JS appointed Turley, a gunsmith, as armorer general of the Nauvoo Legion on 18 June 1844. Turley later reported that JS and Hyrum Smith ordained him to the position. Since that time, Turley had been assigned to manufacture cannon and procure arms for the legion. The rifles mentioned by Young were slide-loading repeating rifles, often known as harmonica rifles because the rectangular metal bar with multiple charges was slid and locked into place at the breech in a manner that resembled the playing of a harmonica. The innovative technology allowed the operator to fire multiple rounds in relatively quick succession. (Hosea Stout, History of the Nauvoo Legion, Draft 1, p. [11], Nauvoo Legion Records, CHL; Theodore Turley, San Bernardino, CA, to Hosea Stout, 28 Oct. 1855, Historian’s Office, JS History Documents, ca. 1839–1860, CHL; JS, Journal, 20 June 1844; Clayton, Journal, 14 Oct. 1844; Garavaglia and Worman, Firearms of the American West, 66.)

Stout, Hosea. History of the Nauvoo Legion, Draft 1, ca. 1844–1845. Nauvoo Legion Records, 1841–1845. CHL. MS 3430, fd. 10. One of three drafts of the history; includes material dated 4 February 1841 through 22 June 1844. Pages are out of order; in the current order, this draft includes pp. [5]–[8], [15]–[22].

Historian’s Office. Joseph Smith History Documents, 1839–1860. CHL. CR 100 396.

Clayton, William. Journals, 1842–1845. CHL.

Garavaglia, Louis A., and Charles G. Worman. Firearms of the American West, 1803–1865. Albuquerque: University of New Mexico Press, 1984.