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The FReeper Foxhole Remembers The Mountain Meadows Massacre (9/11/1857) - Sep. 11th, 2003
http://members.aol.com/Gibson0817/mmmassacre.htm ^

Posted on 09/11/2003 12:00:34 AM PDT by SAMWolf



Lord,

Keep our Troops forever in Your care

Give them victory over the enemy...

Grant them a safe and swift return...

Bless those who mourn the lost.
.

FReepers from the Foxhole join in prayer
for all those serving their country at this time.


God Bless America
...................................................................................... ...........................................

U.S. Military History, Current Events and Veterans Issues

Where Duty, Honor and Country
are acknowledged, affirmed and commemorated.

Our Mission:

The FReeper Foxhole is dedicated to Veterans of our Nation's military forces and to others who are affected in their relationships with Veterans.

In the FReeper Foxhole, Veterans or their family members should feel free to address their specific circumstances or whatever issues concern them in an atmosphere of peace, understanding, brotherhood and support.

The FReeper Foxhole hopes to share with it's readers an open forum where we can learn about and discuss military history, military news and other topics of concern or interest to our readers be they Veteran's, Current Duty or anyone interested in what we have to offer.

If the Foxhole makes someone appreciate, even a little, what others have sacrificed for us, then it has accomplished one of it's missions.

We hope the Foxhole in some small way helps us to remember and honor those who came before us.

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The Mountain Meadows Massacre


The years of 1855-56 had been particularly harsh on the Mormon settlements around the Great Salt Lake. Through their difficulties were due to normal things like drought and insect infestation, the Mormons believed they were being punished by God for their sins. All people were called upon to confess and represent. For some sins, the only way of achieving forgiveness was the doctrine of "blood-atonement." This meant that one had to shed their own blood. Unfortunately, things got out of control when some Mormons extended the shedding of blood to others to save themselves. At the same time, they claimed, they were "saving" the person who was sacrificed.



The atrocities reached the ears of leaders in the east. President Buchanan sent troops to Utah to return order. The Mormons heard about it in advance and prepared for a long siege. They stockpiled grain. They found places to hide. They got ready to leave at a moment’s notice. They burned down Fort Bridger and Fort Supply so they could not provide shelter to U.S. troops. Brigham Young declared that army troops would not be allowed to enter the Salt Lake Valley for any reason. He declared that all citizens must be ready to bare arms against them.

Before the troops could reach Utah, the Fancher emigrant train had reached Salt Lake City from Arkansas. They had received a hostile reception there so left as soon as possible. In their way south, they were unable to buy or trade with any of the settlers. They traveled as fast as they could to get out of Utah. They stopped at Mountain Meadows, in the southwest corner of the territory, to rest their animals. The meadows were a final resting and refueling stop before crossing the ninety miles of desert west of them. There were two springs in the valley and lush grass. Around the valley were steep hillsides.


This 1870s T.B.H. Stenhouse sketch depicts the horrors at Mountain Meadows


On the eastern edge of the valley lived Jacob Hamlin, a Mormon Indian agent for the Paiutes, and some other assistants. On the morning of September 7, 1857, seven emigrants fell dead from gunfire. Sixteen others were wounded. The emigrants were stunned, but the survivors raced to their wagons to arm themselves and get the women and children under cover. The Indians did not expect resistance and hesitated. But spurned on by their Mormon instigators John D. Lee, sub-agent, and Nephi Johnson, interpreter, they kept fighting. The Indians also ran off some of the cattle and shot the rest. Overall, there were 54 white men and 200 Indians in the attacking force.

The settlers made a fortress out of their wagons and piled up earth. They sent out messengers for help. Two men reached Cedar City, but when they asked for help, one of them was killed on the spot. The other was wounded, but got away. Three men finally got out and headed toward California for help.


John D. Lee


The Mormons were dismayed that the settlers weren’t so easy to dislodge. They held a council to decide what to do. They decided they must somehow be lured out of their stronghold and then killed. Lee and William Bateman approached the camp waving a white flag. They claimed that the Indians had agreed to leave them alone if they surrendered to the Mormons. They would have to make a show of it so the Indians would believe they were surrendering. They had to put their guns in the wagons and the men had to walk unarmed. The pioneers agreed, believing it was their only option.

