He was from Tennessee. The women and children were then ambushed and killed by more militia that were hiding in nearby bushes and ravines. Hoge. The horrific crime, which spared only 17 children age six and under, occurred in a highland valley called the Mountain Meadows, roughly 35 miles southwest of Cedar City. [38] This time, Lee was convicted. “The people who did this had lost their way. [40] Brigham Young stated that Lee's fate was just, but not a sufficient blood atonement, given the enormity of the crime.[41]. [36] Lee also stipulated, against advice of counsel, that the prosecution be allowed to re-use the depositions of Young and Smith from the previous trial. While it is true that some of the emigrants’ cattle were dying along the trail, including near Fillmore, the deaths appear to be the result of a disease that affected cattle herds on the 1850s overland trails. Whatever the legal situation, she thought of herself as an unmarried woman. [44] National newspapers covered the Lee trials closely from 1874 to 1876, and his execution in 1877 was widely covered. At the time of the Fanchers' arrival, the Utah Territory was organized as a theocratic democracy under the lead of Brigham Young, who had established colonies along the California Trail and Old Spanish Trail. Scholars debate whether senior Mormon leadership, including Brigham Young, directly instigated the massacre or if responsibility lay only with the local leaders in southern Utah. For the decade prior to the Baker–Fancher party's arrival there, Utah Territory existed as a theodemocracy led by Brigham Young. The Utah War delayed any investigation by the U.S. federal government until 1859, when Jacob Forney,[23] and U.S. Army Brevet Major James Henry Carleton conducted investigations. The Mountain Meadows Massacre has continued to cause pain and controversy for 150 years. The plan to attack the emigrant company originated with local Church leaders in Cedar City, who had... A Five-Day Siege. They were also offered all of the livestock then on the road to California, which included that belonging to the Baker–Fancher party. While the emigrants were camped at the meadow, nearby militia leaders, including Isaac C. Haight and John D. Lee, made plans to attack the wagon train. Despite plans to pin the massacre on the Paiutes—and persistent subsequent efforts to do so—Nephi Johnson later maintained that his fellow militiamen did most of the killing. [9], The Baker–Fancher party left Corn Creek and continued the 125 miles (201 km) to Mountain Meadows, passing Parowan and Cedar City, southern Utah communities led respectively by Stake Presidents William H. Dame and Isaac C. Haight. Lee and Haight had a long, late-night discussion about the emigrants in which Lee told Haight he believed the Paiutes would “kill all the party, women and children, as well as the men” if incited to attack. [I]f those who are there will leave let them go in peace. "[91][92] In 1932 citizens of the surrounding area constructed a memorial wall around the remnants of the monument. As is true with any historical episode, comprehending the events of September 11, 1857, requires understanding the conditions of the time, only a brief summary of which can be shared in the few pages of this article. They instructed the people to save their grain and prepare to cache it in the mountains in case they needed to flee there when the troops arrived. Some traditional Utah histories of what occurred at Mountain Meadows have accepted the claim that poisoning also contributed to conflict—that the Arkansas emigrants deliberately poisoned a spring and an ox carcass near the central Utah town of Fillmore, causing illness and death among local Indians. © 2017 MountainMeadowsMassacre.com. The leaders of the militia, wanting to give the impression of tribal hostilities, persuaded some Southern Paiutes to join with a larger party of militiamen disguised as Native Americans in an attack. [69] In June 1857, Philip Klingensmith, another participant, was similarly blessed that he would participate in "avenging the blood of Brother Joseph". Today, some massacre victims’ descendants and collateral relatives are Latter-day Saints. Important additional testimony recently received", "Eleanor McLean and the Murder of Parley P. Pratt", "LDS 'Headquarters Culture' and the Rest of Mormonism: Past and Present", Malinda (Cameron) Scott Thurston Deposition, "Shining New Light on the Mountain Meadows Massacre (2003 FairMormon Conference)", "Proclamation of the Twelve Apostles of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints", "Instructions to the Bishops—Men Judged According to their Knowledge—Organization of the Spirit and Body—Thought and Labor to be Blended Together", "To Know God is Eternal Life—God the Father of Our Spirits and Bodies—Things Created Spiritually First—Atonement by the Shedding of Blood". [19] Accepting this, the emigrants were led out of their fortification. In particular, they were officially expelled from the state of Missouri during the 1838 Mormon War, during which prominent Mormon apostle David W. Patten was killed in battle. In September 1857, a branch of territorial militia in southern Utah composed entirely of Latter-day Saints, along with some American Indians they recruited, laid siege to a wagon train of emigrants