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Army of Israel: Mormon Battalion Narratives
"History may be searched in vain for an equal march of infantry,Ę said Lt. Col. Philip St. George Cooke of the 1846 march of his command, the Mormon Battalion, from Council Bluffs, Iowa, to the California coast. The commandĘs distinctive place in the history of the West and the United States military was secured by that epic Mexican War journey, which pioneered a new wagon road across the arid Southwest desert and helped bring about the Gadsden Purchase, as well as by this military unitĘs unique composition, consisting almost entirely of members of one religion, and by the battalionĘs subsequent important roles in early California history, from the United States armyĘs occupation and the establishment of new civil government to the discovery of gold and the pioneering of major emigrant roads into the territory. Prolific journal and letter writers, the battalion members produced one of the richest and farthest ranging documentary records of the mid-nineteenth century West. Several classic battalion journals have been published, including those by Cooke and Henry Bigler, but many other valuable and informative accounts have not been readily available until now. Giving priority to previously unpublished documents, editors David Bigler and Will Bagley have compiled, introduced, and annotated dozens of firsthand accounts and other primary sources regarding the Mormon BattalionĘs march and subsequent adventures. These include such perspectives as the journal of teenager William Pace, letters from a few of the women associated with the battalion (some thirty wives accompanied their husbands), and military and government correspondence. These and the many other collected documents provide an expansive portrait and detailed record of a large part of the American West-including portions of what became Iowa, Kansas, Colorado, New Mexico, Arizona, California, Nevada, and Utah-and its inhabitants at a critical juncture in the regionĘs history, the late 1840s. Review Excerpts: "David Bigler and Will Bagley successfully collaborated to bring together a series of previously unpublished documents, as well as some published ones, in an outstanding collection of firsthand accounts and other primary sources on and about the Mormon Battalion's epic 1846 U.S. - Mexican War march and their role in securing the Southwest from Mexican control and claiming the territory that would become the states of Iowa, Kansas, Colorado, New Mexico, Arizona, California, Nevada, and Utah -- thereby fulfilling the mandate inherent in the concept of "Manifest Destiny". Several eye-witness sourced perspectives are provided including the journal of teenager William Pace, letters from some of the women associated with the battalion; as well as military and government correspondence. Army Of Israel: Mormon Battalion Narratives is a superlatively presented and informative contribution to American history in general, and the role of a unique military command in particular." --Internet Book Watch Winner of the 2000 Steven F. Christensen Award for Best Documentary, Mormon History Association and the 2000 Utah Military History Award, Utah State Historical Society. Mr. Bagley has edited several books and narratives on the American West and serves as the chief editor of the series Kingdom in the West: The Mormons and the American Frontier. David Bigler is the author of Forgotten Kingdom: The Mormon Theocracy in the American West, 1847 - 1896 and Fort Limhi. Title: Army of Israel: Mormon Battalion Narratives Retail Price: Your Price: Only $21.25
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David L. Bigler and Will Bagley (Editors). Logan, Utah: University State University Press, Kingdom in the West Series, IV, 6x9" softbound, 488 pages.