattered before them, causing both sides to think many of the Missourians had been killed. The Mormons divided into three columns led by David W. Patten, Charles C. Rich, and James Durphee. Two members of the Far West High Council, George M. Hinkle and John Murdock, were sent to take possession of the town and to begin to colonize it. Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints. [95], Joseph Smith Jr attempted to negotiate with Lucas, but it became clear that Lucas considered his conditions to be non-negotiable. This is not a forum for general discussion of the article's subject. [39], In the spring of 1838, Henry Root, a non-Mormon who was a major land-owner in Carroll County, visited Far West and sold his plots in the mostly vacant town of De Witt to church leaders. King found that there was sufficient evidence to have the defendants appear before a grand jury on misdemeanor charges. To William Wines Phelps, a fellow Latter-day Saint and witness to the events, Hinkle wrote: "When the facts were laid before Joseph, did he not say, 'I will go'; and did not the others go with him, and that, too, voluntarily, so far as you and I were concerned?"[93][94]. King, on charges of treason, murder, arson, burglary, robbery, larceny and perjury. 1) June-July 1838: The Danites served as internal regulators, intimidating (and expelling) dissenters from Far West, Missouri, as well as regulating efforts to consecrate properties and voting patterns among the Saints. [31], In the speech, Rigdon declared that the Latter Day Saints would no longer be driven from their homes by persecution from without or dissension from within, and that if enemies came again to drive out the Saints, "And that mob that comes on us to disturb us, it shall be between us and them a war of extermination; for we will follow them until the last drop of their blood is spilled; or else they will have to exterminate us, for we will carry the seat of war to their own houses and their own families, and one party or the other shall be utterly destroyed"[26], The Gallatin Election Day Battle was a skirmish between Mormon and non-Mormon settlers in the newly formed Daviess County, Missouri, on August 6, 1838. Stephen C. LeSueur: The 1838 Mormon War in Missouri. [69] Instead of staying in the strip, Bogart passed into southern Caldwell County and began to disarm Mormons. According to Hinkle, Smith wanted a treaty with the Missourians "on any terms short of battle. [48], On October 1, the mob burned the home and stables of Smith Humphrey. Format: Paperback. The Settlement of The Peculiar People in Jackson County. Sheriff Morgan was ridden through town on an iron bar, and died shortly afterward from the injuries he suffered during the ride. [86] Other Latter Day Saint witnesses remembered that Smith said to "beg like a dog for peace". If after looking through it you still have unanswered questions . Finally, the Mormons who had taken up arms were to leave the state. [68] Generals Atchison, Doniphon and Parks decided they needed to call out the militia to "prevent further violence." [13], Meanwhile, a group of non-Mormons from Clinton, Platte, and other counties began to harass Mormons in Daviess County, burning outlying homes and plundering property. In this 1842 letter, Mormon dissenter George M. Hinkle rashly accused Joseph Smith of plotting to poison the Missourians' water supply. In Livingston County, a group of armed men forced Asahel Lathrop from his home, where they held his ill wife and children prisoner. On the first night of the march out of Carroll County, two Mormon women died. The non-Mormon militiaman who died was Moses Rowland, who was killed at Crooked River on 25 October 1838. The third major and perhaps most significant conflict of the 1838 Missouri Mormon War occurred near this location along Crooked River on October 25, 1838. Today, Mormonism is one of the most widely accepted religions in the US. Unfortunately, the shop had large gaps between the logs which the Missourians shot into and, as one Mormon later recalled, it became more "slaughter-house rather than a shelter. Mormon leaders appealed to the state legislature to overturn the requirement that they leave the state, but the legislature tabled the issue until a date well after that when the Mormons would have left the state. Major General Samuel D. Lucas marched the state militia to Far West and laid siege to the Mormon headquarters. Doniphan refused to obey the order, replying: It is cold-blooded murder. "[48][49], On October 9, A C Caldwell returned to De Witt to report that the Governor's response was that the "quarrel was between the Mormons and the mob" and that they should fight it out.[48]. Possibly playing on Rigdon's July 4 sermon that talked of a "war of extermination", Boggs issued Missouri Executive Order 44, also known as the "Extermination Order", on October 27, which stated that "the Mormons must be treated as enemies, and must be exterminated or driven from the State if necessary for the public peace"[76] The Extermination Order was finally rescinded on June 25, 1976, by Governor Christopher Samuel "Kit" Bond.