They started to march out of the valley, practically in single file. When they reached a certain spot, Major John Higbee gave a signal. All of a sudden the Indians erupted out of their hiding places and attacked the women. The Mormon militiamen bringing up the rear killed the men on foot that were closest to them. All of the men were killed in the first two or three volleys. The women were left to the Indians. All of them were scalped, stripped of their clothes, and killed.


Site of the Mountain Meadow Massacre


Shortly afterward, Ira Hatch led some Indians after the three men who were heading to California. They caught up with them in the Santa Clara Mountains and killed them. In all, about 120 men, women, and children were killed including the five who had left the stronghold. Seventeen children survived and were taken to Hamlin’s agency and divided up among Mormon families.

The Mormons took all the money that the settlers had on them. They gave much of the property to the Indians. The rest was taken and sold and donated to the Church. They took all the jewelry off the bodies, not caring if they mutilated fingers or ears in its removal.

On October 2, eleven Mormon men fleeing Utah through the southern boundary stopped at the site of the massacre. They saw the nude, mutilated bodies still laying there, some partly eaten by wild animals. They told about what they saw when they reached Los Angeles. From there the news spread all over the country. A hue and cry went up to punish the Indians and Mormons responsible.



A Dr. Forney, Superintendent of Utah, investigated the matter. He found the missing children living with white families near Hamlin’s agency. Some of them were old enough to explain exactly what happened. He was amazed that the families who had taken in the children demanded money to repay them for what they had paid the Indians to free the children. He learned that the Indians that died had done so after eating an animal infected from eating a noxious weed, not from being deliberately poisoned by the emigrants. He also learned that this particular tribe had not even been involved in the fight. This contradicted the story that had been given by the Mormons for the Indian uprising.

It wasn’t until the spring of 1859, that an army company went to the meadows and buried the remains. On June 29, fifteen of the seventeen children were sent east in a wagon train escorted by soldiers, John C. Miller and Milium Tackett were kept was witnesses. They testified in Washington D.C., then went home to Arkansas. No one was punished until 1876, when Lee and three others finally went on trial. In the first trial, Lee was acquitted, being as there were nine Mormon men on the jury. The U.S. government proclaimed the jury selection as invalid and declared a second trial. By then, the Mormon church decided that they should sacrifice Lee and the others to improve their own standing. The witnesses in the second trial all of a sudden remembered everything that happened. Lee was found guilty of murder. On March 23, 1877, he was executed at the scene of the massacre.


Below is a short history of the Mountain Meadows Massacre, as it appears on the memorial in Harrison, Arkansas.

The Mountain Meadows Massacre

In memory of 140 men, women and children, Northwest Arkansas emigrants to California in 1857 under leadership of Alexander Fancher (Piney Alex) left from Caravan Spring 4 miles south of here around May 1st - camped at Mountain Meadows, Utah in early September - attacked by Indians directed by Mormons - fought for several days until ammunition exhausted - approached by Mormons under flag of truce - promised protection - surrendered - all were then killed except 17 small children - found later in Mormon homes - rescued by Army in 1859 - taken to Arkansas - cared for by relatives - John D. Lee, Mormon bishop, tried - found guilty - executed in 1877 - confessed guilt and Mormon complicity - consult Russells Behind These Ozark Hills (1947) Goodspeeds History of Arkansas (1889) p. 346 - 350 in regional library Harrison.

Vengeance is mine, I will repay, saith the Lord.
Romans 12:19

Small children not killed
Milum & William - children of Pleasant Tackett
Angeline & George Ann - children of L. D. Dunlap
Martha Elizabeth - Sarah F. - W. T. - children of G. W. Baker
Rebecca J. - Sarah E. - Louisa - children of Jesse Dunlap
John Calvin - Mary - Joseph - children of Josiah Miller
Kit Carson & Tryphina - children of Alexander Fancher
F. M. Jones - child of J. M. Jones
Sophronia - child of Peter Huff



Below is the inscription of the back side of the monument at Harrison, Arkansas. It provides an incomplete list of the victims of the massacre.

