Day 69, April 5

It was the first time in our nation's history that a President had been assassinated. As cries from citizens rang out, Congress began to think about adding Presidential protection to the list of duties performed by the Secret Service. However, it would take another 36 years and the assassination of two more Presidents -- James A. Garfield (March 4, 1881-September 10, 1881) and William McKinley (1897-1901) -- before the Congress added protection of the President to the list of duties performed by the Secret Service.

Day 64, March 31

Following their discharge, many battalion members helped build flour mills and sawmills in northern California. Some of them were among the first to discover gold at Sutter's Mill. Men from Captain Davis's Company A were largely responsible for opening the first wagon road over the southern route from California to Utah in 1848.

The men of the Mormon Battalion were and are honored for their willingness to fight for the United States as loyal American citizens. Their march of some 2,000 miles from Council Bluffs to California is one of the longest military marches in history. Their participation in the early development of California by building Fort Moore in Los Angeles, building a courthouse in San Diego, and making bricks and building houses in southern California contributed to the growth of the West.

Day 63, March 30

On December 21, 1846 the battalion encamped on the Gila River. They crossed the Colorado River into California on January 9 and 10, 1847. By January 29, 1847 they were camped at the Mission of San Diego, about five miles from General Kearny's quarters. That evening Colonel Cooke rode to Kearny's encampment and reported the battalion's condition.

On January 30, 1847 Cooke issued orders listing the accomplishments of the Mormon Battalion. "History may be searched in vain for an equal march of infantry. Half of it has been through a wilderness where nothing but savages and wild beasts are found, or deserts where, for lack of water, there is no living creature."

During the rest of their enlistment, some members of the battalion were assigned to garrison duty at either San Diego, San Luis Rey, or Ciudad de los Angeles. Other soldiers were assigned to accompany General Kearny back to Fort Leavenworth.

All soldiers, whether en route to the Salt Lake Valley via Pueblo or still in Los Angeles, were mustered out of the United States Army on July 16, 1847. Eighty-one men chose to reenlist and serve an additional eight months of military duty under Captain Daniel C. Davis in Company A of the Mormon Volunteers. Most of the soldiers traveled to the Salt Lake Valley and were reunited with their pioneering families.

The men of the Mormon Battalion are honored for their willingness to fight for the United States as loyal American citizens. Their march of some 2,000 miles from Council Bluffs to California is one of the longest military marches in history. Their participation in the early development of California by building Fort Moore in Los Angeles, building a courthouse in San Diego, and making bricks and building houses in southern California contributed to the growth of the West.

Following their discharge, many men helped build flour mills and sawmills in northern California. Some of them were among the first to discover gold at Sutter's Mill. Men from Captain Davis's Company A were responsible for opening the first wagon road over the southern route from California to Utah in 1848.

Day 62, March 29

The first division of the Battalion approached Santa Fe on October 9, 1846.  Colonel Alexander Doniphan ordered a one-hundred-gun salute in their honor. At Santa Fe, Smith was relieved of his command by Lt. Colonel Philip St. George Cooke.

Aware of the rugged trail between Santa Fe and California and also aware that one sick detachment had already been sent from the Arkansas River to Fort Pueblo in Colorado, Cooke ordered the remaining women and children (yes, a few women and children accompanied the march)  to go with the sick of the battalion to Pueblo for the winter. Three detachments consisting of 273 people eventually were sent to Pueblo for the winter of 1846-47.

The remaining soldiers, with four wives of officers, left Santa Fe for California on October 19, 1846. They journeyed down the Rio Grande del Norte and eventually crossed the Continental Divide on November 28, 1846. While moving up the San Pedro River in what is now Arizona, their column was attacked by a herd of wild cattle. In the ensuing fight, a number of bulls were killed and two men were wounded.

Following the "Battle of the Bulls," the battalion continued their march toward Tucson, where they anticipated a possible battle with the Mexican soldiers stationed there. At Tucson, the Mexican defenders temporarily abandoned their positions.

Day 61, March 28

The battalion marched from Council Bluffs, Iowa, starting on 20 July 1846, arriving on 1 August 1846 at Fort Leavenworth, Kansas.  There, the men were outfitted for their trek to Santa Fe.  Battalion members drew their arms and other supplies, as well as a clothing allowance of forty-two dollars, at the fort.  Since a military uniform was not required, many of the soldiers sent their clothing allowances to their families in the Mormon encampments in Iowa.

The march from Fort Leavenworth was delayed by the sudden illness of Colonel Allen. Capt. Jefferson Hunt was instructed to begin the march to Santa Fe.  He soon received word that Colonel Allen was dead. Allen's death caused confusion regarding who should lead the battalion to Santa Fe. Lt. A.J. Smith arrived from Fort Leavenworth claiming the lead, and he was chosen the commanding officer by the vote of battalion officers.

A Dr. Sanderson accompanied the battalion. With antiquated medicines, Sanderson treated the soldiers, who suffered from heat exhaustion, lack of food, and forced long-distance marches.   Twenty men died later as a result of their service in the battalion.

Day 60, March 27

After the martydrom of Joseph Smith, church President Brigham Young had planned on moving the Latter-day Saints west, but circumstances worked against the plan, including the lack of money. When the opportunity came for Mormon men to enlist, the Prophet saw several possible advantages.

 First, the money alloted for the men to purchase uniforms could be used to purchase wagons, teams, and other supplies for the Saints' exodus to the west.  In addition, their enlistment would be a public relations victory for the church, demonstrating additional evidence of its loyalty to the United States.

It took a great deal of encouragement, even cajoling, for President Young to convince the men to enlist.  He wrote this:

The President (Polk) wants to do us good and secure our confidence. The outfit of this five hundred men costs us nothing, and their pay will be sufficient to take their families over the mountains. There is war between Mexico and the United States, to whom California must fall a prey, and if we are the first settlers the old citizens cannot have a Hancock or Missouri pretext to mob the Saints. The thing is from above for our own good.^[

Day 59, March 26

Did you know that the United States had a one time religiously based unit?  I didn't.  Though I am Mormon and knew of the Mormon Battalion,  not until I had done some research, did I realize that it was the only religiously based unit in United States military history.  It served from July 1846 to July 1847 during the Mexican-American War.

The battalion was a volunteer unit of over 500 Latter-day Saints men, commanded by regular US army officers. During its service, the battalion made a grueling march nearly 2,000 miles long from Council Bluffs, Iowa to San Diego, California.

The battalion's march and service was key in helping the US secure much of the American Southwest, including new lands in several Western states, especially the Gadsden Purchase of 1853 of much of southern Arizona. The march also opened a southern wagon route to California. Those who served in the battalion played a vital role in America's expansion in California, Utah, and Arizona.