Utah in the American Civil War
Encyclopedia
The Utah Territory
during the American Civil War
was far from the main operational theaters of war, but still played a role in the disposition of the United States Army
, drawing manpower away from the volunteer forces
and providing its share of administrative headaches for the Lincoln Administration. Although no battles were fought in the territory, the withdrawal of Union forces at the beginning of the war allowed the Indian tribes to start raiding the trails passing through Utah. As a result, units from California and Utah were assigned to protect against these raids. Mineral deposits found in Utah by California soldiers encouraged the immigration of non-Mormon settlers into Utah.
pulled the Federal troops out of the Utah Territory and reassigned them to other regions where they were more immediately needed to quell the brewing rebellion. However, the void in military presence allowed the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints (also known as Mormons) to regain control over the territory. Although the Mormons were the majority of settlers in the Great Salt Lake
basin, the western area of the territory began to attract many non-Mormon settlers. Partly as a result of this, in March the Nevada Territory
was created out of the western part of the territory. Earlier in the year, a large portion of the eastern area of the territory was reorganized as part of the newly created Colorado Territory
.
In October 1861, the First Transcontinental Telegraph
was completed, with Salt Lake City being the last link. Mormon leader Brigham Young
was among the first to send a message, along with President Lincoln and other officials.
In 1862, with the ranks of the Union army swelled by more than 100,000 volunteers, the U.S. government believed it could now spare enough men to again occupy the Utah Territory. In addition, it was important to protect the overland mail route and telegraph lines along what later became known as the California Trail
. Col.
Patrick E. Connor
marched into Utah with a regiment of California volunteers. His soldiers, of the 3rd California Infantry
, constructed a small garrison just three miles (5 km) east of the Mormon stronghold of Salt Lake City. The post, named Camp Douglas for former Illinois
presidential candidate and congressman Stephen A. Douglas
, was officially established on October 26, 1862. Connor at once engaged in an acrimonious and bitter cold war with Brigham Young and the Mormon people, whom he accused of being disloyal and immoral. During the rest of the war, the fort served as the headquarters of the District of Utah
in the Department of the Pacific
.
The District of Utah
was organized on August 1, covering the territories of Utah and Nevada, and Connor was appointed commanding officer. Besides the California units Connor led into the territory, the district was also defended by detachments from the 6th
and 11th Ohio Cavalry
, elements of the 4th U.S. Cavalry, and the 1st Nevada Cavalry Battalion
.
The Shoshoni and other Native American tribal groups engaged in several small conflicts with incoming immigrant settlers in northern Utah and south-eastern Washington Territory
(present day Idaho
), particularly during the late 1850s and early 1860s. One incident in particular involving miners from Montana traveling through Cache Valley
was enough to justify an expedition to investigate the situation further. Eager for combat, Connor marched his regiment 140 miles over the frozen winter landscape to deal with the Indians. On January 29, 1863, Connor's troops encountered the Shoshoni encampment along the Bear River. His men massacred the Indian encampment and then marched back to Utah.
Connor encouraged his men to explore the Utah region for mineral deposits, the discovery of which he believed would bring more non-Mormons into the territory, changing the balance of political power. His efforts were successful. His men discovered gold
, silver
, lead
, and zinc
deposits in Tooele County
in 1864. As Connor hoped, miners began to flock to the territory. The Rush Valley Mining District was established by soldiers in the western Oquirrh Mountains
and more than 100 claims were staked in the first year.
had been named as Chief Justice of the Territory of Utah by President Buchanan
. He served from June 26, 1860, until March 1863. He was directly involved in the events leading up to the Morrisite War
of 1862, and allowed a condemnation of Territorial Governor Stephen S. Harding
to be read into the public record after Harding issued a blanket pardon
for all Morrisites
convicted in connection with the war. Kinney was elected as the Territory of Utah's Democratic
delegate to the 38th Congress
and served from March 4, 1863 until March 3, 1865.
