United States. Army. Mormon Battalion
Dates
- Existence: 1846 - 1847
Administrative History
The Mormon Battalion (1846-1847) was a unit in the United States military that served during the Mexican-American War.
The Mormon Battalion, which began official service in July 1846, was the only religiously based united in United States military history. The battalion was a volunteer unit of between 534 and 539 members of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints. Created to assist with the Mexican-American War (which lasted from 1846-1848), the unit marched nearly 2,000 miles from Iowa to San Diego.
The unit was discharged on July 16, 1847, five months after its arrival in San Diego.
Citation:
Larson, C.V. A data base of the Mormon Battalion, c1987: p. 1 (formed July 16, 1846, at the request of the U.S. govt.) p. 2 (discharged July 16, 1847) p. 4 (U.S. Mormon Battalion)LC data base, 12/30/87 (hdg.: Iowa Infantry. Mormon Battalion, 1846-1847)
Wikipedia, via WWW, 27 January 2015 (The Mormon Battalion, which began official service in July 1846, was the only religiously based united in United States military history; was a volunteer unit of between 534 and 539 members of the LDS church;Created to assist with the Mexican-American War (which lasted from 1846-1848); marched nearly 2,000 miles from Iowa to San Diego; was discharged on July 16, 1847, five months after its arrival in San Diego)
Found in 20 Collections and/or Records:
Biography of Jacob Kemp Butterfield
Typewritten biography of Butterfield, an early Latter-day Saint Church convert, pioneer and Mormon Battalion mamber. Also includes letters from the donor.
Biography of Samuel Miles the son of Samuel and Prudence Marks
A brief sketch of the life of Samuel Gould
Typewritten biography of Samuel Gould by his daughter. The date of composition is unknown. Gould was a member of the Mormon Battalion and an early pioneer in Parowan Utah. Also included is a program from the Iron County Centennial Celebration of 1951 and a brief history of the Parowan Ward of the Mormon Church.
Daniel Brown biography
David Brown's third great grandson, Erold Clark Wiscombe, writes about Brown's family history; marriage to Elizabeth Stephens; removal to Illinois in 1831; conversion to Mormonism in 1840; removal to Florence, Nebraska; son, James, joining the Mormon Battalion; quarrel with Brigham Young leading to removal to Calhoun, Iowa; Indian difficulties in Iowa; rebaptism in Salt Lake City, in 1874; and death in Calhoun, Iowa.
Russell R. Casper biography of William Wallace Casper
Transcript of a biography of William Wallace Casper, with an emphasis on his service in the Mormon Battalion. Biography contains excerpts from a narrative account by William Casper. The edited biography is incomplete, documenting only brief elements of Casper's life.
Abraham Day III
Photocopy of a typewritten biography of Abraham Day, III (1817-1900). Abraham Day was born in Vermont, joned the Mormon Church, moved to Montrose, Iowa near Nauvoo, Illinois, served in the Mormon Battalion 1846-1847, migrated to Utah, took a second wife, and lived in Springville and Mt. Pleasant, Utah, and served in the Black Hawk War. The date of the composition of this item is uncertain.
Lue Ann Hjelm letter
Typewritten, signed letter which contains a biographical sketch of James Pollock Park who served in the "Mormon Battalion."
Lafayette Frost letter and biography
Photocopy of a handwritten letter and a handwritten biography. The date of the biography is uncertain. The letter was written by Frost while serving in the Mexican War with the Mormon Battalion when he was in Santa Fe, New Mexico. Frost writes about the scenery along the line of march, his duties, a change in leadership, and about his illness.
The life sketch of David Pinkney Rainey
Biography of David Pinkney Rainey (1815-1888) by an unknown author. Rainey was baptised into the Mormon Church in 1843. He served on two missions for that church and was in the "Mormon Battalion" (1846-1847) during the war with Mexico. He came to Utah and lived in Provo and Richmond in that state.
McClellan family histories
Typescripts (some duplicated). The collection includes autobiographical sketch of William C. McClellan, member of the Mormon Battalion and of the Nauvoo Legion in Utah Valley, Utah, a biographical sketch of his wife, Almeda D. McClellan by Zitelle M. Snarr, and an autobiography of their son David A. McClellan Sr. which includes details of life in the Mormon colonies in Mexico and Arizona.