Utah War - Timeline of Events

Timeline of Events

• July 24, 1847: Mormon Pioneers found Salt Lake City as the first city of the State of Deseret.
• February 2, 1848: The Treaty of Guadalupe Hidalgo is signed by the U.S. and Mexico, granting the region of Deseret to the U.S.
• September 9, 1850: The Great Compromise of 1850 is signed into law, creating the Utah Territory and appointing Brigham Young governor.
• March 4, 1857: James Buchanan takes office as President of the United States.
• April 1857: Troops are mobilized for the Utah campaign (Poll & MacKinnon 1994, p. 30). The press in the Eastern U.S. begins to speculate on who would be appointed to replace Brigham Young.
• May 28, 1857: Winfield Scott, General-in-Chief of the U.S. Army, announces the creation of the Military Department of Utah, to be assembled at Fort Leavenworth (Poll & MacKinnon 1994, p. 30).
• June 29, 1857: U.S. President James Buchanan declares Utah in rebellion against the U.S. government, and mobilizes a regiment of the U.S. army, initially led by Col. Edmund Alexander.
• July 5, 1857: Brigham Young refers in a sermon to "rumors" that the U.S. is sending 1,500 to 2,000 troops into the Utah Territory, and warns them, possibly sarcastically, that if people enter the territory and don't "behave themselves", they will be subject to a "Vigilance Committee", and the Danites will "bite their heels" (Young 1857a, p. 5).
• July 13, 1857: President Buchanan appoints Alfred Cumming governor of Utah, and directs him to accompany the military forces into Utah (Poll & MacKinnon 1994, p. 30).
• July 18, 1857: Two Mormons, Porter Rockwell and Abraham Owen Smoot, learn of Buchanan's declaration in Kansas City while on a mail run. On the same day, Col. Alexander and his troops begin the journey to Utah.
• July 23, 1857: Rockwell and Smoot arrive in Salt Lake City and inform Brigham Young of the government's plans.
• July 26, 1857: Heber C. Kimball refers to 2,500 approaching troops and states that if somehow their wagons and cattle arrive in Utah without the troops, it would be "a mighty help to us" (Kimball 1857, p. 94). Jokingly, he said he had "wives enough to whip out the United States" (Kimball 1857, p. 95).
• August 2, 1857: Brigham Young publicly discusses the possible secession of the Mormon theocracy from the United States and the establishment of an independent kingdom (Young 1857b, p. 98). Heber C. Kimball issues a curse upon President Buchanan and predicts his untimely death (JD 5:129).
• August 5, 1857: Brigham Young declares martial law (Young 1857c). This date is somewhat anomalous however. No evidence supports the claim that this declaration ever circulated during August. However, a slightly different declaration of martial law was issued and received wide circulation on September 15.
• August 28, 1857: Col. Johnston is ordered to replace Gen. Harney as commander of the U.S. troops.
• August 30, 1857: Brigham Young discusses the possible secession of the Mormon "Kingdom of God" from the United States, and announces: "We must have the kingdom of God, or nothing. We are not to be overthrown." (JD 5:166).
• September 7, 1857: Mountain Meadows Attack. An emigrant wagon train of non-Mormons is attacked and besieged by a mixed contingent of Mormon militia dressed as Paiute Indians.
• September 11, 1857: In the Mountain Meadows massacre, a group of Mormons under John D. Lee, with a white flag, lure out the survivors, and kill nearly all of them.
• September 15, 1857: Brigham Young calls out the Nauvoo Legion to fight the U.S. Troops if they enter Utah Territory.
• September 18, 1857: Col. Johnston and his troops leave Fort Leavenworth, Kansas and are headed for Utah.
• October 5, 1857: Lot Smith leads the Nauvoo Legion on a guerrilla-style attack on the provision wagons of the U.S. Army. Fifty-two wagons belonging to outfitters Russell, Majors and Waddell are burned. The government never reimburses the outfitters and in 1860 they form the Pony Express to earn a government mail contract to keep them from falling into bankruptcy.
• November 3, 1857: Col. Albert Sidney Johnston catches up with Col. Alexander and replaces him as commander. Johnston orders the regiment to spend the winter in Fort Bridger and to delay the move to Salt Lake City until next spring.
• December 19, 1857: President James Buchanan submits the nomination of Alfred Cumming to the United States Senate (Buchanan 1857).
• March 23, 1858: Brigham Young implements a scorched earth policy. All faithful are ordered to move south to Provo and to prepare their homes in Salt Lake City for burning.
• April 6, 1858: James Buchanan: Proclamation on the Rebellion in Utah. ("a free pardon for the seditions and treasons heretofore by them committed;")
• April 12, 1858: The U.S. Army and Cumming arrive in Salt Lake City. Brigham Young surrenders the title of governor to Alfred Cumming.