In 1861, President Lincoln had appointed James Duane Doty
to the position of Superintendent of Indian Affairs for the Utah Territory. In 1863, Utah's territorial governor, Stephen Harding, was removed from office after public backlash from his criticism of the LDS Church and the practice of polygamy
. Lincoln appointed Doty to the governorship shortly thereafter. As governor, Doty was able to repair the relationship between the Federal government and the territory's Mormon
s.
, the Mormon militia organization. After discussing his offer with Secretary of War Edwin M. Stanton
, Lincoln accepted the formation of a thirty man cavalry company for ninety days; this was later expanded into a 106-man company. Although the company made several efforts to track down the culprits of the raids, it never saw any military action.
: Named for soldiers who died there while trying to join the Confederate army.
Utah Territory
The Territory of Utah was an organized incorporated territory of the United States that existed from September 9, 1850, until January 4, 1896, when the final extent of the territory was admitted to the Union as the State of Utah....
during the American Civil War
American Civil War
The American Civil War was a civil war fought in the United States of America. In response to the election of Abraham Lincoln as President of the United States, 11 southern slave states declared their secession from the United States and formed the Confederate States of America ; the other 25...
was far from the main operational theaters of war, but still played a role in the disposition of the United States Army
United States Army
The United States Army is the main branch of the United States Armed Forces responsible for land-based military operations. It is the largest and oldest established branch of the U.S. military, and is one of seven U.S. uniformed services...
, drawing manpower away from the volunteer forces
Union Army
The Union Army was the land force that fought for the Union during the American Civil War. It was also known as the Federal Army, the U.S. Army, the Northern Army and the National Army...
and providing its share of administrative headaches for the Lincoln Administration. Although no battles were fought in the territory, the withdrawal of Union forces at the beginning of the war allowed the Indian tribes to start raiding the trails passing through Utah. As a result, units from California and Utah were assigned to protect against these raids. Mineral deposits found in Utah by California soldiers encouraged the immigration of non-Mormon settlers into Utah.
The U.S. government abandons the Utah Territory
As the war began in early 1861, the War DepartmentUnited States Department of War
The United States Department of War, also called the War Department , was the United States Cabinet department originally responsible for the operation and maintenance of the United States Army...
pulled the Federal troops out of the Utah Territory and reassigned them to other regions where they were more immediately needed to quell the brewing rebellion. However, the void in military presence allowed the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints (also known as Mormons) to regain control over the territory. Although the Mormons were the majority of settlers in the Great Salt Lake
Great Salt Lake
The Great Salt Lake, located in the northern part of the U.S. state of Utah, is the largest salt water lake in the western hemisphere, the fourth-largest terminal lake in the world. In an average year the lake covers an area of around , but the lake's size fluctuates substantially due to its...
basin, the western area of the territory began to attract many non-Mormon settlers. Partly as a result of this, in March the Nevada Territory
Nevada Territory
The Territory of Nevada was an organized incorporated territory of the United States that existed from March 2, 1861, until October 31, 1864, when it was admitted to the Union as the State of Nevada....
was created out of the western part of the territory. Earlier in the year, a large portion of the eastern area of the territory was reorganized as part of the newly created Colorado Territory
Colorado Territory
The Territory of Colorado was an organized incorporated territory of the United States that existed from February 28, 1861, until August 1, 1876, when it was admitted to the Union as the State of Colorado....
.
In October 1861, the First Transcontinental Telegraph
First Transcontinental Telegraph
The First Transcontinental Telegraph was a milestone in electrical engineering and in the formation of the United States of America. It served as the only method of near-instantaneous communication between the east and west coasts during the 1860s....
was completed, with Salt Lake City being the last link. Mormon leader Brigham Young
Brigham Young
Brigham Young was an American leader in the Latter Day Saint movement and a settler of the Western United States. He was the President of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints from 1847 until his death in 1877, he founded Salt Lake City, and he served as the first governor of the Utah...
was among the first to send a message, along with President Lincoln and other officials.
The return of the Union Army
California Trail
The California Trail was an emigrant trail of about across the western half of the North American continent from Missouri River towns to what is now the state of California...
. Col.