traveling from Arkansas to California. Eventually fear spread among the militia's leaders that some emigrants had caught sight of white men and had likely discovered the identity of their attackers. As directed, the youngest children and wounded left the wagon corral first, driven in two wagons, followed by women and children on foot. [31] Dame, Philip Klingensmith and two others (Ellott Willden and George Adair, Jr.) were indicted and arrested while warrants were obtained to pursue the arrests of four others (Haight, Higbee, William C. Stewart and Samuel Jukes) who had gone into hiding. Wilford Woodruff, who later became President of the Church, claimed that upon reading the inscription on the cross, which read, "Vengeance is mine, thus saith the Lord. Here is a list of the victims of the Mountain Meadows Massacre, September 11, 1857. President James Buchanan had recently issued an order to send troops to Utah. But, he also included a statement from an investigator who did not believe the Fancher party was capable of poisoning the spring, given its size. The locations of the possible graves are on private land and not at any of the monument sites owned by the LDS Church. When Smith returned to Salt Lake, Brigham Young met with these leaders on September 1, 1857, and encouraged them to fight against the Americans in the anticipated clash with the U.S. Army. Maj. John H. Higbee, said to have shouted the command to begin the killings. Others threatened to join the incoming federal troops against the Saints. Haight and Dame were, in addition, the senior regional military leaders of the Mormon militia. I also feel sorrow that people have blamed the acts of some on an entire group, or on an entire religion.”. [26] Cradlebaugh attempted to arrest John D. Lee, Isaac Haight, and John Higbee, but these men fled before they could be found. Initial reports of the incident date back at least to October of 1857 in the Los Angeles Star. [74] It was rumored that Pratt's wife recognized some of the Mountain Meadows party as being in the gang that shot and stabbed Pratt. The adult men were separated from the women and children. On September 11, 1857, some 50 to 60 local militiamen in southern Utah, aided by American Indian allies, massacred about 120 emigrants who were traveling by wagon to California. Some of the cattle were taken to Salt Lake City and sold or traded. In 1870 they excommunicated Isaac Haight and John D. Lee from the Church. The Mountain Meadows massacre was a series of attacks on the Baker–Fancher emigrant wagon train, at Mountain Meadows in southern Utah. Church President and territorial governor Brigham Young and his advisers formed policies based on that perception. After gathering up the skulls and bones of those who had died, Carleton's troops buried them and erected a cairn and cross.[24]. During the past two decades, descendants and other relatives of the emigrants and the perpetrators have at times worked together to memorialize the victims. Descendant groups, Church leaders and members, and civic officials continue to work toward reconciliation and will participate in various memorial services this month at the Mountain Meadows. Starting in 1950, with the publication of Juanita Brooks’s The Mountain Meadows Massacre, historians have debated these issues. Not a kernel of grain was to be wasted or sold to merchants or passing emigrants. “But I know that the people who did this will be accountable before the Lord, and that brings me peace.” Brother Sanders, who serves as a family history consultant in his Arizona ward, said that learning his ancestor had been killed in the massacre “didn’t affect my faith because it’s based on Jesus Christ, not on any person in the Church.”, Sharon Chambers of Salt Lake City is a great-granddaughter of child survivor Rebecca Dunlap. They killed one of the riders, but the other escaped to the emigrant camp, bringing with him the news that his companion’s killers were white men, not Indians. Jacob Forney, Superintendent of Indian Affairs for Utah, also conducted an investigation that included visiting the region in the summer of 1859 and retrieved many of the surviving children of massacre victims who had been housed with Mormon families, and gathered them in preparation of transporting them to their relatives in Arkansas. Doug McCormick. Historical theories explaining the massacre, Brigham Young: American Moses, Leonard J. Arrington, University of Illinois Press, (1986), p. 257. In 1858, Young sent a report to the Commissioner of Indian Affairs stating that the massacre was the work of Native Americans. Hostility of the Mormons -- Arrival at Mountain Meadows -- The Massacre, as Told in the Confession of Bishop Lee of the Mormon Church -- Servitude of Children Spared From the Slaughter -- Their Rescue and Return to Arkansas. On September 9 Haight traveled to Parowan with Elias Morris, who was one of Haight’s two militia captains as well as his counselor in the stake presidency. In 1910, the massacre was the subject of a short book by Josiah F. Gibbs, who also attributed responsibility for the massacre to Young and Smith. These efforts have had the support of President Gordon B. Hinckley, officials of the state of Utah, and other institutions and … As soon as Church leaders were made aware of the truth of what happened, they