Diary of Brigham Young 1857

Diary of Brigham Young, page xxii

It is a well-known fact that Brigham Young and other leaders throughout Utah were trying to win the sympathy, loyalty, and assistance of the Indians of the region for the impendmg conflict with the United States troops, who were at that very moment (September 1) marching toward Utah. According to many observers, the Mormons were trying to create in the Indian mind a distinction between the Mormons and the "Americans" or "Mericats." The diary entry for September 1 would indicate that their efforts were successful, at least with the visitors to Brigham Young on this day. The question left unanswered is whether these same Indians were involved in the Moun- tain Meadows attack and, if so, what part did the visit and the presents play in the whole affair? Another peculiarity of the diary at this point is that there is no record of the visit of James Haslam, the mes- senger who arrived September 10 after riding three hundred miles on horseback to bring word of the massacre at Moun- tain Meadows to Brigham Young. Unfortunately, the diary ends before John D. Lee's visit to Brigham Young on September 29. Lee, Brigham Young's "adopted" son, was one of the leading participants in the massacre. Of the half a hundred Mormons who participated in the attack, John D. Lee was the only one convicted of the crime and paid for his role with his life. He was executed at the scene of the murders in 1877, twenty years after the tragedy. And so, while the diary spans a very crucial period in Utah history, the absence of entries on very significant events is exasperating and disappointing. Nevertheless, this diary is the first of the several Brigham Young diaries to be made available to the reading public. And while it records some important events, one can not help but lament that it does not cover a greater span of time and give fuller coverage to some of the incidents that are barely touched upon. xxii