How would you feel if you were traveling somewhere and then you were suddenly attacked by a group of religious people? This happened to a group of emigrants in 1857, as they traveled through Utah, heading for California. This group of emigrants were massacred by a group of Mormons in a valley known as Mountain Meadows. The conflict between the Mormons and emigrants passing through Utah territory was significant because of the Mormons strong beliefs to obey their leaders, leaders also encouraged the Paiute Indians to help, and Brigham Young and Isaac Haight the highest leaders of the church convinced everyone to help in the massacre.
In 1857, there was a United States army of 1,500 that was headed to Utah. The U.S. and Utah territory had a …show more content…
Lee was able to trick the emigrants by approaching them under a white flag. The emigrants had barely enough ammunition left, little water, and their wounded dying. They gave up all their weapons and belongings. Lee had the wounded and youngest emigrants out first, then followed by the older children and mothers, then the boys and men. In Mountain Meadows, the militiamen killed the emigrants next to them and the hidden Indians attacked the mothers and older children. The massacre killed 120 emigrants, leaving seventeen children alive. Though when the Mormons blamed the massacre on the Paiute Indians, they denied their involvement. The Paiute Indians argued against them saying how the Mormons dressed up as Indians. The relatives of the victims called the Paiute Indians, “wagon burners” and …show more content…
Two of the children who survived were Rebecca Dunlap and Nancy Saphronia Huff. During the massacre, Dunlap was six years old and Huff was four years old. Rebecca Dunlap saw the horror of the massacre with her sisters, Louisa and Sarah. She begged Jacob Hamlin who was part of the massacre to save her and her sisters. Nancy Huff remembers the white men and Indians attacking them and there were eighteen children left. Though out of the eighteen, there was one girl who was killed because she was too old. Nancy Huff was the only member of her family who survived. The local militia in Utah territory included about sixty-eight individual men. They had men as young as fifteen and as old as fifty two. Most of the militiamen were ranged as twenty-five to forty-five. Some of these militiamen had strong evidence that they were involved, some had little evidence to prove their involvement, and the rest had barely any evidence. Each men had different situations, some were messengers, some were seen during the massacre, some claimed they were there at the massacre, some transported the surviving children, some were witnesses, and others had their own
In 1857, there was a United States army of 1,500 that was headed to Utah. The U.S. and Utah territory had a …show more content…
Lee was able to trick the emigrants by approaching them under a white flag. The emigrants had barely enough ammunition left, little water, and their wounded dying. They gave up all their weapons and belongings. Lee had the wounded and youngest emigrants out first, then followed by the older children and mothers, then the boys and men. In Mountain Meadows, the militiamen killed the emigrants next to them and the hidden Indians attacked the mothers and older children. The massacre killed 120 emigrants, leaving seventeen children alive. Though when the Mormons blamed the massacre on the Paiute Indians, they denied their involvement. The Paiute Indians argued against them saying how the Mormons dressed up as Indians. The relatives of the victims called the Paiute Indians, “wagon burners” and …show more content…
Two of the children who survived were Rebecca Dunlap and Nancy Saphronia Huff. During the massacre, Dunlap was six years old and Huff was four years old. Rebecca Dunlap saw the horror of the massacre with her sisters, Louisa and Sarah. She begged Jacob Hamlin who was part of the massacre to save her and her sisters. Nancy Huff remembers the white men and Indians attacking them and there were eighteen children left. Though out of the eighteen, there was one girl who was killed because she was too old. Nancy Huff was the only member of her family who survived. The local militia in Utah territory included about sixty-eight individual men. They had men as young as fifteen and as old as fifty two. Most of the militiamen were ranged as twenty-five to forty-five. Some of these militiamen had strong evidence that they were involved, some had little evidence to prove their involvement, and the rest had barely any evidence. Each men had different situations, some were messengers, some were seen during the massacre, some claimed they were there at the massacre, some transported the surviving children, some were witnesses, and others had their own