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 3 Collections and/or Records:
Levi W. Hancock journal
Phtocopy of a microfilm copy of a handwritten diary. Hancock writes about his service in the Mormon Battalion during the War with Mexico, 1846-1848. He writes about the daily activities of the men and about their hardships. He also includes a number of hand-drawn maps relating to the march of the 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.
Azariah Smith diary
Photocopy of a handwritten diary. Smith writes of his early life until he started his diary in 1846. He tells about his experiences in the Mormon Battalion and the discovery of gold in California in 1848. Smith also writes about his coming to Utah and his life in Manti, Utah. He also relates incidents in the Black Hawk War when the whites fought the Ute Indians. There are many gaps.