Those Killed
From Carroll Co. Arkansas
Alexander Fancher - Wife Eliza Ingram -
Their children: Hampton - William - Mary -
Thomas - Martha - Sarah G. - Margaret A.
George W. Baker - Wife - Child
John I. Baker - Abel Baker
Milum Rush - Allen Deshazo
David W. Beller - Jrs Mathew Fancher
Robert T. Fancher - Melissa Ann Beller

From Marion Co. Arkansas
Chas R. Mitchell - Wife - Child
Joel D. Mitchell - Lawson Mitchell
Wm. Pruett - John Pruett
Jesse Dunlap - Wife - 6 Children
Rachel Dunlap - Ruth Dunlap
L. D. Dunlap - 5 Children
Wm. Wood - Solomon Wood
Richard Wilson

From Johnson Co. Arkansas
J. Milum Jones - Wife - Child
Pleasant Tackett - Wife - 2 Children
Cintha Tackett - 3 Children
Ambrose Tackett - Miriam Tackett
William Cambron - Wife - 5 Children
Josiah Miller - Wife - 5 Children
Peter Huff - Wife - Their children:
Angeline - Annie - Ephriam W.

Wm. Eaton - Indiana - Wm. A. Aden - Tenn.

Residence Unknown
John Melvin Sorel - Mary Sorel
Francis Horn - Joseph Miller - Wife
Other Names in Caravan
Mortons - Haydons - Hudsons -
Hamiltons - Smiths - Laffoons

OTHERS UNKNOWN




TOPICS: VetsCoR
KEYWORDS: arkansas; bringhamyoung; freeperfoxhole; johndlee; lds; michaeldobbs; mormans; mormonlds; mountainmeadows; paiute; utah; veterans
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To: Johnny Gage
Thanks Johnny.

During the Yom Kippur War, Neshers were primarily used in air-to-air combat where 227 enemy planes were shot down with only six losses.



Yom Kippur War, October 20, 1973; Already a double Ace with 10 kills, Giora (Epstein) Even maneuvers his 101 Squadron Nesher after one of four Mig 21 kills in a single battle. Giora would end the war with 12 kills; nine kills in 48 hours, and three additional kills just minutes before the cease fire went into effect. Giora Epstein stands out as the Ace Of Aces, having shot down a record 17 planes in the course of his amazing career.

81 posted on 09/11/2003 10:42:07 AM PDT by SAMWolf (US Marines - Technical Support for 72VirginsDating.mil (Thanks jriemer))
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To: Darksheare
Sell? Don't give my wife any ideas, she's just got a sign on the front lawn that says

"Free to good home,
slightly used husband"

82 posted on 09/11/2003 10:44:00 AM PDT by SAMWolf (US Marines - Technical Support for 72VirginsDating.mil (Thanks jriemer))
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To: Samwise
My daughters class did the same, it's nice to see the teachers aren't all brainwashed, US hating Leftists. I guess most of those end up in the colleges.
83 posted on 09/11/2003 10:45:52 AM PDT by SAMWolf (US Marines - Technical Support for 72VirginsDating.mil (Thanks jriemer))
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To: colorado tanker
it's time to turn the Israelis loose to clean out Hamas and Islamic Jihad.

If it wasn't for th UN and the US stopping Israel, this may have been settled in 1956, 1967 or 1973. It don't see where cleaning up before could have been any worse than it is now.

