Latter-day Saints remember the conflict that has come to be known as the "The Mormon War” in Missouri in 1838. Places like Haun’s Mill, Far West, Clay County witnessed violent and savage persecutions against the newly organized Church, and Latter-day Saints have worked hard to preserve the stories and the voices of the saints who lived through them.
But what was it like to muster into the Missouri militia and move against Far West? On this episode, we will explore the Mormon War from the perspective of Peter Hardeman Burnett (1808 - 1895). A farmer, a clerk, a lawyer and, eventually, a Soldier in the Missouri militia, Burnett describes what led to the conflict and relates his experience serving under Brigadier General Alexander Doniphan (1808-1887). What may be surprising to modern readers, Burnett does not shy away from candidly describing a fact often left out of such memoirs-- Burnett and the men of his company were terrified of the Mormons. Even so, Burnett was a believer in the rule of law. In the critical moment when church leaders Joseph Smith, Hyrum Smith, Sidney Rigdeon and others were about to be tried by court-martial and executed, Burnett assured Doniphan that he and the men of Clay County would stand by him in opposing the court-martial, a plan Doniphan denounced as "cold-blooded murder."
To learn more about the materials in this episode, please check out:
Peter Hardeman Burnett, Recollections and Opinions of an Old Pioneer (1880), available at https://www.loc.gov/item/01006673/
Search terms: Peter Hardemen Burnett, Clay County, Mormon War, 1838, Lyman Wight, Missouri Frontier, David Patton, Joseph Smith, Hyrum Smith, Sidney Rigdon, Battle of Crooked River, Alexander Doniphan, Samuel Lucas, Samuel Bogard, Davis County, Ray County, Frontier, Court-Martial.