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Will Bagley claimed that Mountain Meadows was known among the Mormons as "a preferred location for the quiet execution of unpleasant tasks." | Will Bagley claimed that Mountain Meadows was known among the Mormons as "a preferred location for the quiet execution of unpleasant tasks." | ||
|authorsources=<br> | |authorsources=<br> | ||
− | # | + | # {{CriticalWork:Bagley:Blood of the Prophets|pages=121}} |
* {{CrossRef:Bagley:Blood of the Prophets|pages=121}} | * {{CrossRef:Bagley:Blood of the Prophets|pages=121}} | ||
}} | }} | ||
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The author claims that "numerous apostates" were traveling with the Fancher Train by the time it reached Mountain Meadows. | The author claims that "numerous apostates" were traveling with the Fancher Train by the time it reached Mountain Meadows. | ||
|authorsources=<br> | |authorsources=<br> | ||
− | # | + | #No source provided. |
}} | }} | ||
{{propaganda|This claim is repeated frequently until the source is revealed later. See below. | {{propaganda|This claim is repeated frequently until the source is revealed later. See below. | ||
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The author claims that William Bateman, who had weeks earlier been "threatened with excommunication for apostasy," was given a chance to redeem himself by "carrying out church orders at Mountain Meadows." According to "Prophet Heber Kimball," Bateman was placed "in the front ranks" to be put "to the test." | The author claims that William Bateman, who had weeks earlier been "threatened with excommunication for apostasy," was given a chance to redeem himself by "carrying out church orders at Mountain Meadows." According to "Prophet Heber Kimball," Bateman was placed "in the front ranks" to be put "to the test." | ||
|authorsources=<br> | |authorsources=<br> | ||
− | # | + | #{{JDfairwiki|author=Heber C. Kimball|disc=70|vol=4|start=375}} |
}} | }} | ||
{{disinformation|The author is making a huge assumption here. Heber says, | {{disinformation|The author is making a huge assumption here. Heber says, | ||
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{{AuthorQuote|The recommendation of the many apostates in the camp would never be known, or whether they considered their fellow Mormons capable of such cold-blooded treachery.}} | {{AuthorQuote|The recommendation of the many apostates in the camp would never be known, or whether they considered their fellow Mormons capable of such cold-blooded treachery.}} | ||
|authorsources=<br> | |authorsources=<br> | ||
− | # | + | #No source provided. |
}} | }} | ||
{{propaganda|The author ''again'' mentions the numerous "apostates" that she believes were part of the Fancher party, yet she provides no evidence of this. | {{propaganda|The author ''again'' mentions the numerous "apostates" that she believes were part of the Fancher party, yet she provides no evidence of this. | ||
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(Photo caption) The author claims that Joseph Smith "had his first vision in 1820" and then three years later reported that he was "surrounded by 'a pillar of light' during a visitation from the angel Moroni." | (Photo caption) The author claims that Joseph Smith "had his first vision in 1820" and then three years later reported that he was "surrounded by 'a pillar of light' during a visitation from the angel Moroni." | ||
|authorsources=<br> | |authorsources=<br> | ||
− | # | + | #No source provided (unsurprisingly). |
}} | }} | ||
{{disinformation|The author appears to have never even studied any of the sources that she used. Any Latter-day Saint knows that the "pillar of light" is associated with Joseph's [[Joseph Smith's First Vision|First Vision]]. | {{disinformation|The author appears to have never even studied any of the sources that she used. Any Latter-day Saint knows that the "pillar of light" is associated with Joseph's [[Joseph Smith's First Vision|First Vision]]. | ||
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(Photo caption) The author claims that Brigham Young called his enemies "Christians" and that the Latter-day Saints left Nauvoo, Illinois because they "had been unable to live in peace with their neighbors." | (Photo caption) The author claims that Brigham Young called his enemies "Christians" and that the Latter-day Saints left Nauvoo, Illinois because they "had been unable to live in peace with their neighbors." | ||
|authorsources=<br> | |authorsources=<br> | ||
− | # | + | # No source provided. |
}} | }} | ||
{{misinformation|Brigham also regarded himself and the Latter-day Saints as [[Latter-day_Saints_aren't_Christians#1860s|Christians]]. | {{misinformation|Brigham also regarded himself and the Latter-day Saints as [[Latter-day_Saints_aren't_Christians#1860s|Christians]]. | ||
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(Photo caption) Did Brigham order the rock cairn memorial at the scene of the massacre dismantled? | (Photo caption) Did Brigham order the rock cairn memorial at the scene of the massacre dismantled? | ||
|authorsources=<br> | |authorsources=<br> | ||
− | # | + | # No source provided |
}} | }} | ||
{{misinformation|There is not evidence at all that Brigham did this.}} | {{misinformation|There is not evidence at all that Brigham did this.}} | ||
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The author claims that the "Mormon apostate refugees" were "blood atoned." | The author claims that the "Mormon apostate refugees" were "blood atoned." | ||
