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The Mountain Meadows MassacreOn September 11, 1857, Mormons Attacked the Fancher Wagon TrainTensions had been high between Mormons and the Federal Government in the late 1850s. One consequence of this was the death of 120 Arkansas emigrants.
On September 11, 1857, John D. Lee, the adopted son of Brigham Young, would lead an attack on the Fancher Wagon train that had set out from California to Arkansas. The Mormons and possibly a few Ute Indians would then open fire on the inhabitants of the wagon train, killing all but a few children who would be raised as Mormons until the United States army demanded their return 17 years later. The event, which is now known as the Mountain Meadows Massacre, stands as a dark chapter in Mormon history, as well as being a violent confrontation that resulted from a conflict that would otherwise have been resolved with little to no violence. The Utah War and the Mormon ResponseThe public response to polygamy was far from positive, and Brigham Young had publicly boasted that he had many wives years earlier. High ranking members of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints had practiced it secretly in Nauvoo, but the practice became public knowledge several years after the Mormons settled in Utah. In 1857, 1,000 United States army troops were sent to Utah to install non-Mormon territorial judges and remove Brigham Young as the territorial governor. The army was sent into the Utah territory because the Mormons had been accused of treason, but the rhetoric from Mormon leaders urged their congregations to store food away in case they needed to hide in the hills. The Mountain Meadows MassacreCedar City had been alerted that Federal troops might enter their community at any time. The Fancher train passed through Utah, but the Mormon settlers often refused to sell them needed goods, and when they did the prices charged were exorbitant. The Fancher train was well defended and had been fending off attacks from the Mormon settlers and local Indians since the sixth of September, but when John D. Lee approached with a white flag trying to end the conflict, the members of the wagon train let him in the camp along with his party. The Mormons did not drop their arms opened fire on the Fancher party. 120 members of the Fancher party were killed, and only children were spared. Although John D. Lee was believed to be the ringleader of the massacre, he would not be persecuted for many years. . The Role of Brigham Young in the MassacreThe role of Brigham Young has been debated, but evidence that he had prior knowledge of the attack was minimal, and no historical evidence has been found that points to his direct involvement in the Mountain Meadows Massacre. The web site for the Mountain Meadows Massacre states fear and paranoia among the Mormons after being driven from Nauvoo and Illinois that led to the attack. Resources: Mountain Meadows Massacre Website “The Mountain Meadows Massacre.” Richard E. Turley, Jr. The Ensign. September 2007. Intellectual Reserve, Inc. Salt Lake City, Utah.
The copyright of the article The Mountain Meadows Massacre in Mormonism is owned by Shawn Landis. Permission to republish The Mountain Meadows Massacre in print or online must be granted by the author in writing.
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