Mormon Resistance: A Documentary Account of the Utah Expedition, 1857-1858 Rating :
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It's Good to see this Documentary Account of the Utah War Back in Print
By Roger D. Launius
Originally published as "The Utah Expedition" by the Arthur H. Clark Co. in 1958, this is a documentary history of this important military operation in 1857-58. It is also significant for making available once again an impressive collection of key documents. This account--while neither exhaustive nor fully representative of the extensive records available--contains many valuable official records and an impressive sampling of privately held documents.
The editors, LeRoy R. Hafen and Ann B. Hafen, both members of the Latter-day Saint church and acclaimed as leading authorities of frontier America, arranged the material into eleven chapters touching upon the most critical issues of the expedition. They provided the general orders which authorized the expedition; an account of the mission of Captain Stewart Van Vliet, sent to Utah to scout the territory and acquire necessary provisions for the army; the reports of Colonel Edmund B. Alexander, the senior officer of the advance troops destined for Utah; the diaries of members of the expedition; documents bearing upon Albert Sidney Johnston's movement into winter quarters at Fort Bridger; the reactions of the Mormons and Congress to the expedition; Thomas L. Kane's effort to negotiate a settlement; Governor Alfred Cumming's reports and correspondence concerning the affair; and documents dealing with the Utah Peace Commission.
The Hafens have chosen their documents well and have annotated them to provide additional background information. Annotation prevents the over-editing which has caused many documentary collections to suffer. This modest and fair appraisal of the controversial expedition is also still as valid today as it was when first published twenty-seven years ago. Yet although the Hafens have avoided over-editing, there are hazards to under-editing as well. On this point this account could have benefited from additional items. For instance, the editors chose to ignore the immediate causes of friction between the United States government and the people of Utah. The only apparent reasons for this military operation are those described in the letters of federal officials W.F.M. Magraw and W.W. Drummond, which unnecessarily charged the Mormons with open rebellion against the United States. As a result, the expedition seems to take place without sufficient justification. More documentary evidence to demonstrate the reasons behind the administration's approach would have been helpful.
This is a very important work and its republication is most welcome. The elements of the adventure--the expedition's initial activities, the reactions in Congress and in Utah, the Mormon efforts at resistance, Thomas Kane's heroic conciliation mission, Governor Cumming's good intentions, and the final settlement--all find illustration in well-selected journals, letters, government documents, and newspaper accounts.
Product Description
In 1857 President Buchanan quietly sent new officials to rule the Utah Territory and replace Brigham Young as the territorial governor. With no official announcement, the new leaders were accompanied by a twenty-five-hundred-member troop under the leadership of Col. Albert Sidney Johnston. The secrecy, the size of the military force, and past experiences caused the Mormons to mistakenly believe they were about to be invaded by the federal government. Utah’s territorial militia, the Nauvoo Legion, readied itself against the impending invasion until disagreement and disapproval in Washington finally led to successful diplomacy and a reluctant peace.
LeRoy R. and Ann W. Hafen have brought together the principal official documents pertaining to these singular and nearly tragic events as well as excerpts from the diaries and journals of the central figures, speeches given in Congress and in Utah, and pertinent correspondence.
Product Details
- Amazon Sales Rank: #2423810 in Books
- Published on: 2005-11-01
- Original language:English
- Number of items: 1
- Dimensions: 7.91" h x5.24" w x.75" l,.88 pounds
- Binding: Paperback
- 376 pages
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