History of Salt Lake City, Part 29

Author: Tullidge, Edward Wheelock
Publication date: 1886
Publisher: Salt Lake City, Star printing company
Number of Pages: 1194

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What was coming now ?

" Brother Dunbar, sing Zion."

The Scotch songster came forward and sang the following soul-stirring lines, by Chas. W. Penrose :

O ye mountains high, where the clear blue sky Arches over the vales of the free ; Where the pure breezes blow, And the clear streamlets flow, How I've longed to your bosom to flee,

O Zi on ! dear Zion! land of the free, My own mountain home, now to thee I have come,

All my fond hopes are centered in thee.

Though the great and the wise all thy beauties despise, To the humble and pure thou art dear ; Though the haughty may smile And the wicked revile, Yet we love thy glad tidings to hear.

O Zion ! dear Zion ! home of the free ; Thou wert forced to fly to thy chambers on high,

Vet we'll share joy or sorrow with thee.

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In thy mountain retreat, God will strengthen thy feet ;

On the necks of thy foes thou shalt tread,

And their silver and gold,

As their prophets have told, Shall be brought to adorn thy fair head.

O Zion! dear Zion! home of the free ;

Soon thy towers shall shine with a splendor divine,

And eternal thy glory shall be.

Here our voices we'll raise, and we'll sing to thy praise, Sacred home of the prophets of God ;

Thy deliverance is nigh,

Thy oppressors shall die, And the gentiles shall bow 'neath thy rod.

O Zion ! dear Zion ! home of the free ;

In thy temples we'll bend, all thy rights we'll defend,

And our home shall be ever with thee.

The action of Brigham had been very simple in the case, but there was a world of meaning in it. Interpreted it meant-"Gentlemen, we have heard what President Buchanan and yourselves have said about pardoning us for stand- ing up for our constitutional rights, and defending our lives and liberties. We will consent to a peace on honorable terms ; but you must keep faith with us. Stop that army ! or our peace conference is ended. Brethren, sing Zion. Gen- tlemen, you have our ultimatum ! "

With the theme before him, the reader will fully appreciate what the singing of " Zion " meant. There have been times when the singing of that hymn by the thousands of saints has been almost as potent as that revolutionary hymn of France-the Marsellaise. This was such a time.

After the meeting Mccullough and Governor Cumming took a stroll together for the purpose of chatting upon the affairs of the morning.

"What will you do with such a people?" asked the Governor, with a mix- ture of admiration and concern.

"D-n them ! I would fight them if I had my way," answered McCul - lough.

" Fight them, would you? You might fight them but you would never whip them. They would never know when they were whipped ! Did you notice the snap in those men's eyes to-day ? No, sir; they would never know when they were whipped ! "

At night the Peace Commissioners and the Mormon leaders were again in council, in private session, until ten o'clock.

Next morning, at nine o'clock, the conference again convened, and the doors were thrown open to the public. Elders John Taylor, George A. Smith and Adjt .- Gen. James Ferguson gave expression to their views and feelings, and then President Young spoke at some length, with a will and a purpose in every word. Woodruff, in his journal, says:

" Then the Peace Commissioners heard the roar of the " lion of the Lord."

The following brief synopsis of his speech, furnished by one present, will give the reader an idea of what the " roar of the lion of the Lord" was at that criti- cal moment, when the issue of peace or war was pending :

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President Young arose. He said : "I have listened very attentively to the commissioners, and will say, as far as I am concerned, I thank President Buchanan for forgiving me, but I really cannot tell what I have done. I know one thing, and that is, that the people called 'Mormons' are a loyal and a law-abiding people, and have ever been. Neither President Buchanan nor any one else can contradict the statement. It is true, Lot Smith burned some wagons containing Government supplies for the army. This was an overt act, and if it is for this we are to be pardoned, I accept the pardon. The burning of a few U. S. wagons is but a small item, yet for this, combined with false reports, the whole Mormon people are to be destroyed.

