1838 Mormon War
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The Mormon War is a name sometimes given to the 1838 conflict which occurred between Latter Day Saints (Mormons) and their neighbors in the northwestern region of the U.S. state of Missouri. This conflict is also sometimes referred to as the Missouri Mormon War to differentiate it from the Utah Mormon War (also known as the "Utah War") and the lesser known Illinois Mormon War.
The specific dates of the war are from August 6, 1838 (the Gallatin election battle) to November 1, 1838 when Joseph Smith surrendered at Far West. During the conflict 22 people were killed (3 Mormons and 1 non-Mormon at Crooked River and 18 Mormons at Haun’s Mill).
The conflict was preceded by the eviction of the Mormons from Jackson County, Missouri in 1833. In 1831, Smith had proclaimed that the county was the Biblical Garden of Eden and that Mormons should establish the City of Zion there. However, the "old settlers" objected to the growing political power of the Mormons, as well as their belief in abolition and the divine destiny of the Native Americans, whom they called Lamanites.
All of the conflicts in the Mormon War occurred in a corridor 100 miles (160 km) to the east and northeast of Kansas City, Missouri.
As a result of the war, nearly all Mormons in Missouri, estimated at more than ten thousand, were forced to leave the state and most settled in or near what would become the city of Nauvoo, Illinois.
[edit] Background
Shortly after organizing the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints in 1830, founder Joseph Smith Jr. revealed to Latter-day Saints that the Second Coming of Christ was near at hand and that the "centerplace" of the City of Zion would be near the town of Independence in Jackson County, Missouri. Latter-day Saints began to settle in Jackson County to "build up" the City of Zion in 1831. Settlement was rapid and non-Mormon residents became alarmed.
Mormon and non-Mormon residents in Missouri had, in general, fundamentally different outlooks on community and religious issues, including the holding of slaves. In particular:
- Latter Day Saints tended to vote in blocs, giving them a degree of political influence wherever they settled.
- Latter Day Saints purchased vast amounts of land in which to establish insular settlements to which non-Mormon residents of the community were opposed.
- Latter Day Saints were politically and culturally different from non-Mormon residents of Missouri, who were primarily from the Southern areas of the United States. Latter Day Saints generally relocated from New England, the Ohio valley, or Britain, and generally held abolitionist viewpoints.
All of these things influenced many local leaders and residents to decide that the Latter Day Saint community was a threat to their political control of the area. Some residents held a deep resentment which eventually led to harassment and mob violence. In October 1833, anti-Mormon vigilantes succeeded in driving the Mormons from the Jackson County, Missouri. Forcefully deprived of their homes and property, the Latter-day Saints temporarily settled in the area around Jackson County, especially in Clay County.
Years elapsed and Mormon petitions and lawsuits failed to bring any justice: the non-Mormons in Jackson refused to allow the Mormons to return and reimbursement for confiscated and damaged property was refused. In 1834, Latter-day Saints attempted to effect a return to Jackson County with a quasi-military expedition known as Zion's Camp, but this effort also failed.
Meanwhile, new converts to Mormonism continued to relocate to Missouri and settle in Clay County. In 1836, Alexander William Doniphan of Clay County pushed a law through the Missouri legislature that created Caldwell specifically for Mormon settlement. Even prior to the passage of the bill, Mormons had already begun buying land in what became Caldwell County and they had founded the town of Far West as their Missouri headquarters.
Once they were established in a county of their own, a period of relative peace ensued. According to an article in the Elders' Journal — a Latter-day Saint newspaper published in Far West: :"The Saints here are at perfect peace with all the surrounding inhabitants, and persecution is not so much as once named among them..." (LeSueur, p. 24)
John Corrill, one of the Mormon leaders, remembered:
- "Friendship began to be restored between (the Mormons) and their neighbors, the old prejudices were fast dying away, and they were doing well, until the summer of 1838" (Corrill, p. 26).
[edit] Compromise breaks down, 1838
The compromise that allowed Mormons to live with their Missourian neighbors began to break down in 1838. In the course of 1837, problems at the church's headquarters in Kirtland, Ohio centering around the Kirtland Safety Society bank, led to schism. The church relocated from Kirtland to Far West, which became the new headquarters of the church. Mormon settlement increased as hundreds of members from Kirtland and elsewhere poured into Caldwell County. Latter-day Saints established new colonies outside of Caldwell County, including Adam-ondi-Ahman in Daviess and DeWitt in Carroll.
