Not Much More Than a Babe, but Yet a U.S. Officer

Which prophet’s son attend the West Point Academy when 17 years of age and fought in a major war as a commissioned officer?

a.      Brigham Young

b.      Wilford Woodruff

c.       Joseph F. Smith

d.      Joseph Smith Jr.

Yesterday’s answer:

(C)   The Utah War

Amid rumors of Mormon disloyalty that later proved untrue, President James Buchanan had dispatched a federal army to the territory. The Saints saw the approaching troops as yet another persecution. While first preparing to fight, they later avoided confrontation by abandoning Salt Lake City and moving en masse forty miles south. Eventually the crisis was resolved, but upon returning to their homes, the Saints seemed afflicted by an “awful spirit.” Church officials estimated that at best 20 percent of the settlers attended to their prayers. Still fewer “carried the Spirit.” The payment of tithing and the attendance of meetings flagged. Drunkenness, stealing, and even prostitution seemed on the rise. Some Saints were disrespectful of church authorities. “Many of the people don’t’ care a damn about the Bishops,” despaired Hunter, “and if a Bishop’s Court, . . . meet to decide a case, the very parties will insult you before they leave the place.”

Minutes of the Bishops’ Meetings, 11 November 1858, 7 and 21 July, and 27 October 1859, Presiding Bishopric Papers.