|authorsources=<br> | |authorsources=<br> | ||
− | # | + | #Anna Jean Backus, ''Mountain Meadows Witness: The Life and Times of Bishop Philip Klingensmith'' (Arthur H. Clark Co, 1996), 136. |
}} | }} | ||
{{misinformation|The author ''finally'' provides a source for her comments about "Mormon apostates" being part of the Fancher party. | {{misinformation|The author ''finally'' provides a source for her comments about "Mormon apostates" being part of the Fancher party. | ||
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John D. Lee claimed that Brigham Young advised them to claim that the massacre was performed by Indians alone. | John D. Lee claimed that Brigham Young advised them to claim that the massacre was performed by Indians alone. | ||
|authorsources=<br> | |authorsources=<br> | ||
− | # | + | #Lee, 251. |
}} | }} | ||
{{misinformation|It is unsurprising that Lee, one of the ringleaders, would wish to blame the murders or cover-up on his ecclesiastical superiors. | {{misinformation|It is unsurprising that Lee, one of the ringleaders, would wish to blame the murders or cover-up on his ecclesiastical superiors. | ||
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The "scheme to blame the atrocity on the Indians" is claimed to have been conceived and crafted "with the characteristic meticulousness for which Brigham Young was famous." | The "scheme to blame the atrocity on the Indians" is claimed to have been conceived and crafted "with the characteristic meticulousness for which Brigham Young was famous." | ||
|authorsources=<br> | |authorsources=<br> | ||
− | # | + | #Author's opinion. |
}} | }} | ||
{{misinformation|Leaders in southern Utah were already planning to blame the Massacre on Indians before Brigham Young had even heard of it. After an initial skirmish with the party, one of the immigrants was killed and another wounded. "A witness of white involvement had now shared the news within the emigrant corral. If the surviving emigrants were freed and continued on to California, word would quickly spread that Mormons had been involved in the attack....Despite plans to pin the massacre on the Paiutes—and persistent subsequent efforts to do so—Nephi Johnson later maintained that his fellow militiamen did most of the killing." <ref>{{Ensign|author=Richard E. Turley Jr.|article=The Mountain Meadows Massacre|date=September 2007|start=14|end=21}}{{link|url=http://www.lds.org/mountain-meadows-massacre}}</ref> | {{misinformation|Leaders in southern Utah were already planning to blame the Massacre on Indians before Brigham Young had even heard of it. After an initial skirmish with the party, one of the immigrants was killed and another wounded. "A witness of white involvement had now shared the news within the emigrant corral. If the surviving emigrants were freed and continued on to California, word would quickly spread that Mormons had been involved in the attack....Despite plans to pin the massacre on the Paiutes—and persistent subsequent efforts to do so—Nephi Johnson later maintained that his fellow militiamen did most of the killing." <ref>{{Ensign|author=Richard E. Turley Jr.|article=The Mountain Meadows Massacre|date=September 2007|start=14|end=21}}{{link|url=http://www.lds.org/mountain-meadows-massacre}}</ref> |
Chapter 9 | A FAIR Analysis of: American Massacre: The Tragedy at Mountain Meadows, a work by author: Sally Denton
|
Chapter 11 |
Claim Evaluation |
American Massacre |
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Jump to details:
Will Bagley claimed that Mountain Meadows was known among the Mormons as "a preferred location for the quiet execution of unpleasant tasks."Author's sources:
- Will Bagley, Blood of the Prophets: Brigham Young and the Massacre at Mountain Meadows (University of Oklahoma Press, 2002), 121.
- Compare treatment in Blood of the Prophets: p. 121.
The author claims that "numerous apostates" were traveling with the Fancher Train by the time it reached Mountain Meadows.Author's sources:
- No source provided.
The author claims that William Bateman, who had weeks earlier been "threatened with excommunication for apostasy," was given a chance to redeem himself by "carrying out church orders at Mountain Meadows." According to "Prophet Heber Kimball," Bateman was placed "in the front ranks" to be put "to the test."Author's sources:
- Heber C. Kimball, Journal of Discourses 4:375.
Some who have been apostates for years past are beginning to come back to us; and, inasmuch as they did not stand and be valiant for the truth, we are now going to place them in the front ranks, and put them to the test.
This has nothing to do with William Bateman, and nothing to do with Mountain Meadows.
Author's quote: The recommendation of the many apostates in the camp would never be known, or whether they considered their fellow Mormons capable of such cold-blooded treachery.Author's sources:
- No source provided.
(Photo caption) The author claims that Joseph Smith "had his first vision in 1820" and then three years later reported that he was "surrounded by 'a pillar of light' during a visitation from the angel Moroni."Author's sources:
- No source provided (unsurprisingly).
(Photo caption) The author claims that Brigham Young called his enemies "Christians" and that the Latter-day Saints left Nauvoo, Illinois because they "had been unable to live in peace with their neighbors."Author's sources:
- No source provided.
