The only religious unit in American military history. The Mormon
battalion was unique in federal service, having been recruited
solely from one religious body and having a religious title as the
unit designation. Serving in the Mexican War, they marched across
the Southwest to California. Strangely, though, the battalion's
story has not been told from the perspective of the profession of
arms. Since it did not engage in battle, military historians have
paid little attention to it. Military aspects of the battalion
overlooked. The military aspects of this unique battalion usually
been ignored. The most common portrayal of the unit has been to
treat it as a group of pioneers, rather than soldiers--emigrants
who followed a unique path during the Mormon hegira to the Great
Basin. A unique military unit. This volunteer unit of five
companies was unique in many ways beyond its pioneer experience.
Led by regular officers, including Philip St. George Cooke, it
served as part of General Stephen W. Kearny's Army of the West,
invading and occupying what would become New Mexico, Arizona, and
California. Formed in July 1846 in Council Bluffs, Iowa, the
battalion marched to California, where it was discharged from
federal service in July 1847, after exactly one year's service. In
the process, it did not experience combat, but made one of the most
incredible and challenging marches in American military history.
The great march across the Southwest. The story of that grueling
march across wide prairies, mountains, and deserts is central to
the battalion's story. It symbolizes the very essence of the Mormon
drama as a frontier epic, and proves more than anything else the
men's loyalty, stamina, and sacrifice. In telling that tale, the
author also illuminates the battalion's place in the U.S.-Mexican
War, as most accounts of its history have ignored its role in the
greater campaign. First-hand accounts bring detail and immediacy to
the story. More than eighty diaries, journals, memoirs, and typed
manuscript copies prepared by battalion members were accessed by
the author in the preparation of this work. The journal of Dr.
Sanderson: Dr. George B. Sanderson was known in Mormon legend as
"Dr. Death," and was feared and loathed by many in the battalion.
In the spring of 2003, the Mormon Battalion legacy was greatly
enhanced by the discovery of his journal, while serving as a
volunteer assistant surgeon assigned to the battalion. This
journal, extensively quoted in the book, provides a window to the
soul of one of the two most hated characters of the battalion. It
joins the other great accounts of Daniel Tyler, Levi Hancock, Henry
Standage, William Coray, and others. Maps and illustrations enhance
the work. The two appendixes included contain the Army Pay Scale,
1846, and the Mormon Battalion Command and Staff. A thorough
bibliography and index complete the book, and add to its value.
With thirteen illustrations and three maps.
General
Imprint: |
University of Oklahoma Press
|
Country of origin: |
United States |
Release date: |
August 2023 |
Authors: |
Sherman L Fleek
|
Dimensions: |
229 x 152 x 25mm (L x W x T) |
Pages: |
418 |
ISBN-13: |
978-0-8061-9298-7 |
Categories: |
Books
|
LSN: |
0-8061-9298-4 |
Barcode: |
9780806192987 |
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