" What has the United States Government permitted mobs to do to us? Gentlemen, you cannot answer that question ! I can, however, and so can thou- sands of my brethren. We have been whipped and plundered ; our houses burned, our fathers, mothers, brothers, sisters and children butchered and mur- dered by the scores. We have been driven from our homes time and time again ; but have troops ever been sent to stay or punish those mobs for their crimes ? No ! Have we ever received a dollar for the property we have been compelled to leave behind? Not a dollar ! Let the Government treat us as we deserve ; this is all we ask of them. We have always been loyal, and expect to so continue ; but, hands off! Do not send your armed mobs into our midst. If you do, we will fight you, as the Lord lives! Do not threaten us with what the United States can do, for we ask no odds of them or their troops. We have the God of Israel -the God of battles-on our side ; and let me tell you, gentlemen, we fear not your armies. I can take a few of the boys here and, with the help of the Lord, can whip the whole of the United States. These, my brethren, put their trust in the God of Israel, and have no fears. We have proven him, and he is our friend. Boys, how do you feel? Are you afraid of the United States? (Great demonstration among the brethren.) No! No! We are not afraid of man, nor of what he can do.

" The United States are going to destruction as fast as they can go. If you do not believe it, gentlemen, you will soon see it to your sorrow. It will be with them like a broken potsherd. Yes, it will be like water spilled on the ground ; no more to be picked up.

"Now let me say to you Peace Commissioners, we are willing those troops should come into our country, but not to stay in our city. They may pass through it, if needs be, but must not quarter less than forty miles from us.

" If you bring your troops here to disturb this people, you have got a bigger job than you or President Buchanan have any idea of. Before the troops reach here, this city will be in ashes, every tree and shrub will be cut to the ground, and every blade of grass that will burn shall be burned.

"Our wives and children will go to the canyons, and take shelter in the mountains ; while their husbands and sons will fight you; and, as God lives, we will hunt you by night and by day, until your armies are wasted away. No mob can live in the homes we have built in these mountains. That's the programme, gentlemen, whether you like it or not. If you want war you can have it; but, if you wish peace, peace it is ; we shall be glad of it." 14

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The Commissioners "wished peace ;" and the result of their negotiations was embodied in the following note to General Johnston :

"GREAT SALT LAKE CITY, Utah Ter., June 12th, 1858.

" DEAR SIR: We have the pleasure of informing you that after a full and free conference with the chief men of the Territory, we are informed by them that they will yield obedience to the Constitution and laws of the United States ; that they will not resist the execution of the laws in the Territory of Utah; that they cheerfully consent that the civil officers of the Territory shall enter upon the discharge of their respective duties, and that they will make no resistance to the army of the United States in its march to the valley of Salt Lake or elsewhere. We have their assurance that no resistance shall be made to the officers, civil or military, of the United States, in the exercise of their various functions in the Territory of Utah.

" The houses, fields and gardens of the people of this Territory, particularly in and about Salt Lake City, are very insecure. The animals of your army would cause great destruction of property if the greatest care should not be observed in the march and the selection of camps. The people of the Territory are some- what uneasy for fear the army, when it shall reach the valley, will not properly respect their persons and property. We have assured them that neither their per- sons nor property will be injured or molested by the army under your command.

" We would respectfully suggest, in consequence of the feeling of uneasiness, that you issue a proclamation to the people of Utah, stating that the army under your command will not trespass upon the rights or property of peaceable citizens during their sojourn in or march through the Territory. Such a proclamation would greatly allay the existing anxiety and fears of the people, and cause those who have abandoned their homes to return to their houses and farms.

" We have made inquiry about grass, wood, etc., necessary for the subsist- ence and convenience of your army. We have conversed with Mr. Ficklin [U. S. deputy marshal] fully on this subject, and given him all the information we have, which he will impart to you.

" We respectfully suggest that you march to the valley as soon as it is con- venient for you to do so.

" We have the honor to be, very respectfully, your obedient servants,

L. W. POWELL, BEN MCCULLOUGH, Commissioners to Utah.

" To General A. S. Johnston, commanding Army of Utah, Camp Scott, U. T."

To this came the following reply :

" HEADQUARTERS, DEPARTMENT OF UTAH, Camp on Bear River, June 14th, 1858.

