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.
<March 20 Letter of Joseph Smith in > and hypocrisy, and debaucheries of every description. And again the cries of orphans and widows would not have ascended up to God. against them. it would not have stained the soil of , but oh! the unrelenting hand— the inhumanity and murderous disposition of this people, it shocks all nature, it beggars and defies all description, it is a tale of woe, a lamentable tale, yea a sorrowful tale, too much to tell, too much for contemplation too much to think of for a moment, too much for human beings, it cannot be found among the heathens, it cannot be found among the nations where Kings and Tyrants are enthroned, it cannot be found among the savages of the wilderness, yea, and I think it cannot be found among the wild and ferocious beasts of the Forest, [HC 3:290] that a man should be mangled for sport, women be robbed of all that they have, their last morsel for subsistence, and then be violated to gratify the hellish desires of the Mob, and finally left to perish with their helpless offspring clinging around their necks, but this is not all, after a man is dead, he must be dug up from his grave, and mangled to pieces for no other purpose, than to gratify their spleen against the religion of God. They practice these things upon the Saints who have done them no wrong, who are innocent and virtuous, who loved the Lord their God and were willing to forsake all things for Christ’s sake. these things are awful to relate, but they are verily true, it must needs be that offences come, but Wo to them by whom they come. O God where are thou, and where is the pavilion that covereth thy hiding place, how long shall thy hand be stayed and thine eye, yea thy pure eye behold from the eternal heavens the wrongs of thy people and of thy servants. and thine ear be penetrated with their cries. yea O Lord how long shall they suffer these wrongs and unlawful oppressions, before thine heart shall be softened towards them, and thy bowels be moved with compassion— towards them.
O Lord God Almighty, maker of heaven, earth and seas, and of all things that in them is, and who controlleth and subjecteth the devil and the dark and benighted dominion of Shayole. Strech forth thy hand, let thine eye pierce, let thy pavilion be taken up, let thy hiding place no longer be covered, let thine ear be inclined let thine heart be softened and thy bowels moved with compassion towards us let thine anger be kindled against our enemies, and in the fury of thine heart with thy sword, aveng us of our wrongs, remember thy suffering Saints O our God and thy servants will rejoice in thy name for ever— Dearly and beloved Brethren we see that perilous times have come, as was testified of, we may look then with most perfect assurance for the rolling in of all those things that have been written, and with more confidence than ever before, lift up our eyes to the luminary of day and say in our hearts, soon thou wilt vail thy blushing face, he that said let there be light, and there was light, hath spoken this word. and again thou moon, thou dimmer light, thou luminary of night shall turn to blood, we see that every thing is fulfilling, and the time shall soon come, when the Son of Man shall descend in the clouds of heaven, our hearts do not shrink [p. 901]