The Mormon military experience is unique in American history. The
Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints (LDS) is the only
denomination to field military units for its own support and
purpose rather than national interests, an effort which began in
Missouri in 1838 and lasted through the Spanish American War of
1898. From World War I onward, however, the military exceptionalism
of the LDS Church faded and Mormon soldiers came to serve national
interests as loyal citizens alongside their fellow Americans. The
Mormon Military Experience: 1838 to the Cold War is the first book
to present a historical overview of the Mormon military experience.
Sherman Fleek and Robert Freeman tell this unique story of how the
Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints has experienced war and
military service and their teachings concerning participation in
armed conflict.The LDS Church’s distinct relationship between
religious life and military service is rooted in its adherence to
the Book of Mormon and its unique doctrine based in ancient and
then modern revelations from church leaders. Religious and military
exceptionalism went hand in hand during the nineteenth century,
when LDS Church leaders dictated when and how members would serve
in armed conflict. Mormon militiamen were often more loyal to
church interests and the guidance of LDS leaders than they were to
government policy, from mustering of the Mormon Battalion during
the Mexican War to orchestrating the armed effort during the Utah
War of 1857-58. In Utah the Saints supported Church policy during
the Indian wars to serving as Civil War volunteers in the West but
were counseled by Church leaders not to serve in the bloody
campaigns in the East. While LDS leaders adapted church practices
and policies to support national objectives at times, there were
also occasions when Mormon militia units defied state and federal
military forces, sometimes to the point of open combat. No other
American denomination has done this. This is a story about changing
loyalties: as the LDS Church transformed from a personalist
religious movement on the edge of society to a mainstay of American
religious and political life, Mormons have moved from battling the
US military to serving with distinction within it.
General
Imprint: |
University Press of Kansas
|
Country of origin: |
United States |
Release date: |
April 2023 |
Authors: |
Sherman L Fleek
• Robert C. Freeman
|
Dimensions: |
229 x 152mm (L x W) |
Format: |
Hardcover
|
Pages: |
360 |
ISBN-13: |
978-0-7006-3432-3 |
Categories: |
Books
|
LSN: |
0-7006-3432-0 |
Barcode: |
9780700634323 |
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