" GENTLEMEN : Your communication from Salt Lake City was received to- day. The accomplishment of the object of your mission entirely in accordance with the instructions of the President, and the wisdom and forbearauce which you

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have so ably displayed to the people of the Territory, will, I hope, lead to a more just appreciation of their relations to the General Government, and the establish- ment of the supremacy of the laws. I learn with surprise that uneasiness is felt by the people as to the treatment they may receive from the army. Acting under the two-fold obligations of citizens and soldiers, we may be supposed to compre- hend the rights of the people, and to be sufficiently mindful of the obligations of our oaths, not to disregard the laws which govern us as a military body. A refer- ence to them will show with what jealous care the General Government has guarded the rights of citizens against any encroachments. The army has duties to per- form here in execution of the orders of the Department of War, which, from the nature of them, cannot lead to interference with the people in their varied pur- suits; and if no obstruction is presented to the discharge of those duties, there need not be the slightest apprehension that any person whatever will have any cause of complaint.

" The army will continue its march from this position on Thursday, 17th instant, and reach the valley in five days. I desire to encamp beyond the Jordan on the day of arrival in the valley.

With great respect, your obedient servant,

A. S. JOHNSTON,

" Colonel Second Cavalry and Brevet Brigadier-General United States Army, Commanding.

" To the Hon. L. W. Powell and Major-General Mc Cullough, United States Com- missioners to Utah."

Although a minute statement of the Mormon military force and the methods by which it was turned to good account in the " Utah war," might be of interest to many, it will doubtless satisfy the general reader to simply know that only so much of that force was used as was necessary to effectively carry out President Young's policy, i. e., to harass and retard the advance of the U. S. army until a more peaceful solution of the question at issue could be reached. In the execu- tion of that policy an effective body of scouts was sent forward, with orders of which the following is a sample, which orders were scrupulously obeyed and executed with precisely the results desired :

"On ascertaining the locality or route of the troops, proceed at once to annoy them in every possible way. Use every exertion to stampede their animals, and set fire to their trains. Burn the whole country before them and on their flanks. Keep them from sleeping by night surprises. Blockade the road by fell- ing trees, or destroying the fords when you can. Watch for opportunities to set fire to the grass on their windward, so as, if possible, to envelop their trains. Leave no grass before them that can be burned. Keep your men concealed as much as possible, and guard against surprise."

They were also ordered to not " shed blood " if it could possibly be avoided, and then only and strictly in self-defence. Although often fired upon by the soldiers, in no single instance did they return the fire.

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CHAPTER XXV.

REFLECTIONS UPON THE "UTAH WAR." THE REACTION. CURRENT OPIN- ION, AS EXPRESSED BY THE LEADING JOURNALS OF EUROPE AND AMERICA.

That the Mormons would have fought; that they would, in the language of their leader, have made a " Moscow of Utah, and a Potter's Field of every can- yon," had the United States pushed the issue to extermination, there can be little doubt, knowing how terribly so large a number as 75,000 or 80,000 earnest re- ligionists could have avenged themselves, at that day, in those far-off mountains and valleys.

But the opinion expressed to Van Vliet, relative to the reaction which would come in the public mind over Utah affairs, and his fixed resolve, if possible, to prevent the shedding of blood, as declared in that conversation, and still more emphatically pronounced in all his orders to Lieut .- Gen. Wells, best denote what was Brigham's policy and first desire. True, it had been as much as he could do to keep his people from fighting the " enemy," notwithstanding the "enemy" was the United States. A quarter of a century's injustice had fired them with an indignation that made them feel a superhuman strength. But though the founder of Utah had resolved to conquer the issue, he had no wish to lose the nucleus of a nationality which his people had evolved in their isolation.

Why then this second exodus? Why! It was the very backbone of Brig- ham's triumph. As great a triumph was in that exodus as in any battle the great Napoleon ever fought. It was in fact the exodus which forced the "reaction." It carried such an overwhelming power that it became like an irresistible impulse in the public mind. Not only was this so with the American people, but it was so with every nation in Europe. Deep sympathy, blended with a mighty admir- ation, was felt for a people who could at once dare a war with the United States, in defence of their religious cause, and rise to such a towering heroism as to sanc- tify their act by a universal offering of their homes for sacrifice. This was no common rebellion. These were no unworthy rebels. No rude defiers of " the powers that be " were they : their act placed them on a level with the men who won the independence of America: their women were fitting mates of the mothers, daughters and sisters of the revolution.

