The Utah War: The History of the Federal Government’s Controversial Conflict with Brigham Young and the Latter-Day Saints

by Charles River Editors

Among all the various figures in 19th century America who left controversial legacies, it is hard to find one as influential as Joseph Smith (1805-1844), the founder of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-Day Saints, Mormonism, and the Latter-Day Saint movement. Revered as a prophet on the level of Moses by some, reviled as a perpetrator of large-scale fraud by others, what everyone can agree on is that Joseph Smith founded a religious movement that played a crucial role in the settlement of the West, especially in Utah.

Smith’s dream of Zion would lead the way for the trials and the tribulations of the Mormons for the rest of the 19th century, including countless conflicts with local authorities and the U.S. government. Smith himself would be a casualty of the clashing, murdered by a mob in 1844 after being imprisoned in Carthage, Illinois near the settlement of Nauvoo, which Smith had painstakingly tried to create as a commune for his people.

Among the most effective methods by which the Latter-Day Saints attained regional dominance was the flooding of specific areas with a like-minded population of fellow settlers and offspring, subsequently controlling the voting and government institutions through a weighty majority. Such an approach caused alarm in each region to which Mormon settlers emigrated; the church collective had already been evicted from New York and other areas for exercising the tactic. The practice of polygamy within the church may have been socially repugnant to Judaic and Christian denominations, but the schism between Mormonism and other American faiths lay deeper in the Restoration of the Priesthood. This core tenet of the church was based on a non-negotiable belief that Christ’s disciples died before they were able to pass on their master’s authority in the process of Apostolic Succession. Therefore, what came after, whether Catholic or Protestant, was based on an absence of authority, leaving the Mormon faith to stand alone as the “one true church.”

This theological separatism caused the Mormon community to live apart, except in the pursuit of converts. The church became increasingly perceived as “un-American,” and this set the scene for violent conflicts across the frontier over several decades as the Mormons sought to hold their territory and the federal government attempted to resolve thorny issues with them. The disputes leading to the Utah War related largely to the animosity between Mormon leader Brigham Young, who was also the governor of the Utah Territory, and a variety of appointed federal officials sent to Utah. Young and the Mormon leadership did not work well with federal officials, who they considered “Gentiles” (non-Mormons). Furthermore, Young was also in charge of relations with the native groups in the area and head of the state militia. Mormons tended to ignore federal policies they did not like and did not accord the officials much respect.

The Mormon response to the federal government and the Buchanan administration in 1857 and 1858 was shaped by the faith’s experience of previous conflicts, which had included an extermination order proclaimed by the governor of Missouri against Mormons, the murder of Smith, and a massacre of Mormon men and boys. As a result, when things came to a head in Utah, the Mormons were more willing to fight. At the time the Utah War broke out, there were more than 30,000 Mormons in the Utah Territory, by far the largest settler population on the trails between Missouri and California. California itself had experienced the Gold Rush in 1848-49 and had become a state in 1850, with a population of 200,000.

Genres: History, American History

72 pages, Kindle Edition

Published August 6, 2022

About the author

Charles River Editors is an independent publisher of thousands of ebooks on Kindle, Nook, Kobo, and Apple iBookstore & provider of original content for third parties.

Reviews

[Phil · Rating 2 out of 5]

A really interesting story about the time the us military almost invaded Utah to stop the Mormons from being polygamists.

But here is the rub. The narrator sucks. I lost focus or concentration so many times cause he messes up on words or repeats himself. I think if it was read by a different person, and maybe written differently, I would have enjoyed it more. The bones are in place it’s just the muscles are all in the wrong spot!

[Dave · Rating 3 out of 5]

Interesting history of Utah War

Reasonably informative history, more of an outline than detailed history. The book had too many spelling errors and it distracted from the story. Charles River Editors need to d a better job of editing. I do appreciate the fact their books are often offered free which does allow me to read a wider variety of history.

[Brent Huntsman · Rating 2 out of 5]

I liked the authors form of writing. However, there are a number of historical errors. It's evident the author through this little book together with out checking his facts. I don't recommend this book.

[Joseph D. · Rating 4 out of 5]

This was a short nonfiction narrative of the history of Utah. This felt less focused on the war and more on the political views from that time period. The book was an interesting read but the title felt a bit misleading. Overall if you are looking for a viewpoint of the history of the settling of Utah and not specifically a war per se, then this would give you a glimpse. Due to length no part of this narrative is covered in depth and it is, like most history books, attempted to stay more to the objective political history.

Joseph McKnight
http://www.josephmcknight.com

[David · Rating 2 out of 5]

This was more a short (and inadequate) history of the church than a good history of the so-called Utah War. Given how short the book is, I thought for sure it would dive into the conflict between Brigham Young and the federal authorities. Instead it went all the way back to the founding of the church and the Missouri and Illinois battles to frame the later Utah scene. But in light of the length, all of these histories were given short shrift, and there are better histories available.

[Brent Huntley · Rating 2 out of 5]

Very little of this small book even covers the Utah war and instead attempts to be an overview of Mormon history but it ignores many sources and relies on a small number of sources, many of which have been shown unreliable by other scholars.

[Travis · Rating 2 out of 5]

The parts about the Federal Government were OK. The parts about Brigham Young and the Latter-day Saints were poorly done. See my review about Charles River Editor's Brigham Young. Same bad information from the same bad sources. Slightly better at some parts, so two stars

[rick incremona · Rating 5 out of 5]

This was a nice read and had good flow and documentation. I was surprised there was no mention of Major James Henry Carleton's special report on the Massacre. That being said I learned a lot about our government by reading this and a lot about the country that History books seem to have ignored

[Kevin Pack · Rating 2 out of 5]

Biased and read like LDS propaganda.

[Susan Forsgren · Rating 5 out of 5]

Great to read another viewpoint on an event that I have read other books about.

[Jorge · Rating 3 out of 5]

It appears somewhat biased in some areas but other than that it's a rather informative book on the early history of Utah.
3.5/5

[Heather K · Rating 4 out of 5]

An interesting read that pairs well with the Saints volumes.

[Andrew Pixton · Rating 3 out of 5]

Really brief, not bad for a focus on what led up to the war.

[JC Holt · Rating 3 out of 5]

Short quick read

[Brigham J. · Rating 3 out of 5]

Mormons be crazy

[Tamara · Rating 2 out of 5]

I found it a little bit boring

[Brian · Rating 1 out of 5]

Reads like a poorly written middle school paper.

What a waste of time.

[James Biser · Rating 4 out of 5]

This is another somewhat surprising page in the shistory of the Church. The political world could not deal with the people who decided to follow Joseph Smith and Christ in the nineteenth century. The interaction is horrible and ironic.