8 May 2017
PRIME TIME
The Mormon Battalion In New Mexico
By Shannon Wagers
The Mormon Battalion monument is easy to miss . It sits on a side road off Interstate 25 , just south of the Budaghers exit ( Exit 257 ), about halfway between Albuquerque and Santa Fe . Perhaps some of the drivers speeding by do notice the weathered bronze wagon wheel perched atop a sandstone obelisk , but few stop to read the plaque at its base that commemorates the 1,900-mile journey of a contingent of Mormon soldiers who trekked across the Southwest during the Mexican War of 1846-1848 .
From its beginnings in 1830 , the Church of Jesus Christ of Latterday Saints — popularly known as the Mormons — faced persecution for their unorthodox beliefs and practices . Driven out of western New York State , they migrated first to Ohio , then to Missouri , then to Illinois . After their founder , Joseph Smith , was murdered by a mob there in 1844 , Mormon leaders decided to move on to unsettled territory somewhere in the far West where they could practice their religion unmolested . Early in 1846 , under the leadership of Smith ’ s successor , Brigham Young , the exodus began .
Meanwhile , a thousand miles to the south , fighting had broken out between U . S . and Mexican troops along the Texas border . That spring ,
as the country mobilized for war , Mormon wagons were rolling westward across the Iowa prairies . Near Council Bluffs they were approached by a delegation of army officers from Fort Leavenworth , Kan ., with a proposal : If the Mormons could raise a force of 500 volunteers to march to Mexico with Gen . Stephen Watts Kearny ’ s Army of the West , they would receive standard Army rates of pay , plus a generous uniform allowance , and upon discharge after one year ’ s service , would be allowed to retain their governmentissued firearms .
Initially , the Mormons were suspicious , but Brigham Young saw an opportunity . The Saints were destitute . They had sold their homes and farms in Illinois for pennies on the dollar and departed with only the few possessions they could carry in their wagons . They needed the hard cash the Army was offering . Within a few days , the Mormon Battalion reported for duty .
Kearny had already left Fort Leavenworth with the main body of his army by the time the Mormons arrived there , and was soon far ahead of them on the Santa Fe Trail . Having received only minimal training , the battalion resembled a party of westering pioneers more than a fighting force . Some of the men even brought along their wives and children . The presence of so many non-combatants slowed their progress considerably .
Kearny encountered no significant opposition when he reached New Mexico ( then part of Mexico ), and on August 18 , 1846 , he entered Santa Fe and proclaimed it American territory . Having pacified New Mexico , his orders were then to proceed to California , which he promptly did , without waiting for the Mormons to catch up .
When they finally arrived in Santa Fe , the soldiers of the battalion enjoyed a couple of weeks of rest . Many spent their leisure time writing letters and updating their diaries . These have proven invaluable to historians , since they are among the earliest written descriptions of New Mexico by Anglo outsiders . Some even included sketches of Santa Fe as it appeared at the time .
They also got a new commanding officer : Lt . Col . Phillip St . George Cooke . One of his first acts as commander was to send the women and children back to Fort Pueblo , Colo ., along with 86 men deemed unfit for duty , mostly for medical reasons . That left the battalion with 397 men and about 30 wagons , plus five women who were “ reluctantly allowed ” ( as Cooke recorded in his journal ) to stay on as laundresses , and a few teenage boys who served as aides to the officers . The reorganized battalion marched south out of Santa Fe in early November .
They followed the ancient Camino Real ( roughly approximating today ’ s I-25 ) to a point near the present-day town of Hatch , where they left the Rio Grande Valley and turned westward .
Cooke ’ s orders were to scout out the best southern route to the Pacific , constructing a road where necessary . This came to be known as “ Cooke ’ s Wagon Road .” Parts of it were later incorporated into the route of the Butterfield Stage line , and still later , the Southern Pacific Railroad .
Water was scarce along the trail , and rations were short . The constant threat of attack by hostile Apaches loomed over them as the men toiled with hand tools to scrape out a primitive road . The sharp volcanic rocks of the mountains tore at their boots . In time , some were reduced to wrapping their feet in animal hides , while others went barefoot .
As they approached Tucson , Ariz ., they prepared for battle with the small Mexican force there . But the Mexicans , outnumbered two-to-one , had retreated south , and Cooke occupied the Old Pueblo without firing a shot .
They reached California at last in early spring . There they served light garrison duty for the remainder of their deployment . On July 16 , the anniversary of their enlistment , they were discharged , and the Mormon Battalion was permanently disbanded .
National Hispanic Cultural Center 1701 4th Street SW • Albuquerque , NM 87102
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