The London Times called the Mormons a nation of heroes. It said :

"The intelligence from Utah is confirmatory of the news that came by the last steamer. This strange people are again in motion for a new home, and all the efforts of Governor Cumming to induce the men to remain and limit them- selves to the ordinary quota of wives have been fruitless. We are told that they have left a deserted town and deserted fields behind them, and have embarked for a voyage, over 500 miles of untracked desert, to a home, the locality of

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which is unknown to any but their chiefs. Does it not seem incredible that, at the very moment when the marine of Great Britain and the United States are jointly engaged in the grandest scientific experiments that the world has yet seen, 30,000 or 40,000 natives of these countries, many of them of industrious and temperate habits, should be the victims of such arrant imposition ? Does it not seein impossible that men and women, brought up under British and American civilization, can abandon it for the wilderness and Mormonism? There is much that is noble in their devotion to their delusions. They step into the waves of the great basin with as much reliance on their leaders as the descendants of Jacob felt when they stepped between the walls of water in the Red Sea. The ancient world had individual Curiatii, Horatii, and other examples of heroism and devo- tion ; but these western peasants seem to be a nation of heroes, ready to sacrifice everything rather than surrender one of their wives, or a letter from Joe Smith's golden plates."

The following from the New York Times will give a specimen of what the American press generally said upon the subject :

" Whatever our opinions may be of Mormon morals or Mormon manners, there can be no question that this voluntary abandonment by 40,000 people of homes created by wonderful industry, in the midst of trackless wastes, after years of hardships and persecution, is something from which no one who has a particle of sympathy with pluck, fortitude and constancy can withhold his admiration. Right or wrong, sincerity thus attested is not a thing to be sneered at. True or false, a faith to which so many men and women prove their loyalty, by such sac- rifices, is a force in the world. After this last demonstration of what fanaticism can do, we think it would be most unwise to treat Mormonism as a nuisance to be abated by a posse commitatus. It is no longer a social excresence to be cut off by the sword ; it is a power to be combated only by the most skillful politica] and moral treatment. When people abandon their homes to plunge with women and children into a wilderness, to seek new settlements, they know not where, they give a higher proof of courage than if they fought for them. When the Dutch submerged Holland, to save it from invaders, they had heartier plaudits showered upon them than if they had fertilized its soil with their blood. We have certainly the satisfaction of knowing that we have to deal with foemen worthy of our steel. * * If the conduct of the recent operations has had the effect of strengthening their fanaticism, by the appearance of perse- cution, without convincing them of our good faith and good intentions, and worse still, has been the means of driving away 50,000 of our fellow-citizens from fields which their labor had reclaimed and cultivated, and around which their affections were clustered, we have something serious to answer for. Were we not guilty of a culpable oversight in confounding their persistent devotion with the insubordination of ribald license, and applying to the one the same harsh treat- ment which the law intends for the latter alone? Was it right to send troops composed of the wildest and most rebellious men of the community, commanded by men like Harney and Johnston, to deal out fire and sword upon people whose faults even were the result of honest religious convictions ? Was it right to allow

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Johnston to address letters to Brigham Young, and through him to his people, couched in the tone of an implacable conqueror towards ruthless savages? Were the errors which mistaken zeal generates ever cured by such means as these? And have bayonets ever been used against the poorest and weakest sect that ever crouched beyond a wall to pray or weep, without rendering their faith more in- tense, and investing the paltriest discomforts with the dignity of sacrifice? * * We stand on the vantage ground of higher knowledge, purer faith and acknowledged strength. We can afford to be merciful. At all events, the world looks to us now for an example of political wisdom such as few people, now-a-days, are called on to display. Posterity must not have to ac- knowledge with shame that our indiscretion, or ignorance, or intolerance drove the population of a whole State from house and home, to seek religious liberty and immunity from the presence of mercenary troops, in any part of the conti- nent to which our rule was never likely to extend."

