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Show CHAPTER III IN DEFENSE OF ZION The unavoidable question now facing Brigham Young was how the besieged Saints could defend the kingdom. Young had thrown down the gauntlet to the army and the nation, and now he had to prove himself. To defend Zion by force would almost certainly leave church leaders open to the charge of treason. Talk alone did not constitute the crime under the laws of the United States. Only by carrying out an overt act of war against the United States could the crime exist., However Brigham Young chose to defend the kingdom, it had to be successful. Although it was commonly believed in Utah that "Zion cannot fall" because God would "fight their battles," the Mormons put great emphasis on the old Cromwellian maxim, "Put your trust in God...and keep your powder dry." The adage was even referred to on occasion in some of the "war" sermons.1 It would never do to sit back and let history take its course. While it was presumed that God would not allow them to fall, it was also believed that God would work through His people and the prophets to win the victory. The ultimate priority in the strategy of church leaders was to preserve the gathering. Twenty years before, it had been revealed to Joseph Smith, "that the gathering together upon the land of Zion and upon her stakes, may be for a defense, and for a refuge from the storm, and from [the wrath when it shall be poured out without mixture upon the whole earth. c Now the storm was at their doors. Even if hostilities could be avoided, It would not be acceptable to have the "heathen" brought to Zion to pollute and destroy the 61 |