Colonel (United States)
In the United States Army, Air Force, and Marine Corps, colonel is a senior field grade military officer rank just above the rank of lieutenant colonel and just below the rank of brigadier general...
Patrick E. Connor
Patrick Edward Connor
Patrick Edward Connor was a Union General during the American Civil War. He was most famous for his campaigns against Native Americans in the American Old West.-Early life and career:...
marched into Utah with a regiment of California volunteers. His soldiers, of the 3rd California Infantry
3rd Regiment California Volunteer Infantry
The 3rd Regiment California Volunteer Infantry was an infantry regiment in the Union Army during the American Civil War. This regiment was organized at Stockton and at Benicia Barracks, from October 31 to December 31, 1861, to serve three years. The regiment was first commanded by Colonel Patrick...
, constructed a small garrison just three miles (5 km) east of the Mormon stronghold of Salt Lake City. The post, named Camp Douglas for former Illinois
Illinois
Illinois is the fifth-most populous state of the United States of America, and is often noted for being a microcosm of the entire country. With Chicago in the northeast, small industrial cities and great agricultural productivity in central and northern Illinois, and natural resources like coal,...
presidential candidate and congressman Stephen A. Douglas
Stephen A. Douglas
Stephen Arnold Douglas was an American politician from the western state of Illinois, and was the Northern Democratic Party nominee for President in 1860. He lost to the Republican Party's candidate, Abraham Lincoln, whom he had defeated two years earlier in a Senate contest following a famed...
, was officially established on October 26, 1862. Connor at once engaged in an acrimonious and bitter cold war with Brigham Young and the Mormon people, whom he accused of being disloyal and immoral. During the rest of the war, the fort served as the headquarters of the District of Utah
District of Utah
During the American Civil War, the District of Utah was a subordinate district of the Army's Department of the Pacific.On August 6, 1862, the Department of the Pacific absorbed the District of Utah, the territory of the former Department of Utah which had been discontinued on July 3, 1861; the...
in the Department of the Pacific
Department of the Pacific
The Department of the Pacific was a major command of the United States Army during the 19th century.-Formation:The Department of the Pacific was first organized on October 31, 1853, at San Francisco, California, taking over from the previous Pacific Division. The department reported directly to...
.
The District of Utah
District of Utah
During the American Civil War, the District of Utah was a subordinate district of the Army's Department of the Pacific.On August 6, 1862, the Department of the Pacific absorbed the District of Utah, the territory of the former Department of Utah which had been discontinued on July 3, 1861; the...
was organized on August 1, covering the territories of Utah and Nevada, and Connor was appointed commanding officer. Besides the California units Connor led into the territory, the district was also defended by detachments from the 6th
6th Ohio Cavalry
The 6th Regiment, Ohio Cavalry was a regiment of Union cavalry raised in ten counties in northeastern and north-central Ohio for service during the American Civil War...
and 11th Ohio Cavalry
11th Ohio Cavalry
The 11th Ohio Cavalry was a volunteer cavalry regiment that served in the Union Army during the American Civil War. The regiment was stationed in the Dakota and Idaho territories to protect travelers and settlers from Native American raids.- Service :...
, elements of the 4th U.S. Cavalry, and the 1st Nevada Cavalry Battalion
1st Battalion Nevada Volunteer Cavalry
The 1st Battalion of Nevada Volunteer Cavalry, or the Nevada Territory Cavalry Volunteers, was a unit raised for the Union army during the American Civil War. It remained in the west, garrisoning frontier posts, protecting emigrant routes, and engaged in scouting duties...
.
The Shoshoni and other Native American tribal groups engaged in several small conflicts with incoming immigrant settlers in northern Utah and south-eastern Washington Territory
Washington Territory
The Territory of Washington was an organized incorporated territory of the United States that existed from February 8, 1853, until November 11, 1889, when the final extent of the territory was admitted to the Union as the State of Washington....
(present day Idaho
Idaho
Idaho is a state in the Rocky Mountain area of the United States. The state's largest city and capital is Boise. Residents are called "Idahoans". Idaho was admitted to the Union on July 3, 1890, as the 43rd state....