Many non-Mormons apparently believed that local Mormon leaders in Missouri had pledged that Mormon settlement would be limited to Caldwell County. While this agreement would not have had any legal standing even if it was truly entered into, the "old-settlers" saw expansion of Mormon communities outside of Caldwell as a nascent threat to their political and economic power.
[edit] Salt Sermon and Danites
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 (Cannon and Cook, pp. 162–71). 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 (Hamer, pp. xv–xvii). Possession became unclear and the dissenters threatened the church with lawsuits.
The presidency responded by urging the dissenters to leave the county, using strong words that the dissenters interpreted as threats. In his famous Salt Sermon, Sidney Rigdon announced that the dissenters were as salt that had lost its savor and that it was the duty of the faithful to cast the dissenters out to be trodden beneath the feet of men (Van Wagoner, p. 218). 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. 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." On June 19, the dissenters and their families fled to neighboring counties where their complaints fanned anti-Mormon sentiment (Quinn, p. 94, Baugh, pp. 36–40, LeSueur, pp. 37–43).
On July 4, the church militia and the Danites marched around the Liberty pole in Far West for an Independence Day celebration. Sidney Rigdon gave an oration referred to as the Mormon "Declaration of Independence" from "mobbers." In it, 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..."
[edit] Gallatin Election Day Battle
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.
Around 200 non-Mormons attempted to forcibly prevent the Mormons from voting and a brawl ensued. According to later recollection, at the start of the brawl, Mormon John Butler let out a Danite distress call, "Oh yes, you Danites, here is a job for us!" which rallied the Mormons and allowed them to drive off their attackers.
The skirmish is often cited as the opening event of the 1838 Mormon War in Missouri.
Daviess County was a sparsely settled area immediately north of Mormon Caldwell County. Perhaps 150 non-Mormon families lived in Daviess with settlements including Millport, Grindstone Fork, and the county seat, Gallatin (LeSueur, p. 59). In the spring of 1838, Latter-day Saints created their own settlement called Adam-ondi-Ahman and they began to quickly settle the county. By summer, the Mormon population equalled or exceeded the non-Mormon population. Non-Mormon Missourians believed the 1836 law creating Daviess and Caldwell Counties was part of a compromise in which the Mormons agreed to confine themselves to Caldwell. Alexander Doniphan, who was sympathetic to the Latter-day Saints and who introduced the law in the Missouri legislature, believed that the cause of the Mormon War was the breakdown of this compromise. He later recalled that the problems began when the Latter-day Saints "commenced forming a settlement in Davis [sic] county, which, under their agreement, they had no right to do" (Saint's Herald p. 28:230).
Daviess County's first election was scheduled for August 6, 1838. In the leadup to election day, the two major candidates for office, Colonel William Peniston (a Whig who had founded Millport) and Judge Josiah Morin (a local Democrat) visited Adam-ondi-Ahman to court the Mormon vote. Afterwards, Peniston decided that the Mormons planned to vote as a bloc for his opponent and conspired to prevent them from voting by force. When election day arrived, 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" (LeSueur, p. 61).
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." He then began an argument with Samuel Brown, a Mormon waiting to vote, that ended when Brown struck Weldon. Some of the Mormons tried to restrain Brown but others immediately jumped into the fray (Lee, p. 60). As a brawl began, John Lowe Butler, a Mormon who was also a Danite, gave out a coded call, "Oh Yes, you Danites, here is a job for us!" (LeSueur, p. 62). Other Danites in the crowd immediately rushed forward into the fight. Although outnumbered, the Mormons held their own and drove away their attackers, but it is unclear if they were able to vote prior to leaving Gallatin.
Rumors among both parties spread that there were casualties in the conflict. When Joseph Smith and volunteers rode to Adam-ondi-Ahman to assess the situation, they discovered there were no truths to the rumors and returned back to Far West.
[edit] Mormons expelled from De Witt
Earlier that spring, Henry Root, a Missourian 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. De Witt possessed a strategically important location near the intersection of the Grand River and the Missouri River. 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 (Johnson, p. 666 and Baugh, p. 65).
