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Show 44 Now, if any persons wish to begin another scrape and desire again to break us up, and corrupt this people, and to bring death, hell and the devil in our midst, come on, for God Almighty knows that I will strive to slay the man who undertakes it."*1 Whether church leaders wanted a fight or were expecting one or both is not so important as the fact that it was believed a collision was all but imminent. The people were conditioned to believe the storms of the last days were threatening, and they should be ready for it. Even as the Reformation was lessening in intensity on the eve of the Utah War, its effects had a powerful influence over the Saints. John D. Lee, of Harmony, Utah, wrote of the Reformation's effects during the] early "war" period: We were at that time in the midst of the excitement of the reformation and were made to believe by the teachings of our leaders that the fulness of times had come-that the Mormons were to conquer the world at once and rule for a thousand years, and that the Mormon doctrine was to be universally accepted.*2 With the Utah War on the horizon, the condition of affairs in Utah was such that the Saints believed they were on the very brink of destiny. At any moment, the great catacylisms of the last days might be thrust upon the world and open the way for the millennium. The governments would be toppled, the kingdom of God rise to dominance, and the Saints would be restored to their gathering place in Jackson County. The Saints were now ready to accomplish whatever assignment their leaders handed them. It was not only under such conditions that the White Mountain Expedition occurred, it was also a result of them. |
