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Utah Expedition (1857-1858)

 Organization

Dates

  • Existence: 1857 - 1858

Administravtive History

The Utah Expedition (1857-1858) was a bloodless military conflict between the Mormon militia, referred to as the Nauvoo Legion, and the Unites States government over the installation of a new governor in the Utah Territory.

From May 1857 to July 1858, the Utah Expedition, otherwise known as Utah War, Utah Campaign, Buchanan's Blunder, Mormon War, or Mormon Rebellion, was a result of President Buchanan’s decision to replace Governor Brigham Young with Governor Alfred Cumming. The Presidency feared the Mormon community would not accept a non-Mormon governor, resulting in the suspension of mail to Utah and 2,500 troops accompanying Cumming’s journey. Upon news of advancing troops Utah men were called to bear arms and Northern communities were evacuated. After several months of this standard, and continually hoping for peace, the Mormon leader’s willingness to accept Cumming was heard. The agreement ended with the installation of Governor Cumming and a permanent government garrison near Salt Lake City in exchange for peace and amnesty.

Citation:
LCCN 58011786: Hafen, L.R. The Utah expedition, 1857-1858, 1958(hdg.: Utah Expedition, 1857-1858)

Wikipedia, viewed February 11, 2013 :(Utah Expedition, also known as the Utah War, Utah Campaign, Buchanan's Blunder, Mormon War, Mormon Rebellion, was an armed confrontation between Mormon settlers and the United States Government, from May 1857 to July 1858, located in Utah and Wyoming)

Encyclopedia.com, April 20, 2016(Mormon Expedition of 1857-1858; was a federal force sent by President James Buchanan to force the Mormons, led by Brigham Young, to obey federal laws ; Utah Expedition)

OCLC, April 20, 2016(access point: Utah Expedition (1857-1858); usage: Utah Expedition; Utah War; Utah Campaign; Buchanan's Blunder; Mormon War; Mormon Rebellion; Mormon Expedition)

Library of Congress, via WWW, Feb. 12, 2018 (Utah Expedition, also known as the Utah War, Utah Campaign, Buchanan's Blunder, Mormon War, Mormon Rebellion, was an armed confrontation between Mormon settlers and the United States Government, from May 1857 to July 1858, located in Utah and Wyoming; Mormon Expedition of 1857-1858; was a federal force sent by President James Buchanan to force the Mormons, led by Brigham Young, to obey federal laws)

Mormon Encyclopedia, via WWW, Feb. 12, 2018 (Mormon militia, called the Nauvoo Legion, vs. United States government in a bloodless but costly confrontation; President James Buchanan to replace Brigham Young as governor of Utah Territory; It delayed, but did not prevent, the installation of Governor Alfred Cumming; Buchanan thought Latter-day Saints would reject a non-Mormon governor; mail to Utah suspended and 2,500 troops with Cumming to Great Salt Lake City; Utah communities were called upon to equip a thousand men; President Young announced on March 23, 1858, that all settlements in northern Utah must be abandoned and prepared for burning if the army came in; Church leaders willing to accept Cumming and a permanent army garrison in exchange for peace and amnesty)

Found in 85 Collections and/or Records:

Clarance Merrill autobiography

 File — Folder 1: [Barcode: 31197230326230]
Identifier: MSS SC 2754
Scope and Contents

Handwritten autobiography. Merrill lived in Nauvoo, Illinois, as a young boy. He migrated to Utah in 1852 and lived in Provo, Salt Lake City, Bear Lake Valley, Cove Creek, and Fillmore, Utah. He also participated in the "Utah War" of 1857 to 1858.

Dates: 1908
Found in: L. Tom Perry Special Collections

S. H. Montgomery receipts

 File — Folder 1: [Barcode: 31197230307552]
Identifier: MSS SC 967
Scope and Contents

Receipts for supplies received by the US Army "Utah Expedition" at Ft. Bridger Wyoming 15 July-20 Aug. 1858. They were signed by Montgomery, Lt. Canby, B.Y. Smith, and C.G. Sawtele.

Dates: 1858
Found in: L. Tom Perry Special Collections

Muster roll of Captain Thomas Hendrickson's Company H of the Sixth Regiment of Infantry, Army of the United States

 Item — Folder 1: [Barcode: 31197231566073]
Identifier: MSS SC 576
Scope and Contents

Printed form with handwritten notations. The Company left Fort Bridger, Utah Territory, Aug. 21, 1858, enroute to Benicia, California, and was encamped at Bear River, Oregon Territory when the muster was completed. Includes enlistment and pay information and recapitulation of company statistics.