On July 30, anti-Mormon citizens of Carroll County, concentrated especially in Carrollton, met to discuss their new Latter-day Saint neighbors in De Witt. It was decided that the question of whether or not Mormons should be allowed to settle in the county would be put on the August 6 election day ballot. Only a handful of votes were cast in favor of the Mormons. A committee was sent to De Witt which ordered the Latter-day Saints to leave. Hinkle and Murdock refused, citing their right as American citizens to settle where they pleased. On August 7, the Missourians held another meeting and voted to expel the Mormons by force (Missouri Republican, August 18, 1838).
Soon after, the Carroll County militia took up arms as vigilantes and began to lay siege to De Witt. Smith Humphrey, a Mormon witness, recalled:
- "On the morning of the 19th of August 1838 I being in Dewitt I was returning home & was met by an armed force of men I supposed nearly one hundred Commanded by Colonel [William Claud] Jones & by force took & kept me prisoner about two hours during which time they made many threats against the people called Mormons Such as that they were determined to drive them from that Co[unty]" (Johnson, p. 470).
The vigilantes harried the Latter-day Saints in DeWitt on and off through September and burned the home and stables of Smith Humphrey on October 1. After a lengthy siege (October 1 – October 11) in which hundreds of armed anti-Mormon vigilantes encamped around the town, Mormon leaders agreed to abandon the settlement and move to Caldwell County.
[edit] Daviess expedition
General David R. Atchison wrote a letter to Governor Lilburn Boggs on October 16, 1838. He stated that General Parks reported to him that "a portion of the men from Carroll County, with one piece of artillery, are on their march for Daviess County, where it is thought the same lawless game is to be played over, and the Mormons to be driven from that county and probably from Caldwell County." (Document, p. 39). Atchison said further, "I would respectfully suggest to your Excellency the propriety of a visit to the scene of excitement in person, or at all events, a strong proclamation" as the only way to restore peace and the rule of law. Boggs, however, ignored this plea and continued to wait as events unravelled.
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. Latter-day Saint refugees began to flee to Adam-ondi-Ahman for protection and shelter against the upcoming winter. Joseph Smith, returning to Far West from De Witt, was informed by General Doniphan of the deteriorating situation. Doniphan already had troops raised to prevent fighting between Mormons and anti-Mormons in Daviess County. On Sunday, October 14, a small company of state militia under the command of Colonel William A. Dunn of Clay County arrived in Far West. Dunn, acting under the orders of Doniphan, continued on to Adam-ondi-Ahman (Rigdon, 41–42, and Document, p. 24). Although he was sympathetic to the Mormons' plight, Doniphan reminded the Latter-day Saints that the Caldwell militia could not legally enter Daviess County, and he advised Mormons traveling there to go in small parties and unarmed (Baugh, p. 85 and Rigdon, p. 42). Ignoring this counsel, a Mormon judge in Caldwell County called out the Caldwell militia, led by Colonel George M. Hinkle. Although county officials could only legally act within the county, this judge authorized Hinkle to defend Latter-day Saint settlements in neighboring Daviess County (LeSueur, p. 116).
Colonel Hinkle and Mormons of the Caldwell militia were joined by church leaders including Joseph Smith and also by elements of the Danite organization (Baugh, p. 86). On October 18, these Mormons began to act as vigilantes and marched under arms in three groups to the Missourian settlements of Gallatin, Millport and Grindstone Fork. The Missourians and their families, outnumbered by the Mormons, fled into the cold as refugees, making their way to neighboring counties as best they could. Having taken control of the Missourian settlements, the Mormons plundered the property and burned the stores and houses to the ground. The county seat, Gallatin, is reported to have been "completely gutted" — only one shoe store remained unscathed (Document, pp. 53–54, and Baugh, p. 87). Millport, Grindstone Fork and the smaller Missourian settlement of Splawn's Ridge met a similar fate.
