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Show 94 facets of his strategy. From this time forward, however, the secondary plans received increasing attention. The prophet was still convinced that the kingdom was on the ascendancy. Infact, he said privately on March 13 "that within 12 years he would say who shall be president of the United States. "^ But perhaps for the immediate future a re-evaluation was in order. God would certainly deliver His people, but how and when? As a prophet, Brigham Young felt he was the instrument through whom God would work His plans. In the late winter of 1858 he felt this responsibility keenly. From a position of security and outright jubilation a few weeks before, church leaders had grown increasingly cautious. The mood in Salt Lake City was somber. Gone were the fiery speeches of last fall. It was a time to prepare to meet the enemy. But as the crisis peaked, it appeared the promises of fall would stand hollow and unfulfilled. Brigham Young was turning his attention away from a fight. Mormon strategy was in a transition stage. The salvation of the kingdom might not lie in a military victory after all. As Brigham Young was proposing an investigation of the western deserts to his close associates, George A. Smith began to prepare the people for the change. On the same day, Smith told the congregation in the Tabernacle "to be ready for all requirements that are made from the prophet of God." His listeners had little idea what they were being prepared for; but the rain falling gently outside was a subtle reminder that spring would soon be upon them, and the federal troops would be on the march. |