Mormon Battalion

The Mormon Battalion was a U.S. Army volunteer infantry unit almost exclusively made up of about 500 Mormon men who served in the Mexican War. The invitation to serve was actually the result of talks between Mormon leaders living on the East Coast of the United States, and U.S. Government officials. Jesse C. Little, presiding elder of the Mormon Church in the eastern United States, met with President Polk and offered Mormon assistance in exploring and fortifying the American West in return for monetary help. Polk proposed enlisting Mormon men to fight in the controversial U.S.-Mexican War. Under Polk's orders Captain James Allen met with the Mormon leaders in Iowa and asked for five hundred men. In exchange, the impoverished Mormons, who had just been driven from their homes in Nauvoo, Illinois, received much needed funds and supplies to finance their trek west.
The Mormons had many reasons not to enlist. The U.S. government had failed to protect them from mobs in Missouri and Illinois which had driven them from their homes and killed some church members. They were also about to cross the plains to an unknown land somewhere in the Rocky Mountains. However, Brigham Young, then President of the Quorum of the Twelve Apostles encouraged the men to enlist. He knew that the money they would earn would help their families and other poor Mormon Pioneers. He also knew that it would show the U.S. that members of the Church were still loyal to their country. 
Mustered on July 16, 1846 (and a few days following), about 500 men enlisted and were organized into what was named the 'Mormon Battalion.' Some of the men's wives and families joined them. There were 32 women and about 50 children who accompanied the Battalion. The army allowed 20 of the women as laundresses and there were at least 19 officer's servants. Brigham Young encouraged the men to be the best soldiers in the army, to be clean, neat, and polite. He prophesied to them that if they obeyed God's commandments, they would not have to fight. 
[NOTE: On 16 July 1846, Capt James Allen who recruited the men wrote in his Order No 1 that he was in command of the 'Mormon Battalion.' ALL official Mexican War era Army documents continue to refer to the command that way - sometimes with the addition of 'Infantry' or 'Volunteers', but never associating the command with a state. In the February 1850 Congressional Report of casualties during the war, the Iowa Territory had only 3 units while the Mormon Battalion was not listed under any state but had a separate category of 'Mormon Organizations.' The command is sometimes improperly called the '1st Iowa Volunteers', but this is an error created when in the 1870's efforts were being made to obtain a pension for Mexican War veterans. When the Mexican War Veterans Association were lobbying for the pension in 1874, the official table was reprinted and the Mormon Battalion was moved into the Iowa group. Once the pension was approved, reference books were printed to help veterans acquire their pension and these texts reproduce the 'of Iowa' error. Further compounding the error, the Pension office printed their CMSR cards with "of Iowa" on them. The CMSR cards were later corrected in the 1890's. Sadly, no one goes back to the original documents.] 
The Mormon Battalion left Council Bluffs a few days after enlistment. It was difficult for many of them to leave their wives and children on the plains of Iowa, without homes, and with the task of crossing the country to Utah. However, Brigham Young assured the men that their families would be taken care of until the soldiers returned, a promise largely fulfilled. 
The Battalion traveled to Fort Leavenworth to get supplies, and then began a long trek southwest to California. They finally reached the Pacific Ocean on January 29, 1847, some six months later. Along the way they endured sickness, thirst, hunger, and strife, plus had tensions with some of the military leaders. The Army had expectations of the soldiers, but the soldiers didn't fully understand the Army way of doing things. In New Mexico, two contingents of seriously ill men were detached from the command. Most of the families had been sent there in September. They were all sent to a small settlement which became Pueblo, Colorado to recuperate and over winter. These detached groups proceeded to the Salt Lake valley in 1847 and were mustered out of the service having followed Brigham Young's pioneers.
Brigham Young's prophesy came true, for by the time the Battalion arrived in California to aid in the war, it was over, and (except for the detachments) finished out their year of service in California. The closest they had come to battle was in November 1846, when the company was attacked by a herd of wild bulls in southern Arizona. The so-called "Battle of the Bulls" resulted in no deaths, two injuries, and much needed meat for the men. They also nearly engaged Mexican troops stationed at Tucson (Arizona), but the Mexican troops left town and the two forces didn't engage in fighting. Once in California, the men were assigned to build Fort Moore, a courthouse in San Diego, and made bricks and built wells. A monument and visitor's center stand as reminders of the work of the Battalion in exploring and settling California. 
The Mormon Battalion soldiers were released from duty on July 16, 1847. A few reenlisted for another eight months, but most began their journey back east to find their families. While some stayed in California working for John Sutter or other early California settlers, most headed to the Salt Lake valley and some had to find their family all the way back in Iowa or Missouri. Veterans were also involved in finding gold at and near Sutter's Mill, starting the 1849 Gold Rush.
== External links ==
* Mormon Battalion - Wikipedia
* Ol' Buffalo Mormon Battalion Page
* Mormon Battalion Association
* Members of the Mormon Battalion - Family history roster.
Category:Mormon History