Reynolds' Newspaper, in an editorial written specially to represent the British Republicans, views of the Mormon community in their great struggle for their re- ligious and social liberties, gave the following strong passages :

" It may be that Mormonism has originated in imposture, and that many, if not all, of its peculiar rites and customs are the 'abomination of desolation.' Let this point, though not yet proved, be conceded ; still, the social and political problem is by no means solved. After we have demonstrated the fabulousness of the gold tablets, convicted Joseph Smith of all sorts of possible and impossible scoundrelisms, and proved his followers to be a mixed multitude of the gravest knaves and idiots that ever walked the earth, Mormonism still remains a great human fact - perhaps the greatest -certainly the most wonderful fact of this nineteenth century. As such, it is entitled to our earnest and respectful consid- eration.

* *

" There can be no doubt that, in one thing at least, Mormonism has been eminently successful. It has, in the great majority of instances, really improved the earthly condition of those who have embraced it. More than this, it has inspired with hope and with courage thousands of despairing and heart broken wretches, who, prior to their conversion, seemed abandoned of God and man. This new faith has, so to speak, created a soul under the ribs of death, It has given to thousands of once destitute and despised Englishmen something to live for, to fight for, and, if need be, to die for. On this ground, then, were it for nothing else, the Mormons, not as fanatics or sectaries, but as heavily-oppressed, long-suffering, and earnestly struggling men, are entitled to the sympathy of the enslaved classes throughout the world.

" But they have a claim to something more than sympathy, Their heroic endurance and marvellous achievements entitle them to the respect and admira- tion of their fellow-creatures. Twice were the Mormons driven from their settle- ments in the United States before they had resolved upon their stupendous pilgrimage to the Valley of the Salt Lake. How that gigantic journey was ac- complished ; how a thousand miles of untrodden desert-untrodden, save by the

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wild beast or wilder Indian, where death in a hundred forms had to be encoun- tered and defied-had to be traversed ; how the poor, hungered, and toil-worn, but still dauntless pilgrims reached their destination; how they built a city, founded a civil and ecclesiastical polity ; how law and order were established ; how skill and industry converted barren wastes into fruitful fields, howling forests into smiling gardens, until, under the talismanic wand of Labor, the wilderness was made to blossom as the rose, how their missionaries were employed with startling success in every European country ; and how many thousands of the down-trodden and penury-stricken victims of European tyranny were leaving the land of their birth, in order to find in the Mormon territory, that hope and en- couragement denied to them in their native countries ;- how all this has been accomplished by the reviled followers of Joseph Smith, all Europe and America have heard, and, though hating, admired."

The famous African explorer, Captain Burton, of the British army, closing his description of the great man who took his people successfully through that crisis, gives us the following suggestive passage in his "City of the Saints :"

" Such is His Excellency, President Brigham Young, 'Painter and Glazier ' (his earliest craft), prophet, revelator, translator and seer ; the man who is revered as king or kaiser, pope or pontiff, never was; who, like the old man of the moun- tain, by holding up his right hand could cause the death of any man within his reach ; who, governing as well as reigning, long stood up to fight with the sword of the Lord, and with his few hundred guerrillas, against the then mighty power of the United States; who has outwitted all diplomacy opposed to him; and, finally, who made a treaty of peace with the President of the great Republic, as though he had wielded the combined power of France, Russia and England."

Substantially, the word of Brigham Young was fulfilled, in that he had said an invading army should not enter the city.

General Johnston and his army came not as conquerers into Zion. The entire chain of circumstances, from the start of their expedition, had been most humiliating to the brave men who deserved better service. Their march had been but a series of disasters and failures.

They were merely permitted to pass through the streets of Salt Lake City on their way to a location in the Territory well removed from the Mormon people. Zion was a forsaken city that day. The Saints were still south with their great leader. If faith was not kept with them they did not intend to return, and war would have been re-opened in deadly earnest.

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History of Salt Lake City, Part 29

Author: Tullidge, Edward Wheelock Publication date: 1886 Publisher: Salt Lake City, Star printing company Number of Pages: 1194

Author: Tullidge, Edward Wheelock
Publication date: 1886
Publisher: Salt Lake City, Star printing company
Number of Pages: 1194