During the days that followed, Latter-day Saint vigilantes under the direction and encouragement of Lyman Wight drove Missourians who lived in outlying farms from their homes, which were similarly plundered and burned (Thorp, p. 83 and Baugh, p. 91). According to one witness, "We could stand in our door and see houses burning every night for over two weeks... the Mormons completely gutted Daviess County. There was scarcely a Missourian's home left standing in the county. Nearly every one was burned" (McGee, p. 13). Many Latter-day Saints were greatly troubled by the occurrences. 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" (Corrill, p. 38). Some Latter-day Saints, including William Foote, claimed that some of the Missourians burned their own homes in order to blame the Mormons (Foote, p. 25). None of these claims, however, purport to be eye-witness accounts of any individual home-burning. 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.
Fearing retribution by the Missourians, Latter-day Saints in outlying areas of Daviess County were encouraged to gather into Adam-ondi-Ahman for protection.
[edit] Battle of Crooked River
Thomas B. Marsh, President of the Quorum of the Twelve Apostles of the church, and fellow Apostle Orson Hyde were alarmed by the activities which had taken place in Daviess County. On October 24, Marsh and Hyde left the fellowship of their fellow Latter-day Saints and traveled to Richmond, in Ray County. Once there, they swore out affidavits concerning the burning and looting in Daviess County. They also reported the existence of the Danite group among the Mormons and repeated a popular rumor that a group of Danites was planning to attack and burn Richmond and Liberty (affidavit). Coming on the heels of news from Daviess, these reports from the mouths of dissenting Mormon leaders, seemed to confirm the Missourians' worst fears.
Fearing attack, many citizens of Ray County moved their wives and children across the Missouri River for safety. 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 (9.7 km) east to west and 1-mile (1.6 km) north to south (Document, p. 108). Instead of staying in the strip, Bogart passed into southern Caldwell County and began to harass Latter-day Saints which were forcibly disarmed. Rumor reached Far West that a "mob" of vigilantes from Ray had taken Mormons prisoner and an armed party was quickly assembled to rescue these prisoners and push the mob out of the county (Baugh, p. 102).
When the Mormons arrived on the scene, the state militia unit was camped along Crooked River in the Bunkham's Strip just south of Caldwell County. The Mormons divided into three columns led by David W. Patten, Charles C. Rich, and James Durphee. The Missourians had the advantage of position and fired, but the Mormons continued to advance causing the state militia to break ranks and flee across the river. Although Mormons won the battle, they took heavier casualties than the Missourians. Of the Missourians, only one, Moses Rowland, was killed. On the Mormon side, Danite leader Gideon Carter was killed in the battle and nine other Mormons were wounded, including Patten, who soon after died from his wounds (LeSueur, pp. 137–142). According to one Latter-day Saint witness, the deaths "threw a gloom over the whole place" (Baugh, p. 108).
[edit] Extermination Order
News of the battle quickly spread and contributed to an all-out panic in northwestern Missouri. Exaggerated initial reports indicated that nearly all of Bogart's company had been killed (Document, p. 60). Generals Atchison, Doniphon and Parks decided they needed to call out the militia to "prevent further violence." This is how it was explained in a letter to US Army Colonel R. B. Mason of Ft. Leavenworth:
- "The citizens of Daviess, Coroll, and some other normal counties have raised mob after mob for the last two months for the purpose of driving a group of fanatics, (called mormons) from those counties and from the State. These things have at length goaded the mormons into a state of desparation that has now made them the aggressors instead of acting on the defensive." (LeSueur, p. 145)
While the state militia gathered, Missourian vigilante parties continued to act on their own, driving Latter-day Saints inward to Far West and Adam-ondi-Ahman.
Meanwhile, exaggerated reports from the Battle of Crooked River made their way to Missouri's governor, Lilburn Boggs. Boggs may have held preconceptions against the Latter-day Saints, dating from the time when both he and they had lived in Jackson County, and apparently he chose to believe the worst. Although he had done nothing to stop the illegal anti-Mormon siege of DeWitt, he now mustered 2,500 state militia to put down what he apparently perceived to be a Mormon insurrection against the state. Possibly playing on Rigdon's 4th of July sermon that talked of a "war of extermination," Boggs issued his infamous Extermination Order 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..." (Document, p. 61).