84 posted on 09/11/2003 10:49:20 AM PDT by SAMWolf (US Marines - Technical Support for 72VirginsDating.mil (Thanks jriemer))
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To: Johnny Gage
Thanks Johnny!
85 posted on 09/11/2003 10:54:42 AM PDT by snippy_about_it (Pray for our troops)
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To: snippy_about_it
As long as it doesn't come out of the Foxhole budget! ;-)
86 posted on 09/11/2003 10:55:17 AM PDT by SAMWolf (US Marines - Technical Support for 72VirginsDating.mil (Thanks jriemer))
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To: SAMWolf
As long as it doesn't come out of the Foxhole budget! ;-)

Well we can't have him sold off to just anyone. LOL. If we have to we can take up a collection. :)

87 posted on 09/11/2003 11:08:55 AM PDT by snippy_about_it (Pray for our troops)
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To: snippy_about_it
We only have 1.50 in the budget and I was planning on getting a coffee.
88 posted on 09/11/2003 11:11:48 AM PDT by SAMWolf (US Marines - Technical Support for 72VirginsDating.mil (Thanks jriemer))
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To: SAMWolf
If we buy Darksheare we can have him make coffee for us. LOL!

Hmm, nevermind. Okay, quick go buy coffee and we can hope for someone to come along with a lower bid or for his wife to change her mind.

;)
89 posted on 09/11/2003 11:15:15 AM PDT by snippy_about_it (Pray for our troops)
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To: SAMWolf
If it wasn't for th UN and the US stopping Israel, this may have been settled in 1956, 1967 or 1973. It don't see where cleaning up before could have been any worse than it is now.

In 1956 the French and British were on Israel's side and we stopped them too. It will only get harder so we might as well let them get the job done.

After 9-11 how can we possibly argue that a Pali terrorist blowing up a restaurant full of Israeli civilians is any different than Saudi terroists blowing up American civilians?

The majority of Palis have made clear that they are not yet willing to trade an independent state for peace. Why the State Department continues to believe that urban myth is beyond me.

90 posted on 09/11/2003 12:03:50 PM PDT by colorado tanker (Iron Horse)
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To: SAMWolf

91 posted on 09/11/2003 12:20:09 PM PDT by snippy_about_it (Pray for our troops)
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To: SAMWolf; *all

92 posted on 09/11/2003 12:23:58 PM PDT by snippy_about_it (Pray for our troops)
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To: colorado tanker
The majority of Palis have made clear that they are not yet willing to trade an independent state for peace. Why the State Department continues to believe that urban myth is beyond me.

I guess that's why they're politicians and bureaucrats and we're not.

93 posted on 09/11/2003 12:33:00 PM PDT by SAMWolf (US Marines - Technical Support for 72VirginsDating.mil (Thanks jriemer))
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To: snippy_about_it
LOL! I notice the grammer on that sign is about par for Arkansas.
94 posted on 09/11/2003 12:33:54 PM PDT by SAMWolf (US Marines - Technical Support for 72VirginsDating.mil (Thanks jriemer))
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To: snippy_about_it
Thanks for finding that marker Snippy.
95 posted on 09/11/2003 12:34:51 PM PDT by SAMWolf (US Marines - Technical Support for 72VirginsDating.mil (Thanks jriemer))
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To: SAMWolf
It's been a lot easier since Snippy has been my partner.


96 posted on 09/11/2003 12:36:05 PM PDT by snippy_about_it (Pray for our troops)
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To: snippy_about_it
Well I need someone to keep an eye on me!
97 posted on 09/11/2003 12:38:43 PM PDT by SAMWolf (US Marines - Technical Support for 72VirginsDating.mil (Thanks jriemer))
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To: SAMWolf
Well I need someone to keep an eye on me!

LOL! That's the truth!

You work too hard and I have to step in and make you take breaks. All work and no play.....

;)

98 posted on 09/11/2003 12:48:56 PM PDT by snippy_about_it (Pray for our troops)
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To: snippy_about_it
Me? Work too hard? It's only work if you don't like doing it.
99 posted on 09/11/2003 1:28:27 PM PDT by SAMWolf (US Marines - Technical Support for 72VirginsDating.mil (Thanks jriemer))
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To: SAMWolf
You are so right! Like I always said, the Foxhole is a labor of love for us!
100 posted on 09/11/2003 1:46:50 PM PDT by snippy_about_it (Pray for our troops)
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