{{misinformation|Brigham also regarded himself and the Latter-day Saints as Christians.
(Photo caption) Did Brigham order the rock cairn memorial at the scene of the massacre dismantled?Author's sources:
- No source provided
The critical book One Nation Under Gods claims that when Brigham Young visited the Mountain Meadows Massacre site in 1860 and saw the monument, that he "ordered the monument and cross torn down" and demolished. [1]
If Brigham Young had ordered the monument's destruction, this would be an unfortunate example of the fallibility of mortal prophets. The ability of Lee and others to hide their crimes for a time is not unexpected given LDS doctrine (D&C 10꞉37).
Wilford Woodruff (and John D. Lee) said nothing in his journal about Brigham Young ordering—or desiring— the destruction of the monument. Waite's book reports a rumor, and Leavitt's account is frank to admit that all Brigham did was "raise his arm to the square" (this gesture is used, for example, during LDS baptisms to indicate that the priesthood is being invoked, and a covenant made). Leavitt presumes that Brigham wanted the monument destroyed, but this was his supposition. It is completely unsupported by Woodruff, and it is completely inconsistent with Lorenzo Brown's witness of three years later that the monument was still standing.
The author's claim that Wilford Woodruff's journal supports the destruction of the monument is absolutely unsupportable. It is certainly not a historical certainty that Brigham Young ordered the monument destroyed. The Leavitt account tells us only that some Church members interpreted Brigham's actions in that manner—we thus cannot rule out an intention by Brigham to have the monument destroyed, but historians are less skilled at mind-reading than even Dudley Leavitt would have been.
One Nation Under Gods gets the date and reference to Woodruff's diary wrong—the reference is to 1861, not 1860. But, there are more serious lapses.
The quote from Woodruff's journal reads simply:
25 A vary Cold morning. Much Ice on the Creek. I wore my great Coat & mittens. We visited the Mountain Meadow Monument put up at the burial place of 120 persons killed by Indians in 1857. The pile of stone was about 12 feet high, but begining to tumble down. A wooden Cross was placed on top with the following words: Vengence is mine and I will repay saith the Lord. President Young said it should be Vengence is mine and I have taken a little.
There is no mention of Brigham Young tearing down the cross or demolishing the monument—Woodruff noted that the monument was already "begining [sic] to tumble down," but said nothing about Brigham ordering it torn down.
The Brooks account is more on point. In favor of the claim that Brigham had something to do with the monument's destruction, Brooks cites:
Brooks also cites the Lorenzo Brown diary from July 1, 1864 wherein he states that he passed by, and saw the monument still standing. This was three years after Brigham's first visit to the monument. It is possible that this was a rebuilt monument, but the description is strikingly similar:
went past the monument that was erected in commemoration of the Massacre that was committed at that place by officers & men of Company M Calafornia volunteers May 27 & 28 1864 It is built of cobble stone at the bottom and about 3 feet high then rounded up with earth & surmounted by a rough wooden cross the whole 6 or 7 feet high & perhaps 10 feet square On one side of the cross is inscribed Mountain Meadow Massacre and over that in smaller letters is vengeance is mine & I will repay saith the Lord. On the other side Done by officers & men of Co. M Cal. Vol. May 27th & 28th 1864 Some one has written below this in pencil. Remember Hauns mill and Carthage Jail….’[2]
Brigham H. Roberts adopted a similar view, writing, "later was destroyed either by some vandal’s hand or the ruthless ravages of time…. The destruction of this inscription is unjustly connected by the judge with President Young’s first visit to southern Utah after it was erected (1861)."[3]
One Nation Under Gods does not mention the John D. Lee diary, which contains a second-hand account of Brigham Young proceeding "by way of Mountain Meadows." Lee says nothing about demolishing the monument.[4] He was to record Brigham's words as preserved by Woodruff six days later, so he clearly had an interest in the matter. An order for destruction or the actual event of destruction of the monument would arguably have been something he would have recorded had he heard about it.
Regardless of whether the Mormons actually dismantled the monument, later that same year (1861) there was torrential rain and snow that devastated parts of southern Utah and actually changed some of the landscape. If the monument was still standing prior to the heavy storms, it may not have been after the storms. In the following years, the monument was built up and torn down by various groups of people passing through.[5]
The author claims that the "Mormon apostate refugees" were "blood atoned."Author's sources:
- Anna Jean Backus, Mountain Meadows Witness: The Life and Times of Bishop Philip Klingensmith (Arthur H. Clark Co, 1996), 136.
Author's quote: Neither that tally nor any later count would include the Mormon "backouts" murdered that day.Author's sources:
John D. Lee claimed that Brigham Young advised them to claim that the massacre was performed by Indians alone.Author's sources:
- Lee, 251.
The "scheme to blame the atrocity on the Indians" is claimed to have been conceived and crafted "with the characteristic meticulousness for which Brigham Young was famous."Author's sources:
- Author's opinion.
Notes
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