), particularly during the late 1850s and early 1860s. One incident in particular involving miners from Montana traveling through Cache Valley
Cache Valley
The Cache Valley is an agricultural valley of northern Utah and southeast Idaho that includes the Logan metropolitan area. The valley was used by 19th century mountain men and was the site of the 1863 Bear River Massacre.-History:...
was enough to justify an expedition to investigate the situation further. Eager for combat, Connor marched his regiment 140 miles over the frozen winter landscape to deal with the Indians. On January 29, 1863, Connor's troops encountered the Shoshoni encampment along the Bear River. His men massacred the Indian encampment and then marched back to Utah.
Connor encouraged his men to explore the Utah region for mineral deposits, the discovery of which he believed would bring more non-Mormons into the territory, changing the balance of political power. His efforts were successful. His men discovered gold
Gold
Gold is a chemical element with the symbol Au and an atomic number of 79. Gold is a dense, soft, shiny, malleable and ductile metal. Pure gold has a bright yellow color and luster traditionally considered attractive, which it maintains without oxidizing in air or water. Chemically, gold is a...
, silver
Silver
Silver is a metallic chemical element with the chemical symbol Ag and atomic number 47. A soft, white, lustrous transition metal, it has the highest electrical conductivity of any element and the highest thermal conductivity of any metal...
, lead
Lead
Lead is a main-group element in the carbon group with the symbol Pb and atomic number 82. Lead is a soft, malleable poor metal. It is also counted as one of the heavy metals. Metallic lead has a bluish-white color after being freshly cut, but it soon tarnishes to a dull grayish color when exposed...
, and zinc
Zinc
Zinc , or spelter , is a metallic chemical element; it has the symbol Zn and atomic number 30. It is the first element in group 12 of the periodic table. Zinc is, in some respects, chemically similar to magnesium, because its ion is of similar size and its only common oxidation state is +2...
deposits in Tooele County
Tooele County, Utah
Tooele County is a county located in the U.S. state of Utah. As of 2000, the population was 40,735 and by 2005 was estimated at 51,311. Its county seat and largest city is Tooele....
in 1864. As Connor hoped, miners began to flock to the territory. The Rush Valley Mining District was established by soldiers in the western Oquirrh Mountains
Oquirrh Mountains
The Oquirrh Mountains is a mountain range that run north-south for approximately 30 miles to form the west side of Utah's Salt Lake Valley, separating it from Tooele Valley. The range begins in northwest Utah County and stops at the south shore of the Great Salt Lake. The highest elevation is...
and more than 100 claims were staked in the first year.
Political leadership of the Utah Territory during the Civil War
Before the Civil War, John F. KinneyJohn F. Kinney
John Fitch Kinney was a prominent American attorney, judge, and Democratic politician. He served as Justice of the Supreme Court of Iowa, twice as Chief Justice of the Supreme Court of the Territory of Utah and one term as the Territory of Utah's Delegate in the House of Representatives of the...
had been named as Chief Justice of the Territory of Utah by President Buchanan
James Buchanan
James Buchanan, Jr. was the 15th President of the United States . He is the only president from Pennsylvania, the only president who remained a lifelong bachelor and the last to be born in the 18th century....
. He served from June 26, 1860, until March 1863. He was directly involved in the events leading up to the Morrisite War
Morrisite War
The Morrisite War was a skirmish between a Latter Day Saint sect known as the "Morrisites" and the Utah territorial government.-Morrisites:In 1857 Joseph Morris, an English convert to The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints in Utah, reported receiving revelations naming him the Seventh...
of 1862, and allowed a condemnation of Territorial Governor Stephen S. Harding
Stephen Selwyn Harding
Stephen Selwyn Harding was the Governor of the Utah Territory for the Liberal Party in 1862 and 1863 and was chief justice of the Colorado Supreme Court from 1863 to 1865. Harding was an ardent abolitionist....