[77][78]. [64] Based on the available evidence, LeSueur estimates that Mormons were responsible for the burning of fifty homes or shops and the displacement of one hundred non-Mormon families. Fearing attack, many citizens of Ray County moved their wives and children across the Missouri River for safety. which rallied the Mormons and allowed them to drive off their opponents.[36]. [39], In the spring of 1838, Henry Root, a non-Mormon who was a major land-owner in Carroll County, visited Far West and sold his plots in the mostly vacant town of De Witt to church leaders. Mormon was the name of a prophet from that record who edited religious writings of people who originally came from Jerusalem at about 600 B.C. One contemporary critic of the Mormons wrote: Mormonism is a monstrous evil; and the only place where it ever did or ever could shine, this side of the world of despair, is by the side of the Missouri mob. "If found, they will be shot down like dogs," warned Hyrum. Shortly after organizing the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter Day Saints in 1830, Joseph Smith Jr. revealed that the Second Coming of Christ was near, that the City of Zion would be near the town of Independence in Jackson County, Missouri, and that his followers were destined to inherit the land held by the current settlers. The gun was found to have been stolen from a local shopkeeper, who identified "that hired man of Ward's" as the most likely culprit. Mormon settlement increased as hundreds of members from Kirtland and elsewhere poured into Missouri. "In the summer and fall of 1838, animosity between Mormons and their neighbors in western Missouri erupted into an armed conflict known as the Mormon War. According to Latter Day Saint witness Reed Peck, when Smith was told that the Mormons would be expected to leave the state, he replied that "he did not care" and that he would be glad to get out of the "damnable state" anyway. When Joseph Smith and volunteers rode to Adam-ondi-Ahman to assess the situation, they discovered there were no truths to the rumors. [1] In Daviess County, where Whigs and Democrats had been roughly evenly balanced, Mormon population reached a level where they could determine election results. [4] All of the conflicts in the Mormon War occurred in a corridor 100 miles (160km) to the east and northeast of Kansas City. Every Mormon who had taken up arms was to sell his property to pay for the damages to Missourian property and for the muster of the state militia. A company under the command of Captain Samuel Bogart was ordered to patrol the no-man's land between Ray and Caldwell Counties, in an effort to stop armed persons from Caldwell County from invading Ray County. Jacob Stollings, a Gallatin merchant, was reported to have been generous in selling to Mormons on credit, but his store was plundered and burned with the rest. Most Mormon immigrants to Missouri (which was at the time a, This page was last edited on 10 December 2022, at 21:15. But if you've never heard of it, don't feel bad. Joseph Fielding Smith - Mormon Pioneer Trail [1] Joseph Fielding Smith, sixth president of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints and the nephew of its founder, Joseph Smith, was born in Far West, Missouri, on 13 November 1838. When his own troops threatened to join the attackers, Parks was forced to withdraw to Daviess County in hopes that the Governor would come to mediate. The group and their murder/revenge tactics are surrounded in some historical mystery. The soldiers shot down our oxen, cows, hogs and fowls, at our own doors, taking part away and leaving the rest to rot in the streets. Mapping Mormon History [1] Latter Day Saint refugees began to flee to Adam-ondi-Ahman for protection and shelter against the upcoming winter. If they choose to remain, we must be content. [34], At the start of the brawl, Mormon John Butler let out a call, "Oh yes, you Danites, here is a job for us!" Mormon dissenters from Daviess County who had fled to Livingston County reportedly told Livingston County militia under Colonel Thomas Jennings that Mormons were gathering at Haun's Mill to raid into Livingston County. Executive paralysis permitted terrorism, which forced Mormons to self-defense, which was immediately labeled as an "insurrection," and was put down by the activated militia of the county. It won the best book award for the Mormon History Association. Mormon leader John Corrill wrote, "the love of pillage grew upon them very fast, for they plundered every kind of property they could get a hold of. After the stress of being expelled from Millport into the snow, Milford Donaho's wife gave birth prematurely, and the child was severely injured during the birth. 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