Dates: 1858
Found in: L. Tom Perry Special Collections

Nauvoo Legion quartermaster diary

 Item — Folder 1: [Barcode: 31197230306349]
Identifier: MSS SC 854
Scope and Contents

Diary of the Quartermaster's office of the Nauvoo Legion from April 12 to May 28, 1858. At that time the Nauvoo Legion was resisting the entry of "Johnston's Army" of United States government troops into Utah. Each entry records briefly the weather in Salt Lake City, and tells of the dispatching of supplies to various areas and troops. The diary also reports the arrival and departure from Salt Lake City of various important militia and Mormon Church leaders.

Dates: 1858
Found in: L. Tom Perry Special Collections

Charles H. Oliphant and Orson Bennett Adams autobiographies

 File — Folder 1: [Barcode: 31197230234368]
Identifier: MSS SC 155
Scope and Contents Coverless notebook containing handwritten autobiographies of Oliphant and Adams. Oliphant writes of his childhood, meetings with Brigham Young, his work as a horticulturalist, and the Deseret Horticultural Society. Adams' autobiography is written back to front in the same notebook. He writes about his joining the Mormon Battalion along with his wife who worked as a laundress, his settlement in Parowan, Utah, his fighting the Indian Wars, and exploration during the Utah War during which he...
Dates: approximately 1800s
Found in: L. Tom Perry Special Collections

Thomas Jefferson Osborn diary

 Item — Folder 1: [Barcode: 31197232498920]
Identifier: MSS 242
Scope and Contents

Diary and photocopy. Covers the activities of the author while serving with the Utah Militia in resisting the US Army during the "Utah Expedition, 1857-1858." He also records activities in Ogden, Utah, at the same time.

Dates: 1857-1858
Found in: L. Tom Perry Special Collections

J. W. Phelps diaries

 Collection — Box 1: [Barcode: 31197231044501]
Identifier: MSS 2318
Scope and Contents These diaries are photocopied from a microfilm copy of the handwritten originals. Phelps kept the diaries primarily when he was involved in the Utah Expedition from 1857 to 1858 and the subsequent military occupation of Utah from 1858 to 1859. These items are volumes 15 to 26 of his diaries. Phelps writes about going to Utah "for suppression of the Mormons." He makes many negative comments on the members of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-Day Saints. He tells about the expedition...
Dates: 1857-1859
Found in: L. Tom Perry Special Collections

F. D. Richards letter

 File — Folder 1: [Barcode: 31197233283891]
Identifier: Vault MSS 119
Scope and Contents

Handwritten and signed letter, dated April 5, 1858, and addressed to Jesse P. Harmon. Richards tells Hrmon to notify all officers to attend a military council to be held at the tabernacle in Salt Lake City, Utah. Pasted to the same sheet is an appointment to the Standing Committees on the Improvement and Public Grounds and a note that was certified by R. A. McBride, selectman for Millard County, Utah.

Dates: 1858 April 5
Found in: L. Tom Perry Special Collections

Lewis Robison correspondence

 Collection — Multiple Containers
Identifier: MSS SC 2911
Scope and Contents Two letters addressed to, and one written by, Robison at Fort Bridger in 1857. The earliest, written by Louis Vasquez on April 30, informs Robison that Vasquez and Jim Bridger will send someone to collect balance due on purchase of the fort. On verso is Robison's May 27 letter to Daniel H. Wells, forwarding the Vasquez letter. Robison also informs Wells that he has started building a wall around the fort and visited Green River to get boats in order. The latest letter is from Brigham...
Dates: 1857
Found in: L. Tom Perry Special Collections

Charles Sansom diaries and an autobiography

 File — Multiple Containers
Identifier: MSS SC 3137
Scope and Contents Photocopy of a microfilm copy of handwritten diaries and an autobiography. Sansom writes about his early life in England, the death of his father, and his work in a woolen factory. He tells about his migration to Utah and his career as a trombone player in Salt Lake City, Utah. He also writes about the Utah Expedition, 1857-1858. He tells about his mission for the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints to England from 1873 to 1874. He writes mostly about his activities and those of...
Dates: 1873-1907
Found in: L. Tom Perry Special Collections

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