[edit] Haun's Mill Massacre
Agitation against the Latter-day Saints had become particularly fierce in the sparsely settled counties north and east of Caldwell. Anti-Mormon refugees who had been driven from Daviess County had fled to Livingston County and were particularly bitter. One 19th century Missourian historian noted:
- "The Daviess County men were very bitter against the Mormons, and vowed the direst vengeance on the entire sect. It did not matter whether or not the Mormons at [Haun's] mill had taken any part in the disturbance which had occurred [in Daviess]; it was enough that they were Mormons. The Livingston men became thoroughly imbued with the same spirit, and were eager for the raid ... feel[ing] an extraordinary sympathy for the outrages suffered by their neighbors" (Baugh, p. 115)
Also joining the group were anti-Mormons from a settlement in the extreme northeast of Caldwell County, who had fled to Livingston County.
Combining together under the leadership of Colonel Thomas Jennings of Livingston County, these men determined to raid isolated Latter-day Saint homes and settlements in eastern Caldwell County. Although it had just been issued, it is unlikely that the governor's "Extermination Order" would have already reached these men, and in any event the order would not have authorized them to cross into Caldwell County to raid. It should also be noted that none of the participants in the raid ever cited the order as justification for their actions, (Baugh, p. 127).
On October 29, this large vigilante band of some 250 men assembled and entered eastern Caldwell County. Built along Shoal Creek, Haun's Mill was one of the earliest Mormon settlements in Caldwell County and it was a way station on the route from the east to Far West. When the Missourian raiders approached the settlement on the afternoon of October 30, some 30 to 40 Latter-day Saint families were living or encamped there. The mob opened fire in a surprise attack, which sent the Latter-day Saints fleeing in all directions. While Mormon women and children scattered and hid in the surrounding woods and nearby homes, Mormon men and boys rallied to defend the settlement. They moved into a blacksmith shop which they hoped to use as a make-shift defensive fortification. 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" (Lee, p. 80). The mob gave no quarter. After most of the defenders in the blacksmith shop had been killed or mortally wounded, some of the Missourians entered to finish the work. Finding 10-year-old Sardius Smith hiding behind the bellows, William Reynolds of Livingston County shot and killed the boy, saying: "Nits will make lice, and if he had lived he would have become a Mormon" (LeSueur, p. 167).
In all, 18 Latter-day Saints were killed in what came to be called the Haun's Mill Massacre. Most of the remainder made their way as best they could to Far West, where news of the massacre created feelings of grave anxiety.
[edit] Siege of Far West and capture of church leaders
In the face of the overwhelming power of the state of Missouri, the Latter-day Saints were now clearly on the defensive. Most Mormons gathered to Far West and Adam-ondi-Ahman for protection. Major General Samuel D. Lucas marched the state militia to Far West and laid siege to the Mormon headquarters.
Surrounded by the state militia, the mood in besieged Far West was uneasy. 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. According to Hinkle, Smith wanted a treaty with the Missourians "on any terms short of battle" (Journal History, p. 13:449). Other Latter-day Saint witnesses remembered that Smith said to "beg like a dog for peace" (Corril, p. 41 and Peck, p. 24).
Lucas' terms were severe. The Latter-day Saints were to give up their leaders for trial and to surrender all of their arms. 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. Finally, the Mormons who had taken up arms were to leave the state. (Document, p. 73). Colonel Hinkle stated that the Latter-day Saints would help bring to justice those Mormons who had violated the law, but he protested that the other terms were illegal and unconstitutional (Journal History, p. 13:451).
Colonel Hinkle rode to the church leaders in Far West and informed them of the offered terms. According to Latter-day Saint witness Reed Peck, when Smith was told that the Mormons would be expected to leave the state, the prophet replied that "he did not care" and that he would be glad to get out of the "damnable state" anyway (Peck, p. 27). Joseph Smith Jr. and the other leaders rode with Hinkle back to the Missouri militia encampment. The militia promptly arrested Smith and the other leaders. Smith believed that Hinkle had betrayed him (Jesse, p. 362), but Hinkle maintained his innocence and claimed that he was following Smith's orders. 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?" (Journal History, 13:451).
Joseph Smith Jr. and the other arrested leaders were held over-night under guard in General Lucas' camp, where they were left exposed to the elements. Lucas wanted to try Joseph Smith Jr. and other Mormon leaders by court martial and ordered General Alexander William Doniphan to execute the prisoners. Doniphan refused to obey the illegal order. Later church leaders were given to civil courts where they were detained without a trial. No anti-Mormon vigilantes were ever detained or tried for their part in the massacre that took place in Haun's Mill.
