Comments on: A Utah War Primer

By: Last Chance for Niblet Nominations at Mormon Matters

Last Chance for Niblet Nominations at Mormon Matters — Wed, 01 Jul 2009 21:59:33 +0000

[...] “Populating Worlds: Joseph Smith’s Legacy” John Hamer “Book of Jasher” Ardis “A Utah War Primer” Ardis “Polynesians in the Desert” Mormon Heretic’s “Was Priesthood Ban [...]

By: Bill MacKinnon

Bill MacKinnon — Fri, 21 Nov 2008 16:38:59 +0000

Glen Hopkinson (#17), thanks for reminding us of what Albert Sidney Johnston did after the Utah War. Typical of him that that he, like his subordinate in the Second U.S. Cavalry Robert E. Lee, left the U.S. service in 1861 by resigning his commission and waiting for its acceptance before departing rather than just decamping as Capt. H.H. Sibley (and others) did. The folklore is that the horse that Johnston was riding when fatally wounded at Shiloh was the one that he rode during the Utah War.

You’re quite right; he was no fan of the Mormons and said some pretty hard things about “traitors,” but Mormon leaders never demonized him as nearly as I can conclude. Brigham Young surely viewed him as an opponent, but seemed to respect him. After the Utah Expedition’s June 1858 orderly march through Salt Lake City, B.Y. expressed his thanks that ASJ had controlled his troops so well. Even Albert Carrington, editor of the “Deseret News,” wrote an editorial in the late summer of 1858 to express the same thought and to quasi-defend Johnston’s handling of the fall 1857 march of the Utah Expedition to Fort Bridger in response to an attack on him that appeared in the St. Louis “Democrat” written by one of Johnston’s critics, possibly General Harney.

Glen, have you ever considered a Utah War scene (or several) for one of your magnificent paintings? How about Maj. Lot Smith’s nocturnal descent on the Utah Expedition’s wagon trains in October 1857, the Nauvoo Legion’s attack on the Tenth Infantry’s mule herd at Pacific Springs the month before, the Move South of spring 1858, or Capt. Ives and his detachment’s ascent of the Colorado River and rediscovery of the Grand Canyon in January 1858, or Tsar Alexander II’s brooding in a St. Petersburg palace over the need to sell Russian America in December 1857 for fear that Brigham Young might just seize it?

By: Bill MacKinnon

Bill MacKinnon — Fri, 21 Nov 2008 16:14:06 +0000

Robert C. Turpin (#16), that makes two of us — at least — that wish that Hal Schindler’s Utah War book had been completed before his death in the late 1990s. In an article that I wrote recently about future possible discoveries of source material on the Utah War I commented that at some time perhaps researchers would have access to Hal’s files. As far as I know, they have been virtually sealed in the family basement since Hal’s passing. Even someone as close to Hal as Will Bagley (who collaborated with him on at least one book) is not clear on what’s in those files or on Hal’s computer after all these years. When I got to Salt Lake in the 1990s, I would often meet with Hal to compare notes. When we would get to an interesting point in the discussion — say, about whether the variant August 5, 1857 B.Y. proclamation of martial law was or wasn’t the real thing vis a vis the September 15, 1857 version — he would claim to have the answer, pause, dispense a Mona Lisa smile, and tell me that all would be revealed in “The Book.” Back in the 1960s Howard Lamar suggested that I collaborate with Hal on a Utah War project about which Hal had approached him, but Lamar cautioned me that Hal’s workstyle was “very secretive.” When I wrote to Hal to broach this subject, he kindly waved me off, saying that he only flew solo as a result of his years as a newspaper reporter on the police beat. Hal did some magnificent work, yet on the John Tobin assassination attempt along the Santa Clara River in Feb. 1857, it was Ardis Parshall who got and published the real scoop. Stay tuned…

By: Ardis E. Parshall

Ardis E. Parshall — Fri, 21 Nov 2008 15:24:00 +0000

S., feel free to tell his story here! Soldiers sneaking out of camp in pickle barrels didn’t seem quite basic enough for a primer, but with this teaser I know there will be readers wanting to know more.

By: S. Taylor

S. Taylor — Fri, 21 Nov 2008 15:17:58 +0000

Great summary of most key facts regarding the war. But what about Tervort Vegedes?

By: Glen Hopkinson

Glen Hopkinson — Fri, 21 Nov 2008 04:58:57 +0000

Four years later, April 6, 1862 while General A.S. Johnston was leading his Confederate forces against General Grant at the Battle Shilo (also know as the Battle of Pittsburg Landing) in Southwestern Tennessee, he was wounded in the leg. He felt the wound to be insignificant and continued to direct the battle from horseback. The bullet had hit an artery and he fell from his horse and bled to death. Jefferson Davis felt Johnston was the best general in the Southern Army and felt his loss deeply. Some officers in the Confederate Army wrestled mightily with their conscience as they broke their Loyalty Oath when they left the service of the United States. Sydney Johnston was a masterful tactitian but he was no fan of the Mormons.

By: Robert C. Turpin

Robert C. Turpin — Thu, 20 Nov 2008 20:39:57 +0000

Remember Harold Schindler? He wrote “Porter Rockwell: Man of God, Son of Thunder”. At the time he passed away he was working on a book about the Utah War. I wish he would have finished the book.

Robert C. Turpin

By: Utah War : Mormon Metaphysics

Utah War : Mormon Metaphysics — Thu, 20 Nov 2008 00:15:59 +0000

[...] Ardis’ Utah War primer. A nice summary if you aren’t up on the history. [...]

By: J. Stapley

J. Stapley — Wed, 19 Nov 2008 20:27:38 +0000

Kevin, I’m not sure if it was it or not, but the recent MMM volume includes an image of the invitation (pg. 34).

By: Ardis E. Parshall

Ardis E. Parshall — Wed, 19 Nov 2008 20:17:16 +0000

Kevin, I don't know which article you might have seen; several appeared in local (Utah) publications as part of the sesquicentennial. My column for the Tribune -- without, alas, any illustration -- can be found here should you want a refresher of the details of that day.