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Sava
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GO GO GO!
Mar 2001
time: 23:17
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quote:
JOURNEY TO CALIFORNIA
On May 1, 1857, a train of over forty wagons, several carriages, 1000 head of cattle, hundreds of horses, and about 142 pioneer men, women and children left Arkansas for California. Tension was building at this time among the Mormon people, who were becoming fearful of the federal government. President James Buchanan had received distorted reports of the terrible activities in Utah. He sent a new governor to Utah to replace the Mormon governor in office, Brigham Young. The Mormons feared their own destruction by the federal government. The various Mormon Militia units were instructed to be ready to march on a moment's notice to any part of the territory. Because the settlers in Utah had not been friendly, the pioneers were alert. However, they were expecting no trouble from the Indians.
On Tuesday morning, September 8, 1857 the Indians attacked the emigrants, killing seven men and wounding sixteen others before they were turned back. The pioneers withstood the attacking Indians for four days, leaving the pioneers with no water and their ammunition nearly gone.
THE MASSACRE
The entire truth will probably never be known because most of the documents and diaries of the participants were destroyed. The surviving children were able to supply details on the massacre itself, however.
Bishop John D. Lee approached the train under a flag of truce and convinced the pioneers that he had persuaded the Indians to let them go if they would leave their wagons and possessions to the Indians. After deliberating, the suffering group could find no other way out and they agreed. The pioneers were told that it should appear to the Indians that they were the Mormon's prisoners. Lee sent in a wagon and the emigrants' weapons were loaded in to it. The wounded were then loaded into two wagons and two other wagons were loaded with the youngest of the children. These wagons left first followed by the women and older children on foot. The men were lined up single file, and parallel to a single file of Mormon Militiamen and this group followed about a quarter of a mile behind. As the group moved out, the waiting Indians moved in and began to loot the goods the pioneers had left behind. A short distance later, Lee rose up in his stirrups and shouted "Do your duty!" and each Mormon shot the member of the train standing next to him. At about the same time up ahead, Mormon Militia disguised as Indians, and the real Indians, moved in on the women and older children, shooting, clubbing and axing them to death.
CONCLUSIONS AND CONSEQUENCES
No effort was made to give the bodies a decent burial. Foraging animals scattered the bones over a great distance. In 1859, a passing detachment of U.S. Cavalry stopped and gathered what bones they could find into one grave. A rock cairn was erected with a carved stone and the words "Here lie the bones of one hundred and twenty men, women and children from Arkansas, murdered on the 10th day of September, 1857." An officer painted a cross-line beam above the cairn with the words "Vengeance is mine, saith the Lord. I will repay."
The two wagonloads of children who had not been killed were adopted into Mormon homes. It is believed that 18 of the children survived. In 1859, Captain James Lynch of the U.S. Army took possession of these young survivors and returned them to relatives in Arkansas. Although there were many investigations, no punishment was handed out for the crime until 20 years later. Lee wrote out a full confession and was found guilty and sentenced to death by firing squad. |
from the official Mountain Meadows Massacre website: http://asms.k12.ar.us/armem/brondel/page1.htm
At Mountain Meadows in Southern Utah, September 11, 1857, at least 127 men, women, and children were massacred by order of the leadership of the Mormon Church. 
This is a significant even in American history. Until the Oklahoma City bombings in 1995, this was the single largest slaughter of Americans by Americans.
We must never forget his horrible tragedy.
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Jon Miller
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yeah, I remember hearing about this event recently, and being surprised..
JM
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Mao
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Apolyton
Jun 1999
time: 00:17
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Wait...did I read wrong or did this thing happen on September 10th?
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mrmitchell
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Mao is right. The Massacre occured on September 10 1857.
One of the reasons the Mormons were uppity was because earlier, a Mormon missionary had been murdered in Arkansas (near Van Buren, I think?).
Nonetheless, this is an important event in our nation's history, and regardless of what we think of Sava we should try to hold some decency in this discussion...
EDIT: Well, I guess there are conflicting ideas on the date. An Arkansas history book I pulled off my bookshelf said the 10th, but seeing as how records back then still weren't vigorously recorded, it could have been anywhere around that timeframe.
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Sava
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GO GO GO!
Mar 2001
time: 23:17
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I know it may at first seem like I'm trolling because I do it a lot, but I'm not.
This is a serious thread.
I'm upset because 9-11 WTC attacks is constantly being shoved down our throats.
Yes, they were horrific attacks.
But I am upset for a few reasons.
There is a horrible irony in the mantra of "NEVER FORGET" about 9-11. Everyone says WE MUST NEVER FORGET the WTC attacks, but yet, as illustrated in this thread, people have forgotten about other important events that have occured on this date in history.
Also, I'm upset at the people who use the WTC attacks for their own personal reasons. Bush, Republicans, and the media. Case in point, today is the first NFL Sunday. And what is happening today? oooh Nick Lachey and Jessica Simpson singing America the Beautiful... and the usual moments of silence stuff. Although, I must say that America the Beautiful is better than God Bless America (which is the most offensive song ever, considering it goes against EVERYTHING america is supposed to stand for... religious freedom)
Not that we shouldn't mourn the dead, but we shouldn't place the victims of 9-11 on a pedestal ABOVE other people that have died. I mean, how is a victim of 9-11 any more important than someone else who happened to died on 9-11, but in Iowa in a drunkdriving crash or something? Where is the moment of silence for them? Or how about the moment of silence for the tens of thousands of victims of gun violence per year.
Yes, the WTC were horrible and Islamic Fundamentalism is a threat that needs to be dealt with. But keep it in perspective. 3,000 people died... Something like 100,000 people die on our highways in a year!!! 3,000 is a drop in the bucket.
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mrmitchell
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D'oh!
I've done some quick research...looks as if the massacre did occur on the 11th. A monument carved into a rock on the site in 1859 said the travelers were murdered on the 10th, apparently in error.
Sava, I think this would actually be the official website:
http://www.mtn-meadows-assoc.com/
The Mormon missionary I mentioned in my earlier post was Parley Pratt, who was indeed murdered near Van Buren, AR in 1857. Not that he was just a traveling preacher who got axed by some psycho hillbilly; he had married his murderer's wife earlier that year (in addition to his other wives).
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All times are GMT. The time now is 05:17.
Apolyton Time is 00:17. |
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11-09-2005 20:15
ACK!
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