[edit] Aftermath
Missouri blamed the Mormons for the conflict and forced the Latter-day Saints to sign over all their lands in order to pay for the state militia muster. Stripped of their property, the Mormons were then given a few months to leave the state. Most refugees made their way east to Illinois, where residents of the town of Quincy helped them. Eventually, the large portion of the Mormons regrouped and founded a new city in Illinois which they called Nauvoo.
Joseph Smith, Sidney Rigdon and other church leaders were held for trial. Smith's lawyers successfully argued for several changes of venue in order to try to get a semblence of a fair trial. Smith was moved from a jail in Richmond to a jail in Liberty. After spending several months in captivity in a cramped underground cell, and with no apparent will to attempt any type of prosecution at that time while at the same time not willing to publicly release him, Smith and other church leaders were allowed to escape from custody. They fled to Illinois where they rejoined the main body of the Latter-day Saints.
[edit] See also
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[edit] References
- Anderson, Richard L., Clarifications of Bogg's 'Order' and Joseph Smith's Constitutionalism, Church History Regional Studies, Missouri, ed. Arnold K. Garr and Clark V. Johnson, Department of Church History and Doctrine, Brigham Young University, 1994, pp. 27–70)
- Baugh, Alexander L. , A Call to Arms: The 1838 Mormon Defense of Northern Missouri, BYU Studies, 2000.
- Cannon, Donald Q., and Lyndon W. Cook, eds., The Far West Record: Minutes of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints, 1830–1844, Salt Lake City, 1983.
- Corril, John, A Brief History of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints (Commonly Called Mormons), St. Louis, 1839.
- Document Containing the Correspondence, Orders &c. in Relation to the Disturbances with the Mormons; And the Evidence Given Before the Hon. Austin A. 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. Fayette, Missouri, 1841, complete text.
- Foote, Warren, The Autobiography of Warren Foote, typescript in Harold B. Lee Library, Brigham Young University, Provo, Utah.
- Hamer, John, Northeast of Eden: A Historical Atlas of Missouri's Mormon County, Mirabile, Missouri, 2004.
- Hartley, William G., Missouri's 1838 Extermination Order and the Mormons' Forced Removal to Illinois, Mormon Historical Studies, Spring 2001
- Jenkins, James H., Casus Belli: Ten Factors That Contributed to the Outbreak of the 1838 'Mormon War' in Missouri, Independence, Missouri: Blue and Grey Press, 1999.
- Jesse, Dean, The Personal Writings of Joseph Smith, Salt Lake City: Deseret Book, 1984.
- Johnson, Clark V., Mormon Redress Petitions: Documents of the 1833–1838 Missouri Conflict, Religious Studies Center, BYU, 1992.
- Journal History of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints, LDS Church Archives, Salt Lake City.
- Lee, John D., Mormonism Unveiled: The Life and Confessions of John D. Lee and the Life of Brigham Young, 1877.
- LeSueur, Stephen C., The 1838 Mormon War in Missouri, University of Missouri Press, 1990.
- McGee, Joseph H., Story of the Grand River Country, Gallatin, Missouri, 1909.
- Quinn, D. Michael, The Mormon Hierarchy: Origins of Power, Salt Lake City, 1994.
- Peck, Reed, The Reed Peck Manuscript, complete text.
- Rigdon, Sidney, An Appeal to the American People: Being an Account of the Persecutions of the Church of Latter-day Saints; and of the Barbarities Inflicted on Them by the Inhabitants of the State of Missouri, Cincinnati, 1840.
- Thorp, Joseph, Early Days in the West Along the Missouri One Hundred Years Ago, Liberty, Missouri, 1924.
- The True Latter-day Saints' Herald, Plano, Illinois.
- Van Wagoner, Richard S., Sidney Rigdon: A Portrait of Religious Excess, Salt Lake City, 1994.
[edit] External links
- Far West Cultural Center primary sources
- Mel Tungate's Battle of Crooked River sources website
- Joseph Smith's Journal Entries
- History of the Reorganized Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints, Volume 2 Chapter 11
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