Missouri Mormon War

Missouri Mormon War
Conflict	Missouri Mormon War
Date	1838
Place	northwestern Missouri (notably Carroll County, Ray County, Clay County, Caldwell County)
Result	expulsion of Latter Day Saints from western Missouri; migration to Nauvoo
Combatants header	Parties
Combatant1	Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints (early Latter Day Saints)
Combatant2	Missouri militia and anti-Mormon vigilantes
Commanders and leaders1	Joseph Smith, Sidney Rigdon, Brigham Young
Commanders and leaders2	Lilburn Boggs, Alexander Doniphan, David Rice Atchison

Missouri Mormon War The Missouri Mormon War was a violent 1838 conflict in northwestern Missouri between adherents of the Latter Day Saint movement and non-Mormon settlers, militias, and state authorities that culminated in the expulsion of Latter Day Saints from Missouri. The crisis involved pitched skirmishes, legal prosecutions, proclamations by the Governor Lilburn Boggs, and mass displacement toward Illinois, influencing leaders such as Joseph Smith and Brigham Young and shaping subsequent developments in the Latter Day Saint movement. The episode remains a focal point in studies of 19th-century American religious conflict, frontier politics, and civil liberties.

Background and Causes

Tensions developed after the arrival of migrants associated with the Latter Day Saint movement in counties such as Caldwell County, which had been designated for settlement under directives from church leadership including Joseph Smith and Sidney Rigdon. Competition over land and political influence brought the Saints into conflict with established residents of Ray County and Carroll County, where figures like David Rice Atchison and Alexander Doniphan represented local interests. Economic pressures, partisan alignments with national figures such as Andrew Jackson and local controversies involving militia organization fostered fear among non-Mormons that church members would consolidate power in state institutions. Incidents including property disputes, retaliatory raids, and inflammatory rhetoric by spokesmen such as Sidney Rigdon intensified animosities and contributed to episodes of mob violence.

Key Events and Timeline

In early 1838 growing clashes produced notable incidents: the Gallatin voting confrontation, defensive mobilizations by Mormon militia units under leaders like Alexander McRae? (note: lesser-known captains) and retaliatory attacks by vigilantes. The summer saw the Fighting at Crooked River and the Haun's Mill massacre, where armed engagement and massacre led by posses and Missouri militia elements escalated the crisis. Governor Lilburn Boggs issued a controversial order known as the "Extermination Order," prompting expeditions by officers including Alexander Doniphan and intervention by Missouri authorities. The sequence of legal arrests, sieges such as at Hernandez? (local strongholds), and the final evacuation drew in federal attention and set the stage for Joseph Smith's incarceration in Liberty and later relocation toward Nauvoo.

Military Actions and Conflicts

Armed encounters involved irregular forces: Mormon militias often organized under callings from Brigham Young and local captains faced off against county militias and ad hoc vigilante groups led by officials aligned with David Rice Atchison and other local commanders. Skirmishes such as the Battle of Crooked River saw detachments clash at bridges and river fords, drawing tactical responses by Missouri militia generals. Commanders like Alexander Doniphan at times refused orders to execute prisoners, citing legal and ethical constraints. The use of small-arms, mounted detachments, and targeted raids produced civilian casualties at settlements such as Haun's Mill, where militia irregulars attacked a farming community, resulting in deaths and leaving survivors to flee. These engagements exposed the limits of frontier law enforcement and highlighted the interplay between local militias and state directives.

Government Response and Legal Actions

State-level action peaked when Governor Lilburn Boggs issued a proclamation ordering that Mormons be driven from the state, a measure justified by contemporary officials as necessary to restore peace. Legal proceedings ensued against Mormon leaders; Joseph Smith and others were arrested and tried on charges ranging from treason against the state to lesser felonies. Military commissions and civilian courts in places like Jackson County and Ray County handled cases unevenly, while national figures debated federal intervention. Officers such as Alexander Doniphan argued for due process and the rule of law, challenging summary executions or extrajudicial punishments. The legal aftermath included pardons, appeals, and contested records that later historians and legal scholars have examined for constitutional and civil-rights implications.

Forced Exodus and Aftermath

Following the issuance of the state proclamation and continued violence, large numbers of Latter Day Saints abandoned their Missouri settlements and migrated eastward to Illinois, where leaders facilitated relocation to Nauvoo under the guidance of Joseph Smith and later Brigham Young. The displacement entailed loss of property, contested land titles, and prolonged litigation involving local authorities and claimants. Relations between former Missouri residents and returning claimants remained strained; attempts at restitution and negotiation involved intermediaries and figures such as Alexander Doniphan and legal advocates sympathetic to the displaced. The forced exodus reshaped demographics in both Missouri and Illinois and influenced subsequent migration to Utah Territory under Brigham Young's leadership.

Legacy and Historical Interpretation

Scholars, including historians of American West expansion and specialists on Latter Day Saint movement history, interpret the conflict variously as an instance of religious persecution, frontier vigilantism, and political contestation over territory and authority. Works analyzing the episode cite primary sources like contemporaneous newspapers, gubernatorial papers from Lilburn Boggs, court records from Clay County and Ray County, and correspondence of leaders such as Joseph Smith and Brigham Young. The controversy surrounding Governor Lilburn Boggs's order and the Haun's Mill massacre remains a focal point in debates over civil liberties and minority rights in 19th-century America. Commemorations, museum exhibits, and scholarly conferences continue to reassess the causes, conduct, and consequences of the conflict for Missouri history and the development of the Latter Day Saint movement.

Category:1838 in the United States Category:History of Missouri Category:Latter Day Saint movement