At the crisis of the Utah War -- Arguably the most dangerous moment in the history of the Latter-day Saints -- Colonel Thomas Kane set out on a bold plan: He would travel to Utah and Wyoming, in the dead of winter, throw himself between the U.S. Army and the Latter-day Saints, and hammer out a peace agreement. Nobody -- including President James Buchanan and his own father, Judge John Kane -- believed he would succeed. Yet Thomas Kane declared to Buchanan, "I am determined to go, with or without your approbation." On this episode (Part I of III), we remember Colonel Thomas Kane, the greatest hero of the Utah War.
Thomas Kane was born to wealthy and influential parents. His father, John Kane, was a federal judge and a leading Jacksonian Democrat. The Kane family was driven by a deep need for adventure, exploration, and humanitarian causes. Elisha would become a Navy Officer and an explorer. When the British expedition of Sir John Franklin disappeared into the Arctic in 1845, Elisha would answer the pleas of Lady Jane Franklin for a rescue mission. He would make two grueling expeditions to the frozen Arctic wastes in an effort to find and rescue the unfortunate crew of the Terror.
Thomas was, in some ways, different from his brother Elisha. At 5 and a half feet and 130 pounds, Thomas was frequently laid low with illness. But he shared his brother’s deep need for hardship and rugged adventure, which seemed to bring him to life. His brother John would later write, “Tom is never so well as when exposed to that which would kill most men of his build, and that a hard life in open air—not matter how hard—always agrees with him better than the most tranquil sedentary existence."
On this episode, we recount:
- Thomas's efforts to follow in his brother's tracks, and lead his own expedition to the frozen Arctic to rescue the unfortunate crews of the H.M.S. Terror and the H.M.S. Erebus.
- Thomas Kane's grief at the death of his friend, LDS Apostle Jedediah M. Grant.
- Thomas Kane's need for rugged adventure and open-handed philanthropy
- Thomas Kane's hair-trigger sensitivity for anything he viewed as a slight to his honor, and even after suffering a gunshot wound to the face during the 1861 Battle of Dranesville (near present-day Arlington, Virginia), he was determined to move forward and fight a duel against a fellow Union Officer.
- His wife Elizabeth's desperate effort to stop her husband from dueling
To learn more about the stories in this episode, please check out these (excellent!) sources:
o Matthew J. Grow, “I have Given Myself to the Devil: Thomas L. Kane and the Culture of Honor,” 73 Utah Hist. Q. 4 (2005). NOTE: In this episode, I state as a fact that Elisha Kent Kane married Margaret Fox. Matthew Grow's article describes the history of their romance and their love letters. Margaret Fox claimed they were married; the surviving Kane family strenuously disputed her claim.
o Richard D. Poll, “Thomas L. Kane and the Utah War,” 61 Utah Hist. Q. 2 (1993)
o Elder Lance B. Wickman, “Thomas L. Kane: Outrider for Zion,” Ensign (September 2003)
o For the materials and sources in this story, we owe a special thanks to Utah War historian William "Bill" MacKinnon - His two-volume set, "At Sword's Point: A Documentary History of the Utah War to 1858" is an extraordinary resource for anyone interested in learning more about the Utah War.