to be read into the public record after Harding issued a blanket pardon
Pardon
Clemency means the forgiveness of a crime or the cancellation of the penalty associated with it. It is a general concept that encompasses several related procedures: pardoning, commutation, remission and reprieves...
for all Morrisites
Church of the Firstborn (Morrisite)
The Church of the Firstborn was a sect of the Latter Day Saint movement that formed as an offshoot of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints in 1861 and was involved in the Morrisite War...
convicted in connection with the war. Kinney was elected as the Territory of Utah's Democratic
Democratic Party (United States)
The Democratic Party is one of two major contemporary political parties in the United States, along with the Republican Party. The party's socially liberal and progressive platform is largely considered center-left in the U.S. political spectrum. The party has the lengthiest record of continuous...
delegate to the 38th Congress
38th United States Congress
-House of Representatives:Before this Congress, the 1860 United States Census and resulting reapportionment changed the size of the House to 241 members...
and served from March 4, 1863 until March 3, 1865.
In 1861, President Lincoln had appointed James Duane Doty
James Duane Doty
James Duane Doty was a land speculator and politician in the United States who played a large role in the development of Wisconsin and Utah Territory.-Legal career:...
to the position of Superintendent of Indian Affairs for the Utah Territory. In 1863, Utah's territorial governor, Stephen Harding, was removed from office after public backlash from his criticism of the LDS Church and the practice of polygamy
Polygamy
Polygamy is a marriage which includes more than two partners...
. Lincoln appointed Doty to the governorship shortly thereafter. As governor, Doty was able to repair the relationship between the Federal government and the territory's Mormon
Mormon
The term Mormon most commonly denotes an adherent, practitioner, follower, or constituent of Mormonism, which is the largest branch of the Latter Day Saint movement in restorationist Christianity...
s.
Utah Civil War units
At the start of the Civil War, the withdrawal of Union Army forces left a void which several Indian tribes took advantage in order to start raids on the mail trails leading through the territory. To solve this, Young offered the government the services of the Nauvoo LegionNauvoo Legion
The Nauvoo Legion was a militia originally organized by the Latter Day Saints to defend the city of Nauvoo, Illinois, . To curry political favor with the ambiguously-political Saints, the Illinois state legislature granted Nauvoo a liberal city charter that gave the Nauvoo Legion extraordinary...
, the Mormon militia organization. After discussing his offer with Secretary of War Edwin M. Stanton
Edwin M. Stanton
Edwin McMasters Stanton was an American lawyer and politician who served as Secretary of War under the Lincoln Administration during the American Civil War from 1862–1865...
, Lincoln accepted the formation of a thirty man cavalry company for ninety days; this was later expanded into a 106-man company. Although the company made several efforts to track down the culprits of the raids, it never saw any military action.
Civil War Posts in Utah
- Camp FloydCamp FloydCamp Floyd was a short-lived U.S. Army post near Fairfield, Utah, United States. The site is now a Utah state park known as Camp Floyd / Stagecoach Inn State Park and Museum.-Camp Floyd:...
, Utah, 1858–1861; renamed Fort Crittenden, 1861–1862 - Camp DouglasFort Douglas, UtahCamp Douglas was established in October 1862 as a small military garrison about three miles east of Salt Lake City, Utah, for the purpose of protecting the overland mail route and telegraph lines along the Central Overland Route. In 1878, the post was renamed Fort Douglas. The fort was officially...
, Utah 1862–1878 - Camp Cedar Swamps, Utah, 1863
- Camp Bingham Creek, Utah, 1864
- Camp Relief, Utah, 1864
- Salt Lake City Post, Utah, 1865–1866
See also
Soldier SummitSoldier Summit, Utah
Soldier Summit is the name of both a mountain pass in the Wasatch Mountains in Utah and a ghost town located at the pass. Soldier Summit has been an important transportation route between the Wasatch Front and Price, Utah since the area was settled by the Mormon pioneers. It is on the route of both...
: Named for soldiers who died there while trying to join the Confederate army.
Further reading
- Long, E.B., The Saints and The Union: Utah Territory during the Civil War, 1981.