History of the Saints: The Mormon Wars

by Glenn Rawson (Editor), Dennis Lyman (Editor)

The war in heaven never ended. It just changed battlefields, and in these last days, it has once more become a pitched battle for the souls of men. Sooner or later, all men and women will be required to declare their allegiance . . .

The history of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latterday Saints is replete with tales of sacrifice and suffering, tragedy and triumph. Now members of the Church can gain a deeper understanding of many of the significant trials faced by early Saints with Mormon Wars, a ground breaking volume that masterfully presents historical accounts of pioneer perseverance. From violent mob persecutions to armed troops in the Utah territory to the war against polygamy, understanding the events that refined the early Saints will fortify your faith in the face of continuing modern-day battles.

Genres: History, Nonfiction, Religion

139 pages, Hardcover

First published January 1, 2014

About the author

Glenn Rawson is a Mormon teacher, radio and television personality, writer, and producer.

Reviews

[Courtney Hatch · Rating 4 out of 5]

You’re probably noticing a pattern in my reading lately haha.
1. I am up all night with a newborn so I’m getting a lot of books read.
2. I have a 30 day trial with a religious based e-reader app so I am getting through as many books as possible in those 30 days.
3. I think I have to change my reading goal 😂

This book is actually authored by 6 different scholars each writing an unconnected piece about their expertise. It was informative and fast. My only complaint is I wish they had gone a little deeper with some of the subjects, but I guess that is asking for another book altogether.

[James Biser · Rating 5 out of 5]

This book tells the history of a trying time for leaders and members of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-Day Saints because Church doctrine and practices did not always agree with the law of the country.

[Sandra Strange · Rating 4 out of 5]

I especially like the modern formatting of this excellent survey of the conflicts in Missouri and Nauvoo and then Salt Lake, each article by historians that present a fairly objective picture, with good sourcing and lots of illustrations and sidebars. The articles draw on primary sources, with quotes from both sides of the conflicts.

[Stephan van Velzen · Rating 5 out of 5]

A well-written, detailed little book that paints a grim picture of religious prosecution in LDS history. If every American Mormon had read this book in 2016, they might not have voted for Donald Trump en masse.

[Jennifer · Rating 4 out of 5]

Chapters 2 and 3 were especially interesting to me, given my family history. I learned things I’d never known before that helped me understand the time period and issues.

[Juergen John Roscher · Rating 4 out of 5]

I received History of the Saints: The Mormon Wars for Christmas from my parents. A book for Christmas is always a welcome gift but since many of my ancestors were involved in the early years of the Mormon Church, I love to read books like this one about Mormon history.

This book describes the persecutions, conflicts, and wars members of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints (Mormons) suffered through during the years following the restoration of the gospel of Jesus Christ to the earth. It covers the early persecution of the Mormon members in New York and Pennsylvania. Followed by the struggles in Kirkland, Ohio and Independence, Missouri the saints had with mobs and militias, including the circumstances leading to the extermination order that called for the Mormons to leave Missouri or be exterminated. It continued showing the oppression and lawlessness of enemies of the church in Nauvoo, Illinois and surrounding areas leading to the death of the Prophet Joseph Smith and his brother Hyrum Smith, which ended with the forced migration to the Utah territory. It covers the maltreatment of the Mormons in Utah when a large military force was sent to Utah to end the Mormon Theocracy and the practice of polygamy. The book covers all of these events and seems to present a fair portrayal of these events showing when Mormons and others were at fault.

I originally thought the title of the book The Mormon Wars was misleading and gave the impression of several wars fought against the Mormons. After reading this book, I think the title is correct since much of the conflict between the Mormons and those against them were supported and many times initiated by the local, state or federal government. Though much of the conflict was initiated by local militias and rogue groups, they had the support or at least allowed to intimidate, destroy property and homes, and kill with the government not interfering with their actions.

One of the best features of this book is the paintings, portraits, and documents associated with the events described in the book. These supplemental items added to my understanding of the events.

I read this book simultaneously as I read Truth and Tragedy: What Happened at Hawn’s Mill. Between the two books I feel I have a greater understanding of the trials early Mormon members went through to establish the church. I marvel at the courage and persistence many Mormons showed by enduring these many trials. It is a testimony to me these folks believed so strongly they were willing to move basically across the United States to practice their religion. I wonder if I would have the same strength of conviction as they did.

I recommend this book for anyone who is interested in Mormon History. In this book, I learned about the conditions that caused much of the hatred and violence against the Mormon Church in early years from reading this book. I thought the editors of the book were fair in their analysis of the events leading to the persecution, scrimmages, and wars. This was not a ‘Mormons good and everyone else was evil’ depiction of the conditions and events. The editors pointed out the Mormons made mistakes that helped cause the division between them and their neighbors.

I also would recommend this book to those who are interested in United States history, so they can learn about this dark episode of US history.

Other books I’ve read by author
• Tragedy and Truth: What Happened at Hawn’s Mill

[Alan Marchant · Rating 4 out of 5]

Based on appearance (garish cover, density of photographs and art illustrations, and catchy graphic design) The Mormon Wars looks like a pint-size LDS coffee-table book. But it's really an anthology of substantive and well-documented historical essays. Professionally solid LDS historians contributed well-focused pieces on 1) pre-Missouri mobbings; 2) the Saints in Independence, MO; 3) the infamous Extermination Order; 4) the ethnic cleansing of Nauvoo, IL; 5) Buchanan's Utah War; and 6) the political/legal battles over polygamy. Each chapter delivers unfamiliar and interesting details. Taken together, they show Mormon persecution as a social disease that developed "progressively" from localized outbreaks to regional mobocracy to federal preoccupation.

[Ryan · Rating 4 out of 5]

Several reviewers have commented that this book demonstrated the common verity, 'you can't judge a book by its cover.' While the book may look like an illustrated light weight treatment of historic conflicts in regards to The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints, the contributing authors are heavy hitting experts in their respective fields. Thus, this book provides readers with well-researched and clearly articulated summaries of these difficult moments in Mormon history. Each chapter provides readers with the up-to-date scholarly discussion that will be helpful for anyone interested in LDS (Mormon) history.

[Claudia Bentley · Rating 4 out of 5]

Good complete information about various conflicts involving the LDS church. Well researched with many illustrations and copies of original documents.