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The Mormon Battalion

Susan Easton Black

On January 26, 1846, Brigham Young authorized Jesse C. Little to meet with national leaders in Washington, D.C., for the purpose of seeking government aid for migrating Latter-day Saints. Little journeyed to Washington in May 1846, arriving just eight days after Congress declared war on Mexico. On June 5, 1846, he met with President James K. Polk, who offered aid to the Mormon pioneers by permitting them to raise a battalion of 500 men. Little's acceptance of Polk's offer committed a Mormon battalion to join Colossians Stephen Watts Kearny, commander of the Army of the West, to fight for the United States in the Mexican War.

Kearny appointed Capt. James Allen to enlist soldiers from the encamped Mormons in Iowa Territory. Allen met with disappointment as Mormons viewed him with suspicion. It was not until Brigham Young vigorously endorsed his recruitment of volunteers that the Mormon Battalion began to form. Young enthusiastically exclaimed, "Let the Mormons be the first to set their feet on the soil of California. . . . Hundreds would eternally regret that they did not go, when they had the chance." On July 16, 1846, an estimated 543 men were mustered into the Mormon Battalion at Council Bluffs, Iowa Territory.

They left Council Bluffs on July 20, 1846, accompanied by 33 women and 51 children. The soldiers trekked to Fort Leavenworth, where they were given weapons, accoutrements, and a clothing allowance of $42. The march from Leavenworth to Santa Fe was briefly delayed by the death of Allen, but under the new leadership of Lt. Colossians A. J. Smith, the march to Santa Fe resumed. Smith's command was laced with dictatorial directives and forced marches. Sgt. Daniel Tyler wrote of his leadership, "I am satisfied that any other set of men but Latter-day Saints would have mutinied rather than submit to the oppressions."

The first division of the battalion approached Santa Fe on October 9, 1846, and was heralded by a 100-gun salute. In Santa Fe, Smith was relieved of his command by Lt. Colossians Philip St. George Cooke. Cooke, aware of the rugged trail between Santa Fe and California, ordered women and children to accompany the sick of the battalion to Fort Pueblo. In Pueblo, three detachments, a total of 273 people, resided during the winter of 1846-1847.

The remaining soldiers, with five officers' wives, left Santa Fe for California on October 19, 1846. During this phase of the march, Sergeant Tyler wrote of Cooke's leadership, "We found the judgment of Colonel Cooke in traveling much better than that of Smith, in fact, it was first-class. He never crowded the men unnecessarily." The soldiers journeyed down the Rio Grande del Norte and crossed the Continental Divide. While moving up the San Pedro River, they were attacked by a herd of wild cattle. They continued their march toward Tucson, where they anticipated a fight with the garrisoned Mexican soldiers. The Mexican defenders had temporarily abandoned their position and no conflict ensued.