took action against those involved. [7] John D. Lee, “Lee’s Last Confession,” San Francisco Daily Bulletin Supplement, Mar. Other militiamen who carried out the massacre labored the rest of their lives under a horrible sense of guilt and recurring nightmares of what they had done and seen. [11] What Haight told Lee remains a mystery, but considering the timing it may have had something to do with Council's decision to wait for advice from Brigham Young. After two trials in the Utah Territory, Lee was convicted by a jury, sentenced to death, and executed by Utah firing squad on March 23, 1877. James Sanders, a great-grandson of massacre survivor Nancy Saphrona Huff, says that learning his ancestor had been killed at Mountain Meadows “didn’t affect my faith because it’s based on Jesus Christ, not on any person in the Church.” He continues, “I still feel pain; I still feel anger and sadness that the massacre happened. In 1873, the massacre was a prominent feature of a history by T. B. H. Stenhouse, The Rocky Mountain Saints. Investigations, after interruption by the American Civil War, resulted in nine indictments during 1874. But, on September 7, the party was attacked by Mormon militiamen dressed as Native Americans and some Native American Paiutes. The militia did not kill some small children who were deemed too young to relate the story. [I]f those who are there will leave let them go in peace. War hysteria preceding the Mountain Meadows Massacre, Conspiracy and siege of the Mountain Meadows Massacre, Killings and aftermath of the Mountain Meadows Massacre, Investigations and prosecutions relating to the Mountain Meadows Massacre, Mountain Meadows Massacre and Mormon public relations, Mountain Meadows Massacre and Mormon theology, Brigham Young and the Mountain Meadows Massacre, Remembrances of the Mountain Meadows Massacre, Utah State Division of Parks and Recreation, Burying The Past: Legacy of The Mountain Meadows Massacre, American Massacre: The Tragedy At Mountain Meadows, September 1857, National Register of Historic Places portal, List of National Historic Landmarks in Utah, National Register of Historic Places listings in Washington County, Utah, "Jacob Hamblin: A Narrative of His Personal Experience Fifth Book of the Faith-Promoting Series (Chapter VI)", "Laban Morrill Testimony—Witness for the Prosecution at Second Trial of John D. Lee September 14 to 20, 1876 (Mountain Meadows Massacre Trials (John D. Lee Trials) 1875–1876)", "Mountain Meadows Massacre Site in Utah by Phil Konstantin", "Mountain Meadows Massacre, Affidavit of Philip Klingensmith", "Visit of the Superintendent of Indian Affairs to Southern Utah", "Charge (Orally delivered by Hon. Finally, council members asked Haight if he had consulted with President Young about the matter. Some of the property of the dead was reportedly taken by the Native Americans involved, while large amounts of their valuables and cattle were taken by the Mormons in Southern Utah, including John D. Lee. On September 11, 1857, some 50 to 60 local militiamen in southern Utah, aided by American Indian allies, massacred about 120 emigrants who were traveling by wagon to California. [11] Following the Council, Isaac C. Haight decided to send a messenger south to John D. Monument at the Mountain Meadows Massacre National Historic Landmark. Because Utah’s militiamen and the U.S. troops never engaged each other in pitched battle, the Utah War has been characterized as “bloodless.” But the atrocity at Mountain Meadows made it far from bloodless. [75], The Mountain Meadows massacre was caused in part by events relating to the Utah War, an 1857 deployment toward the Utah Territory of the United States Army, whose arrival was peaceful. “I still feel pain; I still feel anger and sadness that the massacre happened,” said Brother Sanders. However, they debate whether Young knew about the planned massacre ahead of time and whether he initially condoned it before later taking a strong public stand against it. Eventually Young issued a declaration of martial law. As the Baker–Fancher party approached, several meetings were held in Cedar City and nearby Parowan by the local Latter Day Saint (LDS) leaders pondering how to implement Young's declaration of martial law. This resulted in an order to kill all the emigrants,[16] with the exception of small children. When a signal was given, the militiamen turned and shot the male members of the Baker–Fancher party standing by their side. Young issued various orders, urging the local population to prepare for the arrival of the troops. United States Office of Indian Affairs Papers Relating to Charges Against Jacob Forney, U.S. National Register of Historic Places, History of the National Register of Historic Places, National Historic Preservation Act of 1966, https://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=Mountain_Meadows_Massacre&oldid=1014894462, Wikipedia articles needing page number citations from August 2020, Articles with incomplete citations from August 2020, Pages using infobox event with blank parameters, Pages using multiple image with auto scaled images, Creative Commons Attribution-ShareAlike License, This page was last edited on 29 March 2021, at 17:19. See. How could members of the Church have participated in such a crime? Brigham Young to Isaac C. Haight, September. [61] As a result of this oath, several Mormon apostles and other leaders considered it their religious duty to kill the prophets' murderers if they ever came across them. Militiamen with the two front-running wagons murdered the wounded. They anticipated several days of rest and recuperation there before the next 40 miles (64 km) would take them out of Utah. Lee's second trial began September 13, 1876, before an all-Mormon jury. [95] In August 1999, when the LDS Church's construction of the 1999 monument had started, the remains of at least 28 massacre victims were dug up by a backhoe. These efforts have had the support of President Gordon B. Hinckley, officials of the state of Utah, and other institutions and individuals. Initially, the LDS Church denied any involvement by Mormons, and was relatively silent on the issue. The plan was met with stunned resistance by those hearing it for the first time, sparking heated debate. In retrospect it is easy to see that both groups overreacted—the government sent an army to put down perceived treason in Utah, and the Saints believed the army was coming to oppress, drive, or even destroy them. Today, historians attribute the massacre to a combination of factors, including war hysteria about a possible invasion of Mormon territory and Mormon teachings against outsiders, which were part of the Mormon Reformation period. [3]  Haight agreed, and the two planned to lay blame for the killing at the feet of the Indians. Those who had deplored vigilante violence against their own people in Missouri and Illinois were now about to follow virtually the same pattern of violence against others, but on a deadlier scale.[5]. The Mountain Meadows Massacre summary: A series of attacks was staged on the Baker-Fancher wagon train around Mountain Meadows in Utah. [10] Eventually fear spread among the militia's leaders that some emigrants had caught sight of white men, and had probably discovered who their attackers really were. [8] Brevet Major James Henry Carleton led the first federal investigation of the murders, published in 1859. Scott G. Kenney, ed., Wilford Woodruff's Journal, 9 vols. It was named for "Colonel" Alexander Fancher who, having already made the journey to California twice before, had become its main leader. [24][96], In 1955, to memorialize the victims of the massacre, a monument was installed in the town square of Harrison, Arkansas. [37] Lee called no witnesses in his defense. Lee's first trial began on July 23, 1875, in Beaver, before a jury of eight Mormons and four non-Mormons. Brigham Young to Isaac C. Haight, 10 September 1857, Letterpress Copybook 3:827–28, Brigham Young Office Files, LDS Church Archives. “Words are but wind—they injure no one; but if they (the emigrants) commit acts of violence against citizens inform me by express, and such measures will be adopted as will insure tranquility.”[1], Still intent on chastening the emigrants, Cedar City leaders then formulated a new plan. [12], The somewhat dispirited Baker–Fancher party found water and fresh grazing for its livestock after reaching grassy, mountain-ringed Mountain Meadows, a widely known stopover on the old Spanish Trail, in early September. A federal judge brought into the territory after the Utah War, Judge John Cradlebaugh, in March 1859 convened a grand jury in Provo, concerning the massacre, but the jury declined any indictments. 64–66. He recorded Hamblin's account that the train was alleged to have poisoned a spring near Corn Creek; this resulted in the deaths of 18 head of cattle and two or three people who ate the contaminated meat. Among Smith's party were a number of Paiute Native American chiefs from the Mountain Meadows area. Emigrants became frustrated when they were unable to resupply in the territory as they had expected to do. He issued a report in May 1859, addressed to the U.S. Assistant Adjutant-General, setting forth his findings. [81] It is unclear whether Young held this view because he believed that this specific group posed an actual threat to colonists or because he believed that the group was directly responsible for past crimes against Mormons. These areas fell under the jurisdiction of Fort Harmony militia major John D. Lee, who was pulled into the planning. “Do not notice their threats,” his dispatch back to Cedar City said. PBS Frontline documentary: The Mormons, Part One, episodes 8 & 9: Mountain Meadows. [2] John D. Lee, Mormonism Unveiled: The Life and Confessions of the Late Mormon Bishop, John D. Lee (1877), 219. The tragedy has deeply grieved the victims’ relatives, burdened the perpetrators’ descendants and Church members generally with sorrow and feelings of collective guilt, unleashed criticism on the Church, and raised painful, difficult questions. The Mountain Meadows Massacre was a five-day siege between September 7 and September 11, 1857. On September 11, 1857, some 50 to 60 local militiamen in southern Utah, aided by some American indian [s], massacred about 120 emigrants who were traveling by wagon to California. [62], The sermons, blessings, and private counsel by Mormon leaders just before the Mountain Meadows massacre can be understood as encouraging private individuals to execute God's judgment against the wicked. 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