JS, History, 1838–1856, vol. C-1, created 24 Feb. 1845–3 July 1845; handwriting of , , Jonathan Grimshaw, and ; 512 pages, plus 24 pages of addenda; CHL. This is the third volume of a six-volume manuscript history of the church. This third volume covers the period from 2 Nov. 1838 to 31 July 1842; the remaining five volumes, labeled A-1, B-1, D-1, E-1 and F-1, continue through 8 Aug. 1844.
Historical Introduction
This document, “History, 1838–1856, volume C-1 [2 November 1838–31 July 1842],” is the third of six volumes of the “Manuscript History of the Church” (in The Joseph Smith Papers the “Manuscript History” bears the editorial title “History, 1838–1856”). The completed six-volume collection covers the period from 23 December 1805 to 8 August 1844. The narrative in this volume commences on 2 November 1838 with JS and other church leaders being held prisoner by the “’s forces” at , Missouri, and concludes with the death of Bishop at , Illinois, on 31 July 1842. For a more complete discussion of the entire six-volume work, see the general introduction to this history.
Volume C-1 was created beginning on or just after 24 February 1845 and its narrative was completed by 3 May 1845, although some additional work continued on the volume through 3 July of that year (Richards, Journal, 24 and 28 Feb. 1845; Historian’s Office, Journal, 3 May 1845; 3 and 4 July 1845). It is in the handwriting of and contains 512 pages of primary text, plus 24 pages of addenda. Additional addenda for this volume were created at a later date as a supplementary document and appear in this collection as “History, 1838-1856, volume C-1 Addenda.” Compilers and Thomas Bullock drew heavily from JS’s letters, discourses, and diary entries; meeting minutes; church and other periodicals and journals; and reminiscences, recollections, and letters of church members and other contacts. At JS’s behest, Richards maintained the first-person, chronological-narrative format established in previous volumes, as if JS were the author. , , , and others reviewed and modified the manuscript prior to its eventual publication in the Salt Lake City newspaper Deseret News.
The historical narrative recorded in volume C-1 continued the account of JS’s life as prophet and president of the church. Critical events occurring within the forty-five-month period covered by this text include the Mormon War; subsequent legal trials of church leaders; expulsion of the Saints from Missouri; missionary efforts in by the and others; attempts by JS to obtain federal redress for the Missouri depredations; publication of the LDS Millennial Star in England; the migration of English converts to ; missionary efforts in other nations; the death of church patriarch ; the establishment of the city charter; the commencement of construction of the Nauvoo ; the expedition that facilitated temple construction; the introduction of the doctrine of proxy baptism for deceased persons; the dedicatory prayer by on the Mount of Olives in Palestine; publication of the “Book of Abraham” in the Nauvoo Times and Seasons; publication of the JS history often referred to as the “Wentworth letter;” the organization of the Female Relief Society of Nauvoo; and the inception of Nauvoo-era temple endowment ceremonies.
<December 16 Joseph’s letter in > not their consciences seared as with a hot iron. We confess that we are offended but the Savior said, it must needs be that offences come, but wo unto them by whom they come, and again blessed are ye when men shall revile you and persecute you and shall say all manner of evil against you falsely for my sake” Rejoice and be exceeding glad for great is your reward in heaven for so persecuted they the prophets which were before you— Now dear brethren if any men ever had reason to claim this promise, we are the men, for we know that the world not only hates us, [HC 3:228] but they speak all manner of evil of us falsely, for no other reason than that we have been endeavoring to teach the fullness <of the gospel> of Jesus Christ— After we were bartered away by and were taken into the Militia Camp, we had all the evidence we could have asked for that the world hated us— If there were Priests among them of all the different sects they hated us, and that most cordially too, If there were Generals they hated us, If there were Colonels they hated us, and the Soldiers and Officers of every kind hated us, and the most profane, blasphemous, and drunkards and whoremongers hated us— they all hated us most cordially. And now what did they hate us for? purely because of the testimony of Jesus Christ, Was it because we were liars? We know that it has been reported by some, but it has been reported falsely, Was it because we have committed treason against the Government? in , or of burglary, or of larceny, or of arson, or any other unlawful act in — We know that Priests, and certain Lawyers, and certain Judges, who are the instigators, aiders and abettors of a certain gang of murderers and robbers, who have been carrying on a scheme of mobocracy to uphold their Priestcraft against the Saints of the last days, for a number of years, and have tried by a well contemplated and premeditated scheme to put down by physical power a system of religion that all the world by their mutual—— attainments and by any fair means whatever were not able to resist. Hence Mobbers were encouraged by Priests and Levites, by the Pharisees, Saducees and Essenees and the Herodians, and the most worthless abandoned and debauched, lawless and inhuman and the most beastly set of men that the Earth can boast of— and indeed a parallell cannot be found any where else, to gather together to steal, to plunder, to starve and to exterminate and burn the houses of the Mormons— These are the characters that by their treasonable and avert acts have desolated and laid waste . these are the characters that would fain make all the world believe that we are guilty of the above named acts— but they represent us falsely— We stood in our own defence and we believe that no man of us acted only in a just, a lawful and a righteous retaliation against such Marauders. We say unto you, that we have not committed treason nor any other unlawful act in — Was it for murder in against Mob Militia who was a Wolf in the first instance, Hide and hair, teeth, legs, and tail, who afterwards put on a Militia Sheepskin with the wool on, who can sally forth in the